Page 31 of Mine To Honor (Southern Wedding)

“It was a catnap.” She picks her up as she stands. “Did you see any ghosts?” she asks her and I laugh.

“A catnap,” I repeat. “It was four minutes.”

“You would be surprised what a four-minute catnap will do.” She rubs Cici’s back. “I’m going to go and start dinner.” She walks to me. “Can you hold her?”

I put the bottle of beer down on the table. “Yeah,” I say, nervous about this whole thing. If we are being honest, I think I’ve spent maybe sixty whole minutes in my entire life with a baby. Give or take, and that was when one of the parents would want to take a picture and have me hold them. I get up and rub my hands down the front of my pants, but my hands still stay clammy. “I should wash my hands.”

She stands there looking up at me with a tired face, yet looking more beautiful than I think she’s ever looked. A baby with the same eyes as her looks at me, unsure what is going on. Her cheeks looking a bit rosy. “I’m going to wash my hands,” I tell Cici, “and then I’ll take you.”

“Are you nervous?” Eva asks me, her tone sounding like this is entertaining to her. “The big bad Levi who is kick-ass in the boardroom.” She looks down at Cici. “The Levi who never lets anyone see him sweat.” I roll my eyes. “The same Levi who can skydive by himself?” I exhale. “The same Levi who—”

“Yeah,” I cut her off, turning to walk to the kitchen, but not before turning and looking over my shoulder, “that Levi.”

Chapter Fifteen

Eva

“Big bad wolf Levi.” I roll my lips as he walks away from me to the kitchen. “The same Levi who rescued a cat from a tree.” I watch him as he walks away from me. His dress pants fit him perfectly, like always, and the white dress shirt is wrinkled in the back, but you can feel that it’s soft. I lean my head back on the couch as Cici just stares at him also, a dollop of drool falling from her lower lip. I quickly grab the throw blanket that I now have all over the house for this reason here.

He turns the water on at the sink and looks back at me. “That fucking cat was all the way at the top of the tree.” He pushes down on the white soap cap, the foam soap filling his hand as he lathers them. “I almost broke my face.”

I can’t stop the laugh that roars through me. It’s been a crazy week and the last thing I’ve done all this week was laugh. But with Levi here in the house, Cici looking at me with a smile, and finally us having passed the first inspection of CPS, I finally am able to let go for just a little bit. “It wasn’t that tall.”

He rinses his hands under the water, glaring at me as he does. “I didn’t see you climbing up to help me.” He turns the water off, grabbing a dish towel from the side of the sink. “No, not you. You were there filming the whole thing.”

I snort and get up. “I was doing it so we could go viral and maybe, just maybe, end up onOprahor maybe evenEllen.Also, didn’t you get laid for a full six months telling girls that story and then showing them the video? I think what you mean to say is, ‘Thank you, Eva, for your amazing cinematography skills.’”

He presses his hips to the counter, his glare on me still strong, but the minute Cici screeches in my arms, he looks over at her and the look is gone. In its place is a warm look, his eyes look like a warm ocean after a sunny day. “Is your aunt a funny one?” he asks Cici when I get closer to him. “Are you sure you want to do this?” His eyes come to me and they stay the same. “How about I try to cook dinner?” He looks around the kitchen.

I chuckle. “You made me Kraft mac and cheese once,” I remind him, “and how did that work out for us?”

“I was going by the instructions.” He puts his hands on his hips. “It said to boil for seven or eight minutes or until tender.”

“And how long did you boil them for?” I tilt my head to the side as both Cici and I look at him.

“Ten minutes,” he answers softly.

“And what happened after that?” I roll my lips after his jaw gets tight.

“The noodles fell apart.” His teeth clench as he says this. He then grabs one of his buttons at his wrist and unbuttons it, before rolling it up to his elbow. “And then it turned to mush once I added in the milk and cheese.” He repeats the action with the second arm until the sleeves are rolled up to his elbows.

“So you still want to attempt to cook for us?” I ask.

“I can order something.” He snaps his fingers. “That way you don’t have to leave me in charge of the child and we are both happy.”

“I’ve been eating out all week long,” I tell him. “I just want a nice home-cooked meal.”

“Fine,” he agrees, stepping to me, “but the minute I say switch.” He grabs her under her arms, bringing her to him awkwardly. “We switch.”

“Like in wrestling?” I ask, walking to the sink and washing my own hands. “Are you hungry?” I ask as I walk over to the fridge.

“I haven’t eaten since I grabbed a sandwich at the airport,” he admits as he holds Cici to his chest, moving side to side, bouncing up and down.

“So how was your week?” I ask as I open the fridge, grabbing a red and yellow pepper, an onion, and the Italian sausage. Placing it on the counter beside the cutting board, I turn to grab a couple of potatoes.

“It was uneventful,” he says to me as Cici squirms in his arms. “I think we might have to switch.” He looks at me, then down at Cici.

“Why don’t you go over there?” I point toward the floor mat. “She likes to play with the square toy.” I point at the toy in the middle of the mat. “She doesn’t sit up too well on her own, but she can sit in the middle of your legs.”

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