“I had no choice in the matter. I took one look at your smiling face, and I just had to make sure you got the chance to smile like that again.”
“My smiling face?”
“There was a photo of you in one of the articles,” he explains. “There’s also a part of me that wondered if things would’ve turned out differently if I hadn’t left Wesley behind.”
“Did they abuse him too?” I ask.
Levi shakes his head. “No, but they’re responsible for turning him into a cold-blooded monster. His father taught him to laugh whenever he hurt me.” His expression fills with hatred. “But that doesn’t excuse what Wesley did, and he deserves the life sentence he received.”
“It’s hard to believe you grew up in the same house as him. You’re complete opposites, and I’m so thankful for that.” I lean forward and press a kiss to Levi’s mouth. “I have one more maybe.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“Maybe my parents and Sage found a way to send you to me because they knew we would be able to heal each other.”
Levi’s mouth curves into a heartbreakingly beautiful smile. “I like that maybe a lot.”
I climb to my feet, and when Levi straightens out, I take his hand and pull him toward my bedroom. When we step inside, I glancearound at everything that’s so familiar yet so foreign after being away for a year and a half.
Levi pulls his hand free from mine and walks to the wall that’s decorated with floating shelves. My most prized and sentimental wooden pieces are on display, and he takes his time looking at every single one. “You made these?”
“Yes. I made half of them with my dad’s help.”
I move closer to the five oval-shaped pieces that have an intricate pattern carved into them. “These took me a year to make.” I twist off the top piece, and as I lift it, it reveals a miniature statue. “This is Sage.”
“Jesus, Kelcie.” Levi leans closer, admiring the detail. “Your work is amazing.”
I show him the statues of Dad, Mom, and Jordan, and I love how he inspects every inch of wood.
Levi locks eyes with me, then asks, “Will you ever whittle again?”
“I’m going to make our kitchen cupboards and take it from there.”
“Will you show me your workshop?”
Nodding, I walk out of the room. I glance at my parents’ bedroom, the door standing open. I pause for a moment before I go inside.
“It doesn’t smell like them anymore,” I whisper to myself.
I move closer to the dressing table, and picking up a half-full bottle of perfume, I squirt some into the air and inhale deeply.
Mom.
I keep the bottle and go look for Dad’s cologne in the bathroom. Again, I spray in the air and take a deep breath.
“That’s what home smelled like,” I tell Levi as I meet his eyes. “Now home smells like cedarwood and citrus.” Seeing he doesn’t understand, I add, “Your scent.”
His features soften, and he closes the distance between us, engulfing me in his arms. “You’re my home too. Flowers, bright light, and beautiful smiles.”
I shut the front door of the rental behind me and glance around the space where I licked my wounds.
Levi dropped me off, and he’s heading to the motel to pack his belongings, then he’ll come back to pick me up.
We’ve decided to temporarily move into my family home because I want to slowly work my way through every room and decide what I’m keeping and giving away.
I’ll tell Jordan when I see him and hear if he wants to come through to look at everything as well. I think he’ll be very happy to hear about the progress I’ve made.
Time to pack and say goodbye to this place.