Chapter 31
THIRTY-ONE
DALTON
I take a desperately needed cold shower after my ominous conversation with Jenny and head downstairs to find Mom in the kitchen making dinner.
“Staying for Dinner?” she asks, tipping her head up to steal a glance at me from where she’s washing some vegetables from the garden.
I plant a kiss on her cheek at the sink. “Absolutely, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” I admit, which is kinda true, because it’s either my mom’s or Savanna's house tonight.
Even though I'm convinced Drew would be team Dalton with my standing dinner invitation, I think her house might be out of the question tonight.
Since I left Savanna’s house, I haven’t heard from her.
I’m taking that as a sign she’s either comatose from all the sex we had earlier, or she’s in her head.
I’ll take the latter for five-hundred.
And fuck, I can't even blame her, because if there’s anything I realized from getting pelted by ice water, it’s that I’m in my head, too.
So much so, I didn’t even realize when my hands started to go numb, until the tips of my fingers turned blue.
After these last two weeks, it’s obvious I’m a complete goner for Savanna—hell, more than a goner.
I don’t want another woman ever again.
As I stared blankly at the tile wall in the shower, all I could envision was a future where Savanna and her daughter were in it. There’s no way that after I leave here, this is it. If I had to put a finger on how I’m feeling, I’d say this feels a lot like I’m in love.
“Wonderful!” Mom beams, her cheerful voice makes me snap my head up, abandoning my vision board planning. She’s placing mushrooms and spinach on a cutting board.
“What are we making?” I ask curiously, eyeing the ingredients laid out before me.
“Oh, just a quick vegetable lasagna. We’re supposed to get some heavy rain later this week, so I wanted to use up the last of the vegetables from the garden before they get flooded out,” she says, getting to work on slicing.
“Sounds amazing,” I gush, my stomach rumbling.
I haven’t eaten since my grilled cheese at Savanna’s, which really wasn’t enough calorie intake for the amount of cardio I did today.
Taking a stockpot out of the cabinet, I fill it to the brim with water and set it on a burner.
I then make my way over to the stacked double ovens and turn the dial to preheat.
My intentions are to help my mom prepare dinner right now, but my mind is racing with the news that there’s rain in the forecast. And from the sounds of it, not just the drizzle kind, but heavy, possible flooding rain.
I’m remembering all the times Drew has mentioned she loves rain this past week. More specifically, rainy days curled up on the couch with her mom, watching movies, listening to the rain pound the metal roof—and suddenly an intense longing I’ve never felt grips my chest.
I want to be there.
I want to be with them.
“Thanks, honey,” Mom observes over her shoulder. She walks to the pantry and pulls out the lasagna noodles, tearing the box open. She places a few sheets in the water.
“Of course. I’m glad to help. I miss cooking with you.”
“And I just miss you, honey,” she chuckles lightly. “Promise me it won’t be another six years until you visit me again.” She pauses. “Well, I mean, when I move to Charleston.”
My stomach flips. Oh yeah, the whole reason I came home in the first place.
I’ve been so distracted, I keep forgetting that the next time I visit Tybee, she won’t be here.
Will I still call Tybee my home?
I swallow hard, sliding onto the barstool to watch her prepare a salad. “Of course, I’ll come visit you, Mom.”
Her eyes flicker up to meet mine from the tomatoes she’s dicing. “It sure seems like no time has passed between you and Hudson. It’s been nice seeing the two of you together.” She stops dicing and lifts a brow. “Was it like riding a bike?”
A laugh falls from my chest. “Yeah, Mom. Hanging out with Hudson is exactly like riding a bike.”
A satisfied grin spreads across her lips. “See? Even though you’re a grown man now, I still have some advice left in me.”
My hands get clammy from where they’re stuffed in the front pocket of my sweatshirt. Advice? Do I need advice from my mom about Savanna? About my reenlistment coming up?
“So...” she starts, “that was a fun time with Drew this afternoon.”
Taking my hands out of my sweatshirt, I wipe the moisture on my shorts. “Mhm,” I mumble. “She’s a fun kid.”
Mom tosses her head back in a laugh. “That’s one way to put it. That girl is something else, that’s for sure. She has some fire in her, just like Savanna.”
“Yeah, she really does. She’s a spitfire, that’s for sure,” I admit, my mouth curving into a smile.
She raises her eyebrows at me. “She seems to really enjoy having you in Tybee. You must have really made quite an impression on her since you've been home. The second Jenny and I picked her up from school, she wouldn’t stop talking about you.”
My heart inflates. “Really?” I ask, scratching the stubble along my jaw.
“Really.” Her eyes narrow. “I wasn’t aware you were spending so much time with Savanna and her.”
I can feel the color drain from my face. “Well, I mean, yeah. I’ve spent some time with Savanna and her…” I stammer. “And with Hudson and her, of course.”
Mom’s eyes light up. “Of course,” she says, shooting me a wink.
“Mom...” My voice cracks in warning.
Her hands come up defensively, a butcher knife in one, a zucchini in the other. “What? Your mom can’t be a little curious about her son’s love life?”
I cover my ears, hopping off the barstool like my ass is on fire. “Ah!” I shriek. “God, no. Never say those words ever again.”
I watch her head tilt. “What, love life?” A mischievous smile spreads across her lips.
I point at her while pacing in front of the counter. “Yes, exactly.”
She throws her head back in a cackle. “Honey, we’re all adults here.” She pauses to think, placing her hand on her hips. “I can keep saying the words love life, or you can tell me what’s going on with you and Savanna.” She shrugs. “Take your pick, honey.”
Fuck me.
I guess it’s advice time.
I grab the drawstrings of my sweatshirt, releasing a heavy sigh. “I don’t really know what’s going on with me and Savanna, Mom. It kinda just happened.” I shrug.
I watch her study me before shaking her head. “Honey, you guys didn’t just happen,” she says, using air quotes.
Averting my eyes, I grip the counter. “I guess you’re right.” My voice comes out low as I give her a half shrug.
She snickers, getting back to dicing the tomatoes. “Honey, of course I’m right.”
Glancing up, she studies my pinched expression. “Dalton, you guys happened the second you gave her your fishing rod, when hers went overboard your dad’s boat when you were twelve.”
I swallow hard, and my body becomes tingly. Shit, she remembers that?
Savanna was devastated when a fish came by and grabbed her line when she wasn’t paying attention, taking the entire fishing rod that was leaning up against the side of the fishing boat with it.
I couldn’t bear to watch her cry, so I let her take my rod the rest of the day, even though the trip had just started.
She smirks, watching me replay the memory. “I knew it then. The way you looked at her after that...” She trails off, shaking her head. “It’s the same look your dad used to give me.”
My eyes snap into focus when she mentions my dad. “Pure love,” she says in a soft voice.
Giving her a nod, my throat goes dry, heart throbbing in my chest.
Pure love.
That’s the words I’ve been searching for when it comes to Savanna.
Clearing my throat, I finally speak. “Yeah, I do love Savanna, Mom.”
Saying the words out loud feels like a weight lifted from my chest.
It feels right.
Mom’s eyes shine, lips parting in a grin. “So, what are you going to do? You leave soon.”
The weight that was momentarily lifted off my chest comes back with a vengeance.
It’s a good question, probably a million-dollar question.
What the fuck are you going to do, Dalton?
Go back to California?
Get out of the Marines and move back to Tybee?
Does Savanna even want that?
My shoulders deflate, head hanging low between my hands. “I really don’t know what the answer to that is, Mom.” I pause, releasing a long exhale. “I’m supposed to sign for another four years when I get back. I don’t think she wants to uproot her and Drew’s life to move across the country.”
Hearing a humming noise come from Mom, my eyes glance up from where they’ve been glued to the counter. “Well, have you asked her?”
My head dips in a nod before drawing in a frustrated breath. “You should have seen her face when I mentioned the word California.”
Silence envelops us as she watches me unravel, like we’re both trying to rack our brains around the fact that I have my life in the military, but I want Savanna, too.
“Compromise.” Her voice pipes, breaking the silence.
“Compromise?” I repeat back to her, like it’s the first time I’ve ever heard the word, brows furrowing.
“Yup. Figure it out, honey,” she says, shrugging. “Because a girl like Savanna isn’t going to wait another six years for you to come home again.”
A wave of panic courses through me as I take an involuntary step back. My pulse rings in my ears.
My mom’s right—about all of it.