Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 108124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Almost a half hour later, Levi wrapped up the friendly game. But he stayed on the field for another twenty minutes signing autographs because a bunch of kids had showed up once word got out that he was at the school this afternoon. Alex stayed dutifully by his side the entire time. When the crowd finally scattered, I’d probably taken over five-hundred pictures.
My son was still smiling when the two of them walked over to where I sat.
“Mom, I’ll race you up and down the bleachers!”
I laughed. “Aren’t you tired from all that running around you did today? I’m exhausted from watching you.”
Alex looked at Levi as he shrugged and thumbed in my direction. “She’s afraid I’ll beat her.”
Levi nodded and folded his arms across his chest. “Yup. Classic chicken response.”
They both smirked. So what choice did I have but to set down my camera and accept the challenge? “Fine. But the loser loads the dishwasher after dinner tonight.”
“You’re on.”
Levi chuckled. “Give me your camera. I want to capture my little buddy beating you.”
I squinted and stuck out my tongue. But I also passed him the camera and showed him how to use it.
Once we were ready, Levi put his hands out, keeping us behind an imaginary line. “On a count of three. One. Two. Three!”
I took off down the bleachers and turned up the first set of stairs. My son might be fast, but my legs were still longer than Alex’s, so my strides had me in the lead until I got halfway up the bleachers. I started to get a little winded as I reached the top, but Alex seemed to grow momentum. The little brat overtook my lead and made it back down and to the finish line a full fifteen feet ahead of me. And I hadn’t even let him win.
Levi fist-bumped Alex, and the two of them gloated.
“Mom’s doing the dishes,” my son sang. “Mom’s doing the dishes.”
I bent over to catch my breath. Apparently I needed to get my butt to the gym more often. “Fine. But I said the loser loads the dishwasher. I didn’t say I was cooking or that there would be any dishes. I think tonight we’re having takeout—and Uncle Levi is paying.”
Levi laughed. “I’ll do you one better. How about I take you both out somewhere?”
“Fine,” I grumbled. “But I’m picking the most expensive thing on the menu since the two of you seem to be ganging up on me.”
Dinner turned out to be appetizers, a main course, dessert, and another impromptu autograph signing outside the restaurant when some people recognized Levi. By the time we got home, it was pretty late. Alex asked Levi to write down some of the plays he’d run this afternoon, and Levi said he would walk him through them while he put him to bed.
So I sat in the kitchen by myself, having a glass of wine while I waited for the photos I’d taken today to download to my laptop. I’d gotten a ton of great shots of Levi with the high school kids. But when the ones he’d taken of Alex and me running up the bleachers started to populate on my screen, they really caught my attention. Levi had zoomed in and taken some close-ups of me laughing. I studied my face. Typically I always had the same smile in photos. It was practiced and posed—didn’t show too many teeth or wrinkle my face too much. But in these photos, nothing was faked. My entire face was smiling; I looked so freaking happy. Staring down, I realized it wasn’t that I looked happy. I was happy—for the first time in a very long time. And much of that had to do with the man behind the camera lens.
I was still looking at the photos Levi had taken when he strolled into the kitchen. He walked up behind me and began to rub my shoulders. “I think he’ll be out cold in five minutes. He was yawning while I was showing him the plays.”
I closed my laptop. “He had an amazing time today. Thank you for inviting him.”
“Of course. He’s a great kid.”
“Thank you.” I let my head drop as Levi dug his thumb into the muscle where my shoulder and neck met. “I got some great shots today. I think your agent and publicist will be happy. Tomorrow morning after I drop Alex off at camp, I’ll stop at CVS and print them out so you can see which ones you want me to send them.”
“Thanks.”
I groaned as he dug his fingers in deeper. “God, that feels so good.”
Levi leaned down with his mouth next to my ear and lowered his voice. “Anything else I can make feel good for you?”
God, that was a seriously tempting offer, but Alex had just gone to bed, and I still needed to go up and say goodnight. It was safest to do that now before what little willpower I had near this man completely disappeared.