“Just hold your palm out so she can sniff you,” I tell my brother.
He leans down and does as I say. Lick takes one sniff, then her tongue darts out and she slobbers all over Jordan’s hand.
“And that’s the reason her name is Lick,” I mention, laughter tumbling past my lips.
“Hi, Jordan.” Levi’s tone is much quieter than it usually is when he talks to me.
My head snaps to where he’s standing in the doorway, and noticing his discomfort at having Jordan in his personal space, I walk to him and link my arm through his.
“Hi,” Jordan chuckles while glancing between his spit-covered hand and Levi. “I’d shake your hand, but your dog just went to town on mine.”
I point at the sink. “You can wash your hands there, and Levi doesn’t touch people.”
“Oh, right. I forgot.”
While Jordan washes his hands, I go to the paper towel roll and rip two off for him.
Smiling, he takes them from me, then turns his attention to Levi and says, “Kelcie tells me the two of you are dating.”
Levi nods. “We are.” He gestures at the coffee machine. “Would you like something to drink?”
“I’m good. We just had hot chocolate,” my brother replies.
Before things can get too awkward, I suggest, “Let’s sit in the living room.”
We move to the other room, and once we’re sitting on the couches, Jordan’s gaze lands on the shelf. He gets up again and moves closer, looking at the books and awards with admiration.
He gestures at one of the toy cars I got Levi for his pretend birthday. “I loved playing with these as a kid.” My brother takes a deep breath, then glances at Levi. “Kelcie told me not to make a big deal of it, but I have to say I love your books. I own every single one.”
I look at Levi, seeing the discomfort ghosting over his face, but the corner of his mouth lifts. “Thanks.”
“Are you still writing?” Jordan asks as he goes to sit on the other couch again.
“Yeah. I struggled with writer’s block until Kelcie came into my life. That’s why there’s been such a long break between books.”
Jordan grins at me. “So all his fans should be thanking you.”
I shrug, a wide smile on my face as I joke, “Oh, definitely.”
I begin to relax because it’s going much better than I thought it would.
Jordan changes the subject, asking, “Have you replaced the battery in your car yet?”
I shake my head while letting out a sigh. “I’ll call Malakai and Asher this week and have one of them come out.”
My brother glances at Levi. “You need to keep an eye on her car, or she’ll let it fall apart in the garage. It needs a service.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Levi assures him, lifting his arm to wrap it around my shoulders.
The conversation flows, and we talk about what we did for Thanksgiving and even discuss things we could do while we’re visiting Jordan over the holidays.
I take in how relaxed my brother is and that there are no worry lines on his face. It’s the first time we’ve been able to get together without my grief dragging him down, and it’s all because of the change Levi has made in my life.
Chapter 19
Kelcie
This morning, Levi took me to the auto repair shop to get a new battery. I told him he didn’t have to, but he insisted.
