Where We Belong Read online

  He laughs and pushes off the wall. "Well, we can't have that now, can we?"

  Silence descends and we both stand there, staring at one another, drinking each other in. We both seem to be taking a visual inventory, noting all of the changes that have taken place over the past five years, while simultaneously reveling in everything that has so perfectly stayed the same.

  "Well...I’d better get going," he says, throwing a thumb over his shoulder. "It's been a long night and I'm exhausted. I'll see you around, Harley."

  "Yup, see ya around." With an awkward wave, he turns and walks away.

  "UGHHH!" I GROAN, THROWING myself into a chair at the nurses’ station. "I just got here an hour ago and I'm already ready to go home." Logging into the computer, I click on my patient’s name and start charting.

  Laura, a nurse about my age, is sitting to my left. Without breaking eye contact from her computer, she grins. "What happened? Did Mr. Wilcox try and woo you into submission?" she asks playfully.

  I whip my head over to glare at her. She doesn't make eye contact, but I can see the shit-eating grin on her face. When she glances in my direction and sees my narrowed gaze, Laura throws her head back and laughs hysterically.

  "You bitch!" I hiss playfully.

  "I'm sorry!" she says while continuing to laugh. Reaching up, she puts a hand to her chest. "I really am sorry, I couldn't help myself. Mr. Wilcox is a frequent flier around here. He's felt all of us up at some point and it was your turn, girl."

  "Felt up?" I scoff. "The man practically molested me! Look..." Turning around, I show her my butt. "You know what that is?"

  "No," she answers, shaking her head vigorously, trying to catch her breath from laughing so hard. "But that's the funniest thing I've ever seen! You have an orange ass!"

  "Cheetos. Freaking Cheetos!" I smack my ass and a puff of orange dust fills the air, causing another fit of laughter from Laura. "Jesus, he's in the ER, for God's sake!" I'm not really angry with her. In fact, Mr. Wilcox is a very pleasant man. A drunken man, but a pleasant one, nonetheless. Laura’s laughter rubs off, and before long I find myself laughing with her.

  "I mean, seriously? It's eight in the morning and he's drunk as a skunk, eating Cheetos. I was trying to get his vitals and start his IV while trying to avoid his grabby little orange fingers. I had to have Nikki come in and occupy him so I could get a vein."

  Using the back of her hand, Laura wipes away the tears that linger from her laughing spree. "Good Lord, that just made my day." Reaching across the desk, she picks up a travel cup and a folded piece of paper and turns to hand them to me. "Here, maybe this will help make your day a little bit better."

  "What is it?" Picking up the cup, I lift the lid. Hallelujah, it’s tea! "This definitely makes up for you throwing me to the wolves...or should I say, Mr. Wilcox."

  "Oh, it's not from me," she replies, shaking her head. I furrow my brow in confusion. "That hot-as-hell resident that worked last night dropped it off about ten minutes ago and asked if I would give it to you." Giving me a quick wink, she turns and walks away.

  Taking a sip of the tea, I gently unfold the piece of paper. The rush of emotions that hit at the sight of his words is entirely indescribable.

  I floated through the rest of the shift on a high, which carried over into Tuesday and Wednesday. I didn't see Tyson again those next two days, but it's not like I was hoping to see him.

  Was I?

  “I GOT IT!" MAX hollers at the sound of the doorbell.

  “Ma-ax! You know better than to open that—" My words trail off at Max's high-pitched screech as he tears off through the house with Levi hot on his heels. The sound of Levi's teasing and Max's laughing quickly permeate the house.

  “Me. Eat. Max. Me. Want. Max." Levi’s hands are raised up in front of his face as though he has claws, and his monster-esque voice sends Max into another round of ear-shattering screams. I can’t help the smile that overwhelms my face as I watch the two of them make laps around the house, Levi pretending that Max is too fast for him to catch. Reaching out, Levi snags Max around the waist, tossing him effortlessly over his shoulder as he pretends to bite at Max’s side.

  Happiness. Contentment. That's what this is for me. Don't get me wrong, Max and I live a happy life. But there is a different level of joy that shines through his eyes when Levi is around. He just plays so differently with men than he does with me. I try to roughhouse with him and play ‘boy’ games and chase him around like a monster, but he doesn’t get into it the way he does with my dad or Levi. It must be a guy thing.

  Sneaking up behind Max, I quickly throw the back of his shirt up around his neck and pretend to bite at his back while Levi continues at his front. “Max. Taste. Good,” I say in my best monster voice. “Me. Want. More." Max stiffens his back and legs, throwing his head in an attempt to escape our attack.

  “Done. I’m...stop. Done," he says breathlessly while simultaneously thrashing his body from side to side. We consent to his surrender and Levi lowers Max to the ground. Keeping a hand on his shoulder, he allows Max a second to regain his footing.

  Levi raises his hand in the air about two feet above Max’s head. “High-five, Maximus, my man!”

  “My. Name. Is. Not. Maximus,” he replies, each word ringing out between jumps, finally landing with a loud slap of a high-five.

  “Alright, bud. I have to get cookin’ before your mom here starves to death." Giving me a quick wink, Levi ruffles Max’s hair and walks over to the front door, retrieving the bag of food he must have dropped prior to his monster transformation, and heads toward the kitchen.

  “Can I watch a movie?" Max begs, bringing his clasped hands under his chin. Max has large, chocolate-colored eyes outlined in thick, black lashes, and he uses those magnificent eyes to get his way.

  “Sure, but only until dinner is ready. Deal?" I stick out my arm and Max slips his tiny hand in mine, giving me an exaggerated shake.

  “Deal." Scurrying over to the TV stand, he begins rummaging through our collection and picks out his favorite movie, Cars.

  There’s really no point in helping Max start the movie. I’m not sure where kids learn all this stuff, but I swear that Max can work any electronic device in this house better than I can on any given day.

  My butt starts vibrating so I reach into my back pocket and pull out my phone. I swipe my thumb across the screen and a text from Quinn greets me.

  Quinn: What's up sexy mama? You and Max doing anything cool?

  Me: Hey sweet cheeks! Nope just chillin'. Max is watching a movie and I'mwatching Levi.

  Quinn: You're watching his ass right? Please tell me you're watching his ass!

  Me: Yup! I'm watching his sweet ass cook me dinner.

  Quinn: What? WTF! I want to watch Levi cook!

  Me: Get your booty over here. Pronto. Dinner in 30.

  Quinn: Well I don’t want a pity invite.

  Me: Shut the hell up and get over here!

  Quinn: Be there in 5. I’ll bring the wine!

  "Quinn's on her way." Walking to the stove, I hip-bump Levi and lift the lid to the saucepan. "This smells amazing! What is it?" He hands me a spoon and I stir the creamy white sauce.

  "It's a provel mushroom cheese sauce, and it's to-die-for," he tells me. "That's good, don't stir it too much." Replacing the lid, I hop up on the counter next to the stove and grab the glass of wine next to Levi.

  "It's okay, I didn't want that glass of wine anyway," he says with a smirk, not taking his eyes off of the vegetables he's chopping. A comfortable silence surrounds us and Levi loses himself in his cooking as I watch.

  A loud growl echoes off the kitchen walls, and both Levi and I turn our heads simultaneously.

  "No! You—" Quinn says firmly, pointing to Levi, "—turn back around. I wasn't done admiring your derrière." Levi smirks and turns back around before giving his butt a little shake.

  "Max didn't let you in, did he? Because he knows better—" Quinn waves her hand, effectively cutting me
off.

  "No. No. No. Don't get you're panties in a bunch, Mama Bear, I let myself in. I practically live here anyway."

  Setting a bottle of wine down on the table, Quinn makes her way over to me and gives me a quick hug. Turning to the stove, she lifts the lid on the saucepan.

  "Mmm...what's this?"

  "Stay out of there!" Levi says, slapping her hand away. Quinn pouts her full lips at him, but he's completely immune. "Nice try, but the answer is still ‘no.'"

  Gripping my waist, Levi lifts me off the counter and guides me to a kitchen chair, pushing me into it. Without a word, he walks over to Quinn and proceeds to do the same thing to her.

  Quinn looks at me, raising her eyebrows in question, and I shrug my shoulders. Levi grabs two wine glasses and uncorks Quinn's bottle of wine, pouring each of us a glass. We watch silently as he sets a glass down in front of each of us and then gently removes his wine glass from my hand.

  "Uhh..." I start to protest, but Levi quickly raises his finger to my lips and hushes me. My eyes widen and Quinn smiles in amusement.

  "This is your space," he says, waving his hands in our direction, "and this is my space." He gestures to the opposite side of the kitchen before continuing. "This is your wine," he says, pointing to the glasses now in front of us, "and this is my wine." Lifting his goblet in the air, he brings the wine glass to his lips before turning and heading back to the stove.

  "He's very serious when he's cooking,” I whisper to Quinn while keeping a close eye on Levi. "He says cooking is an art and too many distractions will disrupt the beauty of his final product."

  Quinn's head slowly turns in my direction and a mischievous grin creeps across her face. "Let’s see if we can ruffle his feathers a little bit." Quinn begins taunting him before I even have a chance to respond. "When did you get so damn bossy?" she shouts, her arms crossed over her chest, a smile playing at the side of her mouth. "You're acting like someone pissed in your Cheerios this morning." We both watch as Levi continues to stir the sauce, seemingly oblivious to Quinn's antics.

  Quinn looks at me and winks. Our heads whip back toward Levi at the sound of the stirring spoon being dropped on the counter. In three long strides, Levi has Quinn pinned in her chair. With a hand on each of her armrests, he leans in toward her, effectively caging her in.

  Quinn's eyes widen and she tilts her head back to look up at him. He stares at her intensely, his deep blue eyes boring into hers, commanding her attention. I can't help but smirk because I've been on the receiving end of this side of Levi, and Quinn has no idea what he's about to do to her.

  "First," he says, lifting up one finger. "I don't eat cereal. I am a man, Quinn." He grabs her hand and puts it on his chest, running it across from his left pec to his right. "I am a six-foot-one inch, two-hundred-pound man." Quinn's eyes are riveted to their joined hands and a small gasp leaves her mouth as Levi slowly drags her hand down his chest. "And because I am a man, I eat a man’s breakfast, which does not consist of pissed-on cereal. Second," he says, continuing to slide Quinn's hand down his stomach. She whimpers when her hand reaches his rock-hard abs.

  I've felt that stomach many times so I know exactly what the fuss is all about. Levi drops her hand and she hesitates before letting it fall limp at her side. Leaning forward, his lips graze the shell of her ear. "I've always been bossy, sweet Quinn. I usually just save my dominating tendencies for the bedroom. And trust me when I tell you...that little scene isn't even a tenth of what I'm capable of." Levi gently nips Quinn's earlobe and then turns back to the stove.

  Quinn's head sags back against the chair and she closes her eyes. "I think I need to change my panties," she whispers, squeezing her thighs together. Levi's boisterous laugh rings loudly and I pat Quinn's knee in understanding.

  "Yo, Max!" Levi yells. “Dinner's ready!" I drag Quinn out of her chair and we begin setting the table as Levi puts the finishing touches on the food.

  "What are we having?" Max sits down and scrunches his nose as Levi puts a helping of chicken and vegetables on his plate.

  "It's baked chicken smothered in a provel mushroom cheese sauce," Levi explains proudly.

  "Ewww, that's disgusting,” Max says, pushing his plate away from him.

  Levi straightens his back, crossing his arms over his broad chest, and glares at Max. "Max, have I ever fed you anything that’s disgusting?"

  "Umm..." Max taps his chin for a moment before he smiles proudly and points at Levi. "That one time at your house. You had that tube of pink stuff, remember?" Furrowing my brows, I cock my head at Levi. What the heck is Max talking about?

  Levi's eyes widen but before he can say anything, Max keeps talking. "You remember, Uncle Levi? That gooey pink stuff that was supposed to taste like strawberries. It made my lips feel funny. Don’t you remember?"

  Quinn attempts to muffle her laughter with her hand and my jaw drops open in disbelief. Levi sticks his arm out as though I’m about to attack and he could actually keep me away from him. "Max. Dude. That was our little secret," he admonishes, taking a few steps back. Stupid man, he should turn tail and run!

  "Sorry, Uncle Levi.” Max shrugs as I push his plate back in front of him.

  Grabbing Levi’s arm, I yank him over to the doorway. "Really, Levi, nipple butter? You let my son eat nipple butter?" I hiss incredulously.

  "It's your fault," he whisper-yells back.

  "What?" I scoff, hands on hips. "How was that my fault?"

  Levi pushes me further out of the kitchen and into the living room. "Oh God! Yes, Levi! Don't stop!" He moans softly, throwing his head back in exaggeration. "Does that sound familiar to you?"

  I stare at Levi. I have no comeback. I did. I said all of that.

  His face turns triumphant and he pats me once on the butt before returning to the kitchen.

  Damn him!

  "I REALLY LOVE THAT little man. He is so precious." Walking up to me, Quinn grabs a towel and starts drying the dishes as I wash them.

  "That was nice of you to give him a bath and read him his story. He really loves you, Quinny."

  "It really was my pleasure. He fell right asleep too. I think we wore him out tonight,” she replies with a smile. "I hope I didn't impose on you though. I know how much you treasure your routine with Max."

  "It's okay. You're family, and he needs more than just me in his life anyway." She doesn't respond, but I can feel the weight of her gaze and I know exactly what she's thinking. Quinn thinks I'm lonely. She’s convinced herself that I’m pining away for a man to fill a gap in our lives. She couldn't be further from the truth.

  Yes, there are times when I am lonely. But five years ago my heart shattered into a million pieces, and that same night I vowed that if ever—by the grace of God—I was able to put it back together, I’d never give it away again. I’d keep it tucked away in a nice, warm, soft place where nothing bad could ever happen to it.

  In an attempt at breaking the uneasiness that has settled around us, I dip my fingers in the sudsy water and flick them at her. She squeals, eyes wide, and instantly begins to spin her dishtowel, twisting it as tight as she can. Realizing what she is doing, I fling water at her again and take off around the table. The crack of the towel resonates and a quick sting pinches at my butt.

  "Damnit, Quinny. That hurt!" I stop running and rub my butt where she towel-whipped me.

  "I'm sorry," she laughs. "Do you want me to kiss it and make it all better?" she asks in a baby voice.

  "Yes! Kiss it. Please, kiss it! Harley, take your pants off." Quinn and I turn in sync to glare at Levi and he raises his hands innocently. "Can't blame a guy for tryin'."

  I point at Levi accusingly. "I'm still mad at you, Levi Beckford. You have some explaining to do." Rolling his eyes, he refills his wine glass and walks back into the living room.

  "Oh snap! He just walked away from you. You're not going to let him get away with that, are you?" Quinn asks, refilling both of our wine glasses.

  "No. Way. In. Hell."

>   "This is going to be good," Quinn murmurs in a sing-song voice, following behind me.

  "Don't you walk away from me," I warn, making my way into the living room. Quinn snuggles into the recliner, leaving me standing in the doorway.

  "Come here, Harley,” Levi says calmly, patting the cushion next to him. "Come sit down. We both know you aren't really mad. You're just pretending to be mad because you’re his mom and you feel like it's something you should be upset about."

  My shoulders rise and fall on a deep breath and I concede by sitting down on the couch—as far away from Levi as I can get.

  "It really is quite funny, Harley," Quinn says, sipping from her glass.

  "No, it's not,” I reply, shaking my head solemnly. "It's not funny. My son ate nipple butter. The same nipple butter that was used on me. What kind of mother does that make me?"

  "You're right. You're a horrible mother, and now Max is probably going to grow up to be a porn star that craves strawberry-flavored nipple butter." Levi throws a pillow at Quinn's face in response and she laughs. "It's edible, Harley. No harm, no foul. You really should just laugh about it."

  I cast my gaze across the room, staring at Max's baby picture where it hangs on the wall, and I can't help but wonder how many times I've failed him. "Fine. I'll drop it." Levi wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me in close.

  "You know I'd never let anything happen to Max while he's in my care. Right?" he asks with his lips pressed against my temple. Snuggling in closer, I pat his thigh gently.

  "I know, Levi."

  "Gag! If you guys are going to start doing your 'friends with benefits’ thing, then I'm outta here."

  "You have nothing to worry about, Quinn." Tightening his arm, Levi gives my shoulder a quick squeeze. His voice softens, but it’s still loud enough for Quinn and I to hear. "I’m fairly certain the ‘benefits’ phase of our relationship is over,” he says with a smirk.

  Quinn eyes snap to me and I look at Levi, curious where that came from. How long has he been thinking about this? The idea that we might need to back off has crossed my mind a time or two, but I didn't know he felt the same way. Or maybe...maybe he met a girl. That has to be it! Levi met a girl! I smile at him knowingly, but he immediately begins shaking his head vigorously.