Chapter 4
A Mother’s Love
Savannah
“Mom, promise me that dad won’t say anything.”
Gianna turned slowly away from the banana bread she’d been mixing in a large bowl. She held the wooden spoon in her hand aloft, almost like a threat. Little globs of sweet banana scented batter dripped off the spoon and landed in the bowl. Savannah was well aware what kind of threat those spoons entailed. She’d been whacked and paddled with them as a child more times than she could count, sometimes deserving, sometimes not.
Her mother was an imposing woman. She wasn’t tall, just average at a hair past five and a half feet, but she could sure put the fear of god in a person when she was angry. Her hair, even at fifty, was jet black with only a few gray streaks. She took pride in her appearance and was always dressed like she was heading off to church. Well, maybe not that fancy, but she didn’t frump around the house in sweats either. It was always slacks and blouses, blouses and slacks. The one time Savannah saw her mother buy a pair of jeans, she almost had a heart attack.
“Your father talks to Kian all the time. He’s his business partner. I don’t know why you insist on not telling him about the baby.” Gianna paused and her lips pressed into a thin line. “Unless he’s the father?” She glared at her daughter, daring her to admit the truth.
Savannah snorted. “God, mom! You already know that’s not true. Kian has some pretty distinct features and Carter has none. Plus, if it was true, you know that I’d never admit it, as dad would kill him and then he’d go to jail and I don’t want to see my father rot away in there.”
“I don’t know why you won’t just tell us, Savannah. We’re both over being angry about it. When you told me, it was a shock. I’ll admit that your father and I were very disappointed and we might not have handled the news in the best way possible.”
“That’s a real understatement there.”
Gianna’s cheeks actually heated up and Savannah was a little taken aback. Her mother didn’t exactly apologize for anything. She had her pride and that kept her neck more than a little stiff. “Yes, well, you can imagine how hard it was for us.”
Savannah sighed. “Yes, I know. I’m thankful you let me stay here, and for all the help you’ve given me. Carter adores you both and that will only grow as he gets older.”
“He’s a beautiful child.”
Despite her mother’s anger about the pregnancy and her misgivings, the minute she set eyes on Carter, she was instantly in love. She was still a little reserved, or at least, she didn’t do everything for Savannah. She wanted her daughter to learn the hard way just how tough being a mother was. Savannah got it. Carter was her son, not her mother’s. She was thankful for whatever helping hand Gianna lent her. Just giving her a continued place to live, rent free, meant the world. There was a time when she thought her parents might actually kick her out.
She’d never told them she was dating Mike. They’d only been together for six months and it wasn’t even a real thing at first, at least not on her part. She’d never asked him over for dinner because she didn’t want her parents to meet him. They wouldn’t have approved, even though he was Kian’s friend. Knowing Kian as a business partner and a sort of pseudo son was one thing. Having your precious daughter date his best friend, a tattoo artist who swore too much and worked too much, who drank whiskey straight and battled his own demons, that was another.
So when she’d found out she was pregnant, it was yet another reason she didn’t tell her parents who the father was. She didn’t want a man popping in and out of her son’s life. Worse, she was ashamed to admit she didn’t want Mike popping in and out or hers, reminding her that she actually missed him, that she dreamed of him, that she thought about him, that she saw him in every aspect of her son. That she loved him, whatever that actually meant. With all her wild hormones, her regrets, her jumbled up emotions, she wasn’t exactly sure. Throw not sleeping into the mix and she was a mess.
“The best.” She smiled warmly at her mother, who couldn’t help but smile back. “I noticed you’re not using the hand beater to mix that.”
“Do you think I want to wake that kid up after you spend three hours trying to get him down for a nap?”
“Thanks, mom. You’re the best.”
Her mother cast a worried glance her way. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
“What do you mean?”
“We know you haven’t been sleeping. Your father and I have actually started using earplugs at night and that gives us a good rest, but I know Carter has been giving you hell about that. He’s a little angel most of the time for me. It just seems that at night he doesn’t want to go down and I don’t see you taking many naps during the day. I know from experience how hard it can be to be sleep deprived. When I had you, your father was working all the time. It was just me and you and a lot of sleepless nights.”
Savannah actually had to blink back tears, another unfortunate side effect of lingering pregnancy hormones and being so tired. “I guess it’s true what they say about not really appreciating your mother until you become one. I do appreciate you mom, really.”
Gianna smiled at her with more tenderness look than Savannah had seen her mother give in a long time. “So tell me then, why don’t you want Kian to know about Carter? You always liked him. More than you should.”
“I…” she nearly choked on her saliva. “Just please, tell dad not to say anything when he meets with Kian. He saw us, I’m sure he did, even though I got into the car right away. Just let him assume that Carter is some kid I’m babysitting or a friend’s child or something. Please.”
“We’re not ashamed of you, Savannah, if that’s what you’re worried about. We still go to church every Sunday. The entire place knows and we’ve never once said we were anything but proud of you. I am proud of you. I don’t know if you know that. I’m sorry if it hasn’t always seemed like it, but I see how hard you’re trying and how much you love that child and it makes my heart happy. I did something right as a mother to have such a compassionate daughter. Taking on a challenge like that when you’re so young, alone, isn’t something I would have wanted for you, but I love you just the same.”
“Mom…” Savannah reached up and brushed away scalding tears. “Geez, you’re making me cry.”
Her mother dropped the wooden spoon back into the bowl with a clatter. She opened her arms and Savannah fell into them easily. She let her mother run her hand over her back, soothing her.
“I’ll see what I can do. I’ll talk to your father. If you really don’t want him to say anything, he won’t. But you also have to be prepared for the fact that Kian did see you yesterday. Why ever it is that you don’t want him to know, he might already know, and your father can’t lie. He won’t lie to Kian. You understand?”
“Yes. I know that they’re partners and dad doesn’t want to have to start that, breaking their trust after all these years. I respect that. I just want, if Kian asks, for dad not to say anything. Tell him to change the subject, no matter how many times he has to do it.”
Her mother pulled back and shook her head, still not understanding just why it mattered so much. She couldn’t understand, not when she didn’t even know about Mike. As far as her parents knew, Savannah had turned sixteen and that had been the end of reigning in her wild side. She was always out and they’d given up trying to keep her in. They knew she wasn’t truly doing anything bad. A little underage drinking and dating guys who always took care to get her home in one piece wasn’t far worse than what some other people were doing.
She’d given them hell, more or less, and she regretted it now, as a mother. She couldn’t imagine her son acting that way. When her mother waited up for her, she now understood why she’d done it. Not so she could scream and yell and rant about her daughter’s irresponsible behavior, but because she was so worried she might not come home at all.
“Thanks, mom.”
Her mother nodded, pulling away, back to business once more. “You probably have about an hour before Carter wakes up. Why don’t you try and get a nap in.”
“Really?”
“Yes. You look like you need it. Your eyes are bloodshot and the purple streaks under them haven’t gone away for months. I miss my beautiful daughter.”
Savannah rolled her eyes. “Thanks mom.” She turned, already heading for her room. Carter slept across from her, in the office that had been converted into a nursery.
She couldn’t truly be mad. Right about now, her problems temporarily solved, her worries eased just a little, a nap sounded like heaven.