Chapter 36
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
BLAKE
“You’re up early.” I slide my arms around Savannah, pulling her into my chest, my hands resting just underneath her bump, and I gently lift it up.
“Damn, that feels so good,” she moans softly, her body relaxing against mine.
“I thought we established I have very talented hands,” I tease, my lips brushing against the top of her head.
“Mm-hmm…” She tilts her head back. A small smile plays on her lips, but it’s not reaching her eyes. “ Very talented.”
It’s been a few days since Savannah disappeared on me. She hadn’t brought that day or her mother up since, but I could see it was still bothering her. She was pale, and the circles under her eyes were growing darker by the day because she couldn’t sleep, and what little sleep she did get was interrupted by nightmares. I tried asking her about it, but she brushed me off, so I dropped it. I knew her mother’s reappearance was the cause of it, and the only way things would go back to normal was when Savannah knew her mother was gone for good, unable to reach our kids.
Turning her around, I place a kiss on her lips. “I’m going to check in on the boys, or we’ll be late.” I wiggle my brows at her playfully. “I wouldn’t want my son’s teacher to rip me a new one.”
Savannah chuckles. “You better hurry up. I heard she’s very strict.”
Laughing, I let my hands drop and go toward the stairs. “Boys, if you don’t hurry up, we’ll be late!”
There is some commotion, but soon enough, Levi appears at the top of the stairs, his backpack on his shoulders. “I’m here. I’m here.”
“Daniel ready?”
“He said he’s coming now.”
“Okay.” I slide my hand to his back. “Want some cereal before we go?”
“Yes.” His whole face lights up when he spots Savannah in the kitchen. “Good morning, Sav!”
Savannah’s head snaps up, a guilty expression crossing her face as she looks at us. “Morning. Umm… your phone’s been ringing.”
My gaze falls to the counter, where I left my phone charging last night. “Who’s calling—” I take my phone off the charger and look down, the name on the caller ID making me pause.
Coach Higgins.
Shit.
“Dad, can I have Lucky Charms today?” Levi asks, drawing my attention.
“Yeah, sure. Gimme a sec, buddy.” Silencing the phone, I turn it face down to find Savannah still watching me. She nibbles at her lip, her brows set in a deep frown. “I’ll call him later.”
Before Savannah can say anything, Daniel runs down the stairs, and we get pulled into the craziness of the morning routine with the boys grabbing breakfast and searching for their things as we finally get on the road. Daniel drives on his own since he’s picking up one of his friends, and I drive Savannah and Levi to school.
“The doctor’s appointment is today, right?” I ask as I pull in front of the school and put the car in park.
Savannah unbuckles her seat belt. “Yes, at one.”
“Okay. I’ll see you at twelve-thirty then.” I lean forward, pressing my lips against hers. “Have a good day.” I glance over my shoulder, extending my fist for Levi to bump. “You, too, buddy. Be good to your teacher.”
“Sav is my teacher,” Levi giggles. “And I’m always good, right, Sav?”
“Most of the time.”
Saying their goodbyes, the two of them exit the truck, and I wait for them to be safely inside before I continue on my way.
I stop at the store and grab a few things we need before making my way back home. Just the other day, I’d finally started working on the dresser for the nursery, so I hoped I would get that finished before I had to pick up Savannah for our appointment.
Slipping out of the truck, I pull out my phone to call Coach as I start to go toward my house to put the groceries away when I spot movement across the street that has me stopping in my tracks.
I do a double-take when I see familiar blonde hair, but while Savannah’s hair is rich and glossy, this one is streaked with gray and tangled.
“Fuck.”
My jaw clenches as I watch her from a distance, my fingers balling into fists when I see her crouch down and lift one of the plants.
Cursing silently, I march across the street, my voice coming out icy when I stop at the bottom of the stairs. “Looking for something?”
Savannah’s mother freezes at the sound of my voice. Time seems to slow down as she weighs her options. Finally, after what feels like forever, she squares her shoulders and pushes to her feet, facing me.
In the light of the day, the resemblance between the two women is uncanny. The same sky-blue eyes that I stare into every day are narrowed at me now. But while Savannah is all good and kindness, her mother is the polar opposite—cold, calculating, mean.
Her jaw works as she observes me for a moment, the corner of her mouth lifting in a mocking smile. “Who do we have here? I don’t believe my daughter introduced us the last time.” She extends her hand toward me. “That girl has never had the best manners. I’m?—”
“I know exactly who you are. What I want to know is, what the fuck are you doing snooping around here?”
Her smile falls, all pretense of kindness gone. “I don’t see how that’s your business, this is my hou?—”
“It’s Savannah’s house,” I bite back, not in the mood to play whatever game she has on her mind. “And you’re not welcome here.”
The vein in her forehead twitches in annoyance at my words but ask me if I care.
“I mean it, if you don’t get the hell off this property, I’ll gladly toss you out.”
“You wouldn’t do that.”
“Do you wanna try me? Because let me tell you, there isn’t much I wouldn’t do to protect the people I love.”
My words ring in the air as we just stare at one another.
“Anything?” Savannah’s mother quirks her brow as she moves closer, her calculating smirk making the hair at my nape rise. “Because there is an easy way to get rid of me, Blake Walker.”
I try to school my features, but she must see the surprise on my face because her smile only grows bigger.
“I’ve asked around about you.” She tilts her head, her eyes taking me in slowly. “Gotta know who my daughter’s baby daddy is, after all. And I’ve learned some very interesting things. What can I say? Small towns. People love to talk. Get into other people’s business.”
“What do you want?” I grit, although I have a feeling I know where this is going.
She glances down, her fingers tracing over the railing. “I’ve found myself in an unfortunate… predicament, shall we call it? And you could help me out of it. Give your mother-in-law some cash to help her out, and I promise I’ll get out of your hair before you can blink.”
“Hell, no.”
Her head snaps up at my harsh words, eyes narrowing at me. “You sure you wanna do that?”
I move closer so we’re standing eye to eye. “I’m not giving you shit. Now get off this property before I throw you out.”
Her eyes throw daggers at me as she grinds her teeth. “You’re going to regret this.”
Icy chills run down my spine. “Is that a threat?”
“No, it’s a promise.”
With that, she pushes past me and walks away, not once looking back.