Not So Suddenly Soulmates, page 15
“What if things don’t work out?” Levi shoved his hands in his pockets.
“I don’t think it’s going to be an issue but if it ever comes to that, I guess I’ll buy you out…not that we’ll have any money invested in the actual house purchase.”
“Except the dollar, so Aunt Jackie gets her commission.” Levi chuckled and hugged her back.
Rhi nodded. “Let’s go let Edge know we want it then find Aunt Jackie.”
“Never thought I’d be doing this but I’m glad it’s with my best friend.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
LEVI
June 18th
Levi unlocked their apartment door.
Robby walked down the hall and clapped him on the shoulder. “Hey, man. Back from paradise already?”
“Yep. I could have stayed another week though. I love it down there.”
“Party at your place tonight?”
Levi shook his head. He wanted to fall in bed with Rhi and not have to worry about entertaining anyone but her. “Nah, I’m not in the partying mood.”
Robby smacked him in the arm. “I’m sure you were busy with all those island girls following you around.” He leaned in close. “How many hearts did you break? Seven? Ten?”
“No broken hearts and I…” He stopped.
“You what? Secret admirer? Sounds like you need to get out. We could head to the bar.”
“Actually, Robby. I’m off the market.”
Robby cackled. “Dude, if you don’t want to hang out tonight, just tell me. You don’t have to make shit up.” He shook his head.
Levi glared at Robby. “I’m serious. I’m in a committed relationship.”
“With whom? That was way too fast for you to be committed.”
“Me.” Rhi kissed Levi on the cheek. “We’re together now. For the long haul.”
Robby’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”
Levi nodded and put his arm around Rhi. “Yep. We made the leap while we were gone.”
“That’s amazing! Congratulations.” Robby pulled both of them into a hug. “When’s the wedding?”
“There’s no engagement yet but we are buying a house together.” Levi opened the door to their apartment and motioned Robby inside. “I do want to talk to you about something.”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“Remember the job I told you about with Rhi’s dad?”
“Yeah, the sweet one where you’re gonna own the company? I’m telling you, man, if you need a systems administrator, I’ll be there in a heartbeat.”
“Good, because the one at the company is retiring in a couple months.”
Robby sank onto the couch. “You two are pulling my legs, right? I’m drunk or high and you’re making all this shit up. When I sober up, it’s all going to be one big joke, right?”
Rhi laughed. “Nope, we’re serious. The house we’re buying has a studio over the garage so you can stay there until you find a place of your own.”
Robby’s jaw dropped. “I’m in shock. I don’t know what to say.”
Levi chuckled. “Go back to your place and think about it. It’s not like I have the job opening today. You still have time. But we’d love for you to join us. I’ll talk to Leon and see what kind of salary we would be offering and we’ll can go from there.”
Robby nodded as he stood. “I mean, I’d love to get out of the place I’m at, so I’m definitely interested. Yeah, get me the salary stuff and I’ll put in some serious consideration.”
“Great.” Levi hugged him.
Robby headed to the door. “Thanks, boss.”
Levi laughed and shut the door behind him then sat down on the couch. “I’m not, like, a bad guy or anything, am I?”
“No, of course not. Why?”
“I told Robby I was off the market and he thought I was lying and just didn’t want to hang out with him.”
“I mean, do you wanna hang out with him when you can be with me?” She plopped down on the couch.
“You win—even when we weren’t dating.” He wrapped his arms around her. “It was the way he said it. Kinda made me feel like an asshole.”
“You’ve always been a confirmed bachelor. How many times have you said that to me? It’ll take our friends longer to think of you as a guy in a relationship.”
“I guess you’re right.” He let out a heavy breath.
“Everyone is going to think that at least once. We’ve both been serial daters for so long, our friends are bound to be surprised. Even Delilah didn’t believe it when I told her.”
“True.” Levi grinned. “Are you excited to see Edge and Sara this weekend to finalize all the paperwork with Jackie?”
“For sure! That means we need to start packing tomorrow though.”
“I was thinking…instead of worrying about whose bed we take with us, we get a new one for the new place.”
“Yes. One hundred percent agree with you there.” Rhi smiled at him. “I’m excited about the house.”
“Me too.” He stood and pulled her to her feet.
“Call me crazy but it’s like we were always meant to be together. It just took longer for us to figure it out.”
“We met in Kindergarten, so it would have been hard for us to recognize the complexities of love then.”
Rhi hugged him close. “But even there, we knew. Remember when I told you we’d be friends forever?”
“You’re the one with the good memory but yes, I do remember that.”
“I feel like we missed time being with each other because we didn’t recognize there were more feelings. No wonder neither of us could keep a relationship.”
“I never tried.” He kissed her head. “We’ve been together though. The only thing we missed out on was great sex.”
“Of course your head goes there.” Rhi laughed.
“Where else would it go? What else have we missed out on? We’ve taken care of each other when we’re sick. We help each other out. We spend time together. And we also took the time to figure out what we didn’t want. Sometimes that’s more important than the time we may have missed.”
Rhi pushed up on her toes and pressed a kiss to Levi’s lips. “You’re an amazing man, Levi Morris.”
“Nah, I’m an asshole, who occasionally says the right things.”
“I love you. You know that, right?” She ran her fingers through his hair.
“Of course, I do. I love you too.”
“I mean like real romantic love. The kind my parents have. The kind Edge and Sara have. Not just friendship love…it’s real.”
“I repeat. I love you too. In the exact same way.”
Epilogue
RHI
December 31st
Rhi fell onto the couch in their private villa on Edgerly Island. “It’s New Year’s Eve and I’d rather spend the night in bed with you than go to a party.”
“Yeah, me too. But your parents are celebrating some anniversary.”
“What, the night Edge was conceived?”
Levi’s eyes widened. “Did I miss part of this story?”
“Mom and her family were on a vacation to this island over the holidays when Mom was seventeen. She found out she was pregnant a month and a half later.”
Levi’s face turned a deep shade of red. “Well, they still met around this time, so that could be the anniversary.”
“What are you embarrassed about?”
“Nothing. I guess I’d never heard the whole story.” Levi glanced at his watch. “I’m going to get ready. We’re supposed to be there soon.”
Rhi kissed his cheek and followed him into the bedroom. “What are you wearing?”
“Suit.” Levi disappeared into the bathroom.
She frowned. Something was up. She picked up the teal dress that she’d worn on their first date. If they were going to celebrate firsts, she might as well do the same for them. She went into the other bathroom to fix her makeup and hair. When she returned to their room, there was a note on the bed.
Sara said she’d bring you.
Headed over there. Love you.
Rhi frowned again. She trudged into the living area and found Sara sitting on the couch. “What’s going on?”
Sara gave her a broad smile. “I have no idea.”
“You’re lying.”
“Maybe.”
Rhi glared at her. “Seriously, I want to know what’s up.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’ll find out when you get there. I promise you it’s a good surprise.” Sara hugged her.
Rhi took a deep breath. “Levi’s surprises are usually good things. I wish he wasn’t acting so weird.”
Sara glanced at her watch and yawned. “I wish they hadn’t started this so late. These days, I’m usually asleep by now.”
Rhi laughed. “You and me both. But it is New Year’s Eve, so you do have to expect things to be late.”
“Come on, it’s already eleven.”
Sara drove the golf cart over to the private family residence on the island. The two of them walked into the main room.
Rhi stopped in her tracks. More than her immediate family stood in the main room. Robby and some of their other friends were there. All of her grandparents, Levi’s father, and many of her aunts and uncles and cousins from both sides of the family.
She leaned over to Sara. “What’s going on?”
“We’re all ringing in the New Year.” Sara smiled.
“I thought we were celebrating some anniversary for Mom and Dad.”
“God, I hope not. That would be Edge’s conception and we don’t need to give him that kind of comedy ammunition.” Sara shook her head.
“You can say that again.” Rhi scanned the room for Levi until her gaze met his. She trudged toward him but her Grandma Laverne stopped her.
“Honey, you are doing the most amazing work with our social media. We’re booked solid through next year this time.” She hugged Rhi.
“Thanks, Grandma. It’s been a lot of fun and I’d love to stay on.”
“Oh, that’s a definite yes. I wouldn’t let that boy fire you if he tried.”
“I’m glad. I need to go find Levi.”
“Of course, dear.” Laverne patted her on the cheek.
Her cousin Manda waved her over next. “You have no idea how much I needed this trip.”
Rhi hugged her. “I’m glad you’re here. Can you tell me more about why everyone is here though?”
“Nope. Mom just said we were spending the New Years on the island and I definitely needed the break.”
“Have you found anyone yet?”
“No but Hunter contacted me out of the blue about three or four months ago. We’ve been talking a lot since then.” Manda smiled.
“Hunter? As in Hunter Cross. Superstar country singer. Hunter who we went to school with?”
“The one and only.”
“Are you going to meet up with him?”
“The only way I think we’ll actually manage to get together is if I go to one of his concerts and hang around afterwards like some groupie, and I just can’t.” Manda chuckled. “I tried to convince him to meet us all here but he’s on tour and can’t get away.”
“And that’s why I could never date someone who was in the music business. I didn’t realize I preferred stability until I figured out Levi was the one for me.”
“He has been the one non-family constant for you since Kindergarten.”
Rhi scanned the room and her gaze landed on Levi and his dad. “Levi’s dad is here too? Why do I feel like we’re celebrating more than just the New Years?”
Manda shrugged. “I don’t know. Mom’s waving me over. We’ll have to catch up some more tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. Love you, girl.”
“Love you too.” Manda headed toward the buffet.
Rhi looked to where she had just seen Levi but he was gone. She walked across the room, only to be stopped again by Link and Liam. Grandma and Grandpa O’Riley stopped her after that, and she found herself talking to a continuous line of family until right before midnight.
Her aunt Sandie glanced down at her watch. “My goodness. It’s only minute to midnight. You better go find your honey.”
“I’ve been trying to do that all night,” she muttered under her breath as she stalked to the last place she’d seen Levi.
He caught her hand, spun her around, and pulled her into his arms. “Hi.”
“What are you hiding from me? And why does it seem like my entire family has kept me from you since I came in here?”
Levi smiled. “It’s a bit of a secret but they’re all here for us.”
She quirked an eyebrow. “For us? What are you talking about?”
“TEN.” The countdown to midnight started.
Rhi looked at her friends and family staring at the two of them then turned back to Levi.
“NINE.”
He held a diamond solitaire engagement ring in his hand.
“EIGHT.”
“Rhi will you marry me?”
“SEVEN.”
“Yes.”
“SIX.”
Levi slipped the ring on her finger.
“FIVE.”
The room erupted in cheers.
“FOUR.”
Levi leaned in for a kiss.
“THREE.”
Rhi held her lips away from his. “Two,” she counted in tandem with everyone else.
“ONE.”
Their lips met.
Levi cupped the back of her neck with one hand and pulled her close with the other.
Cheers went up again.
“Happy New Year!”
“Congratulations.”
Rhi laughed, rested her head against his chest, and studied the ring on her finger. “Remember last New Year’s?”
“Yeah, I got food poisoning and kicked out the girl I was with shortly after midnight.”
“She was lying on the floor throwing the mother of all tantrums because you wouldn’t agree to another date with her.”
“I believe I was puking at the time.”
“Right! I never thought I’d be wearing your ring on my finger a year later.”
“Neither did I. But it was on nights like those I should have realized you were my soulmate.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yep. Of all the people who’ve come in and out of my life, you’ve always been there for me. You’ve seen me at my worst, and I’ve seen you at yours. And we’re still here no matter what.”
Rhi smiled and kissed his lips. “I love you, Levi.”
“I love you.”
Books by Ellen Wilder
Stone County
Christmas in Stone County (novella)
Rose County
Christmas in Rose County (novella - coming soon)
The Vitalli Family
Nothing Without You
Stolen Moments
Stay
Love Grows Wild
with Amber Root
Love Blossoms
Love Blooms
About the Author
Ellen Wilder was born and raised in Indiana. She is happily married to her husband of seven years and enjoys raising their two girls and one boy in the house where she grew up. They have a border collie/corgi mix named Loki and three extremely spoiled cats.
* * *
Ellen writes contemporary romance novels with a realistic twist to them. If you’re looking for fairy tales, you won’t find them here as her characters deal with real life issues. She loves helping people with their writing, paying forward the help that she has received allowing her to be where she is today.
* * *
Connect with Ellen at andthencamelove.weebly.com
About the Publisher
Kindred Ink Press publishes fictional stories in a variety of genres for readers of all ages, from those just learning to read, to those who have been reading for decades and still love to devour new stories. Our books range from quick reads to those of epic length and can be found in digital ebook and print formats with audiobooks coming soon.
* * *
Our mission is to connect readers with authors who write the stories they want to read, stories that take them to another place, stories they want to talk about and read more than once. We welcome authors and novels with stories that make us swoon or cry, laugh out loud or sit on the edge of anticipation. We strive to create a library of novels and characters for and about people from diverse backgrounds and of all genders and sexual identities. We want many voices to be reflected in the books we publish and refrain from following cookie-cutter molds. We hope all authors will consider making Kindred Ink their publisher of choice and hope all readers will find the stories they’ve always wanted to read.
* * *
Sign up for the Kindred Insider email newsletter to receive new releases, sales, and exclusive content in your inbox! https://kindredinkpress.com/kindredinsider/
Ellen Wilder, Not So Suddenly Soulmates
