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Alice smothers a giggle.
“Levi is kind,” he says, his eyes not on me, but around me. “He’s a protector, but more so a lover. And he loves Meredith.”
Meredith pulls in a small gasp, and the slight pink in my cheeks flames. I only spoke the words for the first time less than a week ago. Sure, Bob isn’t wrong, but I haven’t publicized the fact to the rest of the world. And now, he’s announced the news to my family.
“Spot on!” Coco says with one curt nod. “Also, a bit of a dummy.”
I clear my throat. “Owen’s turn,” I say, my eyes darting to Meredith’s.
She grins at me. Not bothered by her uncle’s declaration for me. Her hand finds mine beneath the table, and she laces our fingers together.
“Owen,” Bob says, brows furrowed. “Kind. Happy.In love.”
“He does not have a girl,” Alice announces for Bob—since the rest of us know as much.
Bob gives one small shrug of the shoulders, standing by his assessment.
It’s just a party trick. Bob can’t really tell me that I love Meredith. Except that I do.
The funny thing is, Owen’s cheeks are every bit as red as mine. And while everyone at this table may not know it, I do—my brother’s been crushing on the same girl for years. I wouldn’t call it love. But would Owen?
Bonus Epilogue
Meredith
Iwave goodbye to Levi’s brothers, standing on Levi’s little porch—which is right next to my little porch. We share a wall and a yard in this duplex townhome, and I feel a little charged knowing Levi—my Levi—will be right next door to me from this time on.
I walk inside to see him already opening up boxes.
“Hey!” I say. “Before we start putting all this away, I wanted to show you something.”
“Yeah?” He sets down the blanket he just pulled from a box—easily giving in to my request. He pulls me over to his grandma’s old couch and flops down onto the cushion, pulling me down with him. “What is it?”
I sit with my bottom on the couch and my legs draped over him. Levi’s hand snakes around my waist and his lips and nose nuzzle at my neck.
“Look at this,” I say, congratulating myself on my amazing self-control. I pull out the flier I found at the bookstore and show it to him. I tap the paper, telling Levi to pay attention. “Number fifteen.”
“Your fifteen or my fifteen?” he says, leaving one more kiss on my neck.
“Mine.” I point again, now that he’s actually looking. “The local theater company is putting on Romeo and Juliet.”
“O…kay.”
“And anyone can audition.” I nod, trying to mentally get him there. “Step into Shakespeare...”
“Whoa. Wait. We already did that one. Remember, I tossed rocks at your window.”
“That didn’t count.”
“It did,” he insists. “We marked it off.”
I shake my head. “Nope. We didn’t.”
“Show me.” He taps my thigh, right below where my phone sits in this dress pocket.
I pull out my cell and pop off the case, unfolding the paper that Levi recreated for me all those weeks ago. “See? Number fifteen. Undone.”
“Wait a sec,” he says, eyes roving over the paper. “Twenty-three? We put that one to bed.”
