Page 175 of Between Never and Forever
I can’t deny the jealousy I feel.
I never experienced the Sharon that Brynn gets to experience. But, oddly enough, I’m glad that Brynn gets her.
I push myself out of the beanbag chair and stifle a groan as I stretch. I can’t sleep here, and I don’t want to fight the pull that’s coming from the second floor.
On light feet, I tiptoe out of the rec room, down the hall, then up the stairs to Levi’s bedroom. When I step through the door, I find him stretched out on the bed with the comforter low on his hips. His sculpted chest is bare, and his handsome face is peaceful. I smile and cross the floor.
Slowly, I pull the blanket back and slip beneath it. I try my best not to wake him, but the minute the mattress dips under my weight, he turns in my direction. His arm wraps around my waist and he pulls me toward him, tucking me against his chest in one smooth motion.
“Took you long enough,” he mumbles into my hair.
I smile against his skin and inhale his scent, snuggling into him. I press my ear to his chest so I can hear the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
“Hey, Levi?” I press a kiss to his chest, and he hums.
“Yes, Savannah?”
“I love you.”
He doesn’t say anything, but his heart starts to race. I can feel it thrumming against his chest where my ear rests. His fingers tighten on my skin, and he presses a soft kiss to my head.
“Say it again.”
I sit up so I can look at his beautiful face.
“I love you,” I repeat.
He reaches up and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, then wraps his hand around my neck and rests his thumb on my lip. I feel his eyes on every inch of my face and he smiles.
“Are you real?”
I smirk and press a kiss to his thumb before answering.
“I’m real if you’re real. Andthisis real.”
Slowly, he sits up until we’re sitting face to face in his bed. The moonlight filters through the windows. The house is silent but for our soft breathing.
“How will it work?” he asks finally.
I shrug.
I open my mouth to tell him I can move here, but then I shut it. I wince and close my eyes. I wish I could. I just don’t know that I can.
And can I ask him to move to Los Angeles? To leave Brynn’s hometown, the business he owns, the house he built?
This house has Julianna in every room. It’s important to Brynn, but I think it would be suffocating for me.
I’m working on forgiving Julianna for doing what she did. I understand she didn’t think she had a choice. I know it was the best possible outcome for Brynnlee, but my heart still aches for Levi.
To think of what he went through in those early years. The betrayal he felt. The disappointment. I can’t help but wonder how things would have been different, but I have to shut that down. You could waste your whole life wonderingwhat if.
“Be honest with me, Sav. What’s going on in your head?”
I purse my lips and fidget with the comforter. I avert my eyes, but he uses his fingers to gently tilt my chin up, making me look at him.
“We will make this work. We’ll figure it out. But you have to be honest with me.”
I take a deep breath.
