Page 33

A fter clearing the table with Levi and West’s help, Sara walked into the living room.

She was just in time to spot Ana rolling her suitcase down the hallway and into the front entryway.

“Where are you off to?” Sara asked, hurrying over.

“Texas, I got a big case,” Ana said, hugging her tightly.

Levi came up to stand behind her, and Ana shot the man a squinted look. “Take care of her. Don’t let anything happen to her, or I’ll make sure you never see the light of day,” Ana told Levi.

“Ana!” Sara laughed. “I’m a big girl.”

“I will. I promise,” Levi said and wrapped both arms around Sara from behind.

Ana gazed at Levi for a long moment and then appeared satisfied with what she saw.

“I’ll call you.” Ana kissed Sara’s cheek and gave her a tight hug.

“Wait, can we give you a ride to the airport?” Sara asked.

“I already ordered a Lyft.” Ana glanced at her watch. “And it’s already here.”

With that said, Ana left in a whirlwind of activity and was gone, leaving a slight breezy scent of perfume behind.

“Wow…just like that,” Sara murmured when the door closed.

“Just like what?” Levi asked.

“Carla and Ana are both gone,” she sighed.

Levi held her tightly and didn’t say anything.

“I miss home,” she murmured.

“Me too,” Levi said, and she turned around in his arms to gaze up into his face.

“You live in Seattle?”

“I do. I rent a small place near Deckman Defense and Security.”

“Oh yeah, that makes sense. I did realize that.”

“What did you think? I sleep in my car?”

“No,” she sputtered on a laugh and then smacked him on the chest with the flat of her palm, but she was grinning and so was he.

“Gotcha,” he said.

“You ass,” she giggled and he drew her down the hallway to the bedroom they’d shared.

“Um…I don’t think I’m ready,” she said with a huff.

“I want to talk without being overheard.” He ushered her into the room.

He patted the unmade bed, and she sat down and then scooted up on the mattress to sit cross-legged.

Sliding on the bed, he leaned against the headboard and since she was closer to the end of the bed, he could see her face perfectly.

“I want you to come back to Seattle with me,” Levi said.

“Why?”

“Because I can’t let you go.”

She blinked, her dark eyes wide. She chewed on her bottom lip and picked at the material of her blue jeans.

“What do you want?” she whispered, her eyes searching his face.

“I want us to date. I want to get to know you better.”

Her eyes went soft and her lips curved. “I want that too.”

“I’m too old to dick around and try to second guess things. If there’s something you want to say, then just say it. If there’s something you need to tell me, then tell me. Don’t keep me guessing.”

“You’re…very direct.”

“It saves time.” Levi nodded.

Sara took a deep breath. She wanted to tell him about the baby, but was it the best time?

Shouldn’t she wait until they got to know each other better? What if the news ruined what could have been a great start to their relationship?

If she waited until he fell in love with her before she told him about the baby, then the news of the child wouldn’t be that bad, right?

Ugh…she hated herself for thinking like that.

And she would tell him.

She would .

Just…not yet.

“What kind of movies do you like?” she asked.

“Action,” he said promptly.

She wrinkled her nose at him. “Of course you do.”

“You?”

“Romantic comedies!”

He groaned, and she launched to her hands and knees on the bed. Crawling toward him, she tickled her fingers at his ribs.

Levi grunted, but he wasn’t the ticklish kind until she hit his armpits. Then he was lifting her away and giving her a stern look that was ruined by the chuckle coming from his throat.

They spent the afternoon sharing stories.

She learned that he’d been in Special Forces. Of course, she already knew he had been in the military, but the facts coming from Levi made all the difference.

He told her about his twin brothers, who were ten years younger than him.

She told Levi about growing up with Shane, being adopted, and living with the Joneses. She mentioned some of the pressure from her family, but didn’t give specifics. The last thing she wanted was to scare him off by describing her father and mother’s horrible behavior.

“I need to get back home to see my dad,” Levi admitted, and she held his hand.

It had to be devastating that his father was sick. For a man who wanted to control everything like Levi did, he must feel helpless.

Sara could only imagine, and although she butted heads often with her adoptive mother, she couldn’t even fathom the woman being ill. It would be better off all the way around to walk away.

Which reminded her of Shane’s dilemma. She had already figured out how to help him. Just like a good portion of other people, Shane was going to need to get a school loan.

“I rent right now,” Levi said, pulling her attention back to him. “I want to buy. You want to get one with me?” He waggled his brows.

“Where?” she prompted when he hesitated.

“Somewhere in Seattle.” A smile toyed at his firm mouth, and she eyed him with a shake of her head.

“Something near the beach?” she suggested.

“I could picture that.”

It was probably jumping the gun to go that far, because of her secret and because she already owned a home there, but he had been the one to bring it up.

She felt like he was trying to tie them together in little ways, and she wasn’t going to dissuade him one bit.

As they talked about anything and everything, Sara felt like she’d known him her whole life.

That was how much they clicked. It was as if he knew her. They ended up putting on a classic movie, True Lies , and they both enjoyed the hell out of it.

“I’m going to sell my house when I get back,” she murmured when the credits to the movie rolled up the screen.

The idea of buying a home together grew. A home at the beach with Levi sounded perfect.

“Yeah?” Levi linked his fingers with hers, and she gripped his hand tightly.

“Yeah, I don’t like the memories in that place either.”

“That’s understandable.”

She nodded. She would also need to find a home in a good neighborhood with reputable schools that wasn’t too far from her salon.

The salon was a whole other ordeal. She had closed it down when she had run to Northern California. All the people who had worked there had moved their business to other salon suites in the city.

It was going to take her time to correct the wreckage of her past. But she needed to do it. Plus, she needed to stop making rash decisions.

It truly was time to grow up.

She was going to be a mother. She needed to put down roots and have a stable home for her and her baby.

Levi was looking at her, and she smiled.

She didn’t know what stable looked like for them. It didn’t have to include marriage, but what it did have to include was a secure, solid relationship.

He said he wanted to date her.

And when they got back home…she would show him exactly what that entailed.