by Melody Anne
“Well, I don’t think I should gossip, or anything …”
Ashton knew instantly that his father was enjoying himself, but he also knew that he had to play along with the game if he wanted to get any information. And now the old man had made him curious.
“We both know that you’re going to tell me whatever it is, so just spit it out,” he said, his lips almost lifting.
“Well, it’s just that I ran into Savvy the other day …”
Ashton immediately sat up straight in his chair.
“You did? Where was she? How is she?” he blurted out.
“She seemed … good. Really good, actually,” Richard said quietly.
“Oh … that’s great,” Ashton replied. He was lying, of course. He didn’t find it so great that Savvy had moved on so easily while he was still pining away for her.
“Yeah, she was with some guy,” Richard said. “I think he’s a banker. Something like that.”
Ashton’s eyes turned into slits, but his voice was deceptively calm. “She’s seeing another man?”
“Well, you sure as hell aren’t courting her. You don’t expect such an amazing woman as her to remain single for long. Do you, son?”
Ashton could almost feel his dad’s disappointed eye roll through the phone. “Where is she living?” he asked between his teeth.
“She’s apparently living with the fellow in a house out in Snoqualmie. It’s a real nice place.”
“She moved in with this white-collar guy?” Ashton thundered.
“I knew I shouldn’t have told you,” Richard grumbled.
“What’s the address?” Ashton said. His voice had grown quieter and quieter with each word.
“It’s probably wrong to give it to you. I don’t want you doing something stupid. Not that being stupid is your style. Or is it now?”
Ashton had a hard time not throwing his phone through one of the picture windows he’d just been staring through.
“Just give me the damn address, Dad.”
The other end of the line went totally silent, and Ashton had to count to about a hundred in his head before he said something else that he shouldn’t.
Richard finally spoke. “I don’t appreciate hearing you speak to me in that churlish way, Ashton.”
“I’m sorry. You’re absolutely right that I shouldn’t talk to you that way. It’s just that I have something of Savvy’s that I need to return to her and I have a busy week. If I get that out of the way, I can get back to work,” the boy lied. He’d really pulled that out of his ass, in fact.
“Oh, in that case, son, here you go.”
Richard rattled off the address, and Ashton nearly broke his pen as he scribbled it down, because he was pressing so hard.
And when he hung up the phone, Ash had to sit there a minute longer before he moved. In the mood he was in, he was afraid he was indeed going to do something stupid. Just as he had that thought, a bitter laugh escaped his throat. Of course he was going to do something stupid. Stupidity was very likely another one of his unfortunate middle names — his father had said as much. The story of his life.
He was in love with a woman who had obviously moved on, and he didn’t take too kindly to being replaced. Maybe it was time that he reminded Savvy of just how good the two of them had been together. He could move on as well — right back to her.
With this thought, he rose and went straight to his car. He was glad the drive took him over an hour. This was one of the reasons he worked on the docks in the San Juan Islands. He hated Seattle traffic.
As rain began drizzling down, he found the address his father had given him, parked across the street, and looked at the house. Once again, this whole situation stumped him. What in the hell was he doing? What was he going to say?
Maybe this hadn’t been his best idea ever.
The heavy clouds were turning the morning sky dark when the front door opened and a man stepped out. Savvy was holding the door, laughing at something the man said, and Ashton’s gut clenched. In her gigantic robe, slippers on her feet, and her hair in a sloppy bun, she was still the most beautiful sight he’d ever been blessed with.
The banker, or whatever he was, turned around and bent down, kissed her cheek, and then jumped into his car and drove off while Savvy proceeded down the driveway to gather the morning paper. Ashton was a mass of jealous rage.
Before Savvy could get back inside the house, Ashton climbed out of his own car and, without realizing the force he was using, slammed the door loud enough to be heard by everyone in the vicinity.
She jumped. When she looked across the street, their eyes met. His narrowed; hers widened. Screw all his hesitating. He took long strides toward her and he was sure that his scowl turned even more vicious as she bounded toward her front door.
But his temper blew right on through the roof when she masked her expression into polite boredom — as if she were dealing with a pesky neighbor.
“Hi, Ashton. You’re a long ways from home.” Nothing in her tone showed him how she felt about his impromptu visit.
“It’s cold out here. Invite me inside,” he told her as he put his hand on the door, ensuring she wouldn’t be able to slam it in his face.
“I’m actually not feeling all that well and I was getting ready to lie back down,” she said as she hugged her robe to her just a little bit tighter.
Dream on, sweetheart. Ashton wasn’t going away that easily. He stepped forward, and her pupils dilated, this time as if she was afraid. That made him even angrier. He’d never hurt her, and he was furious that she would think — for even a second — that he would. No matter how upset he was, he couldn’t hurt her.
Well, he would never hurt her physically. The emotional damage he’d inflicted on her had been plenty. But he didn’t want to be that monster. He wanted to be her hero.
“I’m sure you can make time for an old … let’s just say friend,” he told her. Then he walked right past her into the house.
He heard her heavy sigh as she was left with no other choice but to shut the door or continue letting the cold air inside.
When he turned back around to look at her, his gut clenched. Damn, he had missed this woman, missed her more than he could have ever comprehended. He missed the way she made him laugh, the way she was insatiable in his bed, the way her hand would play with the silken strands of her hair when she was nervous. He just missed — her.
And he was determined to have her back.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Savannah was trying desperately to control her breathing, trying to make sure Ashton couldn’t see from her face or her body language how tough this meeting was on her. She was also trying to keep other things hidden from him, and it was taking a lot out of her to do all of this at once.
The last few months had been horrible for her, and she was only now beginning to be able to function. Seeing him again like this was going to set her back in a big way.
“Can you make this quick, Ashton? I really am tired.” She walked past him with her chin up, and he followed her to the living room. She didn’t take off her robe, but she sat down on the couch, curling her legs beneath her.
“It’s the morning. Why are you so tired?” he asked.
She glared at him. “That’s none of your business, Ashton.”
He leaned against the wall. “What have you been doing lately, Savvy? I looked for you at your university, and I discovered that you were no longer enrolled.”
Dang, why did the man have to be so handsome, even wearing that scowl of his and doing his intimidation thing? She hated that she was still attracted to him even after everything that had happened. She hated even more how much her heart hurt to be in the same room with him and how she didn’t have the right to run her fingers through his hair or lay her head on his chest while he comforted her.
“What do you mean?” she finally said when she realized he’d asked her a question.
“I’ll put this another way, Savannah. Why aren’t you in
graduate school?” He then looked toward her front door.
What was he looking for?
“I needed to take a couple of terms off,” she told him.
“Why’s that?”
“I … uh … well …” She felt as if she were being interrogated and she didn’t like the feeling. Did he know? Was he just toying with her? She squirmed uncomfortably on the couch. She was starting to feel her stomach roll and she was desperate to end this conversation.
“You need to go now, Ashton. I don’t want to try to be friends with you,” she told him, angry that she felt close to tears. That anger is what saved her from releasing them.
“Why can’t we be friends, Savvy? Are you worried your roommate won’t like it?” he snarled.
“Why would I be worried about that?”
“Really? You have no idea what I’m talking about? I saw the guy walk out of here, Savvy. I saw the kiss,” he shouted, coming closer.
“So what? Why are you raising your voice like this?” What the heck was going on?
“Because I don’t like that you jumped from my bed into some other guy’s,” he said, his body tense as he looked down at her.
“Ashton, this isn’t what it looks like, but even if it were, it’s not your concern, and you know it.” She stopped speaking when she saw his eyes flash.
“Dammit, Savvy. I love you, okay? I love you so much I hurt from it. I can’t think of anyone else but you. I can’t stand the thought of you with another man, of him touching you, laughing with you, taking care of you. It makes me want to smash my fists into the wall. I just … I screwed up. I know I did. But I know you love me too, and we’re meant to be together. Don’t let stupid mistakes keep us apart.”
Though those words meant everything to her, they also meant nothing. He was only there out of jealousy, obviously because he believed she was in a new relationship. He was still engaged to Kalli, and he still wasn’t hers. He could never be hers.
“Ashton, Jim is my roommate — that’s all. We aren’t lovers; we aren’t boyfriend and girlfriend. He was looking for a roommate and I applied. We’ve become close …,” she began to say, but she stopped herself. She didn’t want to tell Ashton the reason they were close.
“That’s how it begins, Savvy. You get close and then you get closer,” he growled.
“He’s gay, Ashton. We’re about as close as we’re going to get,” she told him with a sad smile.
“Oh,” he said, the breath whooshing out of his mouth. “Hmmm … Have you seen my father lately?” The change in topic stumped her for a moment.
“Yes, a few days ago. Jim’s a lawyer and is working on something for your father, I think. I was at the office dropping something off for Jim when Richard walked in.”
She stopped. Oh, she should have known Richard would immediately go to his son and tell him where she was. Dang it. She should have made him promise not to do that. He wouldn’t go against his word — he was a man of honor. Had he set up this whole roommate business for some ulterior motive? She’d been wearing a thick coat, her body not exposed. Richard couldn’t have known her secret … Now her head was spinning trying to figure out if he had somehow known.
“Good old Dad,” Ashton said, coming to the same conclusion as she had.
But then he stepped toward her again and she didn’t know what to think. The look in his eyes almost resembled love. But despite what he’d said a few minutes before, that couldn’t be.
“I’m sorry, Ashton. But this is all a big misunderstanding. You really should leave now.”
He knelt in front of her on the couch and reached for her hand. Savvy’s heart thudded and throbbed.
“Weren’t you listening to me, Savvy? I love you. I need you. Please don’t throw us away. Do I have to beg?” He lifted her hand up and kissed the back of it.
“But … Kalli,” she whimpered.
“I screwed up, Savvy. I thought I wanted a baby more than anything else. I thought I was supposed to continue the Storm line with the perfect children. Did you know that she lied about being pregnant?”
“What?”
“But even before I found out she’d lied, I knew I didn’t want to be with her. No, I wouldn’t abandon my child, but I couldn’t marry a woman I didn’t love and who didn’t love me. I never slept with her again after she came back. I couldn’t do that when I was in love with you. But she did lie. She was never pregnant and she’s now out of my life forever.”
“I … I don’t know what to say,” she finally muttered.
“Say you forgive me. I was a fool. I want you, Savvy, only you. I don’t need children. I don’t need anything but you. And for you to love me. Please forgive me and then marry me. Let’s be a family — just the two of us. That’s all I need.”
And Savvy could no longer hold the tears back. She needed to answer him, but she couldn’t find the words.
Ashton sat down, pulled her legs over his, and caressed her cheeks with infinite fondness. “I’ve missed you so much, Savvy — so, so much. There hasn’t been a day that’s passed since I last saw you that I haven’t thought about you, that I haven’t sighed your name before falling asleep. I thought I could stay in a world without love, but I can’t. You showed me a new way of life, and now that’s all I want.”
“Oh, Ashton, I … I love you too,” she said with a sob as she took his hand in hers.
“Marry me, Savvy. Please be mine forever. It will always be just you and me.”
“Well, that might be a little bit difficult,” she said as she pulled his hand toward her and slipped it beneath her robe.
Ashton’s eyes widened in shock, and then in wonder, and now she knew beyond a doubt that he’d had no idea she was carrying his child. She’d truly believed she hadn’t wanted to be a mother, but knowing she was carrying the baby of the man she loved had changed the way she felt. Her bump was small, but it was definitely telling as she approached her fourth month.
“Yes, she’s yours,” Savvy whispered. “And, yes, I love her with all my heart.”
He didn’t speak for several moments as he stroked her thickening stomach, adoration and awe in his eyes and in his touch.
“I love you so much, Savvy,” he told her. “Thank you for protecting our child when I wasn’t here for you.”
He then pulled her into his arms and kissed her until she lost her breath for all new reasons. When his lips finally released hers, she smiled as she looked into his eyes.
“Yes, Ashton Storm, I would be more than happy to become your wife.”
“Let’s go home, my love,” he said before kissing her again.
Savvy’s life could truly begin now that she had everything she hadn’t even known she wanted.
Epilogue
The boat swayed gently on the water as lightning flashed in the sky several miles away. The clouds were high and dark, but no rain dared to fall while Joseph and George Anderson and Richard Storm settled back in their deck chairs and enjoyed a nice scotch. A storm over the Pacific gave a good show when it didn’t come too close.
“I have to admit I was worried there for a while,” Joseph said. He wasn’t worried anymore. And he wasn’t talking about the weather.
“I know,” Richard replied with a shake of his head. “I wasn’t so sure that Ashton was going to take the bait, to go over the edge when he thought Savvy had found someone else. But I had to do everything in my power to get those kids back together.”
“We’re only helping them out. It isn’t like we’re doing anything wrong,” George told his brothers.
“Of course we aren’t doing anything wrong. We haven’t had a miss yet, but those dang kids — none of them appreciate all we do for them, or the amount of time and effort that goes in to making sure they’re happy,” Joseph grumbled.
“Someday they’ll see how much we’ve done for them,” George replied. “Until that happens, whatever will be will be.”
“Well, the best decision I could have ever made was moving to the West Coast,
” Richard said. “Not only have I gained two brothers — ones I seem to have known my whole life — but I have a slew of nieces and nephews to boot. And with all the babies popping up around here, we could start up our own town.”
“I like that idea,” Joseph boomed. “It could be Andersonville. Not the first town by that name, but one of the best.”
“With a giant lake called Storm Pond,” Richard said.
“I have to admit I wouldn’t mind getting out of the hustle and bustle of the city,” George told them. “I’ve really enjoyed spending time on these islands the last few years.”
“Yes. The city was great in my working years,” Joseph said, “but now it takes me so dang long to get anywhere in all this traffic.”
“Don’t forget that we have one of my children to go,” Richard told the boys, “and then maybe we can spend a few months a year out in Montana with our good friends there.”
George was clearly fascinated. “Hmm. That doesn’t sound like such a bad idea. I know that our pal Martin Whitman is struggling to get his youngest two sons married off. If those young men are still single by the time Lance is putting a ring on some girl’s finger, we might just have to head out there and give him some more help.”
“There’s nothing that says we can’t do both at the same time,” Richard told them.
“That’s true,” Joseph said. “We’re crafty men, and great at what youngsters call multitasking. I think the goal this year will be to get both Lance and Martin’s boys, Michael and Cam, married off.”
“Ah, I wouldn’t mind another wedding like the one we just had. Savvy looked absolutely breathtaking in her beaded ivory gown. Her blushing cheeks and those eyes so full of love brought tears to my eyes,” said the bride’s father-in-law.
“Yes, and in a couple of months more we get another baby added into the family.” Joseph raised his glass in celebration and triumph.
“How many children does that make now?” George asked after clinking glasses.
Both Joseph and Richard sat back.