“Sure.” I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. Then I thought better of it and left a light kiss on his lips. “Goodnight, Levi.”

He groaned. “You can’t do this to me. I need you.”

“If you can’t handle two nights without me in your bed, you’ve got problems.” Classes had started on a Wednesday again. I liked beginning with a short week.

“Did you have to add the ‘in my bed’ part?” He ran a hand down my arm. “You can’t put that picture in my head and leave me hanging.”

“I’m supposed to be mad at you.”

He smiled hesitantly. “Allie Davis, are you actually giving in to me?”

“Maybe…but only if I can go back to being mad at you in the morning.”

“You’re asking whether you can go back to being mad at me after spending the night with me?”

“Yes.” I tried to keep a straight face but a smile broke through. I was annoyed at him, but he was just too much for me. With everything else going on, I didn’t have the strength to fight it. Besides, Levi was the only one who could make my headaches go away. I’d use any rationalizations I had to.

“Do you want to grab a change of clothes?”

“Yes.”

“What are we waiting for?”

Hailey turned from her laptop when we walked in. Her eyes immediately went to our joined hands. “So much for our revenge.”

“Don’t worry, Hail. She’s going back to being mad at me in the morning.”

“I really don’t get you two, but I don’t think it matters. I’m guessing I’ll see you in the a.m., Allie?”

“You don’t mind, do you?”

“Nope. Anne’s been trying to talk me into going to the Boot tonight with her. I may just have to give in.”

“Want us to walk you?” I tossed a few sets of clothes into a small duffel. I figured I might as well have extras.

“No, I think I can handle the one minute walk alone.” She rolled her eyes. Sometimes I forgot she wasn’t human and didn’t need to worry about safety the way the rest of us did.

“All right, have fun.”

“You too. Don’t forget to be mad at him again in the morning.” She grinned.

***

Any thought of being mad at Levi disappeared when I woke up in his arms Thursday morning. I believed him. He really didn’t think he was doing anything wrong—sometimes it was frustrating being with someone so used to getting and doing anything he wanted.

I’d tried to sleep in a little later while he showered, but a phone call cut my sleep short. “Helen?”

“Hi, Allie. I’m calling to see if you’d like to take a drive out to see Georgina on Friday afternoon.”

“Oh, yeah that would be great.” This was what I wanted. Too bad I was nervous. At least I’d made up with Levi. I predicted Helen’s next words before she said them.

“You should pack an overnight bag.”

Levi wouldn’t love the idea of me going away with his mom, but at least I’d just spent the night with him. It would have been worse if I’d made him suffer first.

“Okay, I will. Thanks for setting this up.”

“It’s not a problem, sweetie. It will be fun to spend some time away.” She sounded genuinely happy about it.

“Great. Just let me know when and where to meet you.”

“I will.”

I hung up just as Levi came out of the bathroom. I was glad I was already off the phone. Talking to his mom while watching him in a towel would have been seriously awkward.

Even with us on good terms, Levi was really surprised when I told him my new plans. I decided breakfast was as good a time as any to break the news to him. He’d taken me to breakfast at Camellia Grill. It’s a little restaurant right near campus with great breakfast food, burgers, and milk shakes. If it hadn’t been eight thirty in the morning, I probably would have gotten a shake.

“You’re going to see my grandma? Please tell me you’re kidding.” Levi took a bite of his omelet.

“It’s not a big deal. Your mom and I are going for one night.” I turned my stool to look at him. The only place to sit was at the counter.

“Not a big deal?” He put down his fork on his empty plate. “First you sneak over to have an afternoon coffee date with my mom, now both of you are going to visit my grandma?”

“It wasn’t a coffee date. We had mimosas, and you drove me. I didn’t sneak anywhere. Anyway, it’s a two hour drive.”

He smiled. “Just promise me I’m not in trouble. I can hardly handle you when you’re mad, and my mom, forget it. The three of you scheming against me together—I can’t even think about it.”

“Wow, the truth comes out.”

“The truth?” He put some cash down on the counter.

“You are terrified of women.” It was funny watching Levi act nervously about something. Very little scared him—well, besides, the thought of me leaving him.

“I am not.”

“Come on, Levi. You’re freaking out about your grandma.”

“See if you’re still making fun of me after you meet her. I love her, she’s an amazing lady, and generally I’m on her good side, but I’ve seen what happens to people when they make her mad.”

I shuddered. “Way to freak me out before I go.”

He took my hand to help me down from my stool. “I could always go with you…”

“Oh wait. I just thought of something. I need a Pteron with me, don’t I? Do you think Hailey would mind coming?”

“I already offered my services.”

“If you came, and I say ‘if’ loosely, would you promise to give us space? Maybe give us some girl time?”

“Girl time?” He laughed. “Sure, I’ll hang out with my grandpa.”

“Wait, he’s still alive?”

“Yeah…why wouldn’t he be?”

“No one mentioned him. Helen said we were just going to see Georgina.”

“That’s because Georgina runs everything. My grandpa just sits back and lets her do what she wants. He’s enjoying retirement.” Levi opened the door, and we walked out to his car.

“All right, do you want to tell your mom, or should I?”

He opened my door. “I will. Maybe she’ll spill more than you.”

“There’s nothing to spill.” I felt guilty lying, but there was no reason to upset him. Besides, I had to find out the truth.