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“What brought this on?”
He leaned on the pommel, patting Blake. “Quinn has this notebook that he sketches in, and I’m allowed to look.” He stared at me; his eyes wide. “I promise, he says it’s okay. It’s not private or anything.”
“Of course.”
“He left this paper in with an entire essay, about me, about us, about the future, and I only read a little before he took it off me, but shit, he has all the pretty words, and I have nothing in my head, but horses and dogs.” Sky took that moment to roll on her back in the snow, yelping and whining before belting off to follow another scent, and in general, having the best day of her doggie-life, which at least made Levi smile.
“Okay, so tell me what you want to say.”
“That’s the point, I don’t know.”
We clicked for the horses to move on, a leisurely pace that meant we could talk.
“Do you love Quinn?”
“Of course,” he said, and threw me a frown. “Doesn’t mean I can put it into words, then read it out it in front of people.”
“So, what do you love about Quinn?”
We were quiet for a while, and I gave Levi space to talk.
“Everything.”
“Okay… so what did you think when you first saw him?”
“His hair,” he began, in a soft voice. “He was bright as sunshine, but pink, his hair I mean.”
“Okay, as bright as sunshine. Got it. And now?
“He fits just right in my arms, when we hug, and when I’m holding him, my heart just seems to soar, like he’s half of me. Like he’s the best half of me. Like he makes my world better. He smiles at me for no reason, but he’s not laughing at me, he’s just happy to be in my space, and I’m happy back. He’d do anything for me, and I’d do anything back, and he doesn’t care if I stink of horses; he just holds me, and loves me and…” He drifted off then, and we continued our ride.
He didn’t really need me. He already knew what he wanted to say.
“Can you tell him everything that happened to you in a day, good or bad, in any kind of words, big or small?”
“Yeah.”
“And does he ever think what you’re saying is wrong? Or stupid?”
That earned me a sharp glance. “Of course not; he wouldn’t do that. He loves me as I am.” The frown stayed for a moment, and then, as he realized what he’d said, his expression softened. “Oh,” he whispered.
“Yep, all you need to do is tell him how you feel in words that make it clear and that mean something to you.”
And right on the heels of Levi’s epiphany came one of my own.
After the day I’d had, after the fear and the tightness in my chest, wasn’t that what I should do with Noah?
ChapterTwenty-Six
Noah
The diner was unusually busy,a steady hum of conversation filling the air. It seemed as if the whole town had converged here, probably because of the diner’s proximity to the sheriff’s office.
The landline rang as I picked up two new orders, and with the receiver pressed between my ear and shoulder, I hustled into the kitchen.
“Lily’s Diner, Noah speaking, can I help?”
Silence.
