Page 52 of Finding Her Strength

I’ll also need proof.

A noise startles me, and I whip around to find one of Antony’s men standing behind me. My blood freezes in my veins as nausea swirls through my stomach.

This is it.

I won’t survive after this.

The small glimmer of hope I had vanished into thin air.

I escape the house, grabbing my shoes before Tomas can tell Antony I was spying. I know there will be hell to pay when I get home, but my life is already a living hell.

It can’t get much worse.

30

HOPE

“Are you sure this is okay to wear?” I turn, inspecting my shorts and yellow tank in the bathroom mirror.

“You look beautiful as always, babe.” Levi kisses me on the temple, then steps into my bedroom to get dressed.

We’re getting ready to go to Natalie and Tucker’s house tonight. I thought it was just going to be the girls there, but Levi said the guys were feeling left out, so they’re going to be there, too. I started to laugh when he first told me, thinking he was joking. He then explained how these guys genuinely liked hanging out with their women, and I should be prepared for a bunch of alpha men to become marshmallows around their women.

Then, I actually did laugh.

After it set in that there were going to be several more people at this gathering, I started to get nervous. Even though I’ve met almost everyone, I’m still worried about how I’ll interact with all of them. I know my old habits of staying out of the way aren’t going to work in this situation.

I’ve been going over all of the couples in my head so I don’t forget who they are. There’s obviously Quinn and Cooper, who I plan on sticking close to until I get comfortable.Max and Lucy will be there. I met them one night at Levi’s new house. Natalie and Tucker have a five-year-old boy, Noah, who they are trying to adopt. He doesn’t live with them yet but spends the weekends with them and will be there tonight since it’s not just a girls’ night anymore.

Then there’s Megan and Todd. I’ve interacted with Megan on several occasions since I moved here. She’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. I’ve yet to meet her husband, Todd, though. I also have only met Sara a couple of times. She came in with the girls to invite me to dinner, but they were only there for a few minutes.

For some reason, I’m most nervous to connect with her. I think I’ve made her out to be some kind of competition, even though I know that’s not the case. If Levi and Sara were supposed to be together, they already would be.

“You ready to go?” Levi peeks his head through the doorway. He’s got on a green fitted T-shirt that makes his eyes pop and khaki cargo shorts. The funny thing is he actually uses all of his pockets. I don’t know how his pants don’t fall down with the things he puts in them. Usually, it’s random nails or scrap pieces of wood, but he came home with a couple of screwdrivers once.

“Yes, let me grab my bag, then we can go.”

We leave the bedroom and head out to Levi’s truck. It’s a short drive from my house since Natalie and Tucker don’t live too far from me. When we pull up, there are cars parked all over the place, both in the driveway and on the sidewalk.

Jitters slide down my arms as I open the door to get out. It seems everyone is already here. The noise of the party is loud enough to filter outside.

Levi comes around the front of the truck and wraps his arms around my shoulders. “I parked on the street so we can leave anytime you want. We can be out of here in no time if you get overwhelmed.”

I press up onto my toes, placing my lips gently against his.I’m so grateful for how well he knows me. I don’t know how he learned my body language so quickly. Over the course of the last couple of weeks, he’s been so attuned to my every need. Never have I felt so seen or understood.

Levi quickly takes over the kiss as he usually does, twining his tongue with mine. His hand wraps around the side of my face, making the world fade around me so I only feel him. There are days I feel incredibly sad not to have known this could be my life. I’ve spent so much time alone, constantly on edge, afraid that if I allowed myself to slow down for even a minute, I’d suffer the painful consequences.

In this moment, as Levi’s lips slow our kiss down, happiness envelops me so strongly, it brings tears to my eyes. There, deep in the hazel-green eyes I’ve come to rely on, I see the future I’ve longed for. It scares the hell out of me while simultaneously filling me with such joy. I’m going to fall in love with this amazing man—if I haven’t already. I hope he doesn’t take advantage of that.

Levi takes my hand, leading me up the sidewalk toward the front steps of the house. Instead of knocking, he opens the door, walking right into the loud chatter of his friends, bellowing out ahelloto rival his brother’s booming voice, and everyone responds in kind.

The small entryway leads directly into the living room. A staircase is to our left and a hallway goes toward the back of the house. It seems the party goers have already split off into guys and girls. The girls have taken over the side of the living room with the couches while the guys stand around the other side by the food.

Quinn jumps up from the couch with her wine glass in hand to give me a hug. I expect this will be how most of the introductions will go. With Levi’s help, my sensitivity to touch has lessened drastically. It only feels mildly uncomfortable now when it used to feel like you were taking a cheese grater to my skin.

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re here! Come on, let’s get a drink in your hand before we force the madhouse on you,” Quinn teases, easing some of my nerves. Levi squeezes my hand but lets Quinn pull me down the hall. The U-shaped kitchen is gorgeous with its granite countertops and dark cabinets. The dining room is open to the kitchen, and there are trays of food sitting out on the table. I’m pretty sure you could feed an army with the number of appetizers there are.

“What do you feel like drinking tonight? We’ve got a ton of wine, beer, and potentially even a cocktail or two.” Quinn steps up to the counter where several bottles of alcohol sit.

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