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“What happened?” he asked.
“I asked how he would’ve felt if I had taken an immediate dislike to Harper. She’s the love of his bloody life, the air he breathes, and all that. Why can’t he be as happy for me as I am for him?”
“We have history.”
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them. “I’m sorry, Levi, but I would have an easier time accepting that it happened a long time ago, and I’m better off not knowing the details, if it wasn’t affecting my life now. It isn’t ancient history. Whatever it is festers beneath the surface for both you and my cousin.” I groaned. “I didn’t intend to say any of that.”
“I made a promise to myself and to you that I would not come between you and your cousin. That is the primary reason I told you that you’re better off not knowing. Not just you, but all of us are better served by leaving it in the past.”
Now that I’d started this conversation, I wasn’t ready to end it. “What did he do?”
Levi took my hand in his and smiled. “Why aren’t you asking what I did?”
I thought about why I hadn’t. The answer was simple. “It feels as though you’re protecting him when you talk about it, even though you aren’t actually talking about it. It’s the same as what you did that night in the hospital parking lot. I heard him threaten your life, and you denied it.”
He pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around me. “You asked why your cousin can’t be as happy for you as you are for him. In the same way, I say, isn’t it better that you don’t have to deal with something that happened over ten years ago? That you can choose to love me as a man and Niven as your family without feeling the same anger and animosity we do?”
What Levi said was the reason I’d asked what Niven had done. I knew that if I pressed my cousin to tell me what happened, he would. And, as was the old adage, there were three sides to every story. No doubt, Niven would paint Levi in the harshest light possible and himself in the best.
I put my arms around Levi’s neck and kissed him. “You’re absolutely right. I wish he could be as mature about it as you are.”
“What I won’t stand for is him hurting you.”
I kissed him again and changed the subject. “I was thinking Nando’s for dinner tonight.”
His eyes lit up. “Are you having a craving for Portuguese food, my love?”
“I am.”
“What are you doing tomorrow?”
I laughed out loud. “Are you saying you’d prefer lunch?”
He nuzzled my neck. “Answer the question, El.”
“I’m not doing anything out of the ordinary. Working in the studio, although Mike won’t be around for a few days. He’s visiting his daughter and her family in London. I mean, I can work without him.”
“What would you think about leaving for Algarve in the morning?”
“I would love it!” I squealed. “It’s my favorite place on earth, Levi.”
He smiled and rested his head against mine. “Anywhere with you is my favorite.”
“Even if it’s here? Upstairs maybe? In our bed?”
He stood with me in his arms and carried me to the lift. “I should’ve said anywhere where I’m in you is my favorite.”
I kissed his neck. “Mine too.”
26
TYPHON
From the end of January through the first week of October, things remained relatively quiet for Eliza and me. We spent as much time as we could at Casa Melro, but returned to Brighton at least twice a month for a few days. El was happy to have time in her studio when I had to go to London.
Saint and Harper’s baby, who they’d named Agatha, was born the first week of September, and El spent a lot of time with them, particularly during the first week, when she stayed at the cottage with them overnight. Out of respect, I’d kept my distance.
We were in Brighton, intending to return to Algarve later that day, when I received a call from Z.