“Oh, Jesus,” Rafe murmured. “Somebody make him stop.”
Hudson flipped him off. “You should be thanking me, bro. I seem to remember playing a vital role in operation ‘make Rafe pull his head out of his ass’.” He smirked. “Anyway, Eva, your heart might belong to Rafe, but you’ll always be a part of this band. Congratulations on your first number one hit. I can’t wait to see you soar to new heights. To the sweetheart of Country, Miss Evangeline Star Walker.”
“Eva.” Our cheers rang out through the suite, as she buried herself into Rafe’s side, her cheeks a deep shade of pink.
“Speech, speech,” Letty clapped.
“Oh no, I’m not sure—”
“Speech!” everyone yelled.
Eva rolled her eyes, shooting Letty an indignant look. But she was smiling, laughing right along with the rest of us.
“I’m not really sure how to follow that.” She beamed at Hudson. “A year ago, my best friend pushed me so far out of my comfort zone, I wanted to hate her. For a hot second, I think I did. But performin’ at the Jamesboro Talent Showdown changed my life... it changed it for the better. I got to know four guys who define the word family. Four guys who support each other through the highs and lows, and even when they’re at odds with one another, they still have each other’s back.
“It’s been a dream come true tourin’ with y’all over the last five months. I didn’t ever imagine this life, bein’ on the road, would be for me. But y’all make it so easy. I couldn’t imagine bein’ anywhere else.” She swiped the tears from her eyes. “Wow, I didn’t expect to cry. Damn you, Hudson.”
“It’s my specialty, making girls cry.” He frowned. “No, wait, that doesn’t—”
“Hudson!”
“Yeah, yeah, keep your hair on.”
Eva chuckled, her laughter so warm and full of love, it was hard not to be affected. The girl from a small town in Tennessee really had found her place among this bunch of misfits. They loved her and she loved them.
“You complete us, Angel,” Levi said from behind me, his words twisting something inside me. “And I’m so fucking happy my brother managed to get over himself and tell you how he felt. I love you guys.”
The room went silent, the air thick with Levi’s admission. This was a big deal. I could tell from everyone’s shocked expressions that Levi had caught them off guard.
“What?” he let out a strained chuckle.
“Nothing, man,” Rafe said, smiling. “We love you too. Always.” Eva dropped down beside her boyfriend and the two of them nodded at Levi.
It was such an intimate moment between the three of them, I felt like an outsider.
Suddenly, I felt completely out of my depth.
“Excuse me,” I said, standing. “I need a girl’s minute.”
They barely noticed as I hurried into Levi’s bedroom and went into the adjoining bathroom. Closing the door, I braced the counter, unable to withhold the torrent of emotion rising inside me.
It was silly.
So what if Levi had told his brother and Eva he loved them. He was supposed to love them. They were family.
“Phoebe?”
His voice made me flinch. I didn’t want him to see me like this, confused and upset. I didn’t even really know why I felt this way.
All I knew was, hearing them all talk like that... it was so obvious their bonds went beyond being mere bandmates. They were a family. A unit. If one of them bled, they all bled. I’d known it before, but not like this.
No matter what, they had each other… while I had no one.
It had never felt more apparent than it did in this moment.
“Bee, open the door.”
“Just a minute.” My voice cracked.
I realized my mistake the second he tried the door handle and it opened.
“Levi,” I said, turning away from him. “Please, just give a minute.”
“You’re crying?” He closed the door and stalked toward me. I felt the air shift around him, each step like a gunshot to my heart. “What is it, Bee? What’s wrong?” His hands ran over my shoulders and down my arms.
“I’m okay,” I sniffled, “I’m just being silly.”
“Hey, don’t do that. Not with me. Never with me.” Levi turned me in his arms, but I couldn’t meet his eyes.
I didn’t do this—I didn’t break down in front of my boyfriend and all his friends. I was the strong one, the fighter, the survivor.
“Honeybee, look at me.” He gripped my chin and tilted my face up to meet his. “What happened?”
“I just got overwhelmed. It’s silly.” I dried my eyes. “I’m fine now, I promise.” Forcing a weak smile, I tried to shirk out of his hold, but Levi backed me up against the counter.
“You’re family too now. You know that, right?”
His sincere words were like a sucker punch to the chest and a fresh wave of tears spilled down my cheeks. “God, I hate this,” I said. “I hate crying.”
“Ssh, Bee.” Levi pulled me into his chest, cradling me there. He didn’t speak, he just held me, letting me purge my emotions.
When the tears finally subsided, I pulled away, and gazed up at him. “Sorry about that, I don’t know what came over me.”
“Don’t do that. Don’t act like you have to protect me from everything, Phoebe. I’m here aren’t I? I’m right here, trying to be a better guy for you.”
“Levi, I—”
“You’re scared, I get it. You think I can’t handle this—whatever this—is.” His brows pinched as he released a heavy sigh. “I’m not a total asshole, Bee. Not all of the time.”
“I know that, Levi.” I brushed my thumb over his jaw. “It took me by surprise as much as you. I think... seeing you all like that tonight. Hearing Eva... You have this amazing, loyal family who will always be there. They’ll always fight for you and stand by your side. I guess it reminded me that I don’t have that.”
There was me and there was my father, and he was as emotionally unavailable as he was physically. I didn’t have a group of girlfriends to celebrate or commiserate with or talk about guys with. I had no extended family, no aunts or grandmas or cousins.
I was all alone in the world.
And until this moment, I’d thought I was okay with that.
But now I had Levi, and everyone was so set on reminding me to be careful with his feelings, to try my best to protect his fragile heart... that I hadn’t spared much thought to what would happen if I lost him.
In some ways, since I arrived on tour with the band, I’d been trying to fix Levi, to keep him whole. I was a caretaker at heart. I had an innate need to want to look after people. But I’d been so wrapped up in my feelings for Levi, the intensity between us, I’d neglected to consider one vital thing.
Who would pick up the pieces of my broken battered heart if it all went wrong?
“I’ve got you, Bee. I’ve got you.” Conviction coated Levi’s words, and I wanted so desperately to believe him.
But Levi’s feelings toward me weren’t a permanent solution, it was a temporary fix.