Page 35 of How Sweet It Is (Willow Shade Island #3)
I had my doubts about the cake safe, but as Levi pulls the rod out of the middle of the cake and carefully places it in the center of the table, I sigh with relief. It’s perfect. And he’s right, the small hole on top will be covered once the plastic couple is placed on it.
He hands me the miniature bride and groom. “Do you want to do the honors?”
“Are you kidding? This is the crowning piece. You should put it on. Besides, I don’t think I’m tall enough.”
He laughs, his gaze sliding over me. “Shorty.”
I whack his side. “Why is there no mean nickname for tall people?”
He bends down, wraps his arms around my legs, and lifts me into the air. “Hey!”
“Come on, Spreadsheet. Place the couple on top.”
A giggle bubbles up my chest, which is very uncharacteristic of me, but the way he’s hugging me tightly to him is doing things to me. I gently put the bride and groom in their place, and he lets me slide down him until we’re at eye level with each other.
“Perfect,” he whispers.
“Your cake looks delicious.”
“I can’t wait to hear what you think of it.”
I raise my eyebrows. “It’s gluten-free?”
“Yep.” His gaze slides down to my lips, and before I know it, I’m tossing away all propriety and kissing him.
Skyler comes running into the reception area, and Levi drops me to my feet, and we break apart.
“Hey, Little Pup,” he says, grinning at her.
She runs over to us, her eyes growing big as she looks at the cake.
“Ooh, that looks good.” Before either of us can do anything, her hand whips out and she pokes the cake, right in the middle of the bottom layer, swiping a piece of frosting.
She licks it off her finger as Levi stares at her, horrified.
I put out my hand. “Oh, sweetie, don’t touch the cake.” But it’s too late. A big hole in the frosting shows the chocolate cake peeking through.
“Kiki’s going to kill me,” Levi says as Skyler runs off.
“No. No, we can fix this,” I say, trying to scramble and figure out what we can do.
“How? I left all my frosting at the bakery. People will be arriving any moment.” He runs a hand through his hair, pulling it.
I can tell he’s spiraling, so I run over to one of the flower arrangements and pop off three of the buds. I walk over to the cake and place one in the hole and two other flowers on top so it looks like it was done on purpose. “There. Fixed.”
He eyes it. The purple flowers go perfectly with the purple-frosting flowers it’s decorated with. Before he can say anything, Kiki comes in, trailing her long train and looking like a princess.
Her gaze lands on the cake, and her eyes widen. “Oh, Levi. It’s so perfect. And I love how you incorporated my wedding flowers. You are a genius!”
I stifle a giggle as Levi looks like he’s about ready to crack. “Um, yeah. That was totally my idea.”
“You are the best brother-in-law a girl could have.” Kiki pulls him into a hug.
The reception hall is soon filled with the bustle of guests and the hum of conversation. I notice Micah standing off to the side, like he wishes he could disappear, and I feel bad for him.
We mingle for a while, and Levi introduces me to some people from the island that I haven’t met yet, mostly older women who seem quite eager for Levi to tell them who I am. He’s very good and doesn’t slip up on my fake name even once.
They announce that it’s time for the bride to throw the bouquet, and we all gather around. I’m forced to stand with the eligible women, and Kiki turns her back to us, bouquet in hand, a grin spreading across her face.
“One… two…” Kiki calls, the women around me squealing in anticipation.
She throws.
The bouquet arcs through the air like something out of a movie, slow and spiraling in the light from the overhead string bulbs.
Savannah gasps when it lands directly in her hands. There’s a beat of stunned silence, then laughter and applause erupt around her. Her cheeks go as pink as the roses in the bouquet, and her eyes flick to Noah as if she’s embarrassed.
Noah, on the other hand, looks like he just won the lottery. He grins at her with an open expression that tells the world exactly what he’s thinking. I inwardly sigh. Levi told me how Noah’s been in love with Savannah since high school, and this whole thing is too adorable.
I turn toward the cake table just in time to see Kiki and Tobias standing in front of the beautiful, mostly intact cake Levi and I managed to save earlier with the stolen flower buds.
Tobias carefully slices a bite of cake, his hand steady, his expression serious, as if this is a delicate medical procedure instead of dessert. He carefully feeds it to Kiki like he’s feeding a baby bird.
She gives him a wicked grin, and I know exactly what’s coming. She grabs a hunk of frosting-covered cake and smashes it right into his face.
The crowd howls with laughter. Tobias blinks through the icing then laughs, deep and full, before pulling her in for a frosting-smeared kiss.
My heart pinches.
I glance toward Levi and find him watching them, too, a soft smile pulling at his lips. He catches me looking and raises his brow like he’s about to say something snarky, but then the music starts. The lights dim. It’s time for the first dance.
The crowd instinctively parts to give them space. Kiki steps into Tobias’s arms as if she was always meant to be there, her head tilted up, his gaze fixed on her with complete focus. They start to sway, just the two of them, spinning slowly under the glow of the string lights.
I press a hand to my chest, surprised by the lump rising in my throat.
There’s something so raw and beautiful about the way he holds her.
Like he still can’t believe she’s real. And Kiki, with her bare feet and massive grin, looks happier than I’ve ever seen her.
She came to this island with nothing, and somehow, she found this .
A family. A love that sees every scar and stays anyway.
It’s the kind of love people search for their whole lives.
And she didn’t chase it. It found her.
Levi comes up next to me. “You okay?”
I didn’t realize I was frowning until he said something. I smooth my features. “Fine.”
“Are you sad you didn’t catch the bouquet?”
I snort. “Not at all.”
That might not have been a great reaction because he lifts one eyebrow as if I hurt his feelings. But then the song changes to a new one, and couples begin to go out on the dance floor.
He doesn’t ask. He doesn’t have to. He simply steps forward and offers his hand, and somehow, my fingers are in his like my body knows exactly where I should be at this moment.
He pulls me close, one hand on the small of my back, the other holding mine, like we’ve done this a million times. His warmth surrounds me. His cologne smells woodsy and something darker, like dusk and danger. My chest tightens.
We sway to the music, and the world fades away. My feet move on their own, following his lead. He’s so sure of himself when he dances, like this is the one place he never doubts he belongs.
“You know,” he murmurs, his lips brushing my ear, “you clean up real nice.”
I laugh, but my voice catches. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
It’s nothing. Just words. But the way he’s looking at me right now, it’s not nothing. He’s looking at me like I matter.
Levi dips me low, catching me off guard, and I laugh, breathless. When he pulls me back up, our faces are inches apart.
“Careful,” I whisper. “You’re going to make me fall.”
His eyes search mine. “That’s kind of the point.”
And suddenly, my throat is tight, my heart heavy with something I don’t want to name.
I’m falling for him.
The realization lands like a thunderclap. I blink, like maybe I imagined it. But no, there it is, rising in my chest like a tide I can’t stop.
I’m falling in love with Levi Barrett.
And I don’t know what to do with that. Because I have to leave.
I have to. My parents’ business is barely holding on.
If I don’t go back, it’ll fall apart. I’ve been the one holding it together since my sister left.
The responsible one. The reliable one. The one who didn’t get a White House invite or a handshake from the president but who kept the books balanced, the Facebook page full of photos, and the customers coming back.
That’s who I am. Isn’t it?
Except now Levi’s arms are around me, and his hand tightens just slightly at my waist, like he doesn’t want to let go. Like maybe he’s falling too.
A whisper of a desire threads through me. A question. What happens if I come back here after the trial… to Levi?
The thought punches into me with an ache so sweet it nearly knocks me off my feet.
I want to come back and see what this could become. To dance with him again. To build something of my own, just mine, not my parents’ dreams or my sister’s shadow.
But how do I choose myself when I’ve made a life out of choosing everyone else?