Chapter Twenty-Four
Savannah zipped up her hoodie; the cool breeze off the lake was a sure sign that winter was on the way. She wasn't a fan of the colder months, but a smile touched her lips at the thought of cozy evenings in front of the fire with Jake.
She took a deep breath as she stared out at the water and smiled when she noticed the smell of pine and lake.
It really was the smell of home to her, and even more so now.
Up at the garage it was mixed with the smell of engine oil, and here at Jake's dad and Jo's place it was so often layered in with the smell of good food.
This morning the smell of coals and smoke from the grill made her stomach rumble.
"How's it going, Savvie?"
She turned to smile at Jake's dad. "I'm doing great, thanks. How about you?"
He nodded. "The same." He smiled out at the lake. "If you want to know the truth, I can honestly say that I'm loving life."
Savannah hugged her arms around her middle—she wanted to hug him but that might seem a little weird.
"I can see that about you," she told him. "And I don't blame you. It must have been a hard life as a Marine—even though you enjoyed it. Now, you have Jo—she's such an amazing lady—and you live here in this wonderful house. It seems to me that you've earned this life and you deserve to be happy."
"Thanks." He turned and met her gaze. "I'm not so sure about earning it, though. I'm not saying that I haven't worked hard, but... I guess what I mean is that you shouldn't feel like you need to earn happiness." He smiled. "You don't always need to work hard for it. Sometimes it just comes along."
She glanced over to where Jake was laughing with his Uncle Dom next to the grill. "That's how I feel," she admitted. "Like happiness just came along—and I'm so grateful."
Damon smiled. "That's what I'm saying. It landed in your lap—and in Jake's—and all you need to do is let it in. Accept that it's real, that it can last, and enjoy it."
It felt like he was saying more than he put into words, but she wasn't sure what.
"I hope you'll let me and Jo in—as part of your family."
She pressed her lips together as she swallowed. "I feel like you guys are the ones letting me in."
He rested his hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "We already have, and we hope you'll want to be part of the family—for good."
She swallowed. "I do. Thank you. You have no idea how much it means to me."
"I might have an inkling. It was different for me—I was adopted as a baby and my adoptive family were so good to me that I never wondered about my birth family.
But Dom bounced around the foster system for most of his childhood.
" He glanced over at his brother. "Can you imagine what it was like to discover that you have an identical twin—someone who looks exactly the same as you but you didn't know they existed, let alone what they're like? "
Savannah shook her head. "I can't even imagine having a brother or a sister."
"I know, and what I'm trying to say—and not making a very good job of—is that I know you've been on your own for most of your life.
We all were in our own ways too, but that doesn't mean we're not close now—or that our family is any less real or close just because we didn't figure it out till now.
" He gave her a rueful smile. "I hope you'll see yourself as one of us.
We're not a family you need to work your way into from the outside.
We're all in the same boat—all thinking that we had no one until we found each other. "
"Aww." Her hand came to cover her heart. "Thank you. I know what you mean—and it means the world to me. I do tend to see myself as being on the outside looking in."
"Yeah, and—"
She held her hand up so she could continue. "But it hit me yesterday here in the kitchen with Jo while you guys were off doing your thing. I feel like I'm on the inside here—like... I belong."
He smiled so big that it reminded her of Jake. "That's all I wanted." He held his arms out to the sides, but then hesitated, looking uncertain.
Savannah took a step closer, a little unsure herself, but she had to risk it. "If you were about to offer a hug, I'd love one."
When he closed his arms around her, she rested her cheek against his chest and had to swallow a couple of times. Jake was a big guy, but his dad was huge. It was like hugging a warm, affectionate boulder.
He tightened his arms around her for a moment before stepping back, looking a little worried. "I hope that was okay?"
She nodded rapidly. "It was wonderful. I never knew my dad and I've never..." She shrugged. "That felt like the first dad hug I ever had."
He smiled. "Felt like my first daughter hug, too. And this is me signing up as your official provider of dad hugs—for life."
She grinned. "Offer accepted, and if you ever need a daughter hug..."
She didn't get the chance to finish as Jake appeared wearing a puzzled smile. "Are you guys okay?"
"We are." His dad winked at Savannah. "We were just practicing family hugs."
She was surprised that Jake's eyes widened. Surely he didn't think that she and his dad...?
From the look his dad gave him, she guessed there was something else going on, but she'd have to have a word with Jake later and make sure.
She relaxed when he slung his arm around her shoulders and said, "Well, can we save family hugs for later? I was wondering if you want to come over to the garage with me?"
"Yeah! I..." She was always eager to go in there, but... She glanced at his dad. "Do you need to go now?" She felt bad leaving when everyone was gathered here for lunch like this.
His dad chuckled. "Go on, get out of here. We're not planning to eat until later."
She felt like there was definitely something going on between them when he held Jake's gaze and said, "Go do your thing. We'll see you later."
~ ~ ~
"Are you going to head to the garage soon?"
Jake nodded, his gaze never leaving Savvie and his dad, who were standing at the edge of the yard looking out at the lake as they talked.
Uncle Dom pushed his shoulder and smiled. "Go and ask her then. You’re killing us here. We can't wait! And in case I haven't told you yet, I think Savannah's perfect for you. She's a good girl. She reminds me of Polly in a way."
Jake turned to him at that. His wife Polly had died long before Jake even knew he had an Uncle Dom. "I wish I could have met her."
"Yeah, me too. She would have loved you – and Savannah.
But …" He shrugged. "We had a good life, but I have a good life now as well.
" He glanced over at Sadie, who was laughing with Harvey, and smiled.
"You never know how things will turn out.
You just have to stay open to them turning out better than you ever expected.
That's how it worked for me. I never wanted to fall in love again after Polly, but life has its own plans.
And from where I'm standing, I'd say it's best to roll with them because life knows best."
He cleared his throat and stood a little straighter. "But that's not advice or anything. You have your dad for that..."
Jake punched his shoulder. "I do, but I'm lucky enough to have an uncle who I love and respect too. I'll take all the advice I can get from either of you."
Uncle Dom nodded. "Yeah, love you, too. Now go get your girl. Oh, it looks like Jo might want a word before you go. We'll see you in a little while."
Jake went over to where Jo was standing just outside the kitchen door and leaned in to peck her cheek.
"Are you okay?"
"I am. I wanted to check when you're planning to take Savannah to the garage."
He jerked his chin toward where she and his dad were still talking. "Just as soon as they get done."
Jo's expression softened as she followed his gaze. "I'm glad he has the chance to talk to her. He's been wanting to, but wasn't sure if he should."
"Yeah, I'm glad too. I know Savvie feels comfortable with you now, but she and Dad haven't had much of a chance to talk before."
As they watched them laugh, Jo smiled. "By the way that looks, I don't think we need to worry about them getting along."
"Is it weird to say that I'm not worried about anything?" Jake asked. "I hope I'm not riding for a fall, but everything feels so... right."
He was a little disappointed when Jo didn't agree immediately. Instead, she looked thoughtful.
"Do you think there is something I need to worry about?" he asked after a few moments when she didn't say anything.
"No, not exactly. It's just... well, there is something I'm a little concerned about."
"What?"
"Nothing about you and Savannah. It's... your mom."
Jake frowned, wondering what she'd done now. "What about her?"
"I feel bad that she isn't here today." She gestured around the yard.
Savannah and his dad were still down by the water.
Harvey was talking to Uncle Dom at the grill.
Sadie was laughing with Josh while Tiffany gestured wildly with her hands on an invisible steering wheel, clearly regaling them with tales of her driving adventures.
She'd surprised everyone by getting out of the driver's side of Josh's SUV when they arrived—apparently she'd quietly passed her written test and Josh had been helping her practice.
He loved seeing them all here together, all the people he cared about enjoying each other's company. He shook his head slowly—they wouldn't be able to enjoy themselves like this if his mom were here.
"We all get to share today with you,” Jo continued. “And I love that, but I feel bad for your mom."