“Would you wanna go grab drinks or something before you head back?” I ask.
“Nah. I got a lot of shit to do. But maybe we can get together the next time I’m in the city.”
I nod before grabbing my keys and setting them on top of his dresser. “If the landlord has any issues with his inspection, let me know.”
“I will.”
“Don’t be a stranger, okay?”
“I won’t. Tell Charlie hi for me.”
There isn’t any underlying meaning in his comment, and I appreciate the olive branch.
“I will. See ya around.”
“You too.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Charlie
“Dude. I’m nervous,” I admit as Levi and I zoom beneath the surface of New York on the subway.
“Why the hell are you nervous?” he asks, clearly amused.
“Because….” I wring my hands in my lap. “Because she’s gonna know.”
A laugh bursts out of him before he pulls me into his side. “My mom is gonna know what, Charlie?”
“That we’re…”––Kill me now––“dating.”
“You mean that we’re shagging, fornicating, bumping uglies.” He bounces his eyebrows up and down then adds, “That we’re having…relations?”
Shoving him in his chest, I sit back up and give him my best glare before it turns into a fit of giggles.
“Bumping uglies? I think that’s the most disgusting term I’ve ever heard.”
“Trust me. I’ve heard worse,” he jokes. “Seriously, though. You know my mom better than anyone. Hell, I’m pretty sure you know her better than I do, and she already knows we’re seeing each other.”
“She knows, but she doesn’t know-know, ya know?” I ramble, my cheeks heating all over again.
“She knows that I’m the luckiest guy on the planet. If anything, I’m the one who should be worried. I have to tell your dad we’re moving in together.” Gulping at the prospect, his eyes go wide. “Wait, he doesn’t own a shotgun or anything, right?”
“If he did, you’d deserve it for all the shit you put me through,” I tease, though my tone is laced with sarcasm. “I can’t believe I actually offered for you to move in with me instead of your mom.”
When I’d initially asked why he was moving in with her, he said it was because he knew he’d never be able to afford the lease he shared with Conner after he turned down the job at Montague Enterprises. That, and he figured she could use the company after the breast cancer scare.
“Heeey.” He drags out the word, reminding me of a toddler before dropping a quick kiss to the top of my head. “Be nice. I already apologized for the shit I put you through and promised to make it up to you for the rest of my life, remember? And I plan to do exactly that as soon as we make it out of brunch with my balls still intact.”
“Meh. You shouldn’t be too worried. Despite my dad’s gruff personality, he’s a total softie and wants me to be happy.” I nudge him softly. “You make me happy.”
“Is that right?”
“Mmmhmmm,” I hum.
Leaning down, he presses a soft kiss to my lips before murmuring, “You make me pretty happy too, Charlie. And hard. Especially when you moan like that.”
With a gasp, the moment completely ruined, I shove him a second time then stand up and make my way toward the exit. His laughter follows my retreat before his arms wrap around my waist, and he rests his chin on the top of my head. Together, we wait for the train to pull up to our stop while my head tries to grasp how I got here. After all the tears. All the uncertainty. All the heartache. I finally wound up where I was supposed to. In his arms.
Once we exit, Levi and I head up to the busy New York streets with our hands laced together like a real-life couple.
Sigh.
Resting my head on his shoulder, we walk toward our childhood homes.
“It’s weird, isn’t it?” I ask as memories from all the moments we’ve shared together come to the surface.
“What’s weird?” he rumbles beside me.
“How they’re the same homes, and we’re the same us. This is the same street we’ve walked down a thousand times. And it’s still your mom and my dad behind those doors. Yet at the same time, everything and nothing has really changed. We’ve just….” My voice trails off as I try to find the perfect way to describe what I’m feeling and thinking.
“Started bumping uglies?” he offers with a grin.
“Levi!”
“I’m joking, Charlie.” The laugh lines around his eyes soften as he looks down at me. Hands tugging me to a stop, he presses them into my waist then rests his forehead against mine.
“I get it,” he explains. “We’ve always been right there. Within reach of each other. And even though our feelings haven’t changed, and our relationship hasn’t really shifted much––”
“Other than bumping uglies,” I tease.
“Other than bumping uglies,” he returns with a chuckle. “I still feel more at home in my own skin than I’ve ever felt in my entire life. Like the final puzzle piece just clicked into place even though it’s been staring at me for years. And now I get to appreciate it for what it’s always been.”
“Perfect?”
“Yeah, Charlie. Perfect.”
The End
Epilogue
Charlie
“Ya know, for a dude, you’ve got a shitton of boxes all over my living room,” I note. Dropping my keys into a teal and yellow bowl next to my front door, I take in my little one-bedroom apartment that currently looks like a storage facility for a frat house.
“Sorry, babe,” Levi replies as he slips a blade along the packing tape holding a cardboard box closed. “I’ll try to get it cleaned up by Monday.”
“Montague Enterprises was nice to give you the week to get settled before starting.”
“Yeah. I think it’s going to be a great place to work. I’m starving, though,” he adds, changing the subject. “Did you bring me anything from work?” Sitting cross-legged––and without a shirt, while his skin glistens with sweat––he looks pretty damn appetizing himself.
“No, but you look pretty yummy right now,” I taunt. Sensing my eyes on him, he meets my gaze with his own then pushes himself up from the floor and swaggers toward me.
All muscles and tan skin like a freaking surfer.
“Is that right?” he returns. “I like the hat, by the way.”
My pink Get Baked hat covers my crazy hair like a champ, leaving only a loose braid hanging down my right shoulder.
“Oh yeah?”
“Mmmhmmm,” he hums. “There’s just one problem with it.”
“And what’s that?” I ask curiously, taking in his stubbled cheeks and cocky smirk.
Damn, he’s hot.
Lifting it up and off my head, he turns it around so the brim faces backward. “I can’t kiss you when it’s facing forward.”