"You should take my life,
You should take my soul."

. . . . .

Water dripped down from the roof, the morning sun that shown from above melted away the bit of ice that had accumulated overnight. February was here and the days were still cold, but even so the hopefulness of spring was already on its way.

I licked my lips just as I brought my coffee mug back up to my mouth and took another sip. My eyes stared out the kitchen window as I looked across the street to the house the held my girlfriend and her shaken family. It had been only three days since I had told Trisha and Bryce about seeing Johnny's father at the store. These three days had been treacherous for everyone and I wished I could do something to help.

Bryce had made it clear that she didn't want me anywhere near the situation. She had told me that she didn't want to bring any more anxiety into my life just as I was getting back on my own two feet. But what was my newfound mindset good for if I couldn't even help the girl I loved with something so important?

I took another sip of coffee before I turned away from the window. Tyler glanced up at me from his phone for a brief moment as he sat across the room from me at the kitchen table. It was early and neither of us had eaten, but with the news of Johnny's father still hanging in the air, preparing food didn't seem to matter that much.

"I have to go..." Tyler spoke as he stood from his chair and stuffed his phone into his pocket. "I'm meeting up with Jenna for bit. Are you good here?"

I smiled half-heartedly at my friend and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

He gave a soft smile in return and patted my shoulder on his way out the door. I watched after him as he disappeared into the front hall, waiting patiently to hear the sound of the front door closing. A long sigh left my lips once I knew I was alone and I slumped back against the counter tiredly. For once I didn't mind the quiet. 

. . . . .

A loud knock on the door came around mid afternoon. Tyler hadn't made it back to the house yet as he had just texted me to say that him and Jenna had more wedding plans to make.

My eyebrows knitted together as I stood from the couch and made my way over to the front door. As I pulled open the door my heart rate picked up as I stared down at Trisha and the young boy by her side. The look of desperation on Trisha's face was something I knew all too well. I had seen it on my own features each morning when I woke up and looked at myself in the mirror.

"Josh." Trisha talked with a breathy sigh. "I need your help..."

Before she could even finish what she had planned to ask, I spoke up. "Do you need me to watch Johnny for a while?"

She looked up at me in relief and nodded. "But only for an hour tops, I promise. Bryce will be by to get him soon."

"It's no problem." I shook my head. "Whatever I can do."

Trisha's eyes grew glassy as she spoke. "I just really think he needs a distraction right now."

I nodded and bent down to Johnny's level, his eyes glancing up at me for a second as I smiled as best I could at him. "What do you say I show you what songs Tyler and I have been working on?"

The boy stayed quiet, pursing his lips in thought before he nodded his head in response. I stood to full height and place a hand on his shoulder as he walked toward me and into the house.

"Thank you so much, Josh." Trisha smiled genuinely before she turned and headed back down the porch steps.

With a silent sigh I shut the door and turned around to face my tiny friend. His forehead was permanently creased as the thoughts of his family clouded his brain.

I cleared my throat and ran a hand through my hair before I motioned for him to follow me. "Come on, you haven't gotten to see all the recording equipment yet."

Johnny hurried after my long strides and soon enough we were in the garage and I explained to him as best I could what all the equipment was used for. There was a thoughtful smile on his face as I rambled on and for a second I knew his mind was on something other than his dad.

"Hey, I was thinking..." I clicked a few things on the computer and brought up a new recording session on the screen. "I'd really like to record some of your mad drumming skills for the last song we need to record, what do you say? Help me out?"

Johnny's eyes grew wide with excitement at the offer and I smiled down at him as I scooted him toward my drum kit. I took the time to lower the stool and grabbed a fresh pair of sticks, showing him exactly what I wanted the beat to sound like.

Once he took his place behind the drum set, I made my way back over to the computer and hit the record button, giving him the thumbs up. My heart leapt into my throat as his skinny arms rose above his head before they came back down to hit the drumheads. Though the sound was completely off it still put a smile on my face.

"That was a great first take!" I cheered. "Let's go again."

And so we did. The loud banging of off beat drums filled the air over and over again as Johnny attempted to get it right.

When I turned toward the young boy to congratulate him on another good go there was a frown plastered on his face. In a few short weeks it felt like Johnny had matured even more. And though he was only ten, it was obvious that he was bound to have deep thoughts on certain situations. My eyebrows furrowed as the boy clutched the drumsticks he held closely to his chest.

"Mom's started crying again."

His words pierced my heart and I could feel tears sting my eyes, but I quickly willed them away. We stayed quiet for a moment before I had collected my thoughts enough to speak.

"Seeing your dad after all this time is hard for her." My voice was soft.

Johnny's lips formed into a thin line and he rubbed his eyes quickly with the back of his arm. "They aren't getting back together are they?"

"Hey, come here." I stood from the computer chair and ushered him out from behind the drum kit, the idea of distraction completely gone.

It looked like he was on the verge of tears and I quickly bent down to his level so I could wrap my arms around his small frame. I knew he understood, but it was obviously hard for him to let the idea of his parent's nonexistent relationship sink in.

My down cast gaze lifted at the sound of the garage door as it opened and Bryce instantly stopped in the doorway when she saw what was going on. Johnny sniffled slightly into the fabric of my shirt, but pulled away after a moment.

His eyes were misty with tears and his bottom lip quivered ever so slightly, but he stood tall and refused to cry. I smiled at his bravery and gave his shoulders a light squeeze for reassurance.

"Everything is going to work out just fine, I promise."

With that said, I stood up and smiled solemnly at Bryce. Her shoulders were tense with nerves, but she tried her best to smile back. She looked stressed, much like she had when I first met her in this exact room.

"Hey, John!" Bryce tried her best to hide her true feelings as she smiled down at her nephew. "You ready to head home?"

The young boy shrugged and nodded quietly and yet again I felt a ping of hurt in my heart. I hated seeing these people I cared for upset.

"How about you go put your coat on and I'll be right there." Bryce suggested as her eyes glanced up to meet mine.

My heart picked up speed as Johnny disappeared into the house and left my girlfriend and I alone. It felt like it had been years since we had a moment to ourselves. All of Bryce's time had been spent at her job and or consoling her sister, both of them trying to figure out what to do about their current predicament. I missed her like crazy and it had only been a few days.

"Hi." She breathed out, moving quickly toward me.

Our lips pressed together and I felt relaxed for the first time all day. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her body closer to mine. I wished she could stay a little longer.

"I'm sorry," Bryce spoke quietly after we had finally pulled away from each other, though I refused to remove my arms from around her.

"For what?" I tilted in my head in wonder and let my eyes scan her pretty face.

"For not being around as much as I want to." She glanced away nervously. "I don't want you to think I'm pushing you away or anything."

I shook my head immediately. "I don't think that. I know your family is having problems, but I want you to understand that I'm here to help you too, like you've been for me. You can't take on everything by yourself... Even if you think you can."

Tears pooled in her eyes at my words and it was the first moment I think I had ever seen her fully let her emotions take over. Bryce was always confident with a hard exterior so it was heartbreaking to watch as a few tears slid down her face.

I pressed my thumbs to her cheeks and wiped them away, her damp eyelashes fluttering at the soft touch. She took in a large breath of air and shut her eyes for only a second, shaking away the tears and turning back into her composed self.

"Sorry about that." Bryce tried to laugh it off as she too wiped under her eyes.

"Don't be sorry." My hands were still on her cheeks and I pulled her forward into another kiss.

Bryce's hands gripped my wrists tightly and when she sighed into the kiss I finally felt a bit of her anxiousness wash away. She had done so much for me already. I needed to be able to do the same for her now.

If this situation had happened when we first met I knew I wouldn't have been able to handle the pressure of it all and I was sure that I probably would have lost Bryce in the process. But I was ready now. I'd help her and her family in any way that I could.

"I love you so much." Bryce whispered against my lips.

I pressed my forehead to hers and smiled. "I love you too."

. . . . .

A/N: Hello friends! We are officially getting down to it. I have up to chapter 49 outlined and my goal is to end this book on 50 chapters so there is an even 100 in total, but who knows.

There is a prequel of some sorts to this book on my mind, but in Tyler's point of view. It's not a definite, just an idea as of now, but I'd love to know if people would be interested in something like that.

Why do you think Johnny's father has returned? Will he try to take Johnny or is he there for another reason? And as always thank you all so much for taking time out to read any of my works, it's very appropriated. Vote? Comment? Love.

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