“Well, hot damn. You go, girl.”
“I need you to do me a favor.”
“Anything.”
“I need you to explain our relationship, like you’re telling someone who doesn’t know us.”
“We’re friends. Good friends.”
“Has it ever been more?”
“We dated a few times in the beginning, but that’s it.”
“Would it ever be more?”
He chuckles. “If it were, we would have figured that out by now.”
I let out a breath. “Thank you, Michael.”
“Anytime. Can I come up and see this trashy marina? I guess I should meet your guy too. Anyone who could inspire you to cut the cord with your parents is a winner in my book.”
I laugh, and I’m surprised when tears slide from my eyes. “Yes, you have an open invitation.”
“Till then,” Michael says. “Love you.”
“Love you.”
I disconnect and let out a deep breath. “Almost done.”
I scan the crowd and spot Tina. I reach into the bag and pull out two six-packs of Firestone Walkers’ latest IPA. I had to drive to Santa Barbara today to get it. I’ve paperclipped a twenty-dollar bill to the handle of each carrier and now shove the bottles toward Tina in a way that makes her take them.
“You lose,” I tell her. “I’m staying, and Levi is mine. So, back the fuck off.”
Laughter and hoots move through the customers.
I reach into the other bag and pull out the same configuration of beer and money and set them on the table. “You also lose. I’m staying.”
His smile grows until he’s beaming. “I’d call that a win.”
He pushes to his feet and wraps me in a bear hug. When he pulls back and kisses me, the pub erupts in applause and whistles.
I look into his eyes. “I love you. So much.”
He frames my face with his hands. “I overreacted,” he says. “I just, I can’t lose you again.”
I smile through my tears. “You won’t.”
He wipes at the tears on my face with his thumbs. “What do you say we take this beer back to the Roxie Blue and celebrate?”
I kiss him again, and all the pain and fear drains from my soul. “I think that sounds perfect.”
Epilogue
Laiyla
Six months later
I step onto the dock from the Roxie Blue, my hands filled with bags holding presents for Levi’s family. Winter is a little colder here than LA, but I still only need a light jacket to stay warm.