Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
BLAKE
“What’s up with that scowl?” Miguel slides next to me, nudging me with his elbow. “I figured you’d be happier since you got to spend some time with Savannah.”
“He fucked something up,” Aaron chimes in as he takes a sip of his beer, his attention fixed on the boys who’re playing hoops on the nearby stand. “She ran out of there like the devil’s at her heels and has been glaring at him ever since.”
I narrow my eyes at Aaron. “She isn’t glaring at me.”
“Only because she’s been ignoring you for the last hour,” Aaron points out.
I guess he had me there. Savannah is standing at another table along with Becky and Katherine Santiago. She and her husband Emmett joined our group while we were in the haunted house, and the women were currently watching how Emmett held his young daughter as they rode on the carousel.
Becky says something that has the woman laughing, and I can’t help but feel a jab of jealousy at seeing Savannah so happy. I wanted to be the one who made her smile like that, but I always ended up saying the wrong thing.
“And the scowl is back.” Miguel shakes his head. “You two seriously need to figure your shit out before that baby comes.”
“Did you tell the boys at least?” I wince softly at Aaron’s question, which earns me a disapproving look. “Seriously, dude?”
“There wasn’t a right moment.”
“There will never be a right moment for something like this.” Aaron shakes his head. “The more you prolong it, the worst it will be once the truth comes out.”
“I know.” I run my hand over my jaw, feeling the frustration growing inside of me. “Fuck, I know. But I can’t just come and say, ‘Hey, boys, do you want Lucky Charms or Cocoa Puffs? Oh, and yeah, you’ll be big brothers in about four months; congrats!’”
Miguel winces softly. “When you put it like that.”
“I’ll tell them. Trust me, the last thing I want to do is hide any of this, but I just have to figure out the best way to do it.”
The best way to preserve the tentative relationship I was trying to build between my boys and me, while at the same time getting a chance to see where this thing with Savannah might lead me. Lead us. Where did I want it to lead us? That was the better question.
My gaze darts toward the table where the girls are sitting, only this time they’re not alone. There is a tall guy standing between Becky and Savannah, his hand leaning casually against the back of Savannah’s chair.
“Who the hell is that?” My fingers clasp into a fist by my side as I watch Savannah tilt her head back so she can look at the dude. She listens intently to whatever he’s saying, and then she laughs—freaking laughs.
Something that feels a lot like red, hot anger boils inside my stomach.
Miguel looks at the girls. “That’s Nico. We went to school together.”
“You went to school with half this town,” I mutter, glaring at the guy whose hand has now moved to Savannah’s shoulder.
Was there something going on between the two of them?
“Just a handful of people.” Miguel narrows his eyes at me, the corner of his mouth lifting in a knowing smirk. “Are you jealous, Walker?”
“Jealous?”
Because a good-looking young guy, somebody that was more her age and didn’t have a ton of baggage like me, was touching her?
Hell, yes, I was jealous.
“You totally are jealous,” Miguel says as if he can read my mind and bursts into laughter. “I think this is a first.”
Reluctantly, I shift my attention to my friend. “What are you talking about?”
“You. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you jealous before.”
No, I don’t believe he has. Because I wasn’t that type of guy. At least, I thought I wasn’t. I wasn’t even jealous when I found out that Reina was cheating on me. I was hurt that it had to end the way it did, and I was angry that she left our boys the way she did, but I wasn’t jealous. Not for a moment.
Until now.
Until I saw this preppy dude flirt with Savannah.
Because something about seeing that guy’s hands on her, like they belonged there, annoyed the crap out of me.
I down the rest of my drink. “Shut up, Fernandez.”
“What are you guys talking about?” Becky asks as she joins our group.
“Blake’s dark mood.” Miguel slips his hand around her waist as he pulls her into his side and takes her in. His palm rubs at the side of her belly, his lips brushing against the top of her head. “How are you feeling, Red?”
“The same.” She waves him off, those green eyes fixing on me. “Why gloomy?”
“No reason.” I look over her shoulder, expecting to see Savannah there, but she’s nowhere in sight. “Where is Savannah?”
“So that’s the reason for the gloominess.” She smirks. “I should have figured as much.”
“He got jealous when Nico stopped by.”
Becky’s elbow connects to Miguel’s side, and he lets out a soft yelp. “As if you’re one to talk. You men are all the same.” She rolls her eyes. “She left for home a little while ago since she was tired.”
“Tired?”
“Yes, Blake. Pregnant women get tired. And on that note, I think I’m ready to go home. My feet are killing me.”
Miguel doesn’t need to be told twice. “C’mon, Red. I promise to give you a foot rub when we get home. How does that sound?”
“Perfect.”
They say their goodbyes, already too lost in one another. I watch them walk away slowly, and I can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. He was ten years my junior, and he had his life figured out. He put a ring on his fiancée’s finger, and now they were expecting their first baby together.
“You want another drink?” Aaron asks, bringing me out of my thoughts.
“Nah, I’m good.” I shake my head. “I think we’ll go home too. Make sure Daniel didn’t get into any trouble while we were away.”
Aaron gives me a knowing look. “Yeah, good luck with that.”
Knowing Daniel? I had a feeling I might need it.
Together, we collect the boys who have moved from shooting hoops to the bumper cars and go back to the parking lot, where we say our goodbyes.
“Did you have fun?” I ask Levi as we get on the road.
“It was the bestest.” He smiles sleepily. “Can we go again?”
I let out a soft chuckle. “I’m not sure when the next town fair will be, but sure, we can go.”
“Can Kyle come with us the next time?” he asks, his smile growing bigger at the idea. “I think he would like it.”
“We’ll see, buddy. How about we start with a play date at the park or something?”
“Or he could come to our house, and we can play together with Lego bricks.”
“Sure thing; we can ask.”
Levi nods. “You’ll have to learn how to talk with your hands.”
“Talk with my hands?” My brows pull together in confusion.
“Yes. Kyle doesn’t hear, so we talk with our hands. Like this.”
I look up in the rearview mirror and find him moving his hands.
“What did you just tell me?”
Levi giggles. “My name, silly!”
“You’re right, silly me.” I make a turn into our neighborhood. “When did you become so smart?”
“I’ve always been smart, Dad! Duh! I wanna know all the signs. Miss Parker is teaching us.”
Why didn’t that surprise me in the least? Maybe I was wrong, and Savannah knew sign language from before, but she seemed like the type of woman who’d go the extra mile to make her students feel welcome and included.
“You like Miss Parker?”
“Yes.” He leans forward in his car seat, his voice dropping lower. “Although she’s a big scaredy cat.”
The feel of Savannah’s body pressed against mine in that haunted house flashes in my mind. Her sweet scent surrounding me. Her fingers clutching at me for dear life. The way she buried her face into my shoulder, her body molding to mine just right. As if she belonged there.
“That she is,” I agree softly as I pull in front of our house and kill the engine.
The light is on in the hallway, but the rest of the house is in darkness; nothing unusual since Daniel has probably closed himself in his bedroom and is playing his video games.
Sliding out of the truck, I hold the door open for Levi. “Go upstairs, change into your PJs, and don’t forget to brush your teeth.” The movement across the street catches my attention. “I’ll be up to check on you in a few minutes.”
“Okay, Dad!” He rushes past me toward the stairs.
“I mean it, Levi. I’ll know if you don’t, and then you’ll be in trouble.”
“Will do!” he yells as he climbs two steps at a time. How he had the energy after spending the whole day outside playing, I had no idea. I was freaking exhausted.
With a sigh, I close the door and cross the street to where Savannah is sitting on the stairs of her front porch; her head tilted back as she watches the sky.
“Running away again, Blondie?”
“It can hardly be called running away when you know where I live.”
I join her on the step, my arm brushing against hers. “The only difference is that now I know where to find you.”
She tilts her head, those crystal blue eyes meeting mine. She took off her makeup at some point since she got home, her face completely bare but no less beautiful. I liked seeing her like this. Seeing all the different sides of her that made her the woman she is. And the more I saw the more I wanted to get to know her. Truly know her. Know her ticks and tells. Know how to make her laugh and what made her sad.
I wanted to know every single piece of her: body, mind, and soul.
It was scary. I never wanted anything like that. Not with Reina, or any woman that was there before her.
A lock of hair falls into Savannah’s face. She starts to lift her hand, but I’m faster. I curl the silky strand around my finger, testing its softness, before I gently tuck it behind her ear. My knuckles brush against her cheek, and she inhales deeply.
It’s like all the air has been sucked out of the space, leaving only the sizzling, pent-up tension that’s been building between us since that first night we met.
“I wanted to look for you the moment I woke up that day,” I whisper softly. “But you were gone, and I had nothing to go by. I cursed myself so many times for agreeing to your idea.”
Those full, pink lips part in surprise. My gaze falls to her mouth. The mouth I’ve thought about kissing so many times in the last few weeks. I wanted to see if she tasted as good as I imagined she would. If it would feel as good as I thought it would.
I slip my hand under her chin, the tip of my thumb rubbing over her lower lip.
“Blake…”
My name is a breathy whisper on her lips, a prayer and a curse all in one, but she doesn’t pull away.
I lean down, closing the distance between us. Just a few inches. That’s all that was left between us. Mere inches…
“What the hell is going on here?”
Savannah and I jump apart at the question, turning toward the sound of the voice, I find Daniel coming from the shadows, his hands curled into fists by his sides as he glares at the two of us.
Shit.
Panic slams into me as I try to figure out how much he heard and saw. If it’s to be judged by the way he is looking at us, enough.
Then something else clicks.
The direction from which he came. It was from behind Savannah’s house.
My eyes narrow at him. “What are you doing outside?” I ask, pushing to my feet.
Savannah starts to get up too, so I grab her arm to help steady her, my fingers lingering on her soft skin before turning my attention to my son, whose gaze is locked to that singular point of contact. Reluctantly, I force my fingers to uncurl and let go. “Daniel?”
He looks up slowly. “I was bored, so I went out for a walk.” He shrugs, trying to play it off, but there was just something about his stance that wasn’t adding up.
“You said you’d stay home,” I remind him, crossing my arms over my chest.
Daniel’s eyes turn to slits, but he doesn’t back down. “I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Daniel,” I growl in warning. He’s been toeing the line since we moved here, trying to test my limits, and I’ve all but had it with him.
“What?” He lifts his arms in the air and lets them fall by his sides. “I’m here, just chill.”
“What I want to know is where you were before.”
“Well, what I wanna know is what were you”—he shifts his attention to Savannah—“doing out with her?”
“Miss Parker and I were just talking. Now will you…”
Daniel lets out a snort and stops me before I can finish. “Talking? You can tell that to Levi. He might believe you.” He chuckles, but there is no amusement in his voice, only anger and resentment. “I’m not a kid anymore. You’re fucking her.”
From the corner of my eye, I can see Savannah flinch at his crude, hurtful words.
My fingers clench into a fist as I take a step closer, trying to keep my voice in check. “Watch your mouth, Daniel. You’ll not talk like that about Savannah or any other woman for that matter.”
“Now it’s Savannah, huh? Done with pretending, Dad ?” Daniel spits out, anger burning in his gray eyes. “And how should I be talking about her? I’m just stating the truth. It didn’t take you long to find somebody new.” He turns to Savannah, his eyes scanning her from head to toe. “But Levi’s teacher of all people? Seriously? And not just that, she’s also pregnant. How can you—” His words trail off, brows pulling together, and I can see his mind work, putting the pieces together. “Holy shit.”
“Daniel, I swear to God…”
“It’s yours,” he mutters, his mouth falling open. “The… The kid, it’s yours.”
Fuck my life.
Savannah’s panicked eyes meet mine.
This was bad.
So, so bad.
My worst-case scenario was playing out in front of me, and there was nothing that I could do to put a stop to it.
“Daniel…” I place my hand on his shoulder, my heartbeat echoing in my ears as I try to find the right words, but Daniel yanks his hand out of my grasp.
His cheeks are red, eyes wild as he glances from me to Savannah and back.
He takes a step back. “You knocked her up?”
“It’s not like it seems…”
But it was exactly as it seemed.
I was the father of Savannah’s baby.
There was no denying that. I didn’t want to deny that.
“You’re a fucking liar,” Daniel yells. I don’t try to stop him when his fists connect with my chest. “You knocked her up. Is that why you were so insistent that we should move here? So you can be with her?”
“He didn’t know I was pregnant until you guys moved here,” Savannah says softly, her hand reaching for Daniel’s forearm.
“Don’t touch me,” he hisses, pulling his arm back. “Who the hell do you think you are? Just because he’s fucking you doesn’t give you the right to mess with our lives.”
“Daniel…” I grab his arm and pull him back, so he doesn’t shove her by accident.
If he wanted to take his frustration out on somebody, it should be me, not Savannah.
“One more word, and I swear to God, you won’t like the consequences,” I growl softly, my grasp on him tightening in warning. “Just because you’re angry at me doesn’t give you the right to act this way.”
He lifts his chin up, the defiance written all over his face. “Fuck you. Both of you.”
Ripping his hand out of my grasp, he spins on the balls of his feet and marches toward the house without another word.
“Fucking hell,” I mutter, running my hand through my hair as I watch after him, anger and frustration boiling inside of me.
Not just at Daniel, but also at myself.
I should have told them both the moment I realized Savannah was pregnant with my baby, and none of this would have happened, at least not to this extent.
When I turn toward Savannah, I find her standing a few feet away from me, her arms wrapped around herself as she stares toward my house where Daniel disappeared to, a somber expression on her face.
“I’m so sorry for the way he spoke to you.”
“Can you blame him?” Savannah gives her head a little shake before she shifts her gaze to me. “You should go and check in on him.”
“I…” I rub my palm over the scruff on my jaw.
The need to stay here with her and make sure she’s okay fights with my need to do right by my son. This whole situation is fucked up on so many levels, I couldn’t even begin to put it into words.
They deserved better.
Levi.
Daniel.
Savannah.
Our unborn baby.
They all deserved so much better than a man who kept messing up over and over again.
“Go home, Blake,” Savannah says softly. “He might be angry, but at the end of the day, he’s just a kid. And I think deep down he needs his dad to reassure him that everything will be alright.”
There was no judgment on her face, only sadness. And I hated that I was the reason for it. How Savannah could find grace for my son after he said all those things to her, I’ll never understand. Most women would be appalled, but not her. Never her.
Instead, she was worried about him.
I scan her face, but that unreadable mask is firmly back in place. “We’ll talk later?”
I needed to know that this wasn’t the end. That while I might need to sort this whole situation with Daniel out, and I still had to tell Levi, she’d give me a chance to make this right.
She’d give me—give us —a chance, period.
Her throat bobs as she swallows and nods. “You know where to find me.”
“That I do. Good night, Blondie.”
“Night.”
She turns around and makes her way inside. I wait to hear the resounding click of the lock falling into place before I face my house.
Yes, I hate how this whole situation played out, but I couldn’t deny that a part of me was relieved that the truth was finally out in the open.
Now I just had to figure out how to make things right.
With everybody.
Shaking my head, I make my way back home. The house is eerily quiet as I climb up the stairs. Levi’s door is open, and he’s lying in his bed.
Taking in a long breath, I enter the room. “All done buddy?”
“Yeah,” he murmurs, his eyes heavy with sleep. “What’s with Daniel? He just ran into his room and slammed the door.”
I sit down on the edge of the bed and slick back his hair. “He’s angry with me.”
“That’s nothing new.”
“No, I guess it isn’t. Sleep tight. I’ll go and talk to him.”
“Mm-hmm… Night, Dad.”
“Night, buddy.”
The bed creaks when I push to my feet. I’m just at the door when Levi calls out. “Dad?”
I look over my shoulder at his sleeping frame. “Yeah?”
“Today was lots of fun.”
“Today was lots of fun for me, too,” I whisper back. He nods, snuggling deeper into the pillow. By the time I close the door of his room, he’s already asleep.
Rubbing my palm over my face, I look at the room across the hallway.
You’re in this mess because you’ve tried to avoid this in the first place. It’s nobody’s fault but your own, so now deal with it.
I let out a sigh and crossed the room. Silence greets me on the other side, and the need to barge in and make sure Daniel is really inside is strong. I didn’t forget that he wasn’t back home like he said he would be. Then again, did I really get to judge him for not confiding in me when I didn’t do the same?
“Daniel?” I knock against the door, listening intently for any sign of life, but there is nothing. “We have to talk about what happened.”
More silence.
“Dan—”
Something bangs against the door, making it rattle.
Loudly.
“Leave me alone.”
That’s promising.
I run my fingers through my hair.
“Fine. Sleep on it, but we’re talking about it tomorrow.” I wait for a heartbeat, hoping for some kind of response, even if it’s another thing thrown at the door, but there is nothing. Sighing, I whisper, “I love you.”
Still nothing.
Not that I expected it.
Not from Daniel.
But I was determined to keep saying it.
Maybe one day he’ll actually believe me.
Maybe one day he’ll forgive me.
Tonight wasn’t that day.