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“I’ll go help. There’s a lot of stuff to get ready.” I rise from the chair; my sole priority is Savannah.
Entering the kitchen, I find her hands braced on the counter, her head hanging low. Her shoulders are stiff and I can tell she’s more than upset.
“Are you ok?” I keep my voice soft so I don’t frighten her. She jumps anyway. Her hand flies to her chest.
“I'm good, fine. What could possibly be wrong?” She throws her hands in the air and lets them fall to her sides.
“Savvy… Don’t,” I whisper.
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t do that to me. We don’t lie to each other. We’re transparent, raw and honest.”
“You want honesty?”
I nod my head, my gaze never leaving her. I know whatever leaves her mouth is going to gut me, but I can't shy away from this conversation.
“Ok, here’s a little dose of honesty. It hurts like hell knowing my boyfriend of a year has no plans of staying together unless I want to pack up my entire life and move across the country. Then he guesses we can keep this going. Just what every girl wants to hear.”
“You deserve better than him anyway.”
“Don’t you dare judge me for who I'm dating.” She glares.
“I'm not. Honest. I just… I want to see you happy, that’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“You wouldn’t know what makes me happy, Nix. You don’t know me anymore.” She glares as she lets all of her anger focus on me. I don’t mind. If she needs a punching bag, I can be there for the night.
“You’re right.” I close the distance between us. “But I want to get to know you all over again. I want to know your favorite things and what you hate. I want to know your comfort foods and what you wear to lounge around. I plan on learning everything about this version of you.”
“Why?”
“Because, I told you, I never stopped caring. I never will.”
She glances away, nibbling on her bottom lip. For a few minutes we stay in silence. I can see the emotions running across her features. She’s torn on what to do. She’s hurt and in pain, but she wants to go back to how things used to be.
“What desserts am I even supposed to be getting? I don’t even know what Mom made.” She pushes off the counter.
“She didn’t make anything. I did it all.”
“Are you kidding me? She let you make dessert too? Shit, Nixon! Is she sick? Is she dying? Please tell me she’s not dying!” Savannah’s frantic as tears fill her eyes at the thought of something being wrong with Carla.
“No. Nothing like that. I kinda asked her to let me do everything. She’s been running herself ragged this week trying to fill all the orders the restaurant had and then with Thanksgiving tomorrow… I wanted to give her a break.”
“Really? You did this for her?” She peers up at me, wide blue eyes locked on mine.
“No. I did it all for you,” I whisper.
Her brows furrow like she doesn’t understand. Her gaze flickers from my lips to my eyes and back again. Her chest rises and falls more rapidly than before. Her tongue swipes across her bottom lip, drawing my attention, making me want to claim them. Leaning down, I close the distance, wanting to kiss her just as much as she wants to kiss me.
Right before our lips touch, she places a hand on my chest, stopping me from doing anything else. I’d never touch Savvy without her permission and she knows it.
“We can't, Nix. I have a boyfriend.”
I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment before taking a step back. She’s right, she does have a boyfriend, but for how much longer? He obviously isn’t in love with her. If he was, his plans for after college would not only include her, they’d center around her.
My plans center around Savannah. I came back here for her. Yes, I can work from anywhere, but even if I couldn’t, I’d still be here. She’s all that matters.
“I’ll get the cheesecake if you want to get the cannolis and the pizzelle,” I mutter, stepping around her.
