Page 75 of The Love Ambush
“Unfortunately, we’re going to be busy non-stop for the next two days, so I missed my chance. I’m glad I got to paint instead.”
He spreads the blanket out near the middle of the park. We’re far enough from the lit paths and the street that it feels like we’re completely alone and invisible to any passersby. “This okay?” he asks. “I thought it might be nice to be able to see the stars.”
I take a seat on the blanket, only realizing as force my knees to bend and my back to shift, how stiff I am from standing atan easel all day. I don’t remember being this stiff the last time I painted, but I also don’t think I’ve ever painted for ten hours straight either.
Carefully, my body aching, I lean onto my hands and let my head drop back to look up at the stars. The sky is full of them. With the nearby light pollution, I shouldn’t be able to see so many so clearly.
Back home, I have to get away from town to get this kind of view. Although Catalpa Creek is considerably bigger than Yuletide.
“Is it because we’re at a higher elevation and closer to them that I can see them so well?”
Levi sits next to me, his shoulder brushing mine as he looks up. He whistles. “Or maybe it’s because the air’s thinner here?”
“Where have you seen the best view of the stars?”
“On a trip to the Bahamas. We were out on the ocean at night.”
“That sounds amazing. I’ve always wanted to go to the Bahamas.”
“I remember,” he says. “You talked about every warm destination in the world every winter. It was kind of annoying.” He bumps my shoulder with his.
I scoff. “I don’t like the cold, okay? Dreams are good to have.”
“Yeah, they are,” he says, his tone softening. He sits up and grabs the bag of food. “What do you want first? Pizza or Thai?”
“Can I put the Thai noodles on my pizza?”
“Um—”
“I’m joking.” Not really, but I don’t need to drive him away with my weirdness this early in the relationship. “I’ll take the pizza.”
He pulls out a plastic container with two slices, neatly arranged, and hands it to me. “Josephine insisted I borrow her containers.”
“She’s really kind.”
“She is,” he says. “So, back to traveling. Where would you go first if you could go anywhere in the world?”
“Paris,” I say, not even needing to think about it. “Then Florence. Two of the biggest art centers in the world. I want to see the Louvre and the Ufizzi. Then, I’d spend a week in New York City.”
“So you want to do an art tour of the world. Makes sense.” He lies back on the blanket, staring up at the stars or maybe napping while I eat.
It’s chilly out, but not cold. My coat keeps me warm enough. It’s an unseasonably warm night, I suspect.
“I’ve never wanted to travel,” Levi says. “I mean, I don’t hate it, and I enjoy seeing a new part of the world, but the East Coast, specifically the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina, is the only place that has ever truly felt like home to me.” He sighs. “That’s not entirely true, either. Catalpa Creek is the only place that’s ever really felt like home. I’m grateful your family allowed me to stay so often when I visited Brodie.”
“Are you saying I’ll be traveling alone?” It still scares me to talk like we have a future, but I can’t help but hope for it.
He slides a hand under my coat, against the bare skin of my back. “I’ll go anywhere you want, baby. Somehow, I don’t think I’ll ever get homesick if I’m with you.”
I snort so hard, I almost spit out my pizza. “It’s a little too soon for that level of cheesiness to be believable.” Or maybe I just can’t handle it yet.
He sits up, his hand still on my back, and leans against my side. “Maybe it’s too soon for you, but I feel it. It’s something I’ve felt since that day at the lake and our first kiss. Maybe I’ve always felt it around you, but was only able to understand what it was when I saw you again.”
My heart hiccups, and my throat goes tight. He is so perfect. Too perfect to be safe for my heart.
But maybe he’s worth taking a chance on. Maybe he’s worth the possible heartache.
I drop my pizza in its container on the blanket next to me, and I kiss him.
