Page 39 of Levi
“I’ve come for my family,” I say, not taking my penetrating eyes off her.“You’re a hard woman to find.”
She huffs, then crosses her arms over her chest, making the round tops of her breast sneak through.
“I find it hard to believe thatThe Levi Thornetook all this time to find me.With all the resources at your disposal, now you come?I don’t buy it,” she challenges.
“It’s true.We’ve been looking since before I came out of the coma.”I look over at Mitch to confirm, and he nods to her.Her eyes widen again, and they flick back and forth over mine to affirm her suspicions.Brody grabs for one of her hands and secures it in his, making me want to rip it from his shoulder.
“You can’t have her, she belongs with me.”Her voice betrays her, and I imagine Brody has filled her head with more lies regarding the reason I’d be here.
“Baby,” I calmly say with both hands up in surrender stance.“I’m not going to take her from you.I came to get you both.”
She looks even more confused, and I hate how lost and uncertain she looks right now.She’s always portrayed a sassy, confident sense of personality, and this isn’t that.
“Why now and not two years ago?What’s changed?Tired of the single life, or ran through all of Blaire’s escorts?I’ve seen the pictures with you and that brunette.You can’t lie about that.”
This is not the place to have this discussion.I want to explain everything to her but alone, and away from these men so they can’t turn things around or twist my words.
“Come with me and I’ll explain everything.We can talk and you’ll know exactly what has been going on for the past two and a half years.Please, give me a chance,” I plead.“There is so much that you don’t know that has happened.”
“So, you can brainwash her?Not a chance buddy,” Brody pipes up, giving his unwanted opinion.He wraps his arm around her shoulder and my body goes rigid.
“If you knew anything about that woman beside you then you’d know that no one makes decisions for herbuther,” I chide him.“And we both know who the brainwasher here is.”
“I—” she sounds unsure and not as confident as earlier.“I—think you should leave,” she staggers out, and shifts her weight from one leg to the other.
“Saylor, please give me the chance to explain.I’ve waited years to see you and meet our daughter.”I hate using our daughter as I way in, but I’m desperate right now.
Saylor closes her eyes at my words and I can’t let her reject me again, my heart couldn’t take it.
“I’m staying at the Arvon Hotel in town, come by anytime.I’ll be staying there for the foreseeable future.”I notice a pen and pad on the coffee table, and lean down scribbling on it.“Here is mine and Mitch’s numbers, if you need to reach me.”I walk over to her but Brody’s goons try to step in the way, and that damn dog shoots up and bares his teeth.I stretch out my hand, and to my pleasure, she extends hers to take it.I deliberately graze my fingers over hers, and that explosive tingling shoots through my body.From her gasp I know she feels it too.We still got it.Looking into to her brown eyes, I can’t help but get lost once again, like when we first met.“Please give me a chance, baby.”
I reluctantly drop my hand and take a step back.I need to leave here before I level out every man and animal in this room.As I walk out, I can feel my heart splinter as the distance once again forms between me and my loves.I need to get myself under control before I send her running again and this time, I’ll probably never find her.
Once in the car, we head out towards the hotel and I whip out my phone.It only takes two rings before she picks up.
“Yes, sir,” she answers quickly.
“I’m having the jet sent for you.I need you here with me, Sarah,” I vaguely say.She knows what I need and what I’m referring to.Saylor was right about me having another brunette in my life.She’s been with me for the last two years and I’ve leaned on her for most of it.I can only hope Saylor will understand, when it all comes out, and not hate me even more, with all of my fuck ups.
“Yes, sir, I’ll be ready and waiting.”
“I’ll send you details as soon as they are made.We might be here for a while so pack accordingly.”
I hang up, ending the call, and tell Mitch to make the arrangements for her to arrive as soon as possible.
Saylor
Turning over for the fiftieth time in the last hour, I check the blood red digital clock at five past six in the morning.Not wanting to lay here any longer, I scoot over avoiding Brody’s arm and leg, so as to not wake him.I need to be alone with my thoughts so I can figure out how I’m going to deal with thisLevisituation.I wanted to sleep in my room last night but Brody insisted that I not be alone in my thoughts; I’d be up all-night worrying.Too bad that’s exactly what I did anyway.
It would be so easy to ice him out, take off and run away again, but is that what I want for my daughter?I’ve been her only parent till now; what gives Levi the right to come charging in?He says that he’s been looking for me, but I find it hard to believe with his resources and Mr.Buttons having knowledge of my whereabouts.Mitch, who I had once gotten to know well when I was first married to Levi, has always been truthful with me, but my pessimist side tells me that my ex-husband pays him to do as he wants and says.So can I really rely on his word?
Ugh!
Another side of me says that I need to let him be a part of Halo’s life, even if he is only there popping in and out of it.It seems that his attention span lasts only three to six months at a time.Can I really put Halo through that?A part time dad?She deserves to have the best, everything her little heart desires.It would be so easy to get wrapped up in his charm and mesmerizing eyes, and his sex appeal.The whole package really, but can I emotionally survive the next time he walks away to find greener pasture?
No.No I can’t.Brody is the safe bet and my safety net, who has been there through everything.Sure, this was an assignment to him at first, but what he confessed to me last night, before the bottom fell out, has my mind in a tailspin.
We just put Halo down in her crib, and I’m laying across Brody’s body as we make out like teenagers.My thoughts from earlier, about feeling the electricity that only Levi can make me feel, are almost gone the more I’m concentrating on nothing but Brody.But something is nagging me in the back of my mind.When we were picking up Halo tonight at Grandma’s house, she smelt just like Levi.She had his scent on her clothes and I swear a hint of his aftershave lingered on her body.It’s weird because I haven’t smelt him in years, but as soon as I picked her up, I knew that smell right away.Of course, I chalked it up to maybe Grandpa changing his cologne, but still something was there and I can’t quite put my finger on it.
