Page 19 of The Bad Boy’s Homecoming (The Southern Hart Brothers #2)
“Okay, so put the hair tie around your wrist while you use both hands to gather my curls up as high on the crown of my head as you can manage.”
The hair tie barely fit over his four fingers so he left it around his palm, then gently began to try to gather her curls. They were soft and thick, and smelled sweet.
“Your hair smells like candy.”
“Oh good, then I won’t have to figure out how to wash it with one hand.”
“Listen, I’m available to help you with any of your needs. And since I just fired my agent and rejected the last contract I was sent, I should be available for your entire recovery.”
“I’m sorry, you must be disappointed.”
Once he had all her hair gathered up on the top of her head, he started to wrap the hair tie around it.
“Yeah, now I really am a free agent, and I’ll have to figure out how to even get other teams to consider making me an offer.”
He gave the ponytail a little tug to see if it would hold before Missy turned to face him.
“How does it feel?”
“So much better, off my neck and out of my face.”
“It’s not too tight?”
“Nope, perfect, at least if you can’t find another team you have potential as a professional ponytail assistant.”
He put his hands on her shoulders to turn her from side to side and inspect his handiwork. “That’ll do. How’s the hand?” he asked, letting his hands slide down her shoulders to her elbows, which were bent holding her hand close to her chest.
“Not terrible,” she said softly.
“Do you want to try to go for a walk—maybe get some fresh air? Or I can call Dalton and see if we can get another dose of the pain meds early?”
“I don’t think Mrs. Hart will approve of me leaving the house yet.”
“Good thing she’s snoozing,” Levi said.
He wanted to get out of the house, or out of earshot from everyone else and be alone with Missy. He didn’t want to worry about being interrupted or for Missy to feel like she couldn’t be herself.
“Okay, but you’ll have to help me with my shoes and my coat?”
“Did I ever mention I once played a ladies’ maid.”
“No but it feels like there’s going to be a good story there.”
“It was seventh grade, and we were assigned to perform Little Women , but we didn’t have enough girls in my class. I had a big crush on one of the girls in the play and volunteered to play the housemaid.”
“Wow, did it get you the girl?”
“No, she went for the guy who played the dreamy neighbor boy.”
“Ah ya, I could see that being more appealing than the young man with a cheeky grin in a dress.”
“You think I have a cheeky grin? Is that code for you think I’m hot?”
“Yes your grin is cheeky—you almost always look like you’re up to mischief. I assume that’s how you gained your reputation. Among other things.”
Levi didn’t fail to notice she didn’t really answer his second question and he leaned in closer. “Maybe that’s more about you than me being cheeky.” He was still holding her one good hand and threaded his fingers with hers while he looked into her eyes that had gone wide with his comment.
“Do you need me to help you find your things for our walk? It’s windy enough for you to need some kind of jacket.”
She shook her head no.
He let go of her hand and watched as she spun around and headed toward the walk-in closet. Then she reappeared with some slip-ons on her feet and a blanket in her hand.
“I don’t think any of my coats will fit over this wrap on my hand but I can just wear this blanket like a shawl.”
“Okay hang on, I might have something that could work.” He went down the hall to his room and grabbed one of his hoodies that zipped and looked at the sleeves. Then he grabbed a pair of scissors off his gran’s sewing desk and cut the cuff off the right side.
Back in the hallway he held out the sweatshirt like it was a fancy coat.
She turned to put her right hand in and then he helped guide her injured hand through the now large opening.
“Did you just cut your fleece for me?” she asked.
“Genius right? My mom always said I was special.”
Next he zipped her into the way too big sweatshirt that hung to her thighs. And he couldn’t help but think how right she looked in his clothes.
“It’s pretty warm and the wind isn’t bad today, but if you get cold we’ll head back.”
“Okay.”
He led the way down the backstairs and grabbed his other lightweight coat from the hook, then opened the back door for her.
Once they were out in the backyard Levi decided to follow his instincts.
Every good decision he ever made in life was risky but he’d followed his heart.
There were a few steps on the wooden dock to get down to the beach but if she held his hand he could help her.
Reaching out he captured Missy’s good hand and threaded their fingers together again, but didn’t say a word.
Once they were on the sand she didn’t let go and they walked out to the path toward the beach.
“I remember sneaking out here when I was a kid.”
“To do what?”
“Oh it varied, sometimes just to hang out with my older brothers and their friends. We’d make bonfires, roast marshmallows. Then as we got older, we’d meet girls or go surfing.”
“Sounds idyllic to grow up in that big house on the beach.”
“It was. Everything was perfect. We were really lucky until we weren’t.”
“I wonder if that’s worse than never having a real loving family. I think it would be harder to have it all ripped away,” Missy said, giving his hand a squeeze.
“So, you didn’t grow up on the beach with your mom and dad?” Levi said, knowing he was probably risking her shutting him out, but she’d brought it up.
“No, I never met my dad, and my mom wasn’t really interested in being a mom.
But she would bring me to my Aunt Honey’s, Declan’s mom, a lot and that felt like a special holiday.
Declan was usually off in the army, and I’d have my aunty all to myself.
We would bake together, walk on the beach, color, draw—she would take me everywhere with her.
And she kept a special quilt she’d made just for me, so she’d make my bed up in Declan’s old room, with a nightlight that would shine stars on the ceiling, and she’d read me stories.
All my best childhood memories have Aunt Honey in them. ”
“She was the mom you needed. That’s pretty special.”
“The best thing my real mom ever did for me was drop me off at Aunt Honey’s that last time.”
“How old were you?”
“It was my fourteenth birthday. She didn’t even stay for cake—she just told my Aunt Honey she needed to be somewhere and left. And she never came back.”
Levi’s heart ached for Missy, because as horrible as it had been to lose both his parents on the same day. It had to have been harder to know your mom didn’t want you or couldn’t be bothered to choose you over everything else. Especially when she was old enough to comprehend it.
He realized they’d stopped to stand just a few feet away from where the tide was rolling in and Missy was looking out at the water. Wrapping his arm around her he pulled her into his side, careful not to touch her injured hand, and held her.
He didn’t know what to say and doubted there were any words that could make her feel any better about what happened. So instead he just held her for a while.
“Two sad orphans,” he finally said.
“What a pair,” she breathed, her voice deep with emotion. “They say familial dysfunction is hereditary, like if you’re raised in chaos or abuse, you’re highly likely to repeat that cycle. A person will just be drawn to creating the same situation for their own kids.”
“Who is this ‘they’?”
“Statistics, every social worker, those people.”
“Haven’t you already broken that cycle, by choosing your Aunt Honey to raise you, going to school, creating a business? You’re the opposite of chaos.”
“Maybe, or it’s like a ticking time bomb, lying in wait: one wrong move and I’ll blow up my life.”
Giving her another squeeze Levi threaded his hand with her good one and started them walking farther down the beach.
“You strike me as the type who does the exact opposite of what your biological mother showed you. I haven’t known you long, but I think you’re more like your Aunt Honey.
Taking care of my gran in your subtle ways so she doesn’t lose any dignity.
Helping out your cousin with his two boys after his wife died. ”
“My mom was only twenty when she had me, so I’m sure that played a big part in her inability to parent.
” She sighed with what almost sounded like regret.
“I won’t be having any kids anytime soon so I already broke that cycle.
But she also always chose the wrong man, and my last relationship didn’t end well. ”
“Is this the man who pushed you?” Levi said, trying to keep his tone calm.
Missy sighed and shook her head. “I knew you weren’t going to let that go, but I’m not ready to talk about it.”
“Okay.” He was torn between wanting to know and wanting her to trust him enough to want to tell him. “But one bad relationship doesn’t mean you can’t trust your own instincts about people; it just means he was good at hiding who he really was.”
“Says the Bad Boy of Baseball,” she said with a laugh.
“I’m not bad, and if you were mine I would never touch you in any way you didn’t want to be touched.” Levi realized they’d both stopped and he was staring down into her brown eyes full of questions. “I think you’re insanely talented and brave, and you should stop questioning yourself.”
She nodded and dropped his hand to turn back the way they came, and he immediately felt the loss.
He thought she was upset with him but then she gave him a side-eye with one eyebrow raised. “I did have an odd email recently from an art dealer in Atlanta. She said she found my online gallery but mentioned a piece I never posted there.”