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“Nixon?” My voice comes out as barely a whisper.
“Come here…” He holds his arms open.
I'm hesitant to move closer, but when Mom pushes me from behind, I have no choice but to go to him. He hugs me tightly, holding me longer than acceptable for a friendly hug. When I step back, he doesn’t try to stop me.
“You look amazing. And I was right, you’re beautiful.”
“Thanks,” I mumble, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. My cheeks heat, but I try to ignore it.
“C’mon, Carla. Let’s give them some privacy.” Dad sweeps Mom into his arms, carrying her out of the room.
“You… You have sauce on your chin.” I point at him with a frown.
He swipes at his chin with his thumb, wiping away the sauce. Sucking his thumb into his mouth, he throws me a wink.
“All better.” Turning back to the stove, he picks up the wooden spoon, continuing to stir the sauce. “Sit and talk to me. Keep me company while I finish making dinner.”
“You’re making dinner?” My jaw falls open. Mom never lets anyone make dinner.
“Yup! Mama bear’s been teaching me her cooking tricks this week. I’ve been helping out at the restaurant too.”
“Wow, the prodigal son returns. Fulfilling all of the parents’ hopes and dreams,” I deadpan.
“Savvy, you know it isn’t like that.” He frowns at me.
“But it kinda is, Nixon. They’ve always loved you, no matter what you did. Looks like that hasn’t changed.”
“They love you more.”
“I’d hope so, I'm their actual child.”
We’re quiet for a few minutes, both of us lost in our own thoughts.
“I missed you.” Nixon’s voice is barely above a whisper.
My gaze snaps to him, he lifts his chin just enough for our eyes to meet. I search for something to say, but I come up empty.
“I-” I begin, but I'm cut off by the door bell ringing. “Oh, that’s probably Chad and Devon… I should probably…”
“Yeah… go ahead.” Nixon’s confidence slowly slips away, hurt evident in his eyes.
“Nix…” I hesitate, unsure of what I'm supposed to do.
Do I stay and talk to him? How do I ignore Devon and Chad showing up? I know Mom would scold me for that. She taught me better manners than ignoring visitors when they arrive, especially visitors who are only here because of me.
“No, it’s fine. Go see your boyfriend.”
Chapter 14
Nixon
Squeezing my eyes shut, I try my hardest to relax. Savannah’s absolutely gorgeous, not that I expected anything less, but to see her… damn.
Every time she looks at me, there’s longing and care in her eyes. But she’s resisting it, she doesn’t want to be around me. She wants her heart to listen to her head and keep me at a distance. Hearts don’t care about the brain’s opinion; it knows better than to listen to reason.
I stir the sauce one final time before placing the spoon on the rest, Carla would whoop my ass if I got sauce on her counter. I wipe my hands on the apron, slowly untying the knot at my back. Taking two slow breaths in and out, I plaster on a smile I'm not quite feeling and go greet the visitors.
Chatter fills the air the closer I get to the front door. Donny and Carla are standing off to the side, shaking hands and introducing themselves to the friend and boyfriend. Leaning against the wall, I fold my arms over my chest and cross my ankles. I don’t feel the need to make my presence known quite yet.
