Page 52 of Hometown Touchdown
It’s just a fence.
But tonight, it feels like the only thing standing between me and everything I’ve ever wanted.
Chapter twenty-four
Brynn
Workingfromhomeinhuman resources sounds like a dream until your mom keeps trying to bring you snacks during Zoom calls.
“You can't keep walking into frame with a plate of cookies, Mom,” I whisper-shout, nudging her back toward the hallway as my boss wraps up his weekly reminder about cross-departmental synergy or whatever.
She mimes zipping her lips and tiptoes away like she’s in a spy movie. I close the door and go back to my desk.
The rest of the week is a blur of employee conflict resolution and reminder emails about annual reviews. I spend too much time obsessively rereading the last text Knox sent. I don’t reply. Not because I don’t want to. But because I don’t know how. My brain keeps tugging me in two directions: the hopeful one and the one that's terrified of being obliterated again.
By Friday, I need caffeine, carbs, and Levi. Not necessarily in that order.
Cedar Perk is humming with end-of-week chatter and the scent of espresso and muffins. Levi’s behind the counter in his signature brown apron, turning coffee into magic with the flair of someone who knows he’s the highlight of everyone’s morning.
“Good morning, Brynn.”
I sigh. “Hey, Levi.”
He eyes me suspiciously. “What are we having this morning?”
I collapse onto a stool. “Just a mocha. Extra whipped cream. Maybe two.”
His grin softens as he scans my face. “Something happened.”
I lower my voice. “I kissed him.”
Levi blinks. “We’re just leading with that? No foreplay? I respect it.”
“Promise me you won’t tell anyone,” I whisper. “Please. I’ll owe you for life.”
“Your secrets are safe in this caffeinated fortress. Carly, I’m taking a quick break.” Carly nods and he guides me to a booth, placing my mocha in front of me. “Now talk.”
So I do.
I tell him about the kiss. About the way Knox looked at me like I was both a question and an answer. About the way it knocked the air out of me and filled me right back up in the same second. I tell Levi how scared I am—of wanting too much, of hoping too hard, of getting hurt all over again, about why Knox might walk away just like Henry did.
When I finally stop talking, Levi leans on the counter and props his chin in his hand. “You’re catching feelings.”
I let out a small laugh. “Maybe? I feel like it’s too fast. I just got out of a relationship.”
“But now they’re loud again. And maybe real. And maybe that relationship with Henry wasn’t it, Brynn.”
I nod. “And I haven’t told him everything. About me.”
Levi’s teasing expression fades. “The fertility stuff?”
My throat tightens. “Yeah.”
“You think it’ll change the way he sees you?”
“I’m afraid it will. It did for Henry. I’ve already had someone leave because of it. What if Knox reacts the same way?”
Levi reaches across the counter and squeezes my hand. “You are not defined by that. You are not defined by your body or its abilities. And if Knox is the man you hope he is, thatIhope he is, he won’t see it as a deal-breaker. He’ll see you. He’ll want you foryou.”
