Chapter 15
The Dinner Date
Savannah
“Wow, Mike! This place is way too fancy!” Savannah climbed out of Mike’s ride, the familiar sixties muscle car. She knew just how much he loved that car. She remembered all the stories he told her, about working on it, restoring it, bringing it back to its former glory. For him, everything he did was art and that deep green car was no exception.
“Never. Nothing is too good for you.”
“Not even five stars? That place is probably a hundred dollars a plate minimum.”
Mike grinned. He shut the car door behind her and reached for her hand. She gave it to him, let her fingers twine through his. She loved the warmth of his hand, the smooth skin under hers. A shiver of pleasure traced its way up her spine.
“Who cares?” He shrugged. “It’s not like we go out every night. Actually, we haven’t truly gone out at all. Let me treat you. Besides, Kian and Katelyn picked this place, not me. We can’t just ditch them and go somewhere cheaper.”
“There’s a fast food spot down the street. We could always tell them we changed our minds and to meet us.”
Mike grinned when he realized she was joking. “I’m sure your parents took you to expensive places all the time.”
“Not really. My mom was a good cook. We hardly ever ate out. My dad had money, but he was pretty frugal. He had his investments and he wasn’t a big spender.”
“Well, this is definitely my treat then. Let’s go. Order whatever you want. The most expensive snails or whatever they serve here.”
Savannah wrinkled her nose. “Yuck. I seriously hope that’s not the kind of food they serve. Or at least, that it’s not all there is. I really had a craving for pizza.”
“We are definitely at the wrong place.” Mike pulled his hand out of hers gently and placed it on the small of her back. He held the heavy glass door open for her and steered her inside in front of him. Before he opened the second door he leaned in and whispered in her ear. “We just have to get through an hour or two, be friendly and all that and then we can escape and go back to my place. That dress you have on leaves everything to the imagination. Have I ever told you how sexy you look when you dress like that?”
“Like a prude?”
“Tastefully.”
“Like a mom?”
“Definitely. I like it. A lot.” Mike nipped at her earlobe right before he straightened and pulled open the door.
A fresh set of shivers tracked up and down her spine. Mike had told her he was taking her out somewhere nice for their date with Kian and Katelyn. It was actually Kian’s idea, or probably Katelyn’s, but he’d extended the invitation to Mike. They’d only been together for a couple weeks, and she wasn’t even a hundred percent sure that they were officially a thing, but she’d spent more nights at his house and he was, exactly as she said he would be, already so much more comfortable with Carter.
Her heart melted at the sight of him holding his son, playing with Carter, feeding him. God, even changing his diaper. It all made her heart overflow with love. Maybe she was just being hormonal or maybe it was the look of love in Mike’s eyes when he looked at Carter. And at her. She couldn’t pretend that it wasn’t there. That it hadn’t been there the first time. She knew better. She knew full well what he felt. Except this time she wasn’t running.
Even if she was scared, she had Carter to think about. She could never run from her own feelings again. Mike would always be in her life. Surprisingly, it didn’t make her feel trapped or edgy. Instead she felt strangely at peace. Whatever happened between them, she knew they both wanted the best for their son and to her that meant everything.
A waiter in an immaculately pressed white shirt complete with black pants and a crisp black apron, showed them to a table where Katelyn and Kian were already seated. Katelyn wore a shimmery black dress that sparkled, even under the dim restaurant lighting. There was a single small candle shimmering and flickering on their table. Maybe that was what set the dress off.
Kian too had dressed up for the occasion. For him, as for Mike, that meant a set of dark jeans and a black dress shirt. Mike’s exact outfit.
Savannah smiled at the thought, but quickly turned towards Kian and Katelyn and offered a friendly greeting. She didn’t know Katelyn at all. Even though she knew Kian well enough, considering he was a family friend and her father’s business partner, she didn’t really know him.
She slid into the booth across from the two, feeling a little awkward. They both knew that she and Mike had been together before. They knew that there was a child that she hadn’t told him about and now they were out for dinner with them, acting like normal friends.
She was afraid that Katelyn or Kian, probably both, would judge her for what she’d done, but neither of them batted an eye or gave her sidelong looks. They were nothing but friendly. Katelyn smiled warmly and even Kian was on his best behavior.
Under the table, Mike took her hand. He twined their fingers together and it didn’t fail to send a shiver of excitement racing through her bloodstream.
“So, first off, we have some news.” Kian made the announcement after their drinks came. She carefully chose a wine, but was sure that she’d only be having one glass this time. Mike chose a rye. Straight up, as she knew he would.
“Okay…” Mike sipped at his drink. Savannah didn’t turn to look at him, but she already knew one brow would probably be raised. She’d heard the question in his voice.
Katelyn’s smile was so wide and radiant that even before she made the announcement, Savannah knew what it would be.
“We’re going to have a baby.”
Mike stiffened beside her. Savannah squeezed his hand. “That’s great!” She offered congratulations for them both. “When are you due?”
“Six months. We wanted to wait to tell people, but yah, we’re breaking the news now.” Katelyn was still all smiles and sparkling eyes. Even Kian looked like he was on top of the world. Savannah was happy for them. Really. They made each other happy. Anyone could see that, and she was glad. There weren’t enough truly happy people in the world.
“That’s amazing. I hope you’re feeling good.”
“Ugh, I wasn’t at the start, but it’s getting better.” Katelyn sipped at her water and smiled again right after.
“It was the same for me,” Savannah said carefully. She didn’t turn and look at Mike. “I was pretty sick for a few months, but it tapered off around four months. I was lucky after that. I never even had so much as heartburn, which a lot of people say is really common when you get into the third trimester.”
“And now we’re going to hear all about birth and how bad it is and all sorts of other stories about babies and diapers.” Kian heaved a mock sigh and Katelyn jabbed him in the ribs.
“Not that you couldn’t use some pointers. You have to go through this with me. Just because we have a daughter, well, my niece already, doesn’t prepare you for a newborn. She was three when we adopted her.”
Savannah remembered hearing something about that, from her father. About how Kian and Katelyn had decided to make a go of it pretty much right after meeting each other, especially after her sister died and there was no one to look after her niece. Custody of the child had been left to Katelyn.
“That sounds… intimidating,” Savannah admitted. “You two look like you already make great parents. You’ll do fine.”
“If I can do it, anyone can do it,” Mike cut in.
“Please tell me he’s not that great at changing diapers.” Kian rolled his eyes. “I don’t want to be taking pointers from Mike.”
“I don’t know, he’s pretty good…”
They laughed as one, their conversation surprisingly more comfortable than Savannah would have thought. They picked out a few dishes to share. Surprisingly the menu seemed quite good and Savannah was starving. When Mike asked her out to dinner, she made sure she’d eaten sparingly all that day.
“You’ll have to let me have your number,” Katelyn said after their food arrived. She loaded up her fork with mashed potatoes. “I’ll need all the pointers I can get. I don’t really have any other friends who have babies or even kids. If you would consider giving me any kind of advice, I would really appreciate it.”
Savannah could tell that Katelyn was being completely genuine. It wasn’t at all awkward, not even given the fact she used to have a teenage crush on Kian. That was forgotten or forgiven. The atmosphere was relaxed, like it would have been between a set of old friends who had known each other for years.
“I know I’m a lot older than you, but still, I’m a first time mom and that scares the heck out of me,” Katelyn admitted. “I was serious when I said raising my niece isn’t going to be the same. She’s four now and I have no idea what to expect from a newborn.”
“Besides a whole lot of sleepless nights?”
Katelyn laughed softly. “That’s right.”
“Of course I’ll give you my number,” Savannah reassured her. “Maybe we can have some play dates with Carter. I can’t get out much without him, but we could do coffee or something boring like that.”
Katelyn’s smile was immediate, full of relief and genuine excitement. “I’d like that.”
And just like that, Savannah knew she’d made a friend. She was learning that motherhood was a brand new world, a sacred world full of love and laughter and tears. It was a bond between women that she’d never fully understood before. She was so thankful to be a part of that world now, even if it wasn’t easy and it hadn’t actually been planned.
By the end of the night, Savannah felt like their evening truly had been one between friends. She wouldn’t have expected Katelyn to be so warm and nice. It was nice, having another woman to talk to. Most of her friends had ghosted as soon as she found out she was pregnant. If she wasn’t going out shopping or to clubs anymore, she wasn’t any fun. She’d really learned who her true friends were and who they weren’t. It had been a hard, lonely experience.
“You look like you’re lost in thought.”
Savannah started when she realized Mike was holding open the car door for her. They’d already walked out down the street after saying goodbye to Kian and Katelyn and she hadn’t even realized it.
“Sorry. Yah, I kind of was.”
“Did you have fun? The food was actually pretty good. Or at least, I thought so, even if it was a little too fancy.”
“I think that’s called presentation,” Savannah said dryly.
“Oh, I’ll show you presentation.” Mike rolled his eyes. “Get in the car. I have someplace to take you.”
“Why don’t I like the sound of that?”
“You’ll like it. I promise.”
She liked the sparkle in Mike’s eyes. It reminded her of when they were first together and he was so shy and eager to please. He would have moved the world to make her happy and she’d never forgotten it.
She turned and climbed into Mike’s car. It was low and she had to make sure her dress didn’t ride up. She’d chosen one of her best that wasn’t too short, which left about two to choose from. She liked the deep black color. It was simple and elegant. It wasn’t cut low and didn’t ride up high. As Mike said, it left everything to the imagination. She found that after she became a mother, she’d outgrown her eagerness to show off her body. She no longer cared about attracting attention or even overly about how she looked. She still liked to be pretty, at least, to take care of herself, but it had changed. She didn’t feel the need to wear things that were skin tight or pushed up her breasts or bared her stomach. She actually found that tasteful clothing could be far sexier.
Mike shut the door gently and slid in beside her. He turned the ignition and the car roared to life with a deep, throaty, rumbly sound. It fired up her blood and she wasn’t even into cars. She knew Mike loved driving it just for the sake of driving. She remembered a fight they’d had the first time they were dating. It was over nothing, something stupid that she couldn’t even remember. He’d taken off in his car, leaving her at his house, stranded since he’d picked her up. He’d come back an hour later. She asked him where he went and he admitted that he’d just driven around until his mind cleared and he wasn’t angry any longer.
“Where are you taking me? To the edge of the city?” She asked after they’d been driving for what seemed like ages. She was actually enjoying the rush of the warm night air, the lights whizzing past, the freedom of the freeway late at night when there wasn’t much traffic.
“Something like that. I happen to know a back-road or two that the star gazing is pretty impressive on.”
“Oh?” She glanced over and smiled, a little shyly. Mike’s slow, lazy smile melted her heart. “I’ll admit that it was fun to go out with friends, but it’s way better to be alone with you.”
Mike’s smile grew even wider. “Funny,” he admitted. “I was thinking the same thing.”