“It’s not much, but it should do the trick.” She reached inside her purse and handed him a Swiss Army Knife set that came with a corkscrew.
“Handy,” Caden said as he made quick order of removing the cork and pouring them both a cup of wine. “Cheers.”
“To getting to know each other better,” Natalee offered instead.
Caden touched the top of his cup to hers and took a sip of wine. He’d thought she’d picked a selection from some corner store, but this was no dollar wine. It was high quality, which meant this wasn’t the easy drop by Natalee made it out to be. She’d deliberately planned this.
“Do you always work late?” Natalee asked as she opened a carton and helped herself to some pad Thai and Thai fried rice. When she was finished, she handed him the carton.
“Usually.” He took some of the tender pieces of meat and vegetables and put them on his plate. His mother had definitely schooled her well. She’d brought his favorite dish.
“That doesn’t leave much time for fun,” Natalee stated, munching on her dish.
“I’m preparing myself for what’s ahead. The next six months will be a long road of late nights and travel. I have to reacclimate to running for office again.” He sipped his wine.
“You’ll need someone by your side to be a support system.”
“Are you offering?” Caden looked over the rim of his cup at her.
“I could be.” Natalee leaned forward until she was several inches from his face. “With my background and degree in marketing, I could be a real asset to you both professionally and personally.”
Caden sat back in his chair, putting some distance between them. “I’m not sure what my mother may have told you, Natalee, but I’m not looking for a wife.”
“And who says I’m looking for a husband? I’m just saying having me on your arm would be a plus.”
Caden grinned. “I’ll keep that in mind. Now how about we eat this delicious meal you brought.”
The rest of the dinner went pleasantly enough. Caden found Natalee to be surprisingly good company. She was quick-witted, smart, and knowledgeable about many subjects. And if he didn’t find himself wondering about Savannah and where she was and who she was with, he might be interested. But he would be leading Natalee on if he let her think this was something more than just friendship.
Once they cleared away the dinner plates and finished the bottle of wine, Caden walked Natalee to her car. “Thank you for dinner. It was very thoughtful.”
She glanced up at him with those big brown eyes and winked. “Maybe we can do it again sometime.” Standing on her tippy toes, she brushed her lips across his cheek. “See you soon, Caden.”
Caden knew that to be true because from the look in Natalee’s eyes, she was starting to make a play for him.
“I can’t believe you still get up at this ungodly hour,” Jack said when he met up with Caden on the track of a nearby elementary school on Saturday of that week.
Caden had been doing his daily stretches in his usual attire of a T-shirt and running shorts when Jack had come down to the track. He’d suggested Jack work out with him some mornings and hadn’t anticipated he’d actually take him up on it.
“Running not only helps keep me in shape, but it helps clear my mind.”
“Well, I’m going to help make it clearer. I found Savannah.”
Caden stopped stretching. “You did?”
“Yes. She’s living with her grandmother who’s taken ill. She had a stroke.”
“Has she been here all this time?” How could he not have known? Not have sensed she was nearby?
“No. Looks like she just moved here from Orlando.”
“What’s her address?” Caden said, pulling out his phone.
“Are you sure you want to do this, Caden?” Jack asked then proceeded to part with Savannah’s contact information anyway. “There’s more you should know.”
Caden frowned. “Is she married? Seeing someone?”
“Married, no. But my investigator only ran a basic check, and she came up quite easily, but—”
“There’s no buts,” Caden said. “I need to see her and finally put the past to bed so I can move forward.”
“Are you sure that’s the only reason?”
“What other reason would there be?” Caden didn’t wait for Jack to respond. Instead, he started running toward the gate.
“Wait!” Jack yelled. “What about our run?”
Caden didn’t care about a run right now. He had some unfinished business with Savannah, and it was high time he got some answers.
“Mommy, why are you sad?” Liam asked Savannah as she set about making breakfast that morning. He was sitting atop one of the barstools at the breakfast bar.
“I’m not sad,” Savannah said as she set about getting milk, flour, sugar, eggs, and chocolate chip morsels to make homemade pancakes. “Mommy just has a lot on her mind.”
Savannah had experienced a terrible shift at the hospital yesterday. A patient had puked all over her, forcing her to change uniforms. Then, after a long day, when she arrived home her grandmother had an accident that required cleaning up.
Savannah had decided she deserved a morning to sleep in. It was after nine when she’d finally roused herself from bed and headed downstairs in her boxer shorts and a cami to make a pot of coffee. She’d felt like she needed the whole pot. Now, after two cups, she finally felt somewhat functional and ready to make Liam’s favorite: pancakes.
As she heated the griddle on the gas stove, she supposed she was anxious. Caden had seen her. Knew she was in town. Would he come looking for her? For days, she’d worried about the fallout, but nothing had happened. Maybe nothing would. She could be making a big deal out of things.
“Can I help?” Liam asked, looking down at all the ingredients.
“I’ve already put all the dry ingredients in, but you can help Mama by cracking an egg.” When he completed the task, she added in milk, melted butter, and, of course, chocolate chip morsels. “Now, we’re all ready.”
“I can’t wait! Your chocolate chip pancakes are the best.”
Savannah made half a dozen pancakes, and after cutting up some for her grandmother, she took a tray up to her then came back downstairs. Now, she and Liam could eat in peace. They were just tucking into their meal when the doorbell rang.
She glanced at her watch. She wasn’t expecting anyone at ten a.m. on a Saturday. Padding in bare feet, she made her way to the door and peered through the peephole. She was stunned to see the person standing on the other side. Her heart began thumping loudly, and her pulse quickened.
She glanced down the hall at where her son was happily chomping away on his favorite chocolate chip pancakes and knew the carefully crafted world she’d made for herself and Liam was about to come to an end.
His father had found them.
Chapter 7
Savannah considered not opening the door, but she suspected that would make things worse. Caden was not going away quietly until he’d gotten his pound of flesh. Taking a deep breath, Savannah swung open the door. Caden stared at her from across the threshold. He wore jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and sneakers. Though he was dressed down, he still looked good.
“So you found me.”
“It wasn’t that hard.” His eyes traveled down her body, and that’s when Savannah realized her state of undress. She was in her normal attire, a tiny pair of shorts that left an indecent amount of thigh and leg showing. As for her cami, it could be described as flimsy. It did little to hide her large C-cup breasts.
Savannah folded her arms across her chest. “What do you want?”
Caden quirked a brow. “You know what I want, Savi. You ran away the night of the fundraiser, so we didn’t get to finish our talk.”
His words appeared straightforward, but there was an underlying
danger in them that made Savannah’s pulse flutter.
“There wasn’t much talking going on.” Savannah recalled his mouth on hers as he plundered her mouth.
“I didn’t see you complaining,” Caden returned. “But that’s besides the point. You came to the fundraiser even though you knew I’d be there.”
“I—”
“Don’t try to deny it. After all these years, you were curious about me and the fundraiser was a way for you to get close without being seen. But that didn’t work too well for you, did it? Because you got caught.”
“That was a mistake. I shouldn’t have gone. So if you’ll excuse me.” Savannah tried closing the door, but Caden wasn’t budging and he put his foot in the threshold.
“No can do, Savannah. The day of reckoning is here. So are you going to let me in, or are we going to have this conversation on the porch?” His head motioned to the two wicker chairs sitting outside. “Though I doubt what you’re wearing is suitable for public consumption.”
Savannah blushed. “Come in.” She motioned him forward into the living room.
“Thank you.” As Caden glanced around, Savannah wondered what he thought of the place. It was modestly decorated with a sofa, large chair, her grandmother’s favorite recliner, and a cocktail table. She was sure it was a far cry from what the Mitchells could afford if last week’s extravaganza was anything to go by.
She watched Caden go to the mantel and finger pictures of her, her mother, and Carmen, and then he stopped at one of Liam. He was silent, and Savannah swallowed the frog in her throat. Eventually, Caden turned around to face her with a question in his eyes.
As if on cue, Liam came bounding into the room. “Who’s at the door, Mama?” Her Black Panther-pajama-clad son looked back and forth at his mother and Caden. “Who are you?”
“That’s a good question, Savannah. Care to answer it?”
“Liam, this is Caden Mitchell. He’s a friend of Mama’s from when I was younger.”
“Mama doesn’t have a lot of friends.”
Savannah colored at Liam’s honest assessment and averted her gaze from Caden, who was glaring at her with anger in those dark depths. “Don’t be rude, Liam. Did you finish your pancakes?”
Liam nodded.
“Alright. Put your dish in the sink and check on your great-grandmother for me, will you?”
“Okay.” He peered at Caden again for what seemed like an eternity. “We kind of look alike.” Seconds later, he was gone.
It was time for Savannah to face the firing squad.
Caden stared in disbelief at the doorway the young boy had walked through. He was still processing Liam’s words as well as his own thoughts. Could it be? Caden shook his head. No. Fate wouldn’t be that cruel. But there was no denying the obvious.
“So were you ever going to tell me, Savannah?” Caden folded his arms and faced the woman he’d once loved.
“What do you mean?” she squeaked.
“Don’t play dumb, Savannah. It doesn’t suit you.”
“Now is not the right time to have this discussion,” Savannah said and glanced upward. “Liam is here.”
“Then we can talk outside on the porch once you’ve put some clothes on.” When she’d opened the door, standing there in those itty-bitty shorts and a top that might as well have been see-through, his blood pressure had shot through the roof. He needed Savannah dressed so he could stop thinking about her fabulously sexy and shapely legs.
“Alright. I’ll be down momentarily.” Caden watched as she ran up the stairs.
Turning away, he tried to catch his breath, but he was finding that hard to do. When he’d asked Jack to find Savannah, it had been because he’d wanted to have the truth—the truth of why Savannah left him all those years ago. And Dear God, he might have found the answer.
Caden glanced at the pictures of Liam on the mantel. His great-grandmother must adore him because there were several pictures of the child throughout different stages of his life. There was a picture of Savannah holding him on his first birthday. She’d looked beautiful and vibrant. Another picture showed Liam on his first day of school, and there were various other school pictures.
He heard footsteps behind him and turned to find Savannah in faded jeans and a T-shirt. A surge of lust coursed through him. Savannah clothed had done little to dampen his libido.
“Let’s go.”
Caden nodded his agreement. He couldn’t help but notice her backside and the way she moved as he followed her. Focus, Mitchell. Focus.
Once outside, they sat side by side in the wicker chairs and Caden turned to face her, but she remained looking ahead. “Well, Savannah? I’m waiting.”
“I don’t know where to begin.”
Caden grasped her chair and turned her to face him. “How about we start with this: Is Liam my son?” His dark eyes peered into her hazel-green ones.
“Yes.”
Caden sucked in a deep breath. He felt like he’d just been sucker punched. He had a son. A son. A son he never knew about because his mother had run away. “Why didn’t you tell me, Savannah? Or were you waiting until he was eighteen perhaps? Or graduated from high school? Or better yet, maybe I would have found out when he was getting married?” He lowered his voice. “Exactly when would it have been suitable for me to find out I was a father?”
“Stop it!” she shouted, clamping her hands over her ears. “I was young, okay? And I was afraid. We fell in love so quickly, and before I knew it, I found out I was pregnant.”
“You could have told me.” Caden couldn’t stop his voice from rising. “We’d talked about marriage, about introducing you to my parents. How could you do something like this—keep me away from my son?” His heart pounded. “All these years. I want answers.”
“I did what was best for me and my son. And what I thought was best for you at the time.”
“How is sneaking out in the middle of the night without a note, a phone call, anything, best for me? Do you have any idea how crazy in love with you I was? I lost my mind when you left. I was so distraught, I had to be talked into walking across the stage at graduation.”
“I-I,” her voice trembled. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
“Why, Savannah? You owe me the truth and not some platitudes like you gave me last week that what we shared is water under the bridge because that young boy in there,” he said, pointing to the front door, “needs a father, so you’d better start talking.”
Savannah rose from her chair and walked over to the railing. She clutched it with her palms. Caden wondered if she would refuse to answer, but then she slowly faced him. Tears streaked her cheeks, and Caden instantly wanted to comfort her, but that wouldn’t get him to the truth of how they’d ended up here. “I was in love with you, Caden. Desperately so. I was looking forward to meeting your folks, and I did. Well one of them, that is.”
Caden frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“Your mother came to see me in Newburgh when I was staying with my father’s mother. She told me your future was bright and you were destined to do great things. She told me you couldn’t get bogged down with a wife and knowing women of my culture, we have a bunch of babies. Of course, she had no idea how very right she was because I’d learned I was pregnant that day and was still reeling. She asked me to let you go, to walk away and never come back. She offered me ten thousand dollars, but I didn’t take it. I just left.”
“She did what?” Caden couldn’t compute the words coming out of Savannah’s mouth. In essence, she was stating that his mother was the reason he’d lost the woman he loved. Was the reason he’d lost out on nearly twelve years of his son’s life.
My mother!
Rage boiled inside his veins. Caden wanted to punch something.
“Did she know you were pregnant?”
Savannah shook her head. “I�
��m sure she didn’t, but I didn’t hang around to talk with her about it because she was right. You had a shining career ahead of you in the military. How could I tell you I was pregnant? It wasn’t right to take away your future.”
“So you took away my choices,” Caden said hotly. “You didn’t give me the chance to show you the kind of man I could be. To show you what kind of father I could be. You and my mother underestimated me. You both caused me years of self-doubt, of wondering what I had done to make you leave. Years with my son that I can never get back.”
“I’m so terribly sorry, Caden.” Savannah sniffed. “I thought I was doing the right thing. I can see now that I was wrong. I’m so sorry.” Her hands flew to her face, and she began sobbing.
Caden couldn’t bear to see her in pain and he rose, pulling her into his arms. He rubbed her back and quietly whispered words of comfort when the front door opened. It was Liam. When he saw Savannah’s distress, he clutched his ears and began chanting the same words over and over.
Savannah immediately spun away from Caden. “Liam, it’s okay. Mama’s okay.”
“It’s okay, little man.” Caden walked toward his son to comfort him, but Liam ran back inside the house. He turned to Savannah. “Is he okay? What’s wrong?”
Savannah sighed. “That’s the rest of the story, Caden, that I hadn’t gotten around to. You should know that Liam has autism.”
Autism.
Yet again, Caden was bowled over by the words coming out of Savannah’s mouth. He felt like he was in the boxing ring, getting a one-two punch and then an upper cut. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Liam was diagnosed when he was three years old when I noticed he wasn’t progressing and socializing like other kids. I’m going inside to check on him.”
Caden followed Savannah, and they found Liam sitting in the living room corner rocking himself back and forth. He kept repeating the same words.
Claimed by the Hero Page 6