The Family You Make Page 22

  “If my mom finds out before I tell her, she’ll tell everyone I’m going to build a house with a white picket fence and fill it with a wife named Jane and two point five kids.”

  Mateo laughed, but when he caught sight of Levi’s face, his smile faded. “Come on, no one will believe that.”

  Right. Because other than his half-assed commitment to Amy, he’d never really made any commitment to anyone. He looked away, out the window. It was snowing again. It’d be a great powder day tomorrow. He hadn’t skied since the gondola accident. Maybe it was time to get back on the horse. Maybe he’d see if Jane wanted to go with him . . .

  “I’ve known you a long time,” Mateo said. “I know when something’s wrong.”

  “Nothing’s wrong.”

  Mateo shook his head. “Calling bullshit, man. Is it Jane? She falling for you?”

  “You know she’s just doing me a favor.” Which, for the record, he hated. He never should have started this ridiculous farce. Instead, he should’ve found a way to do this for real.

  Mateo studied him for a beat. “It’s you. You’re falling for her.”

  Levi closed his eyes.

  “You’re serious about her.”

  “Yeah,” he admitted. “I’m serious about her. Which means I’m screwed.”

  Mateo shrugged. “You could just tell her.”

  “She’s leaving soon. Already has another contract lined up in Haiti, had it before she even stepped foot into Sunrise Cove. She’ll be there at least three months.”

  “So? Do your feelings have an expiration date just shy of three months or something?”

  Levi sighed. “It’s not that easy.”

  “Have you tried?”

  “Haven’t wanted to scare her off.”

  Mateo looked at him for a beat. “You know what I think?”

  “No, and don’t tell me.”

  “I think you’re complicating this on purpose so it doesn’t happen. I think you’re scared.”

  Levi sighed and pushed his plate away.

  “And now you don’t want to let another woman down. Or worse, hurt her.”

  “Don’t.”

  “You won’t hurt her, Levi.”

  He met Mateo’s gaze. “How do you know?”

  The guy took his time answering, crunching on a piece of bacon. Levi’s, by the way. “When we were kids,” he finally said, “you worked hard at making the people around you happy. Your family. Amy. You wanted your people happy, often to the sacrifice of your own happiness. But in the years since, on your own in San Francisco, you seemed to figure some things out. You’ve settled into who you are. You’re good in your own skin now, and know what you want, what makes you happy. There’s nothing wrong with that, man.”

  Levi took that in. Realized Mateo was right. He did know what he wanted. “I’m still not convinced it’s that easy.”

  “Why not?” Mateo shrugged. “All that’s left for you to do is to make your move.”

  “Now who’s the old soul? Why don’t you follow your own advice? Make your move on Charlotte.”

  “Because I’m like you—I’m in love, and every bit as terrified as you to admit it.”

  Chapter 21

  Levi thought about Mateo’s parting words for the rest of the day. He worked, then went for a long run, showered, and a few minutes before Jane was due to arrive, headed downstairs, feeling . . . nervous.

  Wondering what the hell that was about, he walked into the living room and went to the big picture window to look out.

  Jane’s car wasn’t there.

  He turned to face the room and found his entire family standing there staring at him.

  His mom clasped her hands together. “Levi.”

  “Mom.”

  “I’ve got everything prepped for dinner and the house cleaned. Does it look okay?”

  “The house is always clean, Mom. It looks great. And I thought you were going to order food in so you didn’t have to cook on your own anniversary.”

  “I wanted homemade food for Jane. Did it smell good when you came downstairs?”

  “Yes, but it always smells good.” He could tell by the look on her face that he’d given the wrong answer. “Though it smells extra good right now. You didn’t need to—”

  His mom sucked in a breath. “Oh dear God,” she said. “She broke up with you, didn’t she. She’s not coming.”

  “What?” He shook his head. “No, I just mean that she wouldn’t want you to go to any trouble for her.”

  “Well, of course I’m going to some trouble. I want her to love us.”

  “She will, Mom.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “You sure she didn’t dump you?”

  The doorbell rang and everyone jumped. Jasper lost his ever-loving mind, barking at a piercing pitch, warning the entire planet that there was a possible intruder.

  Levi got out in front of the whole pack and faced them, hands up. “Sit,” he said. “All of you.”

  Everyone but Jasper sat.

  “Okay, now try to look normal.”

  “Honestly, Levi,” his mom said, “we know how to behave.”

  “Do you?”

  “It’s his girlfriend,” Tess said, putting an odd emphasis on the word girlfriend that made Levi grimace on the inside. “He’s got the right to want everything to go perfectly. Isn’t that right, Levi?”

  He pointed at her, then the rest of them. “All of you, zip it.” He gently touched his finger to Peyton’s nose. “Except you. Never you.”

  She beamed her toothless grin at him.

  To everyone else he said, “Not a single one of you is going to say another word. Not until I explain to her what you guys did. Because there’s no way I’m letting her walk in here without first telling her about the con you all pulled.”

  Tess gave him a long look. “Do you really want to tell stories about con artists?”

  Levi glared at her, but she’d been his big sister all his life and wasn’t cowed in the least. In fact, she smirked.

  Shaking his head, he opened the door to Jane and her grandpa. Jasper squeezed between Levi and the door and immediately put his nose to Lloyd’s crotch.

  “Whoa,” Lloyd said. “The frank and beans haven’t been nosed like that in a long while.”

  “Sorry.” Levi pulled the dog away. “Jasper, sit.”

  Jasper sat, panting happily, smiling from ear to ear.

  “Jasper, huh?” Lloyd patted him on the head. “What a big boy you are. Nice name too.”

  “He also goes by ‘dammit,’ ‘don’t you dare,’ ‘no!’ and ‘stop!’” Levi looked at Jane, trying to figure out how to do this. Like a Band-Aid, Jane would say.

  Her smile was a little short of its usual wattage. In fact, it was her polite smile, the one she used with people she hadn’t let into her life. The one Levi hadn’t seen in a while, and he stepped over the threshold, pulling the door shut behind him. “You okay?”

  “Nervous.” She sat on the top porch step like her legs were wobbly.

  “Me too,” Lloyd said at a decibel that suggested he might have forgotten to turn on his hearing aids. “But not for the same reason as Jane. I’m nervous because I had bologna and cheese for lunch, and bologna gives me the toots.”

  “Don’t worry, Jasper will have you beat,” Levi said and crouched before Jane. “Don’t be nervous. You don’t have to be nervous. Trust me, they’re going to be nicer to you than they are to me.”

  She lifted her head and nodded, studying him a moment. “You seem off too. What is it?”

  How did she do it? How did she always know what was going on with him beneath the surface? No one had ever been able to read him in the same way he could pick up on her emotions. If he thought too hard about that, the meaning of that ability, it made him feel vulnerable like nothing else ever had.

  “Whatever it is, tell me quick before I have a heart attack,” she said.

  “Heart attack?” Lloyd put a hand to his own heart and shook his head. “N
o, I’m fine. I’m great.”

  “Grandpa, are your hearing aids on?”

  “Uh . . .” He blinked sheepishly as he turned them on. “Sorry.”

  Jane’s eyes were still on Levi, anxiety swimming in her pretty eyes.

  She thought she was the problem. As if.

  “What did I miss?” Lloyd asked. “I hope the meal isn’t canceled. I was looking forward to dessert.”

  “Not canceled,” Levi said. “But we could head out to Cake Walk if you want. I hear they’ve gotten some new flavors—”

  “Levi.” Jane took a deep breath and nodded. “You’ve changed your mind. I get it, believe me. We’ll just—”

  “No.” Levi grabbed her hand before she could get away. “I haven’t changed my mind. On anything,” he clarified, looking her right in the eyes. “But—”

  She closed her eyes. “There’s a but.”

  He really hated that he had to do this. “There’re a few things you need to know before we go inside.”

  “Maybe I should go inside to give you two a moment,” Lloyd said, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “Besides, I drank a lot of water today, so I’ll just . . .” He gestured to the front door and then opened it and vanished inside.

  “Ohmigod,” Jane said. “Should I go after him?”

  “No.” If anyone could handle Levi’s family for a minute, it was Lloyd. He sat next to Jane, then turned her to face him. Their knees bumped and he took comfort from the touch, accidental as it was. He knew that in a minute she was going to be mad at him, very mad, possibly mad enough to walk away. And he wouldn’t be able to blame her. “I’m not sure where to start.”

  “Then I’ll start,” she said. “You regret asking me to do this. You regret that night up at the Tahoe Rim Trail. And every night since then—”

  “No. No,” he repeated softly, reaching for her hand. Well, okay, yes, he regretted asking her to be a part of this farce, but only because he wanted it to be real. “I don’t regret anything, most especially the times I’ve spent with you, including what happened up at the Tahoe Rim Trail in my truck. I smile every time I get into it now, like Pavlov’s dog.” Not to mention, get a hard-on . . . “That night will go down in history as one of my favorite nights ever. The other is last night.”

  She snorted, because long after they’d made her grandma’s bread with her grandpa, after he’d taken her home and had gone to bed himself, they’d started texting, playing phone truth or dare. He’d learned that the little scar on her chin was from jumping off her grandparents’ patio roof to see if she could fly. And that she’d skipped her last year of high school and graduated early. He’d also learned that she’d never brought a guy home before.

  And then she’d dared him to come over—where they’d continued the truth or dare in person. In her bed . . .

  “Zero regrets,” he repeated, holding her gaze, willing her to believe him.

  She drew a deep breath. “Then what is it? It’s something, I can feel it.”

  “Remember that night on the gondola?”

  “The one I still have nightmares about?” She gave a wry smile. “No, not at all.”

  Okay, she was trying to be funny, but he had a feeling it was also true about the nightmares, and he hated that. They’d circle back to that. “When I called my mom that night and told her I had someone in my life—”

  “Because you thought we were going to die, and you were trying to say goodbye and realized how much she loved you and that all she’d ever wanted was for you to have love in your life . . . Yeah, I get it, Levi. I mean, I don’t exactly have personal experience with a family like yours, but I’ve seen the Hallmark movies. And honestly? It’s sweet, the lengths you’d go to for your family.”

  “Yeah.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Let me tell you the rest of it and you’ll probably revoke that understanding. See, after that night, they started hounding me about meeting you.”

  “Hence why I’m here,” she said. “Wearing real jeans and not yoga pants that have never seen a yoga class.”

  He smiled. “I love the jeans. The jeans make me want to play truth or dare again.”

  “Hey, how was I supposed to know that daring you to remove a piece of clothing would turn on me and that you’d remove a piece of my clothing?”

  “You were commando,” he said reverently. “I’m never going to stop reliving that.”

  “Focus,” she said on a laugh. “Your family was hounding you about meeting me and . . .”

  “And I kept stalling, so . . .”

  “Oh my God,” she said. “You’re the slowest storyteller on the planet!”

  “And four weeks was too long for them. They didn’t have that sort of time.”

  She covered her mouth with her hand. “Is someone sick? You should’ve told me. I’d have come sooner!”

  “Not sick,” he said. “At least not physically.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

  “Because you’re normal.” He sighed. “They got impatient. My mom is Shirley, the nosy woman you met at the humane society. My sister is Tess, the nosy woman who forced you into being friends with her. And my dad is Hank, the guy creating the libraries for the hospital and clinics.”

  Jane’s mouth fell open and she just stared at him.

  His heart kept skipping beats. “If you want to get up and walk away right now, I’ll understand,” he forced himself to say.

  She blinked. Closed her mouth. Opened it again.

  Nothing came out.

  “Jane?” He slid closer, a hand on her leg. “Say something.”

  She was still for another very long beat. Then she slowly shook her head. “They did all that for me?”

  “You mean stalked you? Yes, they did. They inserted themselves into your life under false pretenses, and I’m sorry.”

  He had no idea what she would do next, but he was stunned to see her suddenly smile and whisper, “Wow.”

  “Jane,” he said, completely undone. “You should be running for the hills, not looking like you just won the lottery.”

  “Are you kidding? I was so freaked out about meeting your family, about somehow messing it up for you, because the only thing I know about close families like yours is what I’ve seen on TV or in the movies.” She laughed. “But I’m not the one who messed it up!”

  He softened and cupped her face. “You’re not upset?”

  “Well, I have nothing to compare this to because no one’s ever searched for me or ever gone through that much trouble to find me before. But your mom and dad and sister did.”

  Just like that, his amusement was gone and he felt like a total asshole. Here he was, embarrassed by his nosy family, when he was talking to a woman whose own family had completely deserted her, tossed her out like yesterday’s trash. Wrapping his arms around her, he brushed a kiss to her temple. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

  “I do, you told me that last night when I was—”

  He kissed her. While laughing. Another first for him. When they broke from the kiss, he asked, “Are you really ready for this?”

  “Yes. Because God knows what my grandpa is in there telling them.” She smiled and squeezed his hand. “Let’s do this.”

  When they walked inside, everyone was lined up looking sheepish, but to Levi’s surprise, Jane smiled even bigger and walked right over to his mom, handing over the basket holding the loaf of bread she’d made. “Shirl, it’s nice to see you again.”

  “Oh, honey.” His mom yanked Jane in for a hug. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you who I was. I just needed to know that my son had found someone worthy, and then once I started talking to you, I realized that in spite of himself he’d managed to find someone even better than I could have ever imagined.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mom,” Levi said dryly.

  His mom ignored him and kept hugging Jane, who met Levi’s gaze over his mom’s shoulder.

  Smiling.

  Tess moved t
oward Jane next, sincere regret and remorse in her voice. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I should’ve told you who I was from the very start. But you turned out to be so sweet, and so funny that I wanted to be your friend for real. I got carried away. I’ve regretted it every single day since, I just didn’t know how to tell you.”

  “I get it. You were looking out for your brother.” She hugged Tess. “Thank you.”

  His sister pulled back, looking grateful. “For what?”

  “For being my first new friend in a long time.”

  “Hey,” Levi said. “Standing right here.”

  Jane smiled at him, looking beautiful and happy.

  “Okay, my second new friend,” she corrected.

  Levi smiled back as his dad came forward next, sheepish. “I should’ve told you as well. But I didn’t because Shirley made me do it.”

  Levi’s mom grimaced at being thrown under the bus, but didn’t deny a thing. “We’re just thrilled you’re finally here,” she said. “And that you brought your charming grandpa.”

  Lloyd was sitting on one of the recliners with Peyton. They were reading a book together, heads bent to the pages. He lifted his head and waved at Jane. “No one’s ever asked me what my third favorite reptile is before.”

  “It’s the T. rex!” Peyton said joyfully, her ponytails practically vibrating with excitement.

  Jane moved over there to meet her, and after Levi did the introduction, Peyton immediately pointed at Jane’s locket. “Pretty!”

  Jane opened it, and from the moment Peyton caught sight of eight-year-old Jane dressed as a fairy princess, their bond was forged in unbreakable ties. Levi’s heart stopped skipping beats and warmed.

  “I was a fairy princess for Halloween last year!” Peyton said—aka yelled. “And the year before that! But this year I’m going to be something real. I’m going to be a unicorn!”

  “Honey,” Tess said, “unicorns aren’t real.”

  “But they are! They have to be! Uncle Levi told me they’re the national animal of Scotland!”

  Tess gave Levi a look.

  “Hey, it’s true,” he said.

  A timer went off in the kitchen and his mom clapped. “To the dining room, everyone! Food’s ready.”