26. Chapter Twenty-Six
I’m a mess when Savanna finally graces me with her presence, fresh tears falling down my cheeks at the image of Easton driving away from me.
She stops in the middle of the living room, her eyes narrowed on my face, and she shakes her head. “What happened?”
“It went great,” I say sarcastically. “I told him I loved him and he left. He couldn’t get out of here fast enough, Sav.”
What did I think would happen? It was stupid of me to assume everything would be right in the world and that he would let me jump into his arms just because I told him I love him. Maybe I should’ve tried a different approach. The couch sinks under Savanna’s weight and she puts her arm around my shoulders, pulling me into her. “What did he say?”
“Basically nothing. He just walked out and drove off while I watched from the front porch.”
I had hoped that maybe it was a knee-jerk reaction to what I said and he would end up turning around and let me finish what I was trying to say. But considering it’s been two hours, I’m starting to think he’s not coming back.
He didn’t give me the chance to tell him where I saw my future. It wasn’t long ago that he asked me that question and I couldn’t give him a definitive answer, but that’s not the case anymore. I know exactly where I see my future and it’s with Easton and Bethany in it.
How do I get him to listen to me, though?
Savanna sighs when her phone rings from her purse and she pulls it out reluctantly, glancing at me briefly when she checks the caller ID. “It’s Bethany, what do you want me to do?”
The smile I give Savanna makes her eyebrows scrunch in confusion, then she shakes her head. “No way, you are not using my niece to get in good graces with Easton.”
“I am not going to use her.” I wave my hand at her phone, which is still ringing, and say, “Just answer the damn call and see what she wants.”
In the meantime, I’ll be thinking of how to convince Easton that we are right for each other and that I’m not going anywhere ever again.
“Bethy,” Savanna says cheerfully. “What’s up?”
My best friend nods as Bethany talks over the other line, her voice too muffled for me to hear anything she’s saying. “You want to do that tonight?” Savanna asks.
What does she want to do tonight, I wonder? Savanna looks over at me and sighs. “Let me see what Autumn thinks and I’ll call you back.” As soon as she hangs up the phone, I’m nodding, not even letting her voice the question to me. I have no clue what Bethany wants, but right now I don’t care. Savanna rolls her eyes. “You don’t even know what she called for.”
I sigh. “Fine, what did she want?”
“Bethany wants us to have our girls’ night tonight.”
“Perfect!” I exclaim and Savanna frowns at me. “What? I can’t be excited to spend some time with her?”
“Yeah,” she mutters. “Because that’s what you’re excited for. I can’t believe I’m letting you do this.”
I’m not using Bethany per se, but she’s probably going to be my best bet at making sure Easton gives me the time of day. He needs to hear where my head is at with everything without walking away from me and something tells me that Bethany will make sure that happens.
“Call her back and let her know you’ll be there to pick her up in a little while. We can have girls night over here, as long as Dawson is okay with that.”
Savanna scoffs. “That man will agree to anything that makes me happy. I’ll tell him to go hang out with Gage for the night or something.” She rises from the couch and rolls her eyes. “Guess I’ll be back. I’ve got nothing here for a girls’ night so I’ll need to go to the store.”
“I’ll come with you!” As soon as I go to stand, I realize my crutches are on the other side of the room and I blow out an annoyed breath. “Or not.”
She laughs at me and shakes her head. “I won’t be long. I’m sure you can manage by yourself for a little while longer.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
In truth, I’m excited to be spending time with Bethany that isn’t over video. She’s become a huge part of my life in such a short time, even if I never expected it to end up that way, and having this time with her will really solidify where I’m supposed to be.
Will Easton think I’m trying to get to him through her? Probably. I mean, in a way I am, but I would still hang out with her regardless.
I’m buzzing with excitement when the front door opens and Bethany walks in with a huge smile on her face. She drops her stuffed backpack to the floor at her feet before rushing over to me. She came to see me in the hospital, but this is much better than that sterile place.
She sits next to me on the sofa and gives me a huge hug, but pushes away from me when I wince, causing her eyes to grow wide. “Shoot, did I hurt you?”
I shake my head and smile at her. “No way, girl. I’ll always be able to handle your hugs.”
Savanna finally makes her way inside with a frown and she glances at Bethany from the doorway. “Wow, thanks for the help.”
Bethany giggles and rushes over to her aunt, grabbing a few of the bags hanging from her hands. “Sorry, Aunt Savvy.”
“A little help here?” I ask, my gaze moving toward the crutches that are still sitting away from me. If I wasn’t so angry with Easton rushing away from me like he did, my crutches would be next to the couch, but I just had to go and throw them across the floor like a child.
Bethany rushes over to them and holds one out, then hands me the other before going back into the kitchen where Savanna is waiting for us. I’m watching them with a smile as Bethany gushes over everything Savanna bought for the occasion, then I clear my throat. Might as well rip the band-aid off now before the night really starts.
“Bethany, I have something I want to talk to you about.”
Savanna glares at me, but keeps her lips clamped shut. Bethany looks at me and smiles. “What’s up?”
“How would you feel about me and your dad being together?”
She scoffs. “Didn’t we have this conversation before? That would be awesome!”
“Really?” I thought for sure after the stunt I pulled that she wouldn’t want me anywhere near her dad. Sure she’s here right now for a girls’ night, but that doesn’t mean she wants me in her home, or trusts me enough to be there.
Bethany frowns. “Is there a reason it wouldn’t be?”
I shake my head. “Uh, I guess not. I thought you’d be more upset with me than you are, though.”
She shrugs. “I was for a minute, but I can understand why you did it in the first place. It was your way of protecting yourself. Kind of like how my dad doesn’t open his heart to anyone to protect himself.”
It amazes me how much this girl actually pays attention to things around her. I give her a smile, then take a deep breath. “I’m glad to hear that because I’ve got a mission for you if you’re interested.”
She nods quickly, light shining in her eyes, and leans over the counter so I can tell her more about my plan.
I’m a nervous wreck.
My hair is coming down in ringlets, tickingly at the skin over my collarbone, and I brush it back behind my ear. The dress I’m wearing is one that I bought for just this occasion and Bethany helped me pick it out.
It’s made of beautiful dark green silk that falls to the ground, creating a pool at my feet, and I wonder briefly if maybe I’m overdressed for this. The fabric is cinched at my waist and my breasts are showcased by the low cut neckline.
A knock on my bedroom door makes me jump and I smile as Savanna pushes it open before stepping inside. “You ready?” She says as she looks me up and down. “The crutches make quite the fashion statement,” she smirks.
“I know, right? I’ll make it work, I’ve got quite good at getting around on them,” I say with a grin, then glance at myself in the mirror one final time.
This is supposed to impress him, but what if it does the opposite? I’d hate to struggle on crutches to make him a lovely dinner, only for him to kick me out. How embarrassing would that be?
“Stop thinking so much,” Savanna says while making her way over to me and examining my makeup. “You look beautiful, as always.”
“Do you think this will work?” Bethany has already made sure her dad will be home tonight, claiming that she wants to spend the evening with him watching movies and pigging out on pizza. “It has to, right?”
If he won’t accept me after this, I’m not sure what else I can do.
“If he doesn’t, I’ll leave Dawson to be with you myself.” She wiggles her eyebrows at me which sends us into a fit of laughter that has me wiping tears from my eyes. Her hand comes down on my shoulder and she gives it a reassuring squeeze. “Everything will be fine, just speak from your heart.”
Speak from my heart, right.
“Well,” I say as I pick up my purse and swing the strap over my shoulder. “Wish me luck.”
Sweat is pooling at my back and is making the dress itchy against my skin, forcing me to adjust myself to the feel of it and my armpits are killing me from using the crutches for so long. My words from earlier about being good at getting around on them are coming back to bite me on the ass. It didn’t surprise me when Easton walked through the front door and frowned at the sight of me, but he didn’t complain as he took an empty seat at the table.
Bethany spent the entire dinner gushing about how hard I’d worked on the food, only to be met with silence from Easton.
Now that our plates are in the sink and silence has ensued, I have no clue what I should do. Bethany has been silently urging me to tell him what I planned to, except the disappointment in his gaze every time he looked at me is keeping me from opening my mouth.
Easton clears his throat and lifts from the chair, eyeing me along the way before flashing a small smile at Bethany. “Well, this was lovely. Should I walk you out, Autumn? Are you okay getting home?”
Great, he’s more than ready to send me on my merry way. This is not how I had pictured the night going, but I can’t fault him for it. I’ve been silent the entire night, just watching him interact with Bethany and wishing he would do the same with me.
I nod and Bethany hands me my crutches and it’s not lost on me that Easton doesn’t offer any assistance. Asshole. I give her a smile before struggling to my feet and wrap an arm around her. She pats my back before pulling away and nudging her head at me. I take a deep breath before slowly following behind Easton to the front door.
As soon as I make it out onto the front porch, something shifts inside of me and I face Easton with a frown. He opens his mouth as if he wants to say something, but I stop him. “No,” I say, lifting my chin high into the air. “I’ve got something to say to you and you’re going to listen.”
Easton sighs and leans against the door frame. “Alright.”
There’s no emotion in his eyes as he looks at me and it throws me off, but I take a deep breath. I will not let him keep me from doing what I came here to accomplish.