“Ah.” Savannah fans herself and blinks back tears. “That’s so fucking sweet. And to think…” She glares darts at Travis. “I had to chase after him.”
“You didn’t have to chase me that hard so stop trying to drum up sympathy. I was afraid your dad would drag you away and send you to a convent.”
“You’ve got a point.” She smacks his ass and scoops up Reegan. “Watch Nayla. I’m going to take Reegan upstairs and get his breakfast. When he goes down for his nap, I expect a good tongue lashing for all my past sins.”
“You better watch it, or I’ll knock you up again.” He winks at her.
She gives him a saucy grin. “Too late.”
“Really?”
“Yep, I found out this morning.”
“Shit.” I shake my head. “I should leave. You don’t need a third party when finding out you’re having another baby.”
“Don’t go. Sit down. This is getting to be old hat.” He walks over to Savannah and kisses her lips. “I love you, baby.”
“I love you, too.” She caresses his face. “Now, help Trey figure out what to do with his lady.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Travis shakes his head as he saunters back to me. “The woman drives me nuts. She’s going to make me an old man.”
“Nah, she’s keeping you young.” I shove my hands in my pockets and remain standing. It’s time for me to leave. They have more important things to do than worry about my love life.
“What’s the deal with the gorgeous fox from last night?”
“Man, she annihilated my heart when we were in high school. She up and disappeared without a word.”
“Ghosted?” He whistles, “Wow.”
“Yeah. Last night, she explained what happened. She found out she was pregnant and went to her grandmother’s house. Her dad is a real cocksucker. He used to pretend he wasn’t trying to hurt her when he shoved her into walls.”
“Asshole.”
“Yeah,” I sigh. “She wanted to make sure I didn’t give up my scholarship to take care of them.”
“That’s a lot to take in. What happened to the baby?”
“She lost it when she was three months pregnant and went through a depression for months.”
“Shit.” Travis shakes his head and crosses his arms. “That sucks, man. I can’t imagine Savannah losing a baby.”
“I wish she would have told me.” I roll my neck to ease some of the tension, but it doesn’t help. It is not easy talking about the baby we lost. “She didn’t come back because she assumed by then I was angry and had moved on. I’m not going to lie, I was livid, but I never moved on. She’s always been the only woman I ever loved.”
“Do you still love her?”
My stomach dives to my feet. If I can’t convince her to give us another shot, I’m going to be gutted, yet again. Can I live through it a second time? “Yes, I still love her.”
“Don’t let her get away. I almost pushed Savannah away because of our age difference. It was stupid. I loved her and couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. But I was terrified I’d ruin her life.”
“She looks ruined.” I snort.
“Oh, she’s ruined all right, and I’m going upstairs to destroy her again in about twenty minutes.” He laughs like he’s the funniest person in the world.
“Asshole.” I punch him in the upper arm.
He sobers. “I’m serious. Break down all her defenses. Don’t let her doubt your love or what you’re willing to do for her. Once you convince her, she’ll spend the rest of her life thanking you for being the stronger one.” He walks over to the crib and scoops up their nine-month-old baby, who nuzzles against his chest and falls back asleep. “I’ll owe Savannah for the rest of my life.”
Chapter Fourteen