levi montgomery

“Nah, I’m just generous and I scale down to what I think y’all can afford. You look like you may have $21 to your name, so…” she teased back, a light laugh following.

Other people had called her beautiful before. Family, friends, and individuals who weren’t her husband had called Susan Montgomery in two different languages their beautiful darling. To say it out loud that the way he called her beautiful, how the words fell from his lips gave the word people tossed around greater significance. The way Levi said anything made Susie’s heart flutter just like it had the first time he called her that. Even now after being married as long as they’d been and with their small band of heathens Levi Montgomery had the capability of making Susie blush like a schoolgirl. With little effort Susie shifted into his side to a place no one could argue was practically made for her tossing her head back scoffing. “What our babies monsters? You must have the wrong house because Mr. Montgomery we have nothing but pure angels of light bless their hearts.” Susie teased taking a deep breath appreciating the place to lazily rest. As always there was paint in her hair as she shifted her head that had settled on his shoulder to kiss his neck. “They were okay. The house is still standing and we got a little messy painting today. I maybe had our children set up a tarp in my studio and allowed them to throw paint at a canvas. We had fun. Is the classroom all cleaned up? I can order your favorite and send them to your folks”

Summers were far from quiet around the Montgomery house. The kids were out of school, Levi was out of school, and daycare didn’t really become a prime option for them. Sure it was available, but Levi actually liked the pitter patter of feet around their two story home. He was just thankful that the room above theirs wasn’t a child’s, and that they could afford a house with enough rooms that things weren’t cramped... Yet. Levi’s constant flirting with another child honestly had no end, even though he made it clear that it was all Susie’s decision. Levi chuckled a bit at the blush on her cheeks, leaning down to kiss the one closest to him. “Oh, do we now? Surely some bribery must have been involved to keep them in this status today.” Levi’s free hand moved up to begin picking at the paint in his wife’s hair, an idle habit he’d picked up over the years. He never pulled either, he just gently rolled the paint in his hands as he tried to get it out. “Ah, there it is. No bribery needed when you’re allowin’ them to make a mess for fun.” But he laughed, imagining how it looked. “Mrs. Montgomery, are you offerin’ me a date night with no kids and my favorite food? Why, how could I decline?”

A grin spread across her face when Georgie grabbed for the cupcake and she easily conceded, glancing back at Levi with a frown that screamed ‘she’s adorable’. She held on to Georgie against her hip, turning her attention to her friend while the girl found her way around the treat. “Have I mentioned that she might be my entire world?” She says, sighing. “I’m not sure we’d still be friends if I didn’t have your little ones as incentive to call you up once in a while.”

As if his two year old would turn down anything sweet, and of course her first task was licking the icing off. He was just glad she’d actually eat the cake part too, and didn’t blame her for eating the best part first. “Are you sure? Do you want to rent her for a few hours? No returns until the end of the rental agreement.” He joked, but really, Levi loved his kids more than anything else in the world, save maybe his wife. “Oh really now? Well, good thing I have five and might get an even six some day.” He and Susie had been flirting with the idea.

Just looking at her, he smiled. “I am not sure if I could have handled more pouting. Maybe it’s a good thing that I don’t have children of my own. I would have been far too kind” Téo said and shrugged before he looked at Levi. “Being a little stern is a good thing. But I have no stern bone in my body. I don’t like talking down on someone or making them feel bad for a mistake they have made. It’s my weakness it seems” he added as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Imagine when four of them gang up on you.” He half-joked, because in all honestly, Levi caved when all his kids stared at them with their big pouty eyes. “Trust me, it’s not easy and I cave plenty.” Most of the things they wanted was harmless, Levi had only gotten good at shutting down candy and other sweets requests because he hated driving to the dentist.  “That means you’d make a great uncle, and I don’t think those are weaknesses at all.” Just meant he had a kind heart, Levi assumed.

“At least not yet anyway,” Nicholas chuckled, shaking his head. “They can’t make me into a robot anytime soon, ya know?” He grinned at Levi, “As a doctor, I can’t say I approve,” he teased, as if he wasn’t doing the same thing. “But it’s okay in moderation, ya know? Just don’t go tellin’ them Doctor Nick approves because they’ll start takin’ advantage of you.” He teased, laughing with Levi’s bet with the kids. “Kids will do just about anythin’ for some custard it seems, looks like you learned your lesson on that one.” Nicholas chuckled, “I would have been out of the house in under an hour too if my mama had bet me that.” 

“Despite tryin’, I’m sure.” Levi joked, even with a good few doctors in town, they all seemed to work around the clock. His kids, both blood and school, were probably to blame for some of that too. “As if they don’t already take advantage of me.” He shook his head slightly, though a clear, loving smile was in place on it. “They get their way a lot, I blame their mother.” And really, anyone who knew them should know Levi was a huge softie with his kids. “What can I say, summer means creative ways to keep entertained. Besides, we haven’t stopped by the stand in about a week. I say that’s progress.”

A pout pressed against Fiona’s lips. She had been standing in the same spot for nearly ten minutes and it had gotten her nothing but glares from other shoppers whose way she’d been in but she just couldn’t help herself. Decision making was hard and she was terribly indecisive by nature. Which cheese to buy made it even harder. This could ruin a whole mean! Nothing could move her except a decision itself. Or perhaps a grabby child. Shock, moved through her first, but immediately after? Came a smile. “You don’t seem that sorry,” she cooed at the baby, grin widening, “No no no, you don’t seem that sorry at all. Are you sorry? Do you want my top?” Looking to who she assumed was the father, she shook her head. “The top is hers, if she wants it. Heck she could pull the whole shelf down on my head and I don’t think I could get mad at that face.”

Levi was prepared for the other to not be pleased at his child’s grabbing, despite Frostford being pretty well known for the southern hospitality. He just tended to air on the side of his children’s actions not pleasing others. Seeing her smile eased his initial worry, causing Levi to smile back. “Nah, she probably isn’t.” He agreed, because his child in fact, was simply smiling up at the other. Levi chucked at the entire interaction, shaking his head gently at Georgia. “Oh, trust me, she knows, and that’s how she gets away with everything she does.” His kids were too cute, he believed.

Leah shrugged her shoulders, “Thanks,” she paused, “I really ought to just answer or confront him at this point but it was so nice not havin’ to do such a thing all these years.” She sighed softly, forcing herself to smile quickly. “But how are you?” Her brows raised with curiosity, “The wife, all my favorite kids?” She prodded with a small smile, “I feel like I haven’t seen you or your family in quite some time.” 

“You don’t have to force yourself to confront him at all. You’re fully in the right to ignore him.” Levi wanted to help, to protect Leah from dealing with this, but she was an adult and he knew there wasn’t much he could do other than be there for her. “Great now that it’s summer, the kids love being out of daycare and school, and I’m sure Susie doesn’t mind me home more.” Or she pretended not to. “Yeah, we need to have another big gathering, maybe a summer party or something.”