Watching with wide eyes as Savannah runs out of Carter’s office, I slowly turn around to face my oldest brother. “What the fuck was that?”
Understanding and a hint of sadness in Carter’s eyes gives me a shitty feeling. “That was your woman runnin’. Trust me. I’ve seen that look in Shelby’s eyes many times before. She’s runnin’, Caden.”
“Dammit. I’ve got to stop her.” Not caring if he follows, I jump out of my chair and run out the door. I get why she’s running, I do, but fuck this isn’t how today was supposed to go down. Looking left then right, I try to spot her. She hasn’t been gone but maybe two minutes tops, but knowing her, she’s long gone. Running a hand down my face, I decide to check and see if she’s sitting in the truck. Hearing squealing tires makes me stop, and I can only stare. I see Savannah clearly driving away in my truck, I might add, and violating about three different traffic laws.
“Isn’t that your truck,” I hear behind me and see Carter staring in the same direction.
“Yep. That’s ol’ Betsy.” I’ve got to hand it to Savannah. When she wants to run, best believe she’ll make it happen. Jesus, I’ve got my work cut out for me.
“So much for stoppin’ her.”
“No shit, Carter.”
“I’m just sayin’. She was haulin’ ass.”
Placing my hands on my hips, I tilt my head back. “Why me? Sweet baby Jesus, why me?”
Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I huff out a breath as I glance at Carter. “Is she worth it, man?”
“What kind of question is that? Of course she’s worth it. Even if she did steal my ride, she’s worth everythin’.”
“Well then why the fuck are you still standin’ here?”
Narrowing my eyes, I ask, “Didn’t you just see her speedin’ away in my truck? Or was I the only one who saw that?”
Carter chuckles loudly, then looks past me. I already know who he’s staring at by the look in his eyes. Nothing but pure love is shining in them. Shelby must be behind me, and my guess is confirmed as I hear her voice. “Wasn’t that your truck speedin’ away?”
Before I can answer her, Carter says, “Yeah. Caden’s woman is runnin’.”
Shelby walks up to Carter and places a sweet kiss on his lips. Turning away, I glance in the direction Savannah drove away and give them a moment. Sometimes it’s disgustingly beautiful to watch them. They’re so in love and all that jazz, but that doesn’t mean I like to witness it every single time they’re near each other. Looking back at the happy couple, I ask, “Are y’all done with suckin’ face? Cause’ I might get sick watchin’ y’all.”
“Shut it, Caden,” Carter snaps.
“Tell me more about your girl runnin’, Caden,” Shelby says as she hands Carter some food.
“Oh you know. I just had to pick the one woman that’s making it hard as fuck to be with.”
“Look I get it,” she starts, and she would know. Poor Carter was a fucking wreck when Shelby ran from him. Multiple times I might add. “It’s easier to run away from your problems than face them. But I know you, and I also know you won’t stop fightin’ to make her stay.” She’s right. Damn she hit it right on the nail, but I have no clue how to get Savannah to accept what she already knows or my help. All of this feels like it’s out of my control, and I have no idea how to get Savannah to stay with me. “Come on,” Shelby says as she grabs my forearm. “We’re goin’ after her.” She quickly kisses Carter goodbye then takes off toward the back parking lot. Letting her lead me to her car, I can only hope we can actually find Savannah. I have no idea where she would run to, and just thinking I don’t know her as well as I want, makes my heart clench. If she tries to skip town without telling me, I’ll be pissed as hell. I can’t let her slip through my fingers, and I can’t even stand the thought of her leaving me. Once we make it to Shelby’s vehicle, she whips out of the parking lot like a woman on a mission.
Holding on tightly to the ‘oh shit handle’, I use my other hand to reach over myself and grab the seatbelt. “Hey, Shel?” She glances at me, and I quickly say, “Watch the road!” She shakes her head, and I’m really starting to reconsider letting her drive. “Would you slow down? You’re freakin’ me out.”
“Stop being such a baby, Caden. I’m not goin’ that fast.”
Clenching my ass cheeks as she slams on her brakes to not run a red light, I pray she doesn’t kill us before we can find Savannah. “I’m goin’ to come back and haunt your ass if you kill me.”
“Drama queen.”
Before I can respond, I hear my phone go off with a text message. Thinking it might be Savannah, I quickly take my phone out of my pocket. But as I read the message, my stomach drops.
Cas: Where are you? Savannah is here packin’.
Me: Things didn’t go well. Whatever you do, do not let her leave.
Cas: I think she’s cryin’.
Me: Are you sure she’s packin’?
Cas: I don’t know for sure. She ran inside the apartment and then went into your room. She slammed the door in my face too.
Me: Well what do you expect? She’s upset. Don’t be butt hurt about it.
Cas: I’m not. Just hurry the fuck up.
Me: Shel is drivin’.
Cas: Oh fuck. Don’t die first.
Me: I’m prayin’ I don’t. Be there soon.
“Was that her?” Shelby asks as I put my phone away.
“No. It was Cas. He said she’s at our place and he thinks she’s packin’ her things.”
Gripping onto the door handle as Shelby guns it, she says, “I won’t ask how you got her to move in with you already, but you can’t let her leave.”
My entire body is ridged as Shelby whips in and out of traffic, and I hope she doesn’t get pulled over. If she happens to get a speeding ticket, I’ll be able to get her out of it, but I’m still scared for my life. “Not that I’m complainin’ or anythin’, but why are you in such a rush to get me there?”
It takes her a bit to answer me as she concentrates on getting me home. Right before she pulls into Flacon Lair, she says, “You’ve been different since you met her. I have to think she means somethin’ to you, otherwise you wouldn’t be helpin’ her find her birth mother. Plus the way you talk about her lets me know you care for her a lot more than you’re lettin’ on.”
When she finally parks, I relax and let out a breath. Unbuckling my seatbelt, I turn to her. “I know she’s the one, Shel. It sounds crazy as fuck, but the moment our eyes locked, somethin’ just clicked inside of me.”
Her eyes soften, and she grins from ear to ear. “She’s your soulmate then. Now go get em’, tiger.”
“Thanks, Shel.” Opening the door, I place one leg out then turn back to her. “Also thanks for not killin’ me. I really do appreciate that.” I hear her laugh as I shut the door, but it’s nice to know she understands where I’m coming from when it comes to Savannah. Racing up the stairs to my place, I make it there in record time. Jerking open the door, the first thing I notice is Cason standing in front of the door leading to my bedroom. When he notices me, I can already tell what he’s thinking. It’s a big benefit of having a twin. Sometimes I can’t tell what anyone is thinking, but with Cason, it’s like we share a brain. Right now, he’s thinking, “Dude, get your fuckin’ ass in there and get your woman.” Nodding, he steps away from the door as I approach. Taking a deep breath, I slowly lift my hand to the door handle. I won’t lie. I’m fucking terrified of what I’m walking into. Time to man the fuck up, Caden.
Opening the door, the first thing I notice is her suitcase on the bed. Well that just won’t fucking do here. The second thing I see is all the drawers are open. That won’t work for me either. Then lastly, I watch Savannah walk out of the closet with a handful of her clothes. Keeping my voice as calm as possible, I ask, “Goin’ somewhere, small fry?”
She startles when she notices me, and I swallow seeing the tears falling freely down her cheeks. “I can’t do this anymore. It’s just too hard.”
Alright fuck this shit. Taking a step to her, I grab the clothes out of her hand and toss them on the floor. I’m done playing this hot and cold game. “You’re not goin’ anywhere.” Wiping a tear away as it falls down her cheek, she stares at me, and I hope she knows I mean it. I’ll be damned if she walks out of here. “So what if this is hard? Life is hard, small fry. But the thing is when shit gets rough, you don’t give up. You keep fuckin’ fightin’ and pushin’ back. That’s why I’m here.” Using my finger, I point it to my chest. “I’m here to help you carry this, Savannah. Not anyone else. Me.”
“You think this is easy for me? You think it’s just a fucking walk in the park? Because it’s not. Not by a long shot. You have no idea what I’m going through or what I’m dealing with.”
In a way she’s right, but I want to know everything there is to know about her. “I never said it was easy for you. I know it’s not since it’s written all over your face. But you can’t up and leave when shit hits the fan.”
Shaking her head, she steps back putting distance between us. I fucking hate it. “I have to go, Caden. There’s nothing here for me anymore.” Damn she knows just what to say to drive a stake right through my heart. Clenching my jaw, she takes a deep breath. “The only reason why I came here was to find my mother, and knowing now she created a fake identity to keep my adoption a secret kills me. I can’t deal with this. I’m tired of looking for a person that obviously doesn’t want to be found.”
“So that’s it? Just give up and run away?”
“What other option do I have?”
Closing the distance between us, I grab both sides of her face. “Let me in, Savannah. Stop pushin’ me away and let me help you. You don’t have to face this alone.” More tears fall, and it kills me seeing her so hurt. Knowing this is my one and only chance to convince her to stay, I gaze into her eyes as I say, “You can’t leave me, small fry. And I know it’s insane, but I can’t stand the thought of you leavin’ me behind. There’s somethin’ between us, and I know you feel it. I promise you, I’ll find out who your mother is if you’ll just stay. With me.” She searches my eyes for something, and I hope to God she knows how serious I am. “Please, Savannah. Don’t fuckin’ leave me.” This is a new low for me. Fucking begging the one woman I’m falling for to stay with me, and I’ve never wanted someone to stay so bad before.
Holding a breath as she seems to decide what to do, I swear my heart is about to beat right out of my chest. If she leaves, it’ll ruin me. If she leaves, it’ll fucking kill me. There’s not a chance I can live without her. “Okay,” she breathes out, and I sigh in relief.
Unable to help myself, I lean in and steal a quick kiss. Pulling back, I whisper, “Thank you.”
“You have to swear you’ll find her, and tell me as soon as you do.”
“I swear,” I say without a bit of hesitation. Dropping my hands, I pull her to me and wrap my arms around her. That was close, too close for comfort. “You have got to stop tryin’ to give me a heart attack, small fry. I’m too young to die.” Hearing her let out a small laugh, I grin knowing I did that. I put that smile back on her face, and I’m the one to give her the one thing she needs.
Hope.
Eventually I’ll give her all the love I have.
But not just yet. She’s still a flight risk, and I have a feeling if I professed how deeply I care for her, she’ll probably run right out the damn door screaming.
Pulling her back, I brush her hair out of her face and wipe the rest of her tears away. She sniffs as she glances up at me and says, “I’m sorry for snotting on your shirt.”
Grinning, I glance down at the big snot spot on my shirt. Shrugging, I claim, “I don’t care. If you need me to be your snot rag, then I’ll be there every single time.”
She frowns and I wish I could read her mind. I’d give anything to know what’s going through her brain. “Should we talk about what this means?”
“About what, small fry?”
“Us,” she huffs out.
Knowing she’s been through a lot today, I decide to give her an out. “Not unless you really want to.” I do want to. I want to make damn sure she knows how I feel, and that I’ll never let her go but I can’t. Not yet anyway. She already has a lot on her plate, and a part of me thinks if I do confess my feelings, she’ll reject me and leave anyway.
“Thank you,” she says after a few minutes pass.
“For what?”
“For convincing me to stay. For promising you’ll find my mother, and for just being you. Don’t ever change, Caden.”
“I told you before, small fry. I’ll do anythin’ for you. There’s no need to thank me.”
She nods then glances around the room. “I should clean up your room.”
“Nah. It’s cool. How about we climb into bed and have a Netflix and chill day?”
“That sounds amazing.” Before stepping away, I caress her face once more. Trying not to overcrowd her while she’s vulnerable, I walk over to the bed and toss her suitcase on the floor. Her clothes fly everywhere, but I don’t care. It’s actually welcoming to see her things scattered all over my room instead packed away.
It means she’s not going anywhere.
It means she’s going to stay right here with me where she belongs.
And knowing she’s here, well it gives me hope that she’ll let me in and just maybe one day soon, she’ll accept what all I have to offer her. Realizing I almost lost her today makes me want to hold onto her tightly, and never let her go. I may never be able to control everything about Savannah, but I do know I can fight like hell to keep her. I don’t care what it takes, what I have to do, or what lengths I might have to go through.
I will make her see that I’m everything she needs.