AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Anthony’s fiancé has the night off. He wants to get together and do something. He said I should bring someone with me, and if it’s not you, it’ll likely be Connor.”
“Do Anthony and his fiancé mind being around cussing toddlers?”
“I’m not sure.” She laughed.
“Well, I suppose it had better be me, then. Just in case.”
“Is a cussing hockey player better than a cussing toddler?”
Since it meant I would have a chance to spend time with Cadence? “Yes. Absolutely.”
“I guess I’ll see you then. I’ll text you once I know a time and place.”
THINK OF IT as courting, I reminded myself for at least the thirty-eighth time in the last hour. That was what my new counselor, Wendy, had suggested when we’d talked through my trepidations. This wasn’t a date. Levi and I weren’t going to be alone together. We would have Anthony and Jesse with us the whole time, to act as my safety net, and there wasn’t a chance in hell that Anthony would let me out of his sight the whole day. The more time I spent with him, the more I realized he was made of the same cloth as Cam, in terms of their overly protective instincts.
When Wendy had first brought up the idea of courting, I’d almost balked. I mean, courting was such an outdated idea, right? Only the more she explained the general concept, the more it made sense. When a couple is courting, they’re never alone together. They can get to know one another first using friends and family as a buffer before jumping into the modern world’s idea of dating, which often ended up moving way too fast for what I was ready for right now.
Better yet, Levi didn’t necessarily have to know he was courting me. He’d agreed to give me time, and in the interim we’d be friends. We could do things that friends do, without him ever needing to come to terms with what we were doing in that way. Calling it courting was more to help me cope and not freak out about dating again.
The doorbell rang. My blood pressure shot through the roof with nerves despite all my efforts at calming myself down. I headed downstairs to answer it, but Connor beat me to it.
“Who’re you?” he demanded, the way only a four-year-old can do.
“I’m Anthony. Don’t you remember me?”
“I ’member agilators eating you. Who’s he?” Connor demanded, pointing.
“This is my friend, Jesse.”
“Mommy says I’m not asposed to talk to strangers. Maybe agilators should eat him, too.”
“Mommy also says you’re not supposed to answer the door,” I said, coming around the corner. “But lucky for you, these guys are my friends and not some men who are here to steal naughty little boys.”
Connor gave me a devilish smile. “You won’t tell, will you, CayCay?”
Jesse lit up like a Christmas tree. “CayCay? Oh my gorgonzola, that is almost as adorable as you are, Cadence. Please tell me we can call you that from now on.” He had all the hand waving and lisping speech often associated with the stereotypical gay man, which was Anthony’s exact opposite. I wanted to pinch Jesse’s cheeks every time I saw him.
I wasn’t so sure about anyone calling me CayCay other than my nephew, though. Once Cassidy started talking, she could, too, if she wanted. But that was where I drew the line. I was about to tell Jesse as much, but Levi pulled into the driveway, rescuing me from having to say anything. If I was lucky, maybe Jesse would forget all about that nickname soon, and it wouldn’t ever become an issue. At any rate, I grabbed my coat and purse, sent Connor back to the playroom, where he was supposed to be, and headed out for my day with the guys.
Anthony had an SUV, so we all loaded in and left Levi’s car at Cam and Sara’s house.
Levi climbed into the back with me. “So what exactly are we doing today?” he asked, settling his seat belt into place over his lap.
“ChocolateFest,” Jesse answered. “As much wine and chocolate as you can handle, all day long. But please don’t get sick, because that isn’t cute.”
“Something tells me we might run into Laura Weber,” Levi said quietly to me.
“Katie’s mom?”
“If anything involves wine… And then you’re adding chocolate to the mix? Hell, half the guys’ wives are probably going to be there.”
It wasn’t far to the Oregon Convention Center. As we headed inside, Levi walked alongside me, so close his hand brushed against mine. That slight contact sent tingles of awareness skittering up my spine. They took root in my hair, making me feel like it might be standing on end. Well, it might give me a bit more volume, right? Had to find the bright side, or else I’d find myself caught up in hormones going bonkers. Now wasn’t the time for that.
Come to think of it, maybe wine wasn’t the best plan for today, either. I’d have to keep an eye on how much I drank.
The convention center was filled with rows upon rows of booths, each boasting their own specialty chocolates along with wines to pair with them. The booths went on as far as the eye could see in the main room, and the guides told us there were a few other halls with more to explore.
“Where do you want to start?” Levi asked.
