Little Bird (The Tangled Series)

by Gaines, Liza

  So she hadn’t packed condoms and she had intended it to be a surprise. Kind of a “Yay, you lived so let’s make a baby to celebrate!” sort of thing. Still, there was a chance Lee would balk and as a precaution she’d mapped the location of the pharmacy nearest the camp. So she’d felt fairly confident she had her bases covered. Unfortunately, she hadn’t anticipated this.

  “Savannah, hurry up or I’ll tear this goddamn car apart looking for them.” Lee sounded amused, probably because he thought she was nervous about having sex in a parking lot and was stalling for time.

  “Levon?” Savannah turned around to face him. She’d brought this on herself; she would have to fess up.

  “What?” Lee looked at her expectantly.

  Savannah mentally kicked herself for not realizing this might happen. He’d been in the hospital for nearly a week. It had been five days since they’d had sex. She should have known he wouldn’t be in the mood to wait. Gah, why hadn’t she thought of this?

  Lifting her chin, all but glaring at him, she said, “I didn’t pack any.”

  Lee’s jaw clenched, his nostrils flaring as he stared at her for several long seconds. When he finally spoke his voice was low and hard as steel. “You dumping my worthless ass?”

  “No.” Savannah took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. “I want to have a baby with your worthless ass.”

  “Don’t you think that’s something we should talk about?” Lee arched a brow at her, his expression otherwise bland. This wasn’t really the reaction she had anticipated from him and she wasn’t quite sure how to take it.

  “I don’t see why. You make unilateral decisions all the time without asking me what I think.” Savannah knew she sounded sort of smug. She’d been practicing that line in her head ever since she’d decided to do this just in case she had the chance to use it.

  “True, but that’s because I already know what you think. You’re not exactly difficult to read.” Lee laughed, clearly amused by her explanation. He turned, his arms over his chest and his ankles crossed as he leaned against the Jeep, waiting for her to say more.

  “All right, then. We’ll talk about this. But maybe we should do this elsewhere. A parking lot doesn’t really seem like the best place.” She didn’t really think he’d go for that suggestion but it was a worth a try.

  “Nope. State your case, Little Bird.”

  “Okay. You said you’re going to marry me and you said you want to have a family. So, why not? Plus, you’re going to be thirty-eight next month and I thought if we’re going to have a baby you might like to do that sooner rather than later. I mean, you don’t want to be watching high school graduation on Skype from your nursing home, do you?” Savannah grinned at him, teasing.

  “So this is about me being old. I should have known.” Lee chuckled, shaking his head. “Is that all then?”

  “Honestly, it’s really more about you getting shot. You could have died. I’ve thought about that a lot this week. I just, I want every day to matter. I don’t want to wait to start our lives together.” Savannah paused, trying to push down the tears she could feel gathering. She’d been so frightened by the prospect of losing him when she’d only just found him. Remembering how she’d felt in those first hours after the attack made the fear feel fresh again.

  Determined not to cry, Savannah decided another joke was in order to keep the mood light. “Besides, you could get sick of me so I need to get you good and trapped while I have the chance.”

  Lee frowned, evidently unimpressed with her joke. “I am going to marry you, Savannah.”

  “I know.” Savannah pushed up on her tiptoes to give him a light kiss. Apparently he’d missed her teasing tone. “I was just teasing you.”

  “No, I mean, today.”

  “What?” Savannah stared at him, agape. He couldn’t possibly be serious.

  “You heard me. I’ll trade you one unilateral decision for another.”

  “You’re crazy. We can’t just get married today. What about blood tests and waiting periods and witnesses and all that stuff?” Savannah took a deep breath, her hands on his chest as she looked up at him with a shocked expression. Maybe that concussion had scrambled the poor man’s brain.

  “None of that is required in Virginia. You just go to the Court, get a license and they give you a list of people approved to officiate. I figure we ought to be able to find someone available, even on such short notice.” Lee narrowed his eyes at her. “I assume you’re freaking out about this because you always imagined a big wedding, with the dress and the flowers and the cake and all that bullshit?”

  Savannah snorted, annoyed by his obvious disdain for traditional weddings. “Well, I guess now I know what you think about all that bullshit.”

  Lee surprised her by laughing, but she just glared back at him. He’d been in such a pissy mood just a few minutes ago and now all the sudden he was cheerful and laughing at her.

  “Savannah, I did all that once and it was a disaster so no, I don’t really give a shit about big weddings. If it’s important to you we’ll wait and you can have a traditional wedding. I’m not saying I won’t do that. What I am saying is if that’s what you want, we’ll stop and buy condoms today and you’re going to get on birth control until then.”

  “Who knew a pervert like you would be so old-fashioned?” Savannah tried to sound mad but she couldn’t really pull it off. She was surprised by his insistence they marry before quitting all birth control. That wasn’t really something that mattered to her, at least as long as they eventually planned to marry. It was sort of charming, if unexpected, that he turned out to be such a traditionalist.

  Lee laughed and shook his head. “Call it what you like, but there it is.”

  “All right, have it your way then. We’ll get married today.” Savannah wondered if he would change his tune now that she’d agreed. Maybe he was relying on her wanting a big wedding and had thought he could put her off this way. Well, if he was, she’d just called his bluff.

  “Okay. Let’s go then.” Lee pushed off the side of the Jeep and opened the door to get in.

  “Wait.” Savannah grabbed his arm, stopping him, her voice raising several octaves. True, she’d been nervous about sex in a public place but she was as anxious to have sex again as she’d thought he had been. “What happened to fucking in the parking lot?”

  “I changed my mind.” Lee pulled her against his chest, his hand stroking the back of her neck as he pressed his mouth to her ear and continued. “I’m desperate to be inside you, sweetheart. But I’d rather wait now so the next time I fuck you, I’m fucking my wife.”

  Getting the marriage license was as easy as Lee said it would be. He teased her when he found out her middle name was Jane, and she was surprised to learn he didn’t have a middle name at all but otherwise the process was totally uneventful, aside from Savannah’s overactive nerves, anyway.

  Afterward, they stood on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Savannah fidgeting anxiously, as Lee called potential officiants on the list the court had provided. They got lucky when the second person Lee called, a gentleman named Carl Milligan, was available and agreed to meet with them right away. Savannah drove them to his house, trying to remain calm and concentrate on not getting in an accident, but the reality was she was freaking out. Not necessarily freaking out in a bad way but she just couldn’t believe she was about to get married.

  She was disappointed her parents and Joni and her other friends wouldn’t be there to share this day with her, but when it came right down to it she didn’t want to wait. If she were honest with herself, this is what she had really wanted anyway. She just hadn’t had the courage to tell Lee she wanted him to marry her sooner rather than later. Somehow the birth control issue had been one she’d felt more comfortable addressing, one she felt she had more control over. She didn’t know why that was exactly, but it had worked out for the best and now she would get both of the things she’d wanted.

  Standing on Mr. Mi
lligan’s front porch Lee rang the doorbell. They could hear a dog barking inside and then the door opened, a friendly older man smiling at them warmly.

  “You must be Lee and Savannah?”

  “That’s us. We really appreciate your willingness to do this on such short notice, Mr. Milligan.” As Lee spoke, the officiant stepped out to join them on the porch, shaking hands with both of them.

  “Please, call me Carl. And it’s my pleasure. It’s a beautiful day, sunny and not too hot. My wife keeps a lovely garden in back. I thought you might like to do this there?” Carl offered them both a questioning look.

  “That sounds nice.” Lee nodded and they followed Carl around the side of the house to the back yard.

  They were holding hands as they walked together, and Savannah looked up at him with a nervous smile, seeking reassurance from his ever-present overabundance of confidence. Lee squinted back at her, the sun in his eyes, as he slowed their pace so they fell a little farther behind Carl.

  “I have a ring at home for you, Little Bird. I’m sorry I don’t have it here.” His voice was quiet so they wouldn’t be overheard and he looked genuinely apologetic about the absent ring.

  “You have a ring already?” Savannah gave him a dubious look. What did he do, keep a spare ring around just in case he decided to get married on the spur of the moment?

  “It was my mother’s. Well, technically, it was my great-grandmother’s first, but eventually it was my mother’s.”

  Of course, she should have thought of that. Wealthy old families like his always seemed to have heirlooms like that. As opposed to her family, where there hadn’t been anything worth handing down from one generation to the next.

  Savannah stopped walking and they stood staring at one another, her fingers twined with his. She spoke hesitantly. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but she couldn’t accept that ring. “It’s sweet that you would think of that, Lee, but your sister should have it.”

  “No, she shouldn’t. My mother wore it, my father’s mother wore it, my grandfather’s mother wore it and so will you.” Lee paused, his voice gruff with emotion she knew he fought to suppress. “And someday, our son’s wife will wear it. The rules for passing down that ring were established long before either one of us were even born. You don’t get to change them.”

  Savannah nodded, accepting his answer. If that was the tradition in his family it wasn’t her place to question it. It was comforting, in its own way, to think she’d be part of something so much older than either of them. The few times Lee had spoken of his mother, it had been with a great deal of affection and admiration, so Savannah was sad she couldn’t have known the woman. Maybe wearing her ring would give them some kind of connection.

  Unless Cara had worn that ring. That idea burst into Savannah’s thoughts like an unwelcome party guest, ruining the sentimental daydreams she’d been having about the Jackson wives who’d come before her. Now was probably not the appropriate time to ask, but she did anyway, unable to stop her uneasy curiosity.

  “Did…”

  Savannah didn’t even get as far as Cara’s name before Lee interrupted her, correctly guessing where she was headed. “No. Ma was still alive then. You might not be my first wife, but you are the only wife of mine who’ll wear that ring.”

  Savannah grinned at him, unable to contain how pleased she was by his answer. She knew it was childish, but that didn’t change the fact she was glad Cara hadn’t had his family ring.

  Turning together, they crossed the yard, Lee’s arm around her waist as she leaned into his side. They joined Carl where he stood near the most magnificent rose bush Savannah had ever seen.

  Carl gave them both a pleasant smile. “Is there anything particular you’d like me to say? Do either of you have any religious preference?”

  “I’m not religious,” they answered together and then looked at each other, surprised, before Lee added with a grin, “All I care about is the part where you say ‘I pronounce you man and wife.’ Feel free to use your professional judgment for the rest.”

  “I’ll keep it short and sweet. Shall we get started then?” They both nodded and Lee handed the marriage license to Carl. After briefly skimming it, he began, “We are here today to celebrate the joining of Levon Jackson and Savannah Jane Alderton in marriage. With love and commitment, you have decided to live your lives together as husband and wife.”

  Savannah and Lee stood facing one another, holding hands as they listened to Carl speak. Later in life, when she would think back on her wedding day, she’d realize she didn’t remember any of the words Carl had said. Instead, all she would remember was the look on Lee’s face, the feel of his hands in hers, and her own elated excitement. And really, those were the things that really mattered in the long run.

  An hour later, they were at a nearby upscale hotel. Savannah stood in the hallway waiting for Lee to unlock the door. She felt bad he’d spent so much money on the room when they wouldn’t even be staying the night. She had tried to talk him out of it but he’d insisted on a few hours of privacy before they joined their friends at the camp. Which was fine with Savannah, she wanted a little privacy, too, but she’d have been perfectly happy with a less extravagant hotel. She wondered if she would ever get used to being married to a man for whom money wasn’t a consideration.

  When it was unlocked, Lee wedged his foot in the door to keep it open and turned to Savannah, picking her up and carrying her inside. She giggled, giddy with love and excitement, as he carried her to the bed, setting her on the edge. How had she ever thought he wasn’t romantic? Normally, she might have considered carrying the bride over the threshold an outdated and silly tradition. But she’d noticed the way his jaw clenched when he picked her up, careful to keep the bulk of her weight on his good arm. It meant enough to him that he wanted to do it, even when he wasn’t in the best shape for it. Silly tradition or not, it was sweet and she wouldn’t argue.

  Sitting down next to her he bent and started to unlace his boots. “Why don’t you call room service? Order some champagne.”

  “No champagne. You were in such a foul mood this morning you may not have been paying attention when the doctor said no alcohol while you’re taking medication but I heard him.” Savannah got up and went to the phone on the bedside table.

  “Not even married an hour and you’re already nagging me.” Lee snorted and gave her a teasing look while he kicked off his boots and socks. “Just get some water or soda, whatever. And see if they have some cheese and crackers or fruit or something. Nothing too much. I’ll take you out to dinner later so don’t spoil your appetite, but we’ve missed lunch. I don’t want you to get light headed from hunger when you should be getting light headed from multiple orgasms instead.”

  Savannah laughed and dialed room service, ordering drinks and a snack. Lee stretched out on the bed, his back against the headboard, watching her while she talked on the phone. He looked at her so intensely it made her feel a little dizzy, so she moved to sit on the edge of the bed next to him. Lee shook his head, giving her a firm pat on the ass with his good hand, so she remained standing.

  When she finished the call, she’d barely had time to set the phone back in its cradle when Lee spoke. “Take your clothes off.”

  “But room service…”

  “Which is why I’ll stay dressed.” Lee interrupted her, gesturing at her dress. “Now take your clothes off.”

  Savannah swallowed hard and nodded, gathering her skirt in her hands and pulling it over her head with trembling arms. She didn’t know why she was so nervous, by now he’d seen her naked many times. Maybe it was just anticipation and excitement about what was to come.

  Turning away to toss her dress on a nearby chair, she wondered what he was thinking as he watched her undress. When she looked at him again, while reaching behind her back to unfasten her bra, she almost laughed. What he was thinking was written all over his face, his eyes dark with desire as they moved over her body. Well, that a
nswered that question, anyway.

  She was stepping out of her panties when Lee spoke again, startling her. “I don’t think I like you wearing panties. You should stop.”

  Savannah laid the last of her clothes aside and shook her head with a laugh. “You would say that.”

  Lee didn’t say anything else and Savannah could feel her nervous energy growing. His eyes slowly raked over her naked body and Savannah shivered in response. It was almost like his gaze was a caress, her skin warming as his eyes passed over it. She might scream if he sat there staring at her for much longer.

  She’d started to fidget when she finally gave in and said, “Are you just going to lay there and look at me forever?”

  “Maybe.” Lee shrugged, unperturbed. “I like looking at you.”

  “Well, that’s good since you’re stuck with me now. But this is a little unfair.” Savannah looked pointedly at his fully clothed body.

  “Do you know when I thought for the first time you might be more than just a good fuck?” Lee ignored her comment and looked at her with a curious expression.

  Savannah was thrown by his question, since she hadn’t been expecting it, so she stammered, “No, when?”

  Lee swung his legs over the edge of the bed, moving to stand behind her. Savannah could feel his injured arm in the sling against her back as he reached around her with his good hand and cupped one breast, his thumb lazily stroking the nipple.

  “It was that first night, after we’d fucked on the kitchen table.” Lee nuzzled her neck before hastily adding, “Before we argued.”

  “Really? Why then?” Savannah was breathless as she leaned back against him, letting him fondle her breast.