Dropping his bag to the floor, Levi quickly made his way to me, a soft smile pulling on his lips the closer he got. My legs felt like Jell-O as he approached, but I stood my ground, the beautiful expression on his face making it impossible for me to do anything else.
Levi stopped before me, looking more than handsome in his team suit and tie. His fair hair was damp from his shower, and he had two scratches on his face from where he must have been hit during the game.
I rubbed my lips together, waiting for what he would do, when his warm palm cupped my cheek and he said softly, “Happy birthday, Elsie.”
I turned my cheek into his warm palm, and replied, “Thank you.”
“It’s her birthday?” I heard, whispered from behind.
“Lev said she didn’t want anyone to know,” someone whispered back, but I didn’t pay it any mind, I was transfixed on Levi whose lips were closing in on mine. As always, my heart beat like a drum, until his soft mouth was on mine and I thought it might explode.
I closed my eyes, breathless at his kiss, when he pulled back and smiled. “You ready to go out?” he asked, and I frowned in confusion. “For your birthday,” he added. I immediately felt dread at what we would be doing, with who and where. I didn’t think anything was planned.
Levi inched closer and assured, “Just you and me. Nowhere you’ll hate. Nowhere to make you nervous.” He shyly looked around the room, then back to me. “Trust me. I’ve got you.”
Relief extinguished my nerves, and I looked up at Levi’s worried face through my lashes. “You want to take me out, for my birthday?” I asked, making sure I had this right. He slowly nodded his head and I rocked on my feet. “No one has ever taken me out for my birthday.”
Levi swallowed. I could see sympathy in his face, but more than that, I could see that he wanted this. That he desperately wanted to do this for me.
“Yeah.”
“Okay,” I whispered, excitement building in my stomach.
“Yeah?” Levi questioned.
“Yeah.” I smiled.
Reaching down, Levi took my hand in his and we turned to his family. Levi’s hand tightened in mine when they were all watching us.
As if seeing our discomfort, Austin said, “Right, guys, think that’s our call to leave.”
We all piled out of the box, Levi keeping hold of my hand, only releasing me once to quickly speak to Austin. Each of Levi’s family hugged us goodbye and we headed for the Jeep.
We had just reached the door, when a voice shouted from behind. “Alabama! Wait up!”
“Shit,” Levi swore under his breath. I frowned, confused at what had him so annoyed. I followed Levi’s eyes to two boys around his age who were jogging toward us, a blond girl and a red-haired girl closely in tow.
Levi came close to me, throwing his arm around my shoulders pulling me close. I saw the surprise on the boys’ faces as he did.
“Alabama,” the blond one in the front said, then looked to me. “You’ve been keeping this quiet. What the hell? You got a girl and you didn’t say?”
Levi shrugged, then said, “Elsie, this is Jake. Ashton is the dark haired one behind.” Jake and Ashton threw their hands up in a wave. I gave them a small smile.
The two girls arrived to stand beside the boys, and as the red-haired girl’s eyes fell upon me, I felt Levi pull me in just that little bit tighter. In an instant I understood why, because once her eyes had inspected me, they landed on Levi, and not once did they leave him after that. Jake, the blonde, tipped his head in the light haired girl’s direction and said, “This is my girlfriend, Stacey.” He turned to his girlfriend. “Stace, this is Elsie, Alabama’s chick.”
“I didn’t know you had a girlfriend, Levi,” Stacey said.
Levi’s hold froze, but then relaxed when he said, “Yeah. I do.”
A lightness filled my heart as he told them, proudly, that I belonged to him. His girlfriend.
His.
“I’m Harper,” the redhead said, and held out her hand for me to shake. I glanced to Levi, but then offered my hand when he nodded that she was okay. With her hand still in mine, she asked, “What was your name again?”
She waited for my response, but my throat had lost all its use; no words came out. I pulled back my hand, panic and anxiety like poison in my veins. She was too like those girls, looked too much like Annabelle.
“Elsie,” Levi said, rescuing me from drowning. “Her name is Elsie.”
I turned to Levi. Seeing a crooked calming smile on his lips. I melted into his chest, inhaling deep, filling my nose with his spiced scent. Levi pressed a kiss to the top of my head, and I knew what that simple kiss meant: he had me.
“So you coming to the dinner in two weeks, Elsie?” Ashton asked.
Keeping my cheek pressed against Levi’s chest, I shrugged. Ashton nodded, but I could see questions written all over his face.