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“Little Man!” I gasped, mocking his enthusiasm but in a much more muted voice, bending to scoop him into my arms the second after I set Tommy’s seat down.
“We have a surprise for you!” A small giggle escaped Levi’s lips.
Samantha’s face blushed a pale pink, but she was grinning, nonetheless.
“Oh, is that so? I have a surprise for you, too. Is that cool?” I arched my brow playfully at him in question.
“Yeah! What is it?” Levi asked.
But judging by the inquisitive way his gaze kept flitting to Tommy beside me, he already knew. “Levi, this is Tommy,” I introduced him. “My son. I wanted you to meet him.”
I could’ve been wrong, but I swore I saw a flash of nervousness in Levi’s eyes. But, in true Levi fashion, he bit down on his lip and crouched down in front of Tommy’s seat, reaching out to touch my son’s little hand gently. “Hi, Tommy,” he said in a hushed voice. “I’m Little Man Levi. That makes you Little Little Man Tommy.” He looked up at me. “’Cuz he’s still a baby,” he explained to me seriously.
I had to press my lips together to suppress my amusement. “He is a pretty little guy compared to you, you’re right.” I stole a quick glance up at Samantha, but she had her hand covering her smile, too. I turned back to Levi. “You think you can teach him all about Spider-Man someday, Little Man?”
“Abso-freaking-lutely,” Levi said, nodding.
I burst out laughing, I couldn’t help it. I knew exactly where he got that phrase from.
“What?” Levi asked, confused. “I said it like you do.”
“Yeah, buddy, you did.” I shrugged at Samantha. “I’m going to get myself in so much trouble if I don’t start watching what I say, huh?”
“Seems that way,” she agreed, shaking her head. When she finally composed herself, she asked Levi, “You want to give Cooper his surprise now?”
My gaze shot to Samantha, but I couldn’t read anything in her eyes save for the amusement she let bubble just below the surface. I could feel my stomach constricting—something was definitely up. But she crouched down to the floor and focused her gaze on Tommy, purposely not giving anything else away.
Surprises weren’t exactly my favorite. I tended to have a distaste for the unknown, and I preferred to be prepared for any situation that might arise. But, when it boiled down to it, Samantha and Levi had been a surprise, too, and they were the best damn thing to ever happen to me.
“Will you spend the night with us forever?” Levi’s eyes sparkled, filled with joy and excitement. “Tommy can, too, right, Mommy?” He sent a glance toward his mother, seeking out confirmation.
“Of course, sweetheart. Tommy, too.” She beamed.
Looking between him and Samantha, I waited for her to say something more, some kind of explanation.
Instead, it was Levi who spoke again. “Well...will you or not?” He was directly in front of me, patting my shoulders as though to make sure I was paying attention to him.
Oh, he had my attention, all right. I just wasn’t sure what exactly the boy was really trying to ask me.
“I think Cooper might be a little confused, buddy.” Samantha snuck up behind him and took his arm, placing something into his small fist. “There. Now show him that, and then ask him again.”
Levi held up his hand, revealing a shiny silver key. Samantha stepped over to my other side, and I felt her arm snake around my back. Her head rested on my shoulder as she stared up at me, watching and waiting.
“You want me to spend the night with you guys forever?” I repeated the question, as though having the words on my own tongue might somehow solidify their true meaning.
“Yep!” Levi hollered. “Mommy says you and Tommy can stay here! With us!”
I shifted in my crouched position, chuckling. He made it sound like he’d been granted permission to keep a stray dog.
But I didn’t care how it sounded. I only knew what the words really meant, and one glance over at Samantha confirmed I was right. I wrapped my free arm around her, pulling the three of us together for a tight embrace.
“Tommy and I would love to spend the night with you two forever.” I kissed the top of Levi’s head, then Samantha’s.
“Are you sure?” she asked, tears glistening in the corners of her sapphire eyes.
“Am I sur
e?” I laughed. “I feel like I should be asking you that.” I tilted her chin upward and pressed my lips against hers, much to Levi’s exaggerated disgust. I heard him make a dramatic gagging noise, and it was probably the only time I didn’t turn to him despite his obvious desire for attention.
