Page 30 of Let it Sizzle
I lift my head to find her standing there, watching me with those wide, trembling eyes. Like she thinks I might reject it. Like she thinks I might rejecther.
I’m across the space between us before I even know I’m moving. I cup her face in my hands, brushing her hair back, needing her to see exactly what she’s done to me, exactly what she means.
"You were the first person who ever stayed, Levi. I had to tell our story.”
I look down at her, and all the years of holding back, of pretending I didn’t want her because I didn’t have a choice.
"You didn’t just tell it," I say, pressing my forehead to hers. "You gave it a goddamn heartbeat."
She nods.
"I knew the second I carried you out of that house that you were mine. I just didn’t know if I was ever gonna be good enoughto deserve you. After the most important man in your life had hurt you."
A tear slips down her cheek, and I swipe it away with my thumb, curling my hand around her jaw like she’s the most precious thing I’ve ever touched.
"You’re everything to me, Levi. I’m sorry; I should’ve stood up to Byron."
I shake my head.
I can't hold back anymore. I drop the book, pull her into my arms, and kiss her with everything I’ve been holding back for years. She melts against me, soft and sweet and trembling, but there’s strength there too. A strength I want to spend the rest of my life protecting, building, worshiping.
"I’m never walking away again," I whisper against her mouth. "Never. I don't care what Byron thinks. I don’t care what anyone thinks. You’re mine."
"You don’t have to be alone anymore," she whispers back, tears streaming down her face. "I’m here. I’ve always been here. Byron understands."
I lift her off her feet, carrying her the few steps to the old bench by the water’s edge, setting her in my lap.
She curls into me, her body fitting against mine like she was made for it, and I press kisses into her hair, into her temple, into the soft slope of her jaw.
"I love you, Serena Summers," I murmur against her skin. "I have loved you every damn day since the night you climbed into my arms and trusted me to keep you safe. And I swear to you, as long as I’m breathing, I always will."
She lifts her head, her eyes shining so brightly they could put the stars to shame. "And I love you," she says, her voicebreaking open. "You’re my safe place, Levi. You always have been."
I bury my face in her neck, holding her tighter than I ever have before.
The sun dips lower behind the trees, casting a golden light over the water, and for the first time in my whole damn life, I know exactly where I belong.
Right here.
With her.
Always.
Chapter 11
Serena
I never thought my life could look like this—standing under a perfect stretch of summer sky, the air thick with the smell of grilled burgers and the smoke drifting lazily from the firehouse BBQ pits. Kids squeal in the distance, the slam of cornhole bags against wooden boards punctuating bursts of laughter, and I stand off to the side, clutching a lemonade in my hand, blinking against the emotion swelling in my chest. It’s not just another firehouse party. It’s more than that. It’s the life I never thought I’d have—the one I didn’t even dare to dream about.
The guys are setting up picnic tables, kids are running around with water guns, and Maddox is trying (and failing) to light the grill without singeing his eyebrows off.
I’m standing off to the side, watching it all, a smile tugging at my mouth that feels too big to contain. My fingers are still smudged with ink from signing copies of The Bear Who Stayed this morning—a book that somehow caught fire online, resonating with more readers than I ever dreamed possible.
The book wasn’t just a story. It was a love letter. A thank you. A healing.
And it healed more than just me.
Across the lawn, I spot Levi, his broad shoulders impossible to miss even in the crowd. He’s laughing, that deep, rough sound that still makes my knees go weak, still makes me feel like I’m the only woman in the world.
