by Taylor Hart
As she rounded the corner at the top of Main Street, to her surprise and delight, she saw Beth rounding the other corner. Both of them had started running the past few years, and both of them had Fitbit watches that tracked all their runs so they could put challenges on each other.
Beth broke into a smile when she saw her, yanking the earbud out of her ear. “You’re up early.” She’d teased Savannah since she’d been back about getting up earlier and running with her. Savannah had always declined, citing the extra hour of sleep as important.
They fell into a jog next to each other as they began the descent down Park City Main Street.
“Are you gonna tell me what’s wrong?” Beth asked.
Focusing on the placement of her feet as they ran down the center of the road, she shook her head. “Nope.”
Beth let out a small laugh. “You never get up this early unless something’s wrong.” She bit her lip, considering. “Well, there was the one time you were up this early in high school and I thought you were just getting up, until I realized you were just getting home.” She snickered. “I think you were sneaking home from a date with Luke. Do you remember that?”
Unable to suppress her scowl, Savannah grumbled, “I don’t want to talk about him.”
Beth grabbed her arm, jerking her to a stop and causing her to stumble and almost fall. “It’s him again, isn’t it? Luke. What happened?”
It was crazy how her sister could always decipher whatever was wrong with her, even over the phone, within a matter of seconds. Now that she was back, it had gotten even worse. She started jogging again and knew her face was turning red. “Just shut up, Beth.”
Of course, her sister caught right back up. “Did you see him again? Mom told me on the phone last night when you got home from the hospital you were reticent.”
“Reticent? Leave it to you to make it sound like some kind of condition.” Her sister’s nursing background had left her full of all kinds of diagnoses for everyone.
Beth let out a sigh. “No, no, no. Tell me what happened. I want the dirty details.”
She jogged a few more paces, then slowed to a walk. “He was at the hospital last night and he followed me out after he caught me holding baby Lincoln. Is that a dirty enough detail?”
Thoughtfully, Beth put her hands on her head and pulled in a long breath. “You don’t have to be rude,” she pointed out.
Savannah knew she was right. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Man, you’re a head case about him.”
“I … I loved Sean,” she insisted, feeling tears begin to press behind her eyes.
Beth pulled her arm and made her stop. “I know you did.”
Savannah squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them. “And Luke can burn in you-know-where if he thinks I didn’t.”
“One kiss doesn’t change the last ten years,” Beth said, swiping a hair affectionately out of Savannah’s face.
Savannah nodded, bolstered by her sister’s assurance.
“What’s all this about?” Beth asked gently.
Savannah inhaled deeply, feeling like the secret of it was too much to bear any longer. After all, it was Beth. She could tell Beth. “When I married Sean … I was pregnant.”
Beth gave her a circumspect look. “Oh.”
All the nervousness finally came to a calm. “It was Luke’s.” She sucked in a breath, feeling relief and pain at finally telling her the truth.
Beth didn’t say anything for a few seconds. “We had sex the night before he left for London.” She sighed. “Why do you think I’m always chastising you about being careful?”
“Oh. My. Gosh.” Beth sank back into her chair. “Do mom and dad know?”
Savannah nodded. “They found out after Sean and I eloped.”
Beth snapped. “You miscarried. That’s why you were in the hospital?”
Savannah thought about that time in her life. She’d been almost five months pregnant. She’d been married for a month. Sean was about to leave for basic training. “Yes.”
Beth swallowed. “Sean knew it was Luke’s?”
“Of course.” She shook her head. “Sean had figured it out, right after I’d realized it. I was almost two months pregnant.” Beth blinked. “You know dad had cancer. I … didn’t feel like I could put this on mom and dad.” She remembered being afraid. Terrified. “Sean finally talked me into marrying him.”
“Wow.” Beth turned to her. “ Did you tell Luke?”
“No.” She was unsettled that her sister would ask this. “The night after we’d done the deed, he broke things off, telling me he needed to focus on his future.”
“What?” Beth asked.
Savannah nodded, feeling the pain from then sweep over her. “He broke my heart.”
“But you were pregnant, Savannah.” Beth insisted. “With Luke’s child.”
Savannah turned away and tried to focus on her hands. “And he dumped me.”
Beth didn’t say anything.
Savannah shook her head, not liking feeling the past and the present blurring. “I couldn’t. I … it doesn’t matter now.” She’d spent so long convincing herself none of it mattered.
“You should have told him.” Beth said quietly.
Savannah felt like she’d been slapped. “He broke my heart.”
“I’m sorry.” Beth said in the same quiet voice. “I guess I can’t judge.”
“You’re dang right you can’t.” Savannah was flabbergasted and angered.
Beth sighed. “Look, it’s obvious this has weighed on you a long time.”
“It hasn’t weighed on me.” Savannah denied. “Sean and I moved on.”
“Hmm…” Beth scowled at her.
Savannah threw up her hands. “I could care less about Luke Freestone. He’s the one who kissed me the other day and brought all this crap up. I was fine.”
Beth gave her a skeptical look. “You don’t think you have stuff to deal with about this? Like guilt you obviously feel?”
Savannah pointed to herself. “No guilt. No past. I’m leaving … remember? Just moving on.”
Beth pointed at her. “Fine, then come to Damon’s wedding reception with me.”
“No!” Savannah said adamantly.
“You have to.” Beth complained.
“Why?”
Beth shrugged. “To prove it.”
“I don’t have to prove anything.” Savannah shook her head quickly. No way. No how. She would not put herself in the path of Luke Freestone again.
Beth let out a light laugh. “Oh, yeah you do.” She pointed at her. “You have to prove to yourself that you’re ready to move on.”
Savannah’s heart pounded into her throat and she knew Beth was right; before she moved on she had to prove, to herself, Luke Freestone didn’t matter anymore. She scowled. “Fine.”
Beth fist pumped the air.
She wagged her finger at Beth. “But, you’ll be there? Promise me!”
Beth grinned. “I’ll be there.”
5
“Tell me again how you ended up getting shot in the butt?” Luke stood next to Nick’s hospital bed, wearing jeans and a T-shirt.
“Why aren’t you working on the deal today?” Nick gave him a suspicious glance and sucked up the last of the orange Jell-O.
“Nathan Pennington told me he can’t finish the deal for a few weeks until he comes back to town.” Luke shrugged, trying to let go of the pent up angst. He hated leaving things unfinished, especially when it meant this much to him. “He had to go back to Jackson, his brother needed him.”
Nick snorted. “Brothers, such pains.”
Yesterday, Luke would have been ticked off about the deal, but his brother’s accident had helped put it into perspective. He grinned. “So much neediness.” He agreed playfully.
Nick chuckled. “It’s killing you, isn’t it?”
“What?”
“That this deal isn’t done.”
Luke didn’t want to be
the narcissist Damon said he was. “No, it’s fine. I’m just happy to be here.” Which was true, for the most part.
Nick snorted, again. “Look, I know you want to be here, but you’re not really that comforting, bro.”
It hadn’t suited him last night after Savannah had driven off. He’d gone home and stayed up for hours, sitting in a lawn chair out on the deck by his pool. Around one, he’d jumped in the heated pool and swam laps.
He’d been a championship swimmer in high school, and now he loved having a pool right in his yard to get out his frustrations anytime he wanted. After an hour of laps, he felt a bit relieved and gotten out, going to the outdoor shower and then straight to his bed, crawling in the sheets half awake and exhausted.
Too bad when he awoke the next morning, the same erratic, slightly angry feeling still troubled him. Savannah’s face haunted him, like an old ghost refusing to go away.
Not to mention the run-in with Damon. Shoot, he loved going into any kind of negotiation at this point in his career, knowing he was good. He could sway most people to his point of view. Of course, that never worked with his brothers. They saw right through him and made him feel like a fool on pretty much a daily basis.
Begrudgingly. Which he respected that.
Having Savannah back, and having all these feelings he thought were smothered inside of him roaring to life like a wildfire, ticked him off. “Sorry, Nick.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Luke said quickly.
“You’re lying.”
His brother was right, but Luke chose to discuss the other thing that was bothering him. “Damon basically asserted I’m a narcissist last night.”
“You are.”
“Are you kidding me?” His hand clutched into a fist.
“Dude, you think the world revolves around you. Always have.”
Luke digested this news. “I’m here. Doesn’t that prove I care about someone more than myself?”
“You’re deal fell through, that’s why you’re here.”
Caught, Luke frowned at him. “That may be true, but I do care, you know that.”
Nick snapped at him. “And that is your redeeming quality. You actually do care about me and Damon. But you’re still a narcissist.” He paused. “Maybe control freak would be a better way of putting it.” Nick’s gaze swept across the ceiling. “But that’s not really what’s wrong. So, what’s wrong?”
Luke sat by his bed, stretching out his hands and cracking the knuckles. “Sorry, I’m just stressed.”
“Yeah, it’s not stressful getting shot or anything.” Nick coughed. “Narcissist.”
Luke sighed. “You’re right, I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
Nick waved him off. “I just want to get out of here. A hospital doesn’t work for me.”
Luke had already arranged for Nick to be taken back to his house when the doctor released him today. “The doctor will release you today, then it’s straight to my house.”
Nick grunted. “Perfect.”
“Hey, be grateful. They won’t release you unless you have someone to help take care of you.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “I’m thinking a cute nurse would be preferable.”
“Shut up.”
“Go for a walk or something; you’re bothering me,” Nick said softly.
Luke stared at his brother, who was lying on his side, eyes closed. “How am I bothering you?”
“You’re thinking too hard over there. Take a break, Mr. Almost Billionaire. You don’t have to take over the world right now.”
Luke felt a smile play on his lips. If anyone knew him, it was Nick. Part of the reason Luke had been so afraid the night before was because Nick was his best friend. It wasn’t earth-shattering news, but it wasn’t something they talked about. “I was scared yesterday, Nick.”
Nick opened his eyes for a second, then reached out a hand. Without thinking, Luke took it, feeling a faint squeeze from his brother. “I’m okay,” Nick said.
Luke found he hadn’t felt like he could get a full breath since last night. “I just … every time you and Damon get hurt, it just …”
“Makes you remember Mom and Dad dying.”
He blew out a breath. “Yeah.”
Nick closed his eyes. “I’m not dying yet. God still needs me to be … Batman.” He made his voice all croaky.
The side of Luke’s lip twitched up. “True.” Nick’s silliness was comforting at the moment. “Do you think God saves people?”
Nick turned to look at him better. “Is this about me or Mom?”
Of course Nick would know what he was thinking. “I don’t know.”
“Bro, all I know is whatever God chooses to take away, He usually makes up for in the end. I was surprised as heck when Damon actually came back to Park City last year. It’s been awesome, hasn’t it? To get him back?”
Warmth flooded Luke. Nick always had a way about seeing things, putting them in perspective in a positive way. “Yeah. The best.” He felt all choked up at the moment.
Nick tugged his hand back. “I think God has a plan. We just have to let Him be in charge of it and have fun.”
Luke sighed. He knew that was true in his mind, but he felt all clouded at the moment. So he changed the topic. “Are you going to be able to come to Damon’s wedding? Maybe we should postpone it.”
Nick dropped his hand. “I’m okay, man. Now let me sleep.”
Luke took a breath, thinking he could go bother Damon at his work site. They’d made Damon the official contractor for Freestone Enterprises, and he and his crew were always working on the next project Luke negotiated. Nick was part of his crew, but both of them were partners in the enterprises.
“You could go check on that baby.” Nick said quietly.
“What?” Luke turned to look at him taken off guard.
Nick’s eyes were closed. “The one that was abandoned yesterday.”
Luke frowned as he walked out of Nick’s room, vacillating between feeling better Nick had just ordered him out and a bit annoyed at the mention of the baby.
The one Savannah had been holding.
Waiting by the elevator, he called Damon’s fiancee, Samantha.
“Hello.”
“Give me the lowdown on the shooter.”
“They are saying it’s transferred intent.”
“No,” Luke argued, but he knew it was true. The shooter was probably trying to shoot his wife.
“Since it’s not a serious injury, it’ll probably be whittled down to one to four years,” Samantha reported.
“Hmm. I want him in a jail a lot longer than that.”
“I do too, Luke. But today I’m trying to get some things off my plate. I’ll let you know if I have any ideas.”
“All right, let’s talk about how we can up the charges later.”
“Sounds good.” Samantha hung up.
He went down the elevator, getting off at the first floor, then remembered the face of the little baby Savannah had been holding the night before. The strange thing was, he hadn’t really digested the whole abandoned baby thing the night before. He’d heard it, but he’d been completely fixated on Savannah.
Now, he wandered toward the baby unit and wondered a million things about the baby. Part of him was relieved when he saw that only the babies and nurses were there. She wasn’t there.
Another part of him was curious about the baby. She’d said he had cancer? He wondered how they were treating it. Was the baby on chemo? Of course, he couldn’t help think of his mother. He stood next to the window and picked out the blond, blue-eyed child, fast asleep. He was quite a bit bigger than the other newborn babies.
Luke’s heart clenched. What parents would abandon a child? He didn’t know how long he stood there staring at the baby. He’d never thought of babies that much.
A nurse slipped out of the room and asked, “Would you like to come hold a baby?”
He looked up and recognized a girl from high school. “
Hey, Kathy.”
Her grin widened. “Luke Freestone. I thought that was you.” They hadn’t been close friends, but acquaintances. She was married to a cop who worked with Nick. “I heard Nick’s doing good?” she asked.
He nodded. “He’ll be fine.”
“Thank the Lord. Those close calls affect us all.” She turned back to the room. “C’mon, baby Lincoln needs some holding today.”
On autopilot, he followed her. “Baby Lincoln?”
She held the door for him. “Wash your hands and sit in the rocker.”
He turned on the faucet and pressed the soap dispenser, even as he protested, “I don’t know how to hold a baby.”
“Sure you do.” She let out a light laugh. “I heard Savannah was here with Beth yesterday.” She said nonchalantly.
Jerking his gaze toward her, he caught the knowing look on her face. He and Savannah had been together their senior year; of course the nursing staff would be talking. “Small towns,” he muttered.
“Yep.” She gestured to the rocking chair.
He sat as she retrieved the baby. “I thought he was abandoned. I didn’t think you would know the name.”
“We haven’t been able to find anything out about him, so we voted on names.” She smiled. “My name won. I thought he deserved a prominent name, a name that could get him through a war.” Kathy gently pulled the baby closer to her. “It’s not hard to hold a baby,” she said in a singsong voice. “Is it, Lincoln?”
“So it’s cancer?”
Kathy nodded. “Yep. The blood tests show he was being treated with chemo. The little guy will be transferred to Primary Children’s later today.”
The emotion tugged inside of him again. He didn’t like it, but he held out his arms and the baby was gently placed inside of them. “His parents abandoned him and he has cancer.” It was inconceivable.
The baby was wide awake and smiled at him. Somehow, he liked the way the baby felt in his arms.
“He likes you.” Kathy put Lincoln’s binky in his mouth. “You’ll probably have to put it back in if the li’l guy keeps showing you so many gums.”