Some Sort of Love (Happy Crazy Love #3)(7)

“Yes. He’s talking to Sebastian right now.”

She faced me again, her eyes huge and sparkling. “Pine Sol is Levi Brooks? The architect? I don’t believe it!”

“Shhhhhhh!” I flapped my hands between us to get her to quiet down. “Will you hush, please? I don’t want him to know I told you about the closet.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t help it. Oh my God, this is amazing. I can’t wait to tell Natalie.” She shook her head and moved around the table to make room for the guys, who were headed our way with drinks. “Wait, isn’t he married? He’s got a kid, I think.”

I shook my head. “Nope. Not married. But yes, one son.” There was no time to get into everything he had told me. “Do you know anything else about him?”

“Not really,” she said, frowning. “Sebastian never gossips about anyone, it’s so annoying.”

“OK, quiet now. Here they come.” Meeting Levi’s eyes as he approached, I smiled, my heart tripping faster.

He set my champagne and his Old Fashioned down and came around the table to kiss my sister on the cheek. “Congratulations, Skylar. You look beautiful.”

She flashed him her ten thousand watt smile. “Thank you. I’m so glad you’re here. You’ve met my big sister, Jillian, I see.”

He came back to his place beside me, standing a little closer this time, his body angled toward mine. “Yes. Actually, we met years ago.”

“So I hear.” Skylar gave him a smile that said I Totally Know What You Did, and I elbowed her. Did she have to be so obvious?

Natalie and Miles strolled up. “What’s going on?” Natalie asked, eyeballing me and Levi and then me again.

Skylar scooted over to make room for them between her and Sebastian. “Levi, this is the youngest Nixon sister, Natalie, and her fiancé, Miles Haas.”

While Miles and Natalie shook hands with Levi and Sebastian explained the connection, Skylar and I had a silent conversation with our facial expressions and eyebrows, the way only two sisters can. It went something like this:

Knock it off!

What? I’m not doing anything.

Yes you are, and you know it.

Relax, I’m only having a little fun. He doesn’t know you told me.

He’s standing right there! You’re making it obvious! Now stop.

But the glint in her eye made me nervous.

“So Jillian, Sebastian was just saying you and Levi met at U of M?” Natalie sounded curious.

“We were just talking about your time at Michigan, weren’t we?” Skylar turned to Natalie. “Remember, Nat? She was telling us about how clean the dorms were? How she loved the way they smelled like Pine Sol?”

If it hadn’t been her wedding day, I might have strangled her. I couldn’t even make eye contact with Levi, I was so mortified, but I thought I heard him chuckle.

“Pine Sol? Wasn’t that the hot guy from college, the one she—wait a minute.” Natalie’s face screwed up in confusion until she noticed the way that Skylar was tilting her head toward Levi. “Ohhhhh.”

“Is anyone else totally f*cking confused?” Miles asked, looking around the table.

“Yes,” Sebastian said.

I cleared my throat. “So Nat, how are you feeling tonight? That baby kicking yet?” I knew it was way too early in her pregnancy for that, but I was desperate to change the subject.

She beamed. “Not yet.”

“Congratulations,” said Levi. “Do you know what you’re having?”

“Girl,” said Skylar with confidence.

“I think boy,” said Natalie.

“We’ll know next month.” Miles moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, which had just started to disappear within the last few weeks. He kissed her shoulder. “I can’t wait.”

“Levi has a son.” I smiled up at him over one shoulder. “Any advice for the parents-to-be?”

“Sleep. Now. As much as you can.” He shook his head and grinned wryly. “Once that baby comes, sleep will be a distant memory. Other than that…” He shrugged, and his smile softened. “Just remember you’re human. You’re going to have days where you’re like, ‘This is awesome, my baby is a genius and I’m the most amazing parent on the planet’ and days where you’ll go, ‘Fuck that, my baby is an * and needs to go the f*ck to sleep.’”

Natalie laughed. “How old is your son?”

“Eight. But depending on the mood he’s in, he can act like he’s two or like he’s eighty.” He tipped back the rest of his cocktail and set down the glass. “Speaking of my little man, I should probably call home. Will you excuse me for a minute?”

“Of course.”

“Thanks. Be right back.” He placed a hand on my back before heading through the glass double doors into the winery’s tasting room.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Skylar whacked me on the shoulder. “I still can’t believe that’s Pine Sol!”

“OK, what happened with you two?” Miles pushed his glasses farther up on his nose. “I feel like there’s a story there.”

“There is, and you’ll like it,” said Natalie. “They banged in a broom closet.”