Total pages in book: 164
Estimated words: 152931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 765(@200wpm)___ 612(@250wpm)___ 510(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 152931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 765(@200wpm)___ 612(@250wpm)___ 510(@300wpm)
Any residual resentment toward his mother began to fall away, leaving behind an emotion he didn’t fully understand. Thane felt vulnerable, yet eager, all at the same time.
“And he has kids?” his father blurted out, tarnishing the unexpectedly sweet moment with his mother. His father couldn’t help the chuckle as he added, “Will they call you Dad?”
“Not good timing, Walt,” his mother scolded, playfully slapping his arm. They seemed truly happy together. Thane stopped second-guessing them and just let himself be in the moment, seeing them together like this was every childhood dream come true.
“I was trying for humor. I’ve never been very good at it,” his father said, though clearly genuinely proud of his attempt with the laughter he tried to hide. “I agree with everything she said and will add…we want to meet him.” His mother nodded her agreement with enthusiasm.
So much had been coming at him over the last thirty minutes that he’d need time to process it all. No one spoke as he stared at his parents, lost in the happiness staring back at him. Thane gave a single confirming nod before he began to slide out of his seat. Again, he’d been wrong in how he’d handled things with Levi, skirting around the inevitable, and he had been since the beginning.
All that was done. Like his mother said, now he had to go after his man. Figure out how to make this right. All these hard-to-process feelings had him scared to death and made him completely unsure of himself. That was all right too. First thing he had to do was come clean about Nathaniel. No more lies between them. Levi deserved better than that.
Thane placed his hand on his mother’s shoulder and looked down at her. “Thank you for being honest with me. I’ll get someone over to take your order. Lunch’s on me.”
“Let us know how it goes,” his mom said. Thane nodded, still not entirely sure of his plan, but the urgency of going to Levi had him stalking through the restaurant toward the front doors. Thane passed the manager on duty and pointing to his parents’ table.
“Take care of them. They’re my parents. Their meal’s on me.” Thane pulled twenty dollars from his wallet. “Give this to the waiter.”
He left the restaurant and minutes later sped down I-95 while calling Jenna. The only plan he’d managed to come up with was to get to Coronado as soon as humanly possible. He could office in California while he tried everything in his power to win Levi over. Doubt edged around his goals, but he couldn’t let that stop him. He had to do whatever it took to make things right. His happiness depended on it.
~~~
Inside the club, Levi sat at a grouping of tables that had been pushed together and worked his fingers over his phone. Julian had scheduled a mandatory staff meeting, something to do with their employee benefits changing, and as Levi had come to learn, Julian usually served a pretty good meal when he held these gatherings. Julian said amazing food was the only thing he’d ever done that tempted the entire staff to show up on a Sunday afternoon.
A pack of men and a buffet-style meal had the serving line filling fast. Instead of waiting in line, Levi sat back and checked messages. He hadn’t talked to Nathaniel since the other night, and it seemed both of them were keeping their distance. He wasn’t entirely sure why Nathaniel did, but Levi’s reasons were solid. His heart and his head were at odds. His heart wanted his boss, and his head said he needed to cut that cord and find a guy like Nathaniel.
His head seemed to win today which he took as a good sign. Thane had been so solidly stuck in his head that a melancholy had taken up permanent residence in his heart. He couldn’t shake it no matter how hard he tried, and it had him completely out of sorts. So much so that everyone from his brothers to his manager at the clinic had asked about the changes they’d noticed in his personality. He’d been surly to everyone, and no one deserved his bad attitude.
Levi opened the application to see messages waiting. The same one that had come through night before last that he had ignored.
“You’re sure on that thing quite a bit,” Julian said, placing his Styrofoam plate on the table and taking the seat next to him.
“A friend in Maryland,” he said, absently typing out a sentence of apology before he even read the waiting message. Levi just didn’t understand why he couldn’t be attracted to someone like Nathaniel, someone who seemed normal and kind.
“Maryland. Really?” Julian stopped while scooting his chair up to the table, turning to stare straight at him. It took a second, but Levi finally glanced over at Julian who had stayed in that exact position for several long moments. Levi’s brows slid together in confusion, unsure of Julian’s point, and looked back at his phone only to immediately glance back at Julian.