Chapter 24
CHAPTER 24
NOAH BARRETT
I slowly become aware of my surroundings as light filters in through the porthole, the gentle rocking of the ship nudging me awake. The warmth of another body pressed up against my bare chest makes my eyes jerk open. Savannah. She’s still here with me.
She’s asleep, and I don’t want to move and wake her up, so I force myself to remain motionless, even though my heart is racing. She’s curled into me, her head resting on my chest, her fingers lightly touching my tattoo. Her steady breaths brush against my skin, and every so often she quietly snores. I breathe in the scent of her … a light almond smell that probably comes from her shampoo or body wash.
I never fall back asleep after one of my nightmares. At least, until now. I slept like a rock last night. I let my gaze trace her features. She looks so relaxed. At peace. I think back to the outrage she had when knocking down the wall. What turmoil lies beneath her surface? Who hurt my sweet Savannah?
My arm, which had settled around her in my sleep, tightens a fraction, and my fingers brush across the fabric of her shirt. I shouldn’t want her as much as I do. I shouldn’t feel such an aching sense of rightness when I’m with her like this. She’s told me she doesn’t want to be anything but friends. But her actions are sometimes opposite of her words, and this gives me hope.
There’s an intimacy between us I’ve never felt before—with anyone. Not even when we dated back in high school. And it’s not just because she’s lying on my bare chest, although I’m sure that’s part of it. There’s something more than that. It’s the fact that she’s opening up to me. Allowing me to see the real person deep inside.
What we have right now … it’s fragile. I’m afraid if I make a wrong move this thing between us will vanish. I’m afraid it will slip through my fingers like the sands of Willow Shade Island. I don’t want it to. I want to hold onto Savannah as long as I can.
She stirs, and I remove my arm from her back. She looks up at me and her face flushes. “Oh, sorry.” She backs away from me but doesn’t jump out of bed. “I guess I fell asleep here.”
“Nothing to be sorry for,” I say, my voice sounding like I just woke up. Why is her voice perfect? She just woke up, too. I clear my throat.
She gives me a shy smile. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Like a dead man.”
“Oh, dear.” She lifts her head up onto her hand, propped up by her elbow. “That’s far more morbid than ‘like a baby.’”
“Have you ever taken care of a baby? Do you know how they sleep at night?” I put the word “sleep” in air quotes.
She giggles and closes her eyes. “Okay. I’ll give you that one.”
My smile fades as I look at her. “If I ask you something, will you promise to answer it honestly?”
Savannah stiffens, and for a second I think she’s going to say no, but instead, she slowly nods. “All right.”
“What happened when you were knocking down that wall?”
Savannah’s cheeks turn pink, but she doesn’t look away. She swallows and holds my gaze. When she doesn’t speak, I softly ask, “Did someone hurt you? A guy?”
She shakes her head. “No, no. Nothing like that.”
Relief courses through me. “Good. Because if someone had, I was going to go break every bone in his body.”
She fiddles with the edge of the sheet. “No, that wasn’t it. You told me to think of something that makes me angry. So I did.”
I reach out and trace my finger down her arm. “What did you think of?”
“Cancer.”
I freeze, my finger resting on her wrist. “Oh, Savannah.” I pull her to my chest, and she snuggles into me.
“It ruined my life,” she whispers.
I stroke her silky hair. I realize I don’t know if the cancer is really gone. Some kinds you never get rid of. And now I feel terrible for not asking before now. “Can I ask what kind of cancer it was?”
She pauses, and my heart jumps into my throat as I think the worst. “Uterine,” she whispers.
My stomach drops. “Oh, no.”
Savannah sniffs and I feel the moisture from her tears on my chest. “I had to have a hysterectomy at seventeen.”
I hug her tighter. I know how much she wants a family. This must have devastated her. I understand now how she might think it ruined her life. I swallow back the lump forming in my throat. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’ve come to terms with it.”
I hold her, trying to console her with my embrace. “I’m glad. You’re such a wonderful person. Even if you can’t bear children, it doesn’t mean you can’t be a mother. And I know you’ll make a wonderful mother.”
She doesn’t say anything back, and I wonder for a second if I said the wrong thing, but finally she pulls away and offers me a smile. “Thank you, Noah. That means a lot coming from you.”
I grin at her, determined to lighten the mood. “By the way, you snore.”
Her mouth drops. “What? No way.”
“Cross my heart.” I do the motion and her gaze dips down to my bare chest. I admit, I’m flattered she’s checking me out. I spend a lot of hours in the gym to look like this.
Savannah laughs, pulling the covers up to her chin. “Did you really just flex your muscles?”
I chuckle and poke her in the side. “Did I?”
She nods, pressing her lips together. “Yeah.”
I crunch my arms, exaggerating my flex. “What? Am I too manly for you to handle?”
She pushes against my chest, laughing harder. “Stop it.”
A knock sounds on the door, and Savannah jerks her gaze toward it, her eyes wide. The handle moves and Savannah yelps, hiding under the covers. I jump over her and act casual, stretching out on the edge of the bed so my body covers the mound that she makes under the covers.
The door opens and Levi comes in. “Hey, you’re not answering your texts. The kitchen wants to know your breakfast order.”
My heart works overtime as I try to think on my feet. What was on the menu again? I can’t remember. Luckily, Levi doesn’t study the bed, so I don’t think he notices anything. “Three eggs, over easy. Bacon, sausage, and toast.”
Levi nods. “Okay. I’ll tell them.”
He turns to leave but stops and turns back around. “Oh, and Savannah? Can you text me your order?” A grin spreads across his face as he gives me a salute. “See ya.”
Levi closes the door and Savannah gasps as she comes out from under the covers. “Did he really just … oh my goodness, he knew?”
I laugh and climb out of bed. “Yeah. He knew.”
Savannah jumps up and crosses the room. “I’d better go. See you at breakfast.” She rushes out of my cabin.
I stare at the door for a moment before heading into the bathroom to shower. Savannah makes me laugh. She’s everything that’s right in my world. I have to tread lightly with her. I want to make this a real relationship. And right now, I feel like I have a shot.