Baking Me Crazy (Donner Bakery, #1)(57)

Again, he winked at me and went off to do his wife's bidding.

I gave her a flustered look. "I don't think I knew y'all were this stubborn when I first met you."

"We hide it well, sweetie," she answered sagely.

"Do we ever," a dry voice said from behind me.

Mrs. B smiled as I turned and saw Grace, Levi's cousin from California, approaching us. She was a beautiful as I remembered, vaguely reminding me of a lioness in the tilt of her green eyes, the way her hips swung as she walked, and the tawny color of her hair.

"You look lovely, honey," Mrs. B said, giving her niece a peck on the cheek. "I like those boots."

Grace kicked one heel out behind her, and I laughed because the chunky black combat boots might have seemed like an odd choice paired with her flirty red dress, but damn, it worked on her.

She pinned her eyes on me. "Jocelyn, right? We met a few years ago."

I nodded. "Good to see you again, Grace."

Grace threaded her arm through Mrs. B's. "Now tell me, ladies, how is one supposed to conduct themselves at a proper Southern wedding? Because I'll be thoroughly disappointed if I don't have the opportunity to drink moonshine straight from the jug at some point."

Mrs. B laughed. "Oh, I'm sure Levi and your brother will have something for you."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't know. The last time Levi touched moonshine, he puked for three hours straight."

Grace grinned. "What a pansy."

"Oh, you say that now," I said. "Wait till you've been drinking it for two hours, then tell me how you feel."

They both laughed. Grace glanced around the yard with a tiny smile on her face.

"You know, Grady has it in his head we need to move here. He thinks we should 'get in touch with our Southern roots.'"

"I think that would be wonderful," Mrs. B exclaimed. "We'd love to have y'all here. And you already know Joss. She's practically part of the family."

Grace winked at me. "So I've heard."

She had a dimple in the same spot as Levi, and I knew from pictures that her twin brother did as well.

Damn those Buchanan genes.

Mrs. B glanced behind me, her smile growing. "Grace, sweetie, let's go find Memaw."

"Now?"

Mrs. B's eyes turned flinty, and I gave her a strange look. "Yup, right now."

"Okaaaay." Grace shrugged at me and let her aunt lead her away.

I let out a deep breath when they all but disappeared. No one had parked next to me yet, so I turned my chair slightly to the side so I could look at the fairy-tale setup in Sylvia's parents' backyard. Lights were strung from one center point underneath the sprawling oak tree that served as the centerpiece. It was like a tent of lights, swooping out to the side. Chairs were lined up with bales of hay along the sides for extra seating. To the side of where the ceremony would take place were mismatched tables of varying lengths. Some had benches, and some had high backed seats. Jars full of white and pink flowers decorated the different surfaces.

It was perfect.

And staring at it was the only reason I didn't hear him approach until he crouched next to me. When his hand landed on my shoulder, I pinched my eyes shut tight. The skin of his palm was so warm, so rough and familiar that my belly flip-flopped dangerously.

"Hi," he said.

I opened my eyes and turned my head.

He was so close. He wasn't close enough.

"Hi," I said back. "Your mom saw you coming, didn't she?"

His lips lifted in a crooked, unrepentant grin. "I slipped her a twenty as soon as I saw your car pull up to keep you occupied until I was done with pictures."

I tipped my head back and laughed. Any tension I'd been carrying was gone. Poof. Just like that.

"There she is," he said under his breath, almost to himself. If we hadn't been so close, I might not have heard him.

Tentatively, I lifted my hand and cupped the side of his face. He closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. "Was I gone?" I asked.

Levi opened his eyes when I stroked my thumb along the side of his mouth. He turned and pressed a kiss into my palm. It made my fingers curl up instinctively.

"Not gone," he answered. "Just hiding from sight for a little bit."

I nodded. "Sounds right. I'm sorry it took me so long."

Immediately, he shook his head. "No apologies, okay?"

"Okay."

His eyes zeroed in on my mouth, and he sighed heavily. "I wish we weren't in view of half the damn town right now."

I chuckled. "Patience is a virtue, Levi Buchanan."

"And a virtue never hurt you," we finished together.

He groaned, leaning his forehead forward until it touched mine. "I rue the day my mom told you that one. It was the bane of my existence growing up."

Someone called his name, and he sagged.

"Duty calls," I said.

As he stood, he dropped a soft kiss onto my shoulder. I shivered. His eyes glowed gold when I did.

"You'll sit with me at dinner?" he asked.

I nodded.

"And you'll dance with me after?"

I narrowed my eyes. "We'll see."

Levi grinned, leaning back down so he could whisper in my ear. His lips brushed the edge of my earlobe, and I had to knit my fingers together and clench, like, everything. "You are stunning, by the way. It's like trying to look at the sun."