Page 62 of The Complete Truth Duet
Every head in the room turned to Penn as he silently stood there. Uncomfortably, but still confident, he looked at the floor, shifting his weight from side to side for an agonizing amount of time that probably calculated closer to seconds than the hours it felt like.
Penn and I were just starting something. And that was a big commitment they were asking for. And, unfortunately for my heart, hearing the answer was an even bigger commitment, because there was no going back from it. I wasn’t ready to lose him, thus losing a piece of myself, but if his answer was anything other than a conclusive, unquestionable yes, that was exactly what I’d have to do.
“You don’t have to answer that,” I whispered.
“Yes. He does,” Savannah said, stepping out of my arms.
I held my breath until my lungs burned. Penn had told me that he’d be there for me in the little deal we’d made, but this seemed like something bigger—something real.
When he finally looked up, his face was granite, but his eyes were blazing like a fire was brewing in his soul. “I don’t have any family left. I have nothing left to lose. Nothing they can take away from me.”
Yeah. That sucked.
Momentarily.
He folded his hand around mine, adding, “Except for Cora.”
An explosion of emotion happened behind my lids. I couldn’t blink them fast enough to keep the moisture at bay.
After bringing my hand to his mouth for a quick kiss, he gave River back his focus. “And, by extension, that means you and Savannah too. So yeah, River. I’m gonna do whatever the hell it takes to keep Cora safe. And that is one hundred percent the truth.”
Savannah’s chin quivered, but she squared her shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. “Even if that means getting her out of here and taking her away from us?”
My eyes flared as guilt iced my veins. “No,” I swore, taking a giant step forward.
Cool and calm, Penn used our entwined hands to pull me back to his side. “You think she’d leave you behind?” This was asked in that hey, that sounds like a good idea way rather than the rhetorical you cannot be serious way.
“Penn,” I scolded.
They were suffering and he was toying with them? I attempted to snatch my hand from his, but he only held it tighter.
“Answer,” he pressed.
They looked at each other, silently communicating, tears falling from their eyes.
River finally offered me a sad smile. “No. She wouldn’t leave us.”
Love detonated inside me—until it was Savannah’s turn.
Her thin body trembled as she avoided my gaze and admitted, “I don’t know.”
“Savannah,” I breathed, her confession slashing through me, cutting me to the bone.
“Then you need to open your eyes, kid,” Penn said roughly. “Yeah, Cora and I have something going. It’s good. Every day that passes, it grows stronger and deeper. But I would never try to take her away from you. Because, God’s honest truth, she wouldn’t come.”
Savannah’s head popped up, disbelief etched in her features.
“Yeah. You heard me. This woman would willingly throw me and everything we have together in front of a bus for so much as asking her to leave you two. We’ve been spending a lot of time together, but quite honestly, it’s embarrassing how much she’s filled my ears with you girls.”
My heart stopped as I witnessed the most beautiful relief wash over both of my girls. Head to toe, they sagged. But Penn wasn’t done yet.
“Savannah, your favorite color is purple and not because you like it, but because it makes your eyes pop. Also, could you please teach Cora to do her eyebrows like yours? Swear to God, every night, she gives me a ten-minute dissertation about how she can never get hers to look like yours. You’d be saving my eardrums a lot of trouble if you could take care of that.”
My mouth fell open as I craned my head back to look up at him.
“And, River,” he continued. “Not even kidding, if you could cool it with all the A’s, I’d be much obliged. And stop growing while you’re at it. I think you’ve gotten two inches taller since I’ve been here. Cora’s not ready to look up to you, yeah?”
Savannah’s whole face lit up like he’d presented her with the highest acclaim.
River shyly looked down at her shoes, a giant smile stretching from ear to ear.
And with my heart pounding, yet simultaneously struggling to beat, I stared at him in absolute awe.
I’d never once talked about Savannah’s eyebrows. Honestly, I’d wished she’d tone them down. And she did wear purple a lot––Penn must have noticed. And River, yes, she made A’s; she was smart as a whip. And it wasn’t going to be long until she was towering over me, but I couldn’t remember ever voicing this to Penn.
