Page 44 of Forbidden Cowboy
I don’t make eye contact. “We don’t care.” It’s not true. I care. The kissing booth is where we began and now someone has gone and lit it on fire for the third time. I’d bet my life it was a Fox or a Wilde. And I’m leaning toward my father and Jade being responsible.
Rocky Ridge Creek is an up before dawn kind of town. I’m not surprised when the parking lot of town hall has a crowd around the kissing booth.
Wilma jams down the horn. “Get out of the way! Coming through!”
The crowd parts.
“It’s not on fire,” Levi grumbles. He’s a morning person and this grumpy side of him has nothing to do with being woken up early.
“Hey.” I catch his face in my hands and draw his forehead to mine. I feel his pain penetrate with mine. “I don’t want to leave my family either. I know, babe. I know.”
His hand cups the back of my neck. “I love you.”
“I love you.”
He gently brushes his lips across mine.
“Save it for the honeymoon.” Wilma’s foot is heavy and we jerk forward when she slams down on the brakes.
I’m more than happy to climb out of her beast of a club car. She’s a wild driver who ignores stop signs and rides on front lawns. I’m going to walk back to the bed and breakfast.
I’m surprised to find my papa and Mr. Wilde standing on either side of the kissing booth. Beside them is a veiled structure similar in size to the kissing booth.
“What’s going on?”
Levi envelopes my hand.
The two men exchange what appears to be a difficult look. My father’s face is strained and his body is more rigid than usual.
“Pa?” Levi’s hand tightens around mine.
Mr. Wilde makes direct eye contact with Levi. “We’re here to fix things, son.”
The men each strike a match and toss it at the base of the kissing booth. Fire dances up the wood.
“No!” The scream tears out of my chest.
“What the hell?” Levi catches my waist to stop me from running to put out the flames. “This doesn’t fix anything!”
My papa crosses the space and stops in front of me. His hands crush my arms the way he did when I was young and he wanted to thoroughly explain something. Not painful, just a firm grip eye-to-eye.
“Hope, you built the kissing booth from anger and sadness.” His calloused thumb gently wipes away a tear from my cheek. “Because of me. It’s a reminder of how I’ve hurt you. I was soblinded by my own sadness that I never realized I was hurting you. That’s my mistake and you paid for it.” His chest rises with his deep breath. “What I’m trying to say is, I’m sorry.” His big, strong arms bear hugged me. My papa’s always been a hugger, but not with the emotion this one carries today. It makes up for the last couple weeks of ignoring me.
“Fox, you got sidetracked,” grumbles Mr. Wilde.
“Right.” He squeezes me one last time before joining Levi’s father at the veiled structure.
My mama’s guitar strumming draws my attention to her and Levi’s mother. They sing the Fox Lodge theme song. My sisters wave from the sidelines. Jade is there, but she doesn’t wave. Her arms are crossed over her chest and a scowl stretches her face.
“What’s happening?” Levi whispers.
“It’s the Fox Lodge theme song.”
“You mean you sing this every day?”
I grin at him. “Don’t judge us.”
“Drum roll my darlin’,” my papa shouts.