Page 86 of Read With Your Heart

“Don’t see why that’s funny?” He’s a decent-looking kid. He’ll grow into his own eventually.

“What happened to your sister?”

“Lys?” I question. “You got a crush on Lys?” I don’t like this idea, considering he’s under the same roof as my little sister, and I’m suddenly wondering where the overprotective big brother stance comes from. I don’t see it between Levi and Lys, though, because she’s so quiet and shy. I wouldn’t have noticed a girl like Tricia in my high school either. She would have been part of the smart jock crowd, and I was nowhere near that clique.

He gives nothing away, but says, “I meant, Lena. She was here, and then she wasn’t.”

“Ah, Lena. I love my sister, but that one is trouble. She went back home, and she’s living with a friend to finish out her senior year.” I pause, deciding that’s all he needs to know about her. My sister’s been checking in with me, and I know AJ has her back as well. “You don’t want a woman like Lena, though, trust me. I’m not talking trash about my own blood, but you hold out for the sweet girl, Levi. She’ll be a different kind of trouble but so worth it.” I sigh as I hum.

“Is that how you feel about Tricia?”

“You okay with me telling you about my feelings for her?”

He shrugs, so I give it to him straight.

“I love her, and I want to spend my life with her. But make no mistake, Levi, I will not be treating her the way your brother did. That woman is a treasure I plan to cherish, not squander.”

Levi glances over at me as we walk back up Main Street.

“Good,” he whispers.

“Seeing as I lost my little brother when he was close to your age, how would you feel about hanging out with me once in a while? Just us. I could use someone to beat at basketball. Tricia’s too easy,” I tease. My girl can play, but it always ends with her giving in to me. I admit I might not always play fairly, though. I like lots of skin.

Levi laughs and then quiets for a second before offering me the answer I was hoping he’d give. “Yeah, I guess I could play basketball with you once in a while.”

“Just once in a while?” I tease, catching a glance at him fighting a smile. “Alright, kid. Game on.” I reach for him, tugging him to me for a second, thinking I’ll push him back with a friendly shove, but then I just leave my arm on his shoulder, and when he doesn’t fight me off, we continue walking up the street like this.

And the hole I’ve had for Israel all these years closes up a little bit.

Lesson 28

Make love. It’s that simple.

[Tricia]

We move through a fog, weathering Trent’s funeral and the period afterward without anything legally binding between Trent and me. The cabin is still his father’s possession, so we had no shared property. Levi helps me pack up the few personal belongings he wants from Trent. The rest of Trent’s items I donate to charity. Levi takes Trent’s truck as it is newer than his. Leon destroys Trent’s guns. I don’t ask how. I just know I don’t want them out in the world in the wrong hands.

We slip through Thanksgiving with my family but quickly begin discussing the next holiday. I could use some cheer.

“We could go to Chicago and see Lena,” I suggest as we enter our room—the room we share nightly. I miss his sister even though we chat often by text.

“Honestly, baby, I don’t want to go back.” His resolve surprises me, but I also understand. We’ve talked about the slight anxiety it gives him to enter the city and his desire not to return. We’ll go to Chicago for his sister’s high school graduation and when she has the baby. Both events will happen in May. Other than that, Leon seems finished with the big city. His parents were evicted from their apartment after their deportation, and AJ packed up their belongings. Leon admits he owes the man and calls him a true friend. He hesitantly looks over at me from across the bed. “I have a new life here. I want to make new memories here.”

“Yes, you do,” I remind him, giving him a smile as I pull down the covers on my side of the bed. Dixon agreed to give Leon a shot at custom paint jobs after the first of the year, and Leon’s been working on designs every night. He’s also looked into some graphic art classes online to understand computer work with the medium. I’m very excited for him. “So Christmas with my family then?”

Jess and Leon have become fast friends. Leon’s also struck up a friendship with Ethan Scott on his new business project. Leon’s earned some extra cash working on the general construction of Ethan’s place. It’s great to see him easily fitting in with my family and friends.

He licks his lip and bites the corner before a crooked smile takes over. “Yeah, pretty lady. I’d like that.”

We strip and change for bed, and I silently smile at the normalcy of it. I pull on a sleep shirt as it’s warmer than my lace nighties, although Leon’s like a natural heating blanket, and I know I’ll be naked shortly. He prefers to sleep in his boxer briefs, but it’s also a formality. He’ll be naked soon enough as well and pressed up against me.

“What about Lys?” I question. I know she still misses their parents, but we don’t want to send Lys to Mexico, and they can’t return to the States yet. I leave it up to Leon to tell me how he wants to handle things regarding his parents. I don’t press him on their status or push him to take action. He thinks they’re ready to retire despite their young ages and might stay back in their small town south of the border.

“I’m hoping to make this one of the best Christmases ever for her.” Leon’s face falls a bit as he climbs into the bed. I know he wants to give her everything he can, but I think she’s happy enough with what she has. She got to decorate her room as she wished, and we added some other touches to make it feel permanent instead of a temporary guest room. She wants her own iPad for Christmas, and that’s in the works. My family has welcomed her just as much as Leon. While I don’t want to dismiss her emotions around the holidays, I think she’s going to have one the best Christmases of her life despite her absent parents and separation from her sister.

“And Levi?” Leon asks as I crawl into bed next to him. While Robert probably didn’t know whether Levi was present or not, Levi felt obligated to return to his own house after his brother’s death. Leon and I both agree Levi should come with us to my mother’s. He can even stay with us again for a few days to give him a break from his father’s home. We’ve told him he always has a room with us.

“You’re going to make such a good mother someday,” Leon says to me, surprising me.