by Emma Renshaw
Savannah: Done what exactly?
Liam: Sealed your fate.
Savannah: What fate is that?
Liam: You’re mine. You and these cookies are mine.
Savannah: You’re kind of a barbarian.
Liam: I am when it comes to you and cookies. You’ll learn to like it.
Liam: I can feel you rolling your eyes all the way over here.
Savannah: I really was rolling my eyes. I got you a lot of cookies so you could be the cute new kid sharing your treats.
Liam: Nope, not sharing. My assistant basically asked for one before I knew what they were. I considered giving her one but decided against it.
Savannah: Give her one, you barbarian!
Liam: Mine.
Savannah: Share.
Liam: Fine, but only because I got you to admit you’re thinking about me.
Savannah: Did you not get the note?
Liam: Oh, I got the note. I can read between the lines.
Savannah: Rolling my eyes again. Thinking about anything, but you.
Savannah: Witch boss is on the hunt for her next victim, got to get back to work.
Liam: Thank you for the cookies, gorgeous girl. ;)
Savannah: Dirty barbarian. I know you’re not talking about the cookies sitting at your desk.
A laugh booms in my chest again. This girl.
I press my finger to the intercom. “Rachel. Come get a cookie.”
Rachel comes running into my office. How she runs in those shoes is a mystery.
She clasps her hands in front of her face as if she’s praying. “Really?” she asks. “These are my favorite cookies.”
“Take a couple,” I reluctantly tell her. I turn the box to face her. “Just not the snickerdoodles!” I practically yell when her hand reaches the box.
She laughs. “I’ll leave the snickerdoodles alone,” she agrees. She grabs a chocolate chip and an M&M. She walks out of the office, telling me to let her know if I need anything else. I nod my thanks before turning back to my computer.
After work, I drive straight over to my parents’ house for a family dinner. My parents always drilled into us that family meals are important. There was always one day a week that dinner could not be missed under any circumstances. The time my father had his appendix removed, my mom hosted family dinner in his hospital room. The day the dinner falls on has changed over the years—my parents worked around our school and sports schedules. For the past couple of years in my absence, the dinner has been on Monday nights. My mom insists it starts the week off right to start it with your family.
I pull into the driveway of the home where my sister and I grew up. A traditional colonial house on top of a hill. It’s a white two-story with black shutters. A large front porch with stately columns hold up the game room balcony on the second floor. Pink and white flowers are in the flowerbeds in front of the porch. Four black rocking chairs are nestled on one side of the porch, while the other side has a porch swing. When I was younger, I often found my parents curled together on that swing, lost in their own little world. Even after all these years, they’re madly in love and happier when they’re together. My parents’ cars and my brother-in-law’s car are in the driveway; I’m the last to arrive.
I walk into the house of familiar smells—lemons and fresh laundry. I breathe in deeply, relishing everything I missed when I lived in my sterile brick and steel loft in Chicago. I toss my keys in the bowl on the entryway table. Frames are lined on either side of the bowl, telling the story of our lives. I walk deeper into the house, looking for my family. I spot my parents in the kitchen first. My mom is at the stove stirring a large pot, my dad behind her hugging her around the waist with his head resting on top of her head. I hear them murmuring to each other. They haven’t heard me come in, so I back out slowly to give them their privacy.
In the living room, I find Tanner riding my brother-in-law Josh like a bull. His little fist is raised in the air and the other one clutches the collar of Josh’s shirt. He’s yelling, “Yeehaw!” Olivia is on the couch with her feet curled behind her, watching them with a smile on her face and recording them on her phone.
“Are you a cowboy now, Tan?”
Tanner whips his head around to me. “Unca Liam!” He swings his leg around to get off, but clocks his dad in the head. Tanner either doesn’t notice or care that he just kicked his dad in the head as he races toward me. I crouch down to my knees with my arms open, ready to catch the pipsqueak. He launches himself full-force into my arms. I hug him tightly to my chest, laughing. I look over his shoulder at Josh, who is rubbing his head.
“Guess I’m going to be chopped liver now you’re here,” Josh says. “Maybe the next kid will like me better.”
“I can give you a few tips on how to be cooler,” I stand up with Tanner in my arms.
Josh flicks me off behind Tanner’s back. I chuckle before setting Tanner down. I bring Josh into a backslapping hug. We give each other a lot of shit, but I couldn’t pick a better man for my sister. He’s damn lucky to have her, and better yet—he knows it.
I lean down to give Olivia a squeeze when Tanner yells, “Don’t! You’ll crush my little brudder!”
“That’s my little man,” Josh says proudly. See, damn good man.
Olivia sighs, rubbing her still-flat belly. “He’s already very protective over this little peanut. I keep telling him that he might be a sister.”
“Sisters are gross! I want a brudder!”
Instead of squeezing Olivia, I give her a kiss on her head and tell Tanner, “Sisters can be pretty cool.”
“Not as cool as brudders,” he replies, shrugging like there’s nothing he can do about it.
I sit down on the chair opposite the couch Olivia and Josh are sitting on. “How’re you feeling, sis?”
“I’m okay. A bit nauseous most the time, but overall, it’s an easier pregnancy than with Tanner.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Josh replies. “She was very needy last time.”
Olivia lightly smacks her hand across his chest.
“I’m just kidding, babe. I’m here to help. I made every midnight run for her cravings with a smile on my face and I’ll do the same this time.” He smiles down at her like she is the most treasured gift in the world.
I only saw Olivia twice during her last pregnancy. I’m happy I’ll be here from the start with this little nugget. I’ve never thought about settling down, but I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t picture Tanner chasing after two toddlers, one of them with emerald green eyes strikingly similar to Savannah’s.
My mom and dad walk into the living room with their arms wrapped around each other.
“Liam, we didn’t know you were here.”
I stand up, giving them each a hug. “I wanted to say hi to my favorite little dude first.”
Tanner pipes in, “That’s me, Gram! I’m everyone’s favorite.”
My dad sits on the loveseat, pulling my mom down on top of him. “Dinner will be ready soon. Just needs to simmer for a few minutes.”
We nod in acknowledgment. We fall into an easy conversation. I look at each couple, happily touching each other in some way, while still connecting with the rest of us. I wonder if Savannah would fit in with my family. I picture her sitting here with me in this chair. I suddenly notice the room has fallen silent. I tear my gaze from the fireplace and back to my family. They’re all looking at me.
I raise my eyebrow at my sister, who looks smug. I know that look. I saw that look too many times growing up. She’s about to embarrass me and pull information from me in a way that only she can. She’s the master of interrogation.
“Thinking about a girl, Liam?”
I glare at her.
“That’s a yes,” she laughs, Josh laughing with her like she’s the cutest thing in the world.
“Livie,” I warn.
“Ooooh! I’m right, aren’t I? Who is she? Do I know her?”
“Olivia. Leave your brother alone.” My mo
m turns to my dad and mutters, “I can’t believe I still have to scold them.”
“We can run away to Aruba, leave these poor bastards behind, let them fight it out, see who survives,” my dad says in a fake whisper.
My mother laughs. Olivia and I just roll our eyes. They wouldn’t leave us. They have been joking about running away together and leaving us behind for most of our lives, especially when we would fight or argue, but they would never leave us. If Olivia and Josh had moved to Chicago, my parents would have been right behind them, happy to have the family back together.
Olivia looks at me expectantly. I sigh. She smiles, knowing she won. I’m not going to give her a lot, but I know that if I don’t give her something, she will continue to call me out tonight until I answer. She’d probably show up at my job. She’s relentless. “I had a date.”
My mother breaks her eyes away from my father to look at me. “You’ve barely been back for two weeks. How can you already have had a date?”
“I know, I can’t believe someone would go out with his ugly mug either, Katie,” Josh laughs.
Olivia holds up her hands in front of her. “Wait, if this is a date,” she says with quotations around the word date, “then I don’t want to know about it.” She finishes with a shiver.
“Like I’d tell my sister about that,” I say, rolling my eyes. “It was a real date.”
“What’s her name? Where does she work? Where did you take her?” Olivia starts rambling off questions.
“Her name is Savannah. That’s all I’m telling you.” I cross my arms over my chest.
“When can I meet her?”
“When can we meet her?” my mom corrects, looking more interested. She has been hounding me about finding someone since I graduated college. She told me to find a nice girl and bring her home to Texas. She was constantly disappointed when I told her I wasn’t interested in dating or settling down. I can see her dreaming now, her grandchildren running through the yard.
I give her a stern look, even though I’ve had similar thoughts pass through my head since I met Savannah. “Stop picturing grandkids. It’s been two dates. She’s ... she’s a little gun-shy. There are no wedding bells and crying babies in our near future.”
“Two dates?” Olivia squeals.
“Why is she gun-shy?” my mom asks, looking concerned in a way only a mother can. This is something I adore about my mother. She is motherly to almost everyone she meets. She takes people under her wing and brings them into our family, accepting and loving them.
“Yes, two dates. I’m not sure and even if I did know, I’m willing to bet it isn’t my story to tell.”
“Okay, that’s enough, you two,” my father chimes in. “Leave Liam be. When he’s ready, if he’s ready to bring this girl, Savannah, around, he will.”
Both my mother and sister close their mouths, but I can still see questions swimming behind their eyes.
“I’m sure dinner is ready.” My mother stands and waves us into the kitchen. “Come on.”
We follow her, our first family dinner since I’ve been back home. Josh comes up next to me and claps me on the shoulder. He squeezes it once. “I can already tell you’re fucked, brother.” He laughs and follows his wife, leaving me to walk into the dining room alone.
We sit at the table and start a family dinner filled with laughter.
It’s damn good to be home.
21
SAVANNAH
“G ood,” James calls. “Again. Drop your left shoulder. Left. Right. Right. Hook. Left. Good job, Savannah.”
Sweat pours down my back as I train harder and push myself further. James has helped me stay in shape and on my toes since we met. He never asks too many questions, filling in most of the blanks on his own. He works to keep me in the best shape, because he knows this is life or death for me.
“Take a break, Savannah.”
I fall back on my heels from where I was bouncing on my toes. I pace the ring, slowly bringing down my heart rate. I feel James watching me. Sometimes I think he has some paranormal sense that can change the mood around him by his presence. I can feel questions floating around him. He’s waiting for me to break.
Not this time, buddy.
Nope. That’s how he got my story out of me. He stares and waits. And then, you’re spilling your life’s secrets. Laying them at his feet as if they’re his cross to bear. And the damn thing is, he takes them. He quietly shoulders the burdens of each person he cares about. He won’t reveal his secrets. I’ve tried. I know they’re there. I feel his haunting past every time we’re around each other.
I will not break. I will not speak first.
I stop pacing and turn toward him. I stare right back. God, does this guy even blink?
I sigh. “Dammit,” I mutter. I see the tiniest twitch of his lips. Bastard. “Spit it out, pop tart.”
“I wish you’d stop with those damn names,” he grumbles.
“Is teddy bear feeling grumpy today? You know you like them.”
He glowers at me. I give him my sweetest smile in return.
“Is it goin’ good?”
I know he’s asking about Liam and me. We haven’t seen each other since our last date, but we’ve texted several times each day this week, but the nights he was free, I wasn’t and vice versa. Twice this week, I fell asleep talking with him on the phone. He’s kept me laughing. I insist I’m immune to his charm. It’s been fun. It’s been more than fun.
“I love when I’m right.”
“Right about what?” I ask, confused by his sudden change of subject.
“Right about the two of you. I knew you’d fit. I admit, I was worried when I saw him staring at you with his tongue hanging out. I didn’t know the dude. Didn’t know if he just liked playing games, but after a conversation or two, I knew the two of you would fit.”
“You couldn’t know that.”
“But, I did know that.”
“It has been good,” I admit. “I haven’t seen him since last weekend.”
“I wondered,” he says, going back to his short answers.
“We’ve both been busy. I had to work late a few nights this week and he did, too. He jumped right into some big project at this new company.”
“Didn’t know what was going on with you here on a Friday night.”
I personally like Friday nights at the gym. They’re mostly empty, people working out early in the day, so they can jump in and enjoy the weekend. I look around the gym. It’s just the two of us here. Another reason I like coming here on Friday nights. James has time to work with me in the ring without an audience.
“He had to go to a dinner with the partners or something.”
James nods.
I ask him, “Where’s Hudson?”
He gives me a look that says everything I need to know. Hudson is out scoring with some woman that he will surely never call again. He’s a player, but at least he’s upfront. I’ve seen him point-blank tell girls it will be a one-time deal. It will mean nothing and he tells them if they aren’t cool with that, they can end it with no hurt feelings.
“I’ve got some paperwork to do. I’ll leave the door open, let me know when you’re heading out. Holler if you need me.” He helps me down from the ring.
“Thanks for the coaching tonight.” I walk past him and over to the treadmills, ready to get in my cardio for the night. James saunters back to his office, leaving his door open just like he promised.
I’m running on the treadmill, zoned out and listening to my sexy romance audiobook when I see someone step onto the treadmill right next to mine. Annoyance prickles in my system—I’m the only person here and they decide to use the one right next to me instead of one of the other twenty available?
I look over, ready to scowl, but my lips split into a smile instead.
“Hey, gorgeous. I’ve been texting you. Dinner ended earlier than I thought.”
“I left my phone in my bag,” I say, glancing down at the bag I keep at near me.
“I’m sorry. How was dinner?”
“Not a problem. It’s a nice surprise finding you here.” He gives a slow grin. I face forward so I don’t fall. My heart rate is accelerating, seeing him here in loose shorts that hang low on his hips—and no shirt. Then he gives me that smile, melting me into a pile of goo.
“Hey, man,” Liam calls. I look over to James’ office, he must have poked his head out to check on me when he heard voices. He raises his chin in Liam’s direction, then goes back into his office, shutting his door. The bastard. I’m not safe! I might pass out if I look at Liam’s body again.
I still keep my eyes off Liam, but notice our strides match. I ask him again, “So, dinner?”
“Yeah, I’ll have dinner with you, gorgeous.” He winks at me.
“Not what I meant,” I tell him. I try to stop the smile, but I can’t before it spreads across my lips.
“Dinner was good. Some young guys started the company. It’s a nice change of pace from Chicago. Their work is innovative and intriguing. I’m going to have a lot of fun working there.”
“I’m sorry, but what is it you do? I know you explained last weekend, but I think I was confused by beer consumption.”
He chuckles. “It’s cool. I’m not sure many understand what I do. I’m a software engineer. I boss things around.”
He’s giving me his sexiest smirk, and the glint in his eyes is mischievous. I raise an eyebrow at him. “You boss things around?”
His eyes run up and down my body, causing my goosebumps break out. I place one hand on the railing of the treadmill to keep my balance. His eyes meet mine again and his lips spread into a slow, seductive smile. “I command things through code. I tell a product or thing how to act or function.”
Heat spreads through my body at the implication that he wants to command me. How is it fair that this man has a set of abs I want to lick, a face that would make artists land on their knees and beg to capture, and a brain that could rival tech giants in Silicon Valley? And, how can a man make coding sound sexy?
We continue our run without speaking. When I hit the five-mile mark, I slow down for my half-mile cooldown. Liam slows to match my pace.