Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88889 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88889 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
“For?”
“Doing what no one else could do the past year.”
His eyes soften as they drift over my face. “What’s that?”
“Helping me to remember the happy times I shared with them.” I lower my arms as I admit, “I don’t want to forget them.”
“You won’t.” He brings his hand to my face and carefully cups my cheek. “One memory at a time. Okay?”
It feels like something bigger than us fills the air between us as I reply, “Okay.”
Suddenly, he pulls back and climbs to his feet. “Tea?”
“Sure.” I get up, and as we walk to the kitchen, I ask, “What’s the time?”
Levi gestures to a clock on the wall, and when I see it’s already past midnight, I gasp. “Oh my God. I’m keeping you up.”
“You’re not. I don’t sleep at night.”
Shocked, my gaze swings to him. “Really? Me too. When do you sleep?”
“I catch a few hours during the day.” He opens a cupboard, then says, “I only have black tea. Is that okay?”
“Yes.”
While he prepares coffee for himself and tea for me, he asks, “Can you open the back door for Lick?”
As soon as I pull the door open, Lick darts out of the house. I watch as she goes about her business until Levi brings me the cup. “Thanks.” I take a sip, then smile at him. “It’s good.”
He drinks his coffee while he looks at his dog. “When we moved in with my stepfather, he tied my dog to a pole in the backyard of our old home and said I had to leave him behind. I spent the week after we moved worrying about Dodger, then I overheard a call between my mother and our landlord. Luckily, he found and adopted Dodger, but he let my mother have an earful and refused to return her deposit.”
What kind of monsters force a little boy to give up his dog like that?
“We need to make a new deal,” I say.
Levi’s face fills with worry. “Too much?”
“No, but I get the feeling I’m going to want to hug you after every bad memory. Is that okay?”
His mouth curves up. “You have a deal.”
I give him a sideways hug before I move out of the way so Lick can come back into the house.
Chapter 9
Levi
I spent the entire morning at the Woodruffs’ house, getting rid of weeds and gathering all the dead leaves, which Lick had a blast playing in. A few of the neighbors gave me weird looks, but I just ignored them.
After I pull up to my house, I unload the trash bags and place them in the garage, thinking I’ll move them out onto the sidewalk when they come to collect the trash.
Lick and I head straight for the bathroom, and while I shower, she makes herself comfortable on the mat and sleeps like the dead.
It actually felt good doing all that yard work. I’ll go twice a month to keep an eye on the place.
Once I’m clean and dressed, I walk to the kitchen and grab a bottle of water before I go to my office to see if I can get some writing done. I should sleep, but when I open my laptop, I’m struck with an idea and start typing.
For the first time in a long while, the words come easily, and it feels so damn good, a smile settles on my face.
One chapter becomes two, and a few hours later, I take a break to stretch my muscles and let Lick go outside.
I roll my shoulders and make sure to drink some water while I watch Lick. Glancing at Kelcie’s house, I notice her yard needs some tending to. I’ll take care of it tomorrow for her. There’s also the added bonus that manual labor seems to be good for my writing.
Or is it hanging out with Kelcie and talking to her that’s making all the difference?
For someone who thought he was unable to feel love for another human being, I find myself fighting the emotion more and more. Whenever I’m around Kelcie and she shares one of her happy memories, I fall a little harder.
I know I’m playing with fire and this situation is bound to explode in my face, but I can’t stay away from her.
You have to think of Kelcie, asshole. What will it do to her when she finds out who you are?
Guilt rears up in my chest, but the next second, I hear an agonizing cry from Kelcie’s place.
Dropping the bottle of water, I shoot forward and run to her back door, which is locked. I look through the kitchen window, and not seeing Kelcie, I pound my fist against the wooden door.
“Mom!” she screams, the terror in her voice breaking my fucking heart.
I continue hitting the door hard while I keep looking through the window, and when I catch sight of Kelcie getting up from the couch, I let out a breath of relief. She looks completely out of it as she staggers to the door, and the second she opens it for me, I move forward and wrap my arms around her.