Luring Levi (Tarnished Saints Series Book 2) (21 page)

“Did you drown?” asked Vance from atop his lap.

“Well now, son,” he said, and Candace smiled at his use of the word son and liked how it sounded coming from his mouth. “If I had drowned, I wouldn’t be sitting here with you on my lap right now, would I?”

Vance laughed and tried to grab Levi’s hand, but he kept moving it so he couldn’t get it.

It felt so good to see her son playing with his father. This is the way it should have been years ago. But then she looked over to Valentine who was standing there watching with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Levi?” she said, but he was being wild with Vance and didn’t hear her. “Levi,” she said again. And when she caught his eye, he realized what he was doing wrong.

“Come here, Val,” he said. “I have an extra horse right here for you.”

He started jostling Vance up and down on his knee and making horse noises. Vance laughed but Valentine didn’t move.

“Come sit on dad’s lap,” he told her.

“I don’t have a dad,” she shouted. “My father is dead!”

She ran into the house and slammed the door. Candace looked over to Levi and once again she saw the hurt in his eyes that Thomas had warned her about.

“I’m sure she’ll come around, Levi,” she said, trying to be optimistic but not believing it herself.

“Yeah, right,” he said, just shaking his head and looking so defeated.

* * *

Candace got out of the SUV and headed toward one of the rental cabins with Angel.

“This one is empty right now as the renters left two days ago,” Angel told her, opening the door to
the house. “I wanted you to see this one, as it is my favorite. And it is also right next to Thomas’s lake lot and across the channel from our new house.”

Candace walked inside and looked around. It was bigger inside than she thought
, and had a potbelly fireplace in the front room with a smoke stack leading all the way up to the second floor ceiling of the A frame. There was a small kitchen and one bedroom and a bathroom on the first floor as well as a living room and dining room with an old antique wooden table and chairs. The couches were worn and outdated, but in the dining room there were two antique glass cabinets with dishes and knick knacks.

The dining room butted up to a
counter with two tall stools that overlooked the open kitchen.

“This has everything
in it, and it’s just a rental?” asked Candace.

“Yep,” answered Angel. And did you notice there is even a washer and dryer in the foyer? There is
also a full, unfinished basement that could be made into a work area or a playroom and another bathroom in the open loft upstairs. That loft is dangerous for small children even with the railing, but it can be closed off and made into two bedrooms eventually.”

“Why are you telling me all this and why did you really bring me here to begin with?” asked Candace.

“Because I thought if you and Levi end up getting married, you might want to live here. If not, there are plenty other lots and cabins to choose from.

“Even if we do get married, Levi doesn’t have any money, and I am up to my eyeballs in bills.”

“Well, then this will really help, as it isn’t going to cost you a thing. It’ll be a great starter house, don’t you think? And I would love having you and the kids around as my neighbors.”

“Wait, back it up,” she said. “What did you mean it wouldn’t cost anything?”

“Oh. Didn’t Levi tell you?”

“I’m guessing not, because if he did I think I’d have remembered.”

“When their father passed away, he left a lot and cabin on the lake for each of the Taylor boys. And all they have to do to get it, is get married.”

“Really?” she asked. “I can’t believe Levi hasn’t asked me to marry him already just to get the house and lot.”

“And they need to stay married for a year or it says in the will that it can actually be taken away later.”

“Oh. That’s why he’s waiting,” she said. “I really don’t think he loves me, Angel.”

“Give him time. You two need to take time to get to know each other. One thing I’ve learned is that you can’t rush the Taylor boys into marriage.”

“But isn’t this the third time Thomas has
been married? And didn’t you say you married him after only knowing him for a few days?”

“Ok, I stand corrected. Maybe I should just say you can’t rush the other Taylor boys into marriage.”

They both laughed and Candace looked around the cabin. “I do like this one a lot, you’re right. I’d like to mention it to Levi, but I don’t want him to think I’m pushing him into marriage. Oh, Angel, do you think he’ll ask me to marry him? Even if he is the father of my children, that doesn’t mean he’s going to want me as his wife.”

“Like I said, just give him time,” said Angel. “After all, he is dealing with a lot right now, especially since Judas came back to town.”

Candace looked out the window, squinting into the distance. “I think I see Judas now on the pier with Levi. I left Levi there with all the kids and they’re swimming. Let’s take a walk down to the lake. My motherly instinct tells me to go check on my kids.”

Chapter 17

Levi stood on the pier tossing one boy after another into the water as they ran up to him pretending like they were going to attack him. They fell into Thunder Lake with a large splash and then came up from underneath the water laughing.

Levi loved kids and loved playing with his nephews and Gabby. And now
that he had kids of his own, he figured he was the luckiest man in the world.

“I want to jump off the pier
too,” said Vance from the blowup raft he sat on with his sister, floating around the water.

“Your mother says you two don’t know how to swim,” he told him. “You
and Valentine better just stay on the raft.”

“I’m getting out,” he said, starting to put a foot over the side. Valentine started to scream because water sloshed over the side and she was getting wet.

“Hold on,” said Levi. I’ll help you out. As it is, your mother will have my head if she knows I didn’t make you wear your life vests.”

Levi watched Thomas’s kids all splashing about in the deep water at the end of the pier with no trouble. They were all good swimmers and he would have to see to it that his kids learned to swim instead of wearing an embarrassing life vest in six
feet of water. He wasn’t all that sure that they really couldn’t swim, and figured Candace was just being overprotective.

He made his way to the
opposite end of the pier, and stopped abruptly as he noticed Judas standing there in shorts, but no shirt. He had a cigarette dangling from his mouth and a mug of coffee in his hands.

“Morning
, brother,” he said.

“What the hell do you want?” Levi
snapped. “What are you even doing here?”

“This is Thomas’s property and if you haven’t realized
, I’m staying with him for now, so I belong here. Maybe the question is - what are you doing here?”

The kids shouted and laughed from behind him. He heard Vance telling the other boys to pull the raft into the deeper water
, and Valentine screaming for them to stop.

“Look, I don’t have time for this. I’m trying to watch the kids.”

“You’ll never have time for this. We need to settle our differences right now,” said Judas. “We are brothers, after all.”

“You should have remembered that before you turned me in.”

“Dad, I want to swim,” called out Vance.

“Hold on,” he called over his shoulder. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

“What do I have to do to prove to you that I’m sorry?” asked Judas.

“It’s too late for that,” said Levi. “The damage has already been done.”

Levi heard a splash from behind him but thought nothing of it since the kids had been splashing around all morning. Then he heard the roaring motor of a speedboat go by and the sound of the waves hitting against the shore.

“Look Le
vi,” said Judas, “maybe we can -”

“Shut up,” said Levi.

“Don’t talk to me that way unless you want another fist fight.”

“No, I mean shut up for and second and
just listen.” Levi held up his hand and cocked his head, looking toward the lake.

“I don’t hear anything,” said Judas.

“Exactly,” he said turning around. “It’s too quiet. Something’s wrong.”

He made a mad dash for the pier and ran to the end looking into the water.
To his horror, he realized while he was fighting with Judas, the raft the kids were on had drifted out into the deep water and away from the rest of the kids. Valentine was holding on to the sides of the raft and the wake from the speedboat was jostling her back and forth.

“Where’s Vance?” he called out, scoping the
rest of the boys in the water with his eyes but he didn’t see him. The kids were playing and didn’t even hear him.

“He jumped in the water,” called ou
t Valentine. Then another speedboat went by the other way and threatened to tip her off the raft. Valentine screamed and her hands went up in the air and she fell backwards off the raft and into the water.

That’s when Levi noticed a litt
le head bobbing up and down out in the deep water near her. It was Vance and he looked like he was struggling. He looked back to see Valentine splashing around frantically, panicking while the waves pushed the two of them apart.

Judas ran up next to Levi. “What’s up?” he asked.

“I think they’re drowning!” Levi dove into the water and swam toward them as fast as he could, hearing Judas hit the water right behind him. He swam toward the kids but they were too far apart and they were both struggling. There was no way he could save them both. As a father, this was his worst nightmare come true.

“Get the girl,” shouted Judas, swimming up behind him. “I’ve got Vance.”

Levi didn’t question his brother’s decision. He knew Judas was a strong swimmer like all of his brothers and that he would save Vance. Now he just needed to get to Valentine in time.

“I’ve got you honey, just hold on,” he called out to her. He saw her go under and come up coughing and gagging and knew she’d taken in a mouth full of water. There was panic in her eyes and for a mere second he thought he migh
t lose her. His adrenalin kicked in and he shot forward and grabbed her just as she was going under again. She panicked and clawed at him trying to climb atop him.

“Stop struggling,” he told her, knowing that if she kept this up, he was never going to get her back to shore.

He held her above water with one arm and headed quickly toward the shore.

“Daddy’s got you, Val, you’re not going to drown, now just calm down sweetheart, you’re going to be alright.”

He guessed he’d said the right thing because she did as he instructed.

“Judas, do you have Vance?” he called out, trying to swim and look in that direction as well.

“I’ve got him, he’s fine,” called out his brother, and Levi felt a surge of relief wash through him.

“What’s going on?” he heard one of the boys call out and suddenly they all realized what had almost happened. Levi walked out of the water with Valentine clinging to his neck. He met Judas coming ashore with Vance and though the boy pretended to be strong he could
see he was shaking.

“I want my dad,” said Vance, and Judas handed him the boy.

“Thanks, Judas,” Levi said with a nod of his head, thankful now that his brother had been there or one of his children might have drowned.

Levi sat down on the pier holding on to both of
his kids, never wanting to let them go. Vance let out a burp and broke the tension and they all laughed.

“What’s going on?” Candace ran up with Angel right behind her.

The rest of the boys crowded around.

“Vance and Valentine were drowning!” called out Jake.

“What? Oh my god, are they all right?” Candace rushed over and grabbed Vance from him. “Levi, I thought you were watching them.”

“I was talking to Judas and it all happened so fast,” he said.

“You two were fighting again weren’t you?” she spat. “Your immature behavior could have cost the children their lives.”

“Uncle Levi and Uncle Judas saved them,” Sam spoke up. “
It wasn’t their fault a speedboat came by.”

“Thanks, Sam,” said Levi, “but it was my fault. Candy
, I am so sorry I didn’t put the life vests on them. I know you told me they couldn’t swim, but I guess I just couldn’t believe it.”

“I’ll never leave them with you again,” she said. “Valentine, come here, honey.”

Levi felt the knife twisting in his gut. She didn’t want him around his own children and he couldn’t blame her. She couldn’t trust him and he couldn’t trust himself. She was right, if he hadn’t been fighting with Judas than none of this would have happened. He would have been in the water with them and never let this go so far.