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“Nixon…” My name falls off her lips like a plea, but I can't handle that right now.
My heart already feels like it’s been ripped out of my chest and stomped on. Every single time Chad touches her, the ache grows. Every time she looks up at him with familiarity I want to scream.
That should be me holding her in my arms. It should be me she finds a familiar comfort with. Chad shouldn’t exist in her life because I should be the only one.
“I’ll come back for plates and forks,” I call over my shoulder, making my way into the living room.
Carla’s gaze finds me the instant I'm within view. Her motherly look gives me the strength to get through the rest of the night. I know at the end of the day, Carla and Donny are on my side. That holds more weight than anything and will give me a fighting chance.
I wait until Savannah comes out, then I go back in for plates and forks. I don’t want any more alone time with her right now.
“Who wants some cheesecake? Donny?”
“Damn, Nixon, you think I'll turn down cheesecake? No way in hell. Make sure you put a cannoli and pizzelle on there too. What kind of Italian would I be if I didn’t go to bed stuffed? I have to see if your skills live up to Carla’s praise.”
Handing him a plate, I don’t say a word. I want to know what he thinks. His opinion means more to me than I care to admit.
“Carla?” I motion to the desserts.
“A small piece of everything, sweet boy. I want to know if I'm a good teacher.”
Everyone else says the same, they all want to sample each dessert. By the time I’ve gotten my own plate, Donny’s setting his empty one down on the end table.
“Nixon, I think we need to have a talk,” he says grimly.
“About what?” I roll my eyes, my lips twitching.
“About why the hell you aren’t working for me full time! Everything was amazing tonight. You’re on Carla’s level of skills.”
“Thank you. I'm glad you liked it.”
“Liked it? I loved it, son. I'm serious, the offer always stands for you to take a place in the family business. Whenever you get tired of being your own boss, you come see me.”
“Family business? You know he’s not actually family, right?” Chad snickers.
“Nixon will always be part of my family as far as I'm concerned,” Donny snaps with a glare. “And who knows, maybe one day he’ll legally be family.”
“She’s my girlfriend,” Chad growls.
“For now. You said so yourself, at the end of next semester you’re going back to California. Who knows what will happen then?”
“Dad, please,” Savannah begs, her gaze bouncing between all three of the men in the room.
I keep my expression neutral, there’s no reason to engage in this argument. Savannah needs to make her own choice where Chad is concerned.
As soon as I'm done with my dessert, I begin cleaning up everything. I'm emptying the dishwasher when Carla comes into the room.
“Stop it. You cooked everything, let me clean up. Go enjoy your time with Savannah.”
“She doesn’t want to spend time with me.”
“She does, sweetie. She’s torn right now. Having an old crush and her current boyfriend in the same house has to be a little stressful.”
“Maybe I should just go back to my house.”
“No, I don’t think that’s what she needs. She needs you to remind her why you were always her best friend. You were the one she leaned on when things got tough. I’d say right now is a tough time for her. She’s about to close one chapter of her life and she’s unsure of what will happen next. Her entire future is up in the air.”
“I’ll try. I think I'm going to call it a night though. I can only take so much of Chad in one sitting.”
