Sugar on the Edge (Last Call #3)(78)

“Savannah,” I call out to her, but she doesn’t stop.

Lurching out of my chair, I spring over the top of the table and practically knock over the next woman standing there.

“Sorry,” I mutter as I reach out a hand to steady her and then take off after Savannah.

“Gavin,” Lindie yells out at me. “Get back here… you have fans waiting.”

I don’t pay her any mind. I can vaguely hear her offering apologies and saying, “He’ll be right back.”

My shoulder hits another person standing in the line as I scramble after the mother of my child. Another muttered apology.

I veer to the right to avoid hitting the next person, cracking my knee on a table stacked with books.

Fuck that hurt.

I curse viciously, causing gasps all around, and push onward.

When I get to the entrance doors, I burst through them and out onto the New York City sidewalk, where dozens of people are walking by. I look left and right, desperately searching for Savannah.

There… there, she is. I can see her long, brown hair swaying back and forth as she walks at a brisk pace up West 18th Street.

My mad dash continues, squeezing past people, knocking shoulders, and calling out apologies. I finally start to catch up to her at the intersection of Park Avenue where she has to wait for the light to turn green.

“Savannah,” I yell.

Her head snaps my way, and fear fills her eyes. She hastily turns right and starts running south down Park Avenue. But my legs are longer and she’s in my sights now. In four long strides, I catch up to her and grab ahold of her elbow, spinning her toward me.

“Savannah—”

Throwing my hand off her with a vicious shrug, she starts walking away from me again.

I jump forward, grab her upper arm gently, and pull her back around. “Savannah… for God’s sake, will you just wait a minute?”

Her eyes flash with anger, and she snarls, “Get your f*cking hand off me.”

“No,” I tell her adamantly. “Not until you stop and just talk to me for a second.”

“I don’t want to talk to you,” she seethes, trying to pull free again.

I refuse to give her up though and hold firm. “Yet you came here to see me.”

“A mistake,” she says sadly, pulling free of me once more.

I don’t even give her a chance to take a step before I have her again in my grasp, turning her to face me. “Please… just wait a minute.”

I’m not sure if it was the begging quality to my tone or if she’s just worn out, but she doesn’t try to pull away again. Instead, she just stares at me sadly with those big, brown eyes, and I want to hug her so bad.

Keeping a firm grip on her arm so she doesn’t jet away again, I ask, “How are you? Is everything okay?”

She lets out a big gust of air from her lungs and tugs her arm from me. I let her go, giving her the space she wants, but prepared to lunge at her if she tries to run again.

“I’m fine,” she says.

“The baby?” I ask, my heart in my throat. Because I need her to tell me about the baby.

“She’s fine,” she says reluctantly. “All is well.”

She? A girl? And she’s fine.

“A girl?”

“Yes, a girl.”

“We’re having a girl?” I ask again in wonder, as my gaze flits around at the city life around me.

A girl.

Unforeseen pleasure wells up inside of me. I can’t help the smile… a true smile… the first one in months, that grabs ahold of my face.

“We’re having a girl,” I say in amazement.

“No,” Savannah snarls at me. “I’m having a girl. You’re having nothing.”

She turns away… to run from me again.

And again, I grab her… spin her back to me one more time.

“Don’t,” I beg her. “Please don’t go. Stay… talk to me.”

“I can’t,” she says. “I can’t do this. I thought I could… but seeing you… I just can’t.”

“You can,” I tell her urgently. “Just give me a minute—”

“Gavin,” I hear from behind me, turning my head to see Lindie jogging up toward me. “You need to get your ass back in the store. You have fans waiting.”

Savannah uses the opportunity to once again jerk out of my hold. She looks at me with beseeching eyes, and now it’s her turn to plead. “Please… I’m begging you, Gavin. Just let me go. Stay away from me. I can’t do this with you.”

Tears well up and spill from her eyes, making crystal tracks down her cheeks. My heart breaks wide open, because I can hear the finality in her voice.

“Gavin!” Lindie yells at me, and I turn to see her glaring at me. “Have you lost your mind? This is completely inappropriate. Get back to the f*cking store, now.”

I turn back to Savannah, prepared to make my case to her one more time, but she’s gone. I catch sight of her hair… half a block down as she briskly walks away from me.

“Gavin,” Lindie snarls at me.

“For f*ck’s sake, I’m coming,” I yell at her, but I don’t move until Savannah is completely gone from my sight.