The Family You Make (Sunrise Cove #1)(89)

There came a solid thunk, followed by an oath, and then Levi craned his neck to look down at her, rubbing the top of his head.

“You okay?”

He smiled. “I am now. And hey.”

“Hey yourself,” she said casually because it felt way too good to see him. “What are you doing here?”

“Your grandpa called me. He wanted to know who to hire to make this place a smart house. I told him I’d do it for him.” He twisted and put his head back into the attic.

Fine with her. Great view. “You didn’t have to do this.” His jeans were faded and fit just right. His long-sleeved Henley rose up a bit when he stretched to reach something, exposing a strip of skin that made her mouth go a little dry.

“Don’t stand too close,” he called down. “It’s dusty up here.”

“Just appreciating the view.”

He craned his neck and met her gaze, his own hot. “Say that again and I’ll come down.”

“And then?”

“And then you’re coming too.”

She laughed, but he began to climb down the ladder with intent and she almost swallowed her tongue.

He grinned at the look on her face. “Later,” he promised huskily and kissed her. When he pulled back, he eyed the bag she held with great interest. “That smells delicious.”

“Hungry?”

“Always.” He kissed her again, a long, deep, drugging kiss that had her forgetting time and place. By the time she came out of the sexual haze he’d put her in, she realized he’d stopped kissing her and had taken ahold of the bag.

Grandpa came in the back door wearing a tool belt, and she walked over to him to greet him with a hug.

“Found my hammer,” he said with pride, and Jane realized that Levi had clearly included him in the work, which meant that the job was probably taking him three times as long as it should.

Damn. He was truly the best pretend boyfriend she’d ever had. More than that, he was the best man who’d ever been in her life.

“Your man’s had me working,” her grandpa said, looking pleased with himself.

And here was yet another person who was going to be hurt now that her pretense was over. “Grandpa, you know he’s not. That we’re . . . not.”

Her grandpa glanced over at Levi, who had moved away from them and was cleaning up, then gave Jane a rather impressive eye roll. “Yeah, yeah, I know. You got stuck on the gondola, thought you were going to die, promised his mom he was happy with a woman in his life so she wouldn’t think her son had died lonely and alone. It’s alllllll pretend.”

“You don’t believe it?” Jane asked.

“Sugar Plum, I’m not even sure you believe it.”

“I have food,” she said inanely.

Levi was back. “What takeout is it?”

“It’s not. I actually cooked. It’s your mom’s meatloaf.”

Levi’s eyes widened. “She gave you the recipe?”

She nodded.

“She never gives anyone the recipe. Her own sister died without ever acquiring the recipe, and there were many, many attempts.”

She gave him a smile that she hoped was her usual wattage. “She likes me.” She took the bag back and carried it into the kitchen. She divided the leftover meatloaf into three portions and carried everything out to the living room, where they all sat squished on the couch and ate while watching Jeopardy!

Before Levi, she’d never eaten a family dinner like the one at his house, with fancy china at a decorated table that had looked like something off Pinterest. Here at her grandpa’s, they were feet up on the coffee table, Grandpa yelling out all the answers to Jeopardy!

Even if her life had depended on it, Jane wouldn’t have been able to say which dinner had been better. They’d both felt . . . right.

It’s still not real . . .

Problem was, it felt real, more real than anything in her entire life.

After dinner, Levi followed her home. He parked and opened her door before she freed herself of her seat belt.

“This is usually where we argue about me walking you to your door,” he said. “But just FYI, I’m still going to. Not because you’re not capable of taking care of yourself, but because it’s the right thing to do, and . . .” He smiled. “It gives me an extra few minutes with you, where I plan on stealing at least one kiss and hopefully copping a feel as well.”

“You’re going to get more than that.” Yes, she was crazy to spend another night with him knowing she could no longer separate her feelings for him from the physical act of being with him, but she didn’t care. She wanted him, even if it was for the last time.

They walked hand in hand to the door. On the porch, he looked around. “Where’s Cat?”

“It’s a surprise. Do you have a minute?”

He cupped her face and smiled. “For you, I’ve got all the minutes.”

Her heart squeezed, which she tried to ignore. She unlocked the front door with her own key—smiling when Levi looked surprised at the fact she didn’t knock first. Still holding his hand, she tugged him into the living room and turned to the couch. “Levi, meet Zoe and Mariella, two of my roommates.”

Zoe and Mariella sat up straight. Zoe dusted some chip crumbs off her shirt and Mariella pointed at Jane. “Hey, you do know our names,” she teased.