Page 29 of The Off-Limits Rule: Extended Edition

“What!” I ask, clutching my heart and wondering if it’s possible to die of fright.

“Mom, that’s lava!” Levi says, eyes wide and pointing to the floor where I was about to step.

“Ohhhh, I see now.” Suddenly, all the bridges and pillows make sense. “How do I get over there to you, then?”

“You have to take the fluffy golden road, over to the reading rainbow, and up the super slipper mountain.”

My mom raises her hand. “I made it up the slipper mountain, but I had a casualty.” She points to her foot. Apparently, if you touch the lava, you lose that extremity for the remainder of the game.

“And that,” says Levi, pointing to the blanket swirling in themiddle of the room, “is the tornado. Don’t get near it or it will suck you up!” Levi’s eyes are shining as he relays the rest of the rules to me. His cheeks are rosy and bright, and my heart stretches painfully.

I felt like a failure having to come home and move in with Drew after leaving to make a fresh start in a new town. It wasn’t even that there was anything wrong with Nashville or my family or friends. I just felt this overwhelming need to try something new. Make a change. And yeah, maybe get away from all the tourists thinking cowboy boots and hats are the proper attire for our city. Believe me, there is no faster way to be hated by Nashville natives than to dress up like you’re going to a honky-tonk for brunch.

But no matter how hard I tried to make Georgia feel like home, it never worked. There was always a gaping hole that Levi and I could both feel. And now, being here and seeing my kid happy and reunited with my parents, I know coming home was the right thing todo.

“How was your night?” Mom asks after I’ve made it down the fluffy golden road, over the reading rainbow, and up the slipper mountain to stand on the armrest with her.

My mom and I look remarkably similar, which, honestly, I’m grateful for. I’ve always looked young for my age, and even now people assume I’m Levi’s nanny most of the time, but I don’t hate it because it just means I’ll age as gracefully as her.

“It was great,” I say as we hug while trying not to topple off the armrest.

Suddenly, I hear her take in a sharp sniff, and she pulls back to look at me. “You spent the night with a man!”

My eyes widen, and my mouth falls open. How did she know that?!

“You did what, young lady?” asks my dad. It’s so hard to take him seriously while he’s planking across the furniture.

“Oh, hush, Scott. Your daughter is not a baby anymore. She’s allowed to spend the night with a man.”

“Not unless she has a ring on her finger and I’ve handed her off in front of God and a preacher.”

Mom rolls her eyes. “So old-fashioned. You do know how we got our precious grandson, right?”

Levi’s head suddenly pops up and swivels in our direction. “Howdidyou get me?”

“The stork,” we all say in practiced unison, and luckily, Levi accepts our answer for now.

Mom’s eyes whip back to me, and she jumps to the ground, yanking me down with her. “Now, come on, I’m putting on a pot of coffee and you’re gonna tell me all about him.”

“La, la, la.I don’t want to hear any of that heathen talk!” my dad yells at our retreating figures, but I can hear the amusement in his voice.

“Then plug your ears, old man.” Mom drags me down the hall, nearly pulling my arm out of its socket.

“Levi!” I bellow over my shoulder. “Come save me from your grammy! I’m going to need a rescue mission!”

Mom keeps tugging me. “Levi, if you stay out of the kitchen for fifteen minutes, I’ll bake you chocolate chip cookies and let you eat them for lunch.”

“Oooh, you’re ruthless.”

Once we’re in the kitchen, she turns to face me and cocks a sassy eyebrow. “You’re gonna have to up your ante if you want to play with the big kids, darlin’. Now, sit and tell me all about him.”

I pull out a kitchen chair and do as I’m told. “How do you even know I spent the night with a man?”

“Unless you’ve changed your perfume to Old Spice, it was beyond obvious. You smell like the men’s body wash aisle, and I do mean that in the best way.”

I smell like Cooper? Why does that thought make me feel all tingly and hot?

“Well, you’re right. I did hang out with a man last night, but not in the way you’re thinking. We’re just friends.”

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