Right Where We Belong (Silver Springs #4)(93)

“You do have a choice.”

“No, because I’m already in love with you.”

The tension and anxiety inside him instantly eased. “I’ve made the right decision, Savanna. You’re a beautiful person, nothing like my stepmother was. That’s what will make the difference. If Heather is carrying my baby, we’ll both be good to him or her.”

“Of course we will,” she said.

He loved her earnestness, her transparency, her lack of guile. Those were the things that set her apart from everyone else, he decided, including Heather.

He pulled his phone from his pocket and let her watch as he typed a message. I’m sorry, Heather. I won’t be coming back to you. Ever. If the baby’s mine, I’ll do everything I can to support him or her and to be kind and sensitive to you as my child’s mother. But I’m in love with Savanna, and I think you need to know it.

Savanna looked up at him in surprise. “Are you really going to send that?”

He hit the button. “It’s done. Now I have to get back and finish playing. Come in with me and quit worrying. Somehow, we’ll beat the odds,” he said, and hoped to God he was right as he led her inside.

*

The blowback from that text to Heather turned out to be pretty severe. Gavin glanced through several hateful replies as soon as he finished performing.

I’m never going to let you see this baby! You have screwed yourself for good!

I’m going to marry Scott, and we’re going to move away. You’ll have no idea where we went.

I’ll never forgive you for this, you selfish bastard!

There were other messages, too, but they didn’t make as much sense. He began to suspect she’d been drinking, which was, of course, not good for someone in her condition.

Where are you? he texted back.

Wouldn’t you like to know.

He had to make sure she wasn’t a danger to herself or anyone else.

Don’t do anything you might regret later, he wrote. Whether you try to make things difficult for me or not, I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you. That was never my intent.

Fuck you, came her response.

He scratched his neck while trying to decide what to do. Did you drive here?

No answer.

Heather? You need to call a cab.

I don’t need a cab. I found a club with far better entertainment and will be going home with a handsome lawyer who’s just dying to get in my pants.

“What is it?”

Startled by the interruption, Gavin turned to see Savanna coming up behind him. She’d been talking to some of the people who’d been sitting near her table while he packed up. “Nothing, why?”

“You seem upset.”

He nearly shoved his phone into his pocket. He didn’t want her to have to deal with every little problem that came his way, especially if that problem involved Heather. But he knew she’d eventually ask him if Heather had responded, that he’d have to tell her, so he lifted his phone to let her see for herself. “Heather’s freaking out.”

She scrolled through the messages before handing his phone back. “What are you going to do?”

“She’s an adult. There’s nothing I can do.” Fearing he’d face the same frustration, only tenfold, once the baby was born, he prayed the child wasn’t his. “Let’s get out of here.”

After they drove in silence for a few minutes, Savanna reached over to touch his arm. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. We knew it wouldn’t be easy.”

“She might settle down once she adjusts to the idea that she’s not going to get you back.”

“It’s possible.”

She seemed surprised when he didn’t turn in the direction they’d come. “Where are we going?”

“To the ocean.”

“What for?”

“I thought it might be nice to walk on the beach and talk.”

“About Heather? Or Gordon?”

“Neither,” he said. “I’d rather you hear about my childhood from me over anyone else.”

She rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m ready.”

*

When Gavin parked in a small neighborhood somewhere south of Santa Barbara and guided her down a narrow road that ended in a set of wooden stairs leading to the beach, Savanna couldn’t help feeling some trepidation about what she was about to learn. Heather had alluded to a past that was far more tragic than Savanna had expected. Savanna hated the idea that Gavin had suffered, but she was encouraged he was willing to trust her enough to tell her what happened. Having that level of intimacy and understanding would be important if they were to build the kind of relationship that could endure what lay ahead.

The wind whipped at their hair, carrying the briny scent of the sea—a scent that took her back to her childhood in Long Beach. She’d missed the coast far more than she’d realized, felt so happy to be in this place, especially while holding Gavin’s hand.

They were alone as they ambled along the damp sand at the edge of the surf, listening to the powerful and awe-inspiring roar of the waves rising up and crashing against rocks and land not far away. They had only a full moon to provide light, so they couldn’t tell if the dark spots on the beach were rocks, seaweed or crabs—unless the crabs scuttled away to get out from underfoot—but Savanna wasn’t uneasy. She felt more calm and confident than she had in a long while. Gavin had told her he was falling in love with her, and she was falling in love with him, too. Maybe their feelings were new and untried, but she believed they’d grow instead of diminish. Despite all the things working against them, whenever she was with him, it felt right.