Page 91 of Code of Heart

Levi grinned widely and winked. “If that happens, I’ll deserve it. But hey…every hero’s journey needs a little danger, right?”

Her laughter came before she could stop it, light and genuine, and for the first time that night, it didn’t feel blighted by the past.

And that, she thought, watching the ridiculously pleased look on his face, was the real danger here.

He was slowly, completely, and undeniably becoming her peace.

It wasn’t fine.

In fact, it was astonishingly and epically not fine.

The evening following dinner had been perfect…almost too perfect. A romantic stroll through the glowing streets of downtown, his hand warm against hers, their laughter mingling with the vibrant hum of the city.

They talked about everything and nothing, that sweet anticipation of what might happen once the front door closed behind them, simmering beneath the surface.

And then…disaster struck.

One moment, Levi was tugging her closer, his eyes dark with promise. The next, they filled with horror, a hand clamping over his stomach as he paled.

“Levi?” she asked, alarmed.

Without a word, he bolted.

Gone was the charming husband ready to ravish her senseless. In his place was a man sprinting for the bathroom like his very soul depended on it.

And that was exactly where he stayed.

For the rest of the night and the better part of the next morning.

Because, as it turned out, even billionaires couldn’t negotiate their way out of food poisoning…from undercooked pork.

And the worst part?

He still had the nerve to grumble dramatically from the bathroom floor and say, between bouts of misery,“Worth it.”

CHAPTER 41

Levi

It had never taken Levi so long to recover from such a spectacularly reckless mistake.

Food poisoning now sat at the top of his growing list titled “Things I Will Never, Ever Do Again.”

Aurelia hadn’t complained once—hadn’t even said more than a single, perfectly timed, and absolutely deserved, “I told you so.” Instead, she had quietly spent the weekend caring for him, coaxing him to sip water and electrolyte drinks, brushing damp hair back from his clammy forehead, and staying close whenever he felt the worst of it coming on.

She did, however, continue to call him Porky. Forever cementing his decision as a term of endearment. He couldn’t even be mad about it.

Levi, on the other hand, had spent most of the weekend camping out in the bathroom like it was his new permanent address. At one point, he had even dragged in a pillow and blankets, turning the cold tile floor into his sad little fortress of misery. Either he was kneeling before the toilet or praying for death on it…sometimes with barely a moment’s warning.

To make matters worse, Aurelia had texted Ivy to let her know he wouldn’t be coming in on Monday. Naturally, Ivy found this hilarious—and she had zero intention of keeping that information to herself.

Which meant one thing: Owen.

The man was a menace, a one-man torment machine who lived for this kind of humiliation. Sure enough, Owen showed up completely uninvited on Sunday, grinning ear-to-ear under the flimsy guise of “checking in on his best buddy, Porky.”

Levi—still pale, weak, and barely able to stand—had managed to throw him out by sheer force of will. His wife barely stifled a laugh at Owen’s use of his new nickname.

Of course, that wasn’t the end of it.