Page 93 of Every Single Broken Piece
“Where did she touch you?”
He holds up his right arm. “My wrist.”
I wrap my hands around his wrist and forearm, pressing a kiss to his palm.
The tension eases on his face, and he tilts his head while a smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “All better. My miracle.”
Figuring we can both use something to drink, I move off his lap and climb to my feet. “I’m going to make us some hot chocolate.”
“Actually, I’m in desperate need of a shower.” He gets up, and my heart sinks at having to say goodbye so quickly. He can no longer just go next door.
“You can shower here,” I suggest.
Levi shakes his head. “I need clean clothes.”
“Oh. Right.”
Feeling dejected, I begin to walk toward the front door. “Thanks for—”
“I was hoping you would consider coming back to the motel with me,” he interrupts me, and I stop dead in my tracks.
When I turn around to look at him, he adds, “No pressure. I want to spend more time with you, but I’ll understand if you’re not ready.”
I glance around the living room and the lone couch, then nod. “Let me just grab my bag.”
I walk to the stairs, and when Levi follows, I say, “Upstairs is pretty ... empty. I never bought furniture.”
As we reach the landing and walk down the hallway, Levi glances around. He stops in the doorway of the main bedroom, and a frown forms on his forehead.
“You don’t have a bed,” he comments.
“I slept on the couch.” I grab my luggage, thankful I haven’t unpacked yet.
Moving closer, his eyebrows draw together as he lifts his hands to frame my face. “You never made this place home.”
I shrug. “Because it wasn’t. It was just meant to be a place where I could stay until I was ready to go home.”
“Your parents’ house?” Levi asks.
I nod.
He leans down and presses a tender kiss to my lips, then he takes the bag from me. “Let’s go, my muse.”
As we leave the room, he holds his other hand out to me, and I quickly link our fingers. His grip is firm as he leads me down the stairs and out of the house.
Noticing the truck again, I ask, “When did you get the new ride?”
“A couple of weeks ago. The road to the farm is too uneven for a sedan. I also needed something to transport all the materials when I started fixing up the house.”
“So you’ve been doing renovations?”
He nods and lets go of my hand to open the passenger door for me. “I’ll take you tomorrow so you can look around and tell me what you want done.”
Suddenly, Lick jumps up, and I smile as she makes space for me to sit beside her. I grab hold of the door and put my foot on the step, but then Levi’s hands settle on my hips, and I’m lifted into the cab.
He shuts the door, and I hear him place my luggage in the truck bed before he comes to get in behind the steering wheel.
I put on my seat belt, then give Lick a hug. “I missed you.”
