Page 186 of Between Never and Forever
And I know he wouldn’t leave the band willingly.
I run my eyes over him. He’s slouched in the armchair, but he’s awake and alert. I know from Sav that he’s going on five months sober. He wouldn’t be allowed in the house at all if he was using—we don’t even keep alcohol here—and that’s a house rule no one is willing to compromise on. It’s safer for Brynn. It’s better for everyone. Jonah is no exception, and everyone’s trying hard not to act like they’re tiptoeing around him as if he’s a ticking time bomb. But they are. They’re handling him with kid gloves, and I can tell he can tell.
I watch his face as he listens intently to Hammond’s voice. He turns his head to face whoever is speaking within the group. But he never speaks.
Jonah is the one who makes me the most nervous, and my instincts are in overdrive trying to find a solution. To protect Sav. To keep her safe and happy. To help and to fix.
I smirk at myself as Sav’s voice floats through my memory. She calls it my savior complex. Says it’s a trauma response. Maybe she’s right. She usually is.
It’s kind of surreal when I think about it.
The hottest rock band in the industry is hanging out in my house—hell, I’m in love with one of the most famous celebrities in the world—but it’s as normal as breathing. It feels like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be while also being the furthest thing from how I imagined my life.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, reminding me that I have a business call scheduled with Dustin on the east coast. We’re getting the hang of the time difference.
I finish my coffee and set my mug in the sink before turning to look into the living room one more time. When I do, storm gray mischievous eyes capture mine. Her plump lips turn up at the corners and she puckers them slightly, sending me a kiss. I smirk and copy the gesture, then wink at her before heading back upstairs to call Dustin.
Two hours later, I glance up from my computer screen to see Savannah waltz through the doorway with a smile.
She crosses the room toward me, and I turn my body in invitation. She accepts, sliding onto my lap in the desk chair without hesitation. I wrap my arms around her and kiss her slowly, savoring every second of it.
“Mmmm. I missed you.”
I chuckle against her lips. It’s only been a few hours, but I missed her, too.
“How did the meeting go?” I ask as she rests her forehead on mine. “Have you planned your magnum opus?”
I say it teasingly, but her excited smile is all the confirmation I need.
“I think this is going to be the best one yet,” she whispers, almost like she’s afraid to say it too loudly. “I can feel it. I think this will be the one we’re known for years after we’re done.”
I kiss her once, and I feel her lips trembling on mine. I pull back slightly and try to make eye contact, but Savannah’s eyes are clamped shut.
“What’s wrong, baby?” I smooth my hand up and down her back. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
Her inhale and exhale are shaky, and she worries her lower lip with her teeth before speaking. Her mouth curls into a small smile, and she huffs out a quiet laugh.
“I’m just scared, is all.”
I run my palms over her hair, then trace her jaw and cheekbones with my fingertips. I kiss her lips once more.
“Scared why?”
She takes another deep breath, then opens her eyes and knocks me on my ass with the emotions I see swirling in them.
My strong, brave, fierce girl—usually hard as steel—is nothing but vulnerability and fear.
I’ve seen her look like this twice before, and both times absolutely gutted me.
“Promise me you’re not going to leave if this gets hard,” she whispers, her voice cracking with desperation. “I’m going to fuck something up. I always do. Please, Levi, promise me. Promise me you won’t leave.”
I take her hands in mine and press them to my chest, right above my heart, then hold her eyes.
“Nothing could make me leave, Savannah. Nothing.”
I mean it with every single fiber of my being. I’m not losing her again. To nothing and no one.
She whimpers and closes her eyes again.
