CHAPTER 3

Levi

“SO, WHAT ARE YOU guys doing here?” Emerson has her head tilted to the side and it’s obvious that she’s suspicious of us right now.

“Lily was asking to see you,” I tell her honestly, tucking my hands into the pockets of my sweatshirt.

Her smile grows and she turns her face to kiss Lily on the cheek.

“Well, I’m real glad, Lily. Good to see you well, sweetheart.”

Lily sticks out her tongue and then wiggles to be let down. Emerson complies and Lily runs over to me, grabbing me around the leg.

“Daddy, ask her!”

“Real subtle, Lily bug. Ms. Reese, my little monkey and I would like to know if we could take you out to dinner this weekend, on us?”

As Emerson tucks a strand of her long blonde hair behind her ear, I can see the blush spread over her cheeks. I’m starting to wonder if she does the hair thing when she’s nervous.

“Uh, yeah, I suppose that would be okay. Is your wife coming?”

Well fuck me.

Chuckling, I step forward, shaking my head. “Do I look like the kind of man who would ask you on a date if I had a wife?”

“You don’t look like someone who would ask me out period.”

“Well, I am. We both are. Let us take you out this weekend. Hell, it doesn’t even have to be a date. But I would like to get to know you.”

Emerson takes a moment to mull it over, and then she looks up at me with a huge smile, those gorgeous blue eyes sparkling.

“Let’s do it. Sure. I’d love to go out with you guys.”

“Awesome. Let’s exchange numbers and you can give me a call when you’re off shift tonight. We can make plans.”

Pulling her phone from her scrubs, she hands it to me and I program my number in. She does the same with mine, and five minutes later I’m leaving the hospital, Lily holding my hand and a stupid fucking smile on my face.

This is gonna be interesting.

After a long day of playing dress-up and having make-believe tea, Lily and I had an elaborate dinner of mac and cheese and hot dogs, and some spilled milk. Now she’s zonked out in her bed and I’m relaxing with a beer on the couch, watching some horrible sitcom that I just can’t seem to shut off. I’m contemplating just calling it a night when my cell phone rings from the coffee table. Leaning over with a groan, I grab it and my mood instantly lifts.

Emerson.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Levi. It’s Emerson. I hope I’m not calling too late.”

I look at my watch: eight fifteen.

“No, not at all. It’s only after eight. That’s not late.”

“I know, but I didn’t know if you were trying to get Lily to bed, and I didn’t want to wake her up or throw off her routine.”

“That’s incredibly sweet, but she goes to bed at seven thirty. I’m just lounging on the couch before I eventually get to bed myself. Are you just getting off work?”

“Yeah, I had clinical plus a regular shift.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, getting more comfortable on the couch.

“I’m in my final year of nursing school, but I work at the hospital in the housekeeping department to pay for my house and such. I’ve been in that department for four years now.”

“Oh, I gotcha. Well that’s good. I hope you don’t pull too many of those doubles. You’ll wear yourself out real fast, sweetheart.”

“Trust me, I’m always worn out. I’ve learned to adjust. How about you? I never asked, what is it you do for work?”

Smiling, I place my beer down on the coffee table and switch off the television.

“I own a tattoo shop downtown with my brother, Caden.”

“Oh, how cool!” Her voice rises with excitement and I can’t help laughing.

“We think so.”

“How long have you owned it? You seem young to have your own business.”

“Only a couple years. Bought it just after I turned twenty-eight.”

“So, you’re thirty?”

“Yep.” Standing from the couch, I shut all the lights off and make sure the front door is locked before heading upstairs to my bedroom.

“Yeah, I thought you were way older than that. You aren’t much older than me.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-seven.”

“And here I was thinking you were younger. You said nursing school, so I assumed you were in your early twenties.” Peeking my head into Lily’s room, I see her still sound asleep with her bunny tucked under her arm, so I shut her door halfway and venture into mine, switching the light on before closing the door behind me.

“Yeah, I got my associate’s after high school, but I was working full time at this day care and one day, one of the kids had a seizure. Scariest moment of my life. Here I am, this twenty-year-old, thinking I want to be a teacher, and I watched a child almost die in front of me. Something switched in my head and I was like no, I need to help people. So I started applying to every job I could find at the hospital, and when I had enough money saved up to start applying to nursing school, I did.” She giggles softly, then sighs. “Geez, listen to me ramble on and on about myself, and I’m not even letting you talk. I’m sorry, Levi. Tell me more about you.”

Laughing, I climb onto my bed and lean back against the pillows.

“No, I like listening to you. And I think it’s amazing that you took charge of your life like that. Not many people would be brave enough to change their plans and go after something that I’m sure is as difficult as being a nurse. I’m in awe of you.”

Well, would you listen to this chick I’ve turned into.

“Thanks. So, how is Lily feeling?”

“She’s good, thanks for asking. Once the medicine kicked in, she was almost back to her normal self in a couple of days. Thank fuck.”

“She’s a very sweet little girl. I don’t know your situation, but you’re doing an amazing job with her. You should be a proud daddy.”

Emerson’s words cause something in my chest to swell, and my smile grows even larger.

“Thank you, sweetheart. I appreciate that.”

“Of course, Levi. I’m gonna get going, I need to take a shower. Hopefully my neighbors will keep it down tonight. I need some sleep.”

Narrowing my eyes, I sit up in bed. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, they’re just really loud. I think the guy’s a drunk, and sometimes he goes banging through the building, screaming and raging about the girl.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah, it happens a couple times a week. No biggie, but I’m tired.”

“Do you have your door locked? Are you okay?”

“Levi, please don’t worry about me. He’s harmless, just really freaking loud. I promise. But I’ll talk to you tomorrow, maybe?” Emerson’s voice is quiet, and I worry I spooked her.

“I’d really like that. I’ll call you, okay?”

“Okay. Night, Levi.”

“Sweet dreams, Emerson.”

She disconnects the call and I’m left reeling, staring at the call log on my phone. Scrolling to my texts, I fire off one to her, hoping I didn’t upset her.

Levi: I didn’t mean to freak out, I was just concerned.

Emerson: It’s okay, really. I’m moving out next week. They’re just annoying.

Levi: Okay, just checking. Night, Emerson.

Emerson: You can call me Emmy. Emerson makes me think I’m in trouble.

Levi: Yes, ma’am.

Emerson: Night.

Levi: Night, Emmy.

Putting my phone on the charger, I drop it on my nightstand after turning on my alarms, then strip to my boxer briefs, pull down the blankets, and climb into bed. It takes me forever to fall asleep and when I do, visions of a tiny blonde fill my dreams.

The next morning, I’m getting ready for work and Lily is in her room getting dressed when my cell phone beeps with an incoming text.

Emerson: Morning, Levi and Lily. Hope you both have a great day!

Levi: Thank you, sweetheart. Don’t work too hard today. Call you tonight?

Emerson: Looking forward to it.

Tucking my phone back into my pocket, I hear Lily rushing back into the room and can’t help but laugh when I see how she’s dressed. Blonde hair everywhere, she has on a pink tutu with a long-sleeved shirt with a unicorn on it. Her ensemble is completed by a pair of rainbow sandals. Lily runs over and stands right in front of me, looking incredibly proud.

“How do I look, Daddy? Did I do good?”

“You look stunning, baby. You did fabulous. Nana is going to be so excited to see your pretty outfit. You ready to go?”

“Yes, Daddy!”

She gets her backpack from the couch, and after grabbing my travel coffee, I hold the door open for her and lead her to my truck. The entire drive, she chatters on about her new Barbies and how she’s going to show Nana the new dresses they have. I can’t keep a smile off my face at my little girl’s excitement, coupled with the idea of talking to Emerson again tonight.

Yeah, life is real fucking good right now.