Page 164 of Between Never and Forever
“Until she got sick.”
I nod.
“Julianna’s parents are horrible. Worse than mine were. Obviously, the biological father, whoever the fuck he is, is terrible, too. Jules didn’t want to die and...Anyway, I married her and legally adopted Brynn. Got my name put on the birth certificate and everything. To protect Brynnlee in case Jules died. To make sure she never fell into the Lark’s clutches.”
“Jesus. This is a mind-fuck,” Sav breathes out. Pretty much sums it up. “Levi, the shit you had to go through...”
“I don’t regret it. Not all of it. Brynnismine, Sav, but Julianna’s parents have been trying to get custody ever since Jules died. They have a life insurance payout that they keep trying to bribe me with. But they don’t have a claim on her—they wouldn’t stand a chance in court. The only person who could...”
“Would be the biological father.”
I don’t say anything, but she’s right. Julianna never told the guy she was pregnant. If he found out and wanted Brynn, he very well could take her from me.
“How’d they find out?” I muse. “I’ve kept it all quiet. The Larks don’t know I’m not Brynn’s biological father.”
Savannah huffs out a small, dark laugh.
“They’re ruthless vultures. Once they got my records from one of my rehab stays. Blackmailed me. I had to pay them to keep quiet. I swear they could solve world hunger if they used their powers for good, but instead they choose to destroy lives and invade privacy in the name of clickbait.”
What a fucking mess.
I wouldn’t put it past Julianna’s parents to try and use this against me, now. For months after she died, I would have nightmares of them breaking into my house and snatching Brynn from her bed. Before now, I didn’t have the money for a lawsuit. I was in debt up to my fucking scalp with all the money I poured into Jules’s experimental treatments. All the money I’d spent on the house and the business. I was barely treading water before the studio contract.
That’s why I kept the secret for so long. Why I wanted to avoid any media attention. Hell, I wouldn’t even do interviews for the local paper after the hurricane. In the aftermath, everyone wanted to know more about the rebuilds and restorations. I made Dustin give updates about the rebuild projects to the local news. I kept my name off the East Coast Contracting website. And there was never any mention of Brynn anywhere.
I’ve flown as far under the radar as I could, but I’m tired of it, and I know I can’t have Savannah without the media. Like she said, they’re a packaged deal, and I could never ask her to leave the band.
“I actually have a meeting with them today. Jules’s parents, I mean. I’m telling them the truth, all of it. My lawyer has helped. I have the money to fight them in court if they want to try. I finally feel secure enough to come clean.”
I laugh and give her a half-hearted grin. I was preparing to face The Larks, but the world? Talk about diving in headfirst.
“I don’t know how this whole sex tape and dating the most infamous rockstar of our generation is going to go over, but my lawyer has assured me that my custody of Brynn is secure.”
She grimaces, like she feels guilty, then changes the subject.
“Does Brynn know?”
“She does. I don’t lie to my daughter. She knows I’m not her biological dad, and that her biological dad wasn’t a very good person. She also knows it’s best if we don’t tell people. She’s never been a fan of her grandparents, so her telling them hasn’t been a concern. Brynn and I know. Sharon knows. My lawyer knows. My father suspected before he died because Jules confided in him after she was raped, since he was the head of our church. And now you and everyone on the internet knows.”
She closes her eyes and presses a palm to her forehead, then lets out a frustrated groan.
“I keep saying it. I know I must sound like a broken record, but I’m so sorry. This never would have happened if it weren’t for me. I should have been more careful. I should have stayed—”
“Don’t say that,” I say, cutting her off. “Don’t you dare say that you should have stayed away from me. The universe brought you back to me for a reason, Savannah. You and me, we’re fated. We have been since you pushed me off the swing set in second grade. I was in love with you before I even hit the dirt, so don’t cheapen this. Don’t downplay it. We’re going to get through it, we’re going to overcome everything, and then we’re going to be together. This? You and me? We’re endgame. You know it. I know it. The fucking universe knows it, and pretty soon, the world is going to know it, too.”
Savannah’s lips turn up into a small smile, her eyes flashing with mirth. Then she sniffles and wipes away a few stray tears.
“I thought I was a brat. I thought you said I was too wild for my own good.”
I drag my gaze over her face. Her gray eyes. Her smirking lips. The smattering of freckles on her nose. Even her messy, untamed silver hair. She’s perfect. My perfect storm.
“You are. But you’remybrat. You’remykind of wild.”
She laughs through her tears, and it’s loud and raspy and real. Sunshine breaking through rainclouds.
“You know, this possessive side you’re showing could be considered a red flag.”
Now it’s my turn to laugh.
