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Nixon lets me slowly slide down his body until my feet are on the ground. He leans down and places his knuckles under my chin, lifting until I'm staring up at him. He presses the softest kiss to my lips before taking my hand in his and guiding him over to where I left Dad and Chad.
“Hey, man.” Nixon nods towards Chad.
“Hey,” Chad whispers, acting nothing like himself. He almost seems sad and regretful.
“Are you ready to get home, Sav?” Dad nudges me. He’s been looking forward to this day since I left for college my freshman year.
“Yeah.” I nod my head, then I realize Nixon has something to tell me. “Wait! I'm not doing anything until Nixon tells me what he’s been keeping a secret.” I turn towards him and place my hands on my hips. He chuckles and nods his head like he knew this was coming.
“I was hoping I could hold off until we got home, but I guess that’s not going to happen, huh?” He drops his gaze to his feet and takes a deep breath before peeking up at me. “Savvy, I want you to move in with me.”
“What?” I whisper, not believing what I'm hearing. There’s no way he wants to move in together this quickly.
“You’ll still live across the street from your parents and Donny gave me his blessing.”
“Which had stipulations.” Dad points at Nixon.
“Yes, stipulations which I plan to fulfill quickly.” Nixon rolls his eyes. “I want you as close as possible and being across the street is too far.”
“Ok.” I shrug my shoulders.
“Ok?” His brows furrow together and he stares at me.
“Ok, I’ll move in with you.”
“That’s it? I expected you to be more excited.” Nixon frowns.
“I used up all of my excitement when you got here. My body is drained of emotion now.”
“Fair enough.” He chuckles and tugs me into his embrace. “I love you, Savvy.”
“I love you too.”
Chad clears his throat and every eye snaps in his direction. He rubs the back of his neck, looking more than uncomfortable.
“I guess, this is it. Have a good life, Savannah,” Chad says softly. He gives me a tight-lipped smile and turns around, heading straight towards his car. His shoulders are slumped and he looks so defeated.
“Let him go, Sav. He needs to live with the consequences of his actions.” Dad places his hand on my upper back, giving me some silent support.
“I know, it’s just hard.”
“That’s alright. You’ll go through a lot of difficult things in your life. Sometimes you can make it better and other times you just need to let go. You can't help him, sweetheart, not any more than you already have. And I guarantee you’ve made a difference in his life. He’s learned a lesson from you that he’s never going to forget.”
“Next time he meets a woman as amazing as you, he’s not going to take her for granted. He’ll realize her worth and he won't play with her heart. He’ll make sure he does everything different next time,” Nixon says softly. “Once you lose the Savannah Catalino’s of your life, you realize how good you had it and regret every choice you made to lose her. Then you’ll do anything in your power to get her back into your life.”
“Nixon…” I whisper, unsure of how to express all the things I'm feeling.
When he stopped contacting me, I felt so empty. I didn’t want to do anything. I just missed him so much. Now that he’s back in my life, I don’t know how I made it so long without him.
“I would’ve begged you for forgiveness for years, Savvy. I would’ve done whatever you wanted just to have you in my life again.”
“And if I said jump?” A smile tugs on the corner of my lips.
“I’d ask how high. And after I jumped, I’d ask if that was good enough and if I should keep going.” He grins.
“Damn, boy, are you always this sappy?” Dad winks at me, making me giggle.
Chapter 31
