“You are far too excited,” she said, walking down the steps.
I grinned. “Am I?”
“At least I’ll finally get to see this project.”
Finally, was right. It had taken much longer than I thought it would. I was surprised her curiosity didn’t get the best of her—then again, when did she have time?
“Jackets. Boots. Gloves. Hats. Scarves?” She lifted everything I’d laid out in the living room.
“Having fun?” I asked her.
“It’s my birthday. I’m allowed.” She kissed me.
“Don’t let me stop you then.”
Just as I stepped toward the door, Ulric’s cry rang out loudly, and she was already turning around to run when I grabbed her arm. “Levi—”
“We aren’t here. Your sister has him,” I reminded her.
“I know, but maybe I should…” Thankfully, the crying ceased.
“See … after you.”
I held the French door open.
“I have no idea where we are going, so lead the way, Mr. Black,” she begrudgingly said. Rolling my eyes, I took her hand.
“You’re such a dork.” The corner of her mouth turned up.
“The dork who gets the girl is no ordinary dork,” I reminded her.
“True.” She linked her arm through mine as we walked off the patio deck, down the first the steps, and around the pool, on to the grass.
“I can’t believe it’s getting dark already,” she whispered, putting her head on my shoulder. I glanced up at the dark pink-orange sky, mentally crossing off watching the sun set for the night.
“Me either.” I said leading her down further.
“Levi?” She frowned when she came off the freshly cut grass of our backyard. “Where are we going?”
“Come on,” I sa
id, still walking down the snowy path into the woods. And, as it got darker, as the sun set behind the snow-covered trees, she held on tighter to me. Ready to make a run for it if she needed to… the big baby.
“This is by far the creepiest birthday…” Her voice trailed off as she saw the lights. Her mouth fell open, and it was like watching a kid in a candy store.
“You were saying?” I teased, walking toward it.
“Levi,” she said in disbelief.
I couldn’t help but grin. “I’ve wanted this since I was a kid and heard it on Floyd Freeman’s album—”
“Freedom with a Vengeance, track nineteen, ‘5 Dollar Town’.” She grinned, covering her mouth. “Levi! No way!”
“I was born in a 5 Dollar Town, where everyone’s skin was colored brown, and there was no playground. To my right, south-ie, loud and proud. To the east, the police. To the north, where I held no worth, and in the west I needed a vest…”
“Trapped in this box the only place was down or up and so I built my castle up in the treetops.” She sang so excited she ran towards me. I caught her tightly and laughed, knowing she was probably one of only maybe one hundred people, myself included, in the state who knew who Floyd Freeman was.
“You built me a tree house.”