Cole
Cole slips his phone into his pocket and heads into the living room where Savannah is lying on the couch. He lifts her legs and rests them on his lap then places his hand on her belly. “You awake?” he whispers.
“Mmmhmm.” She opens her heavy eyes. Scoot is not liking his nap being interrupted, and he shoots Cole a rather rude look.
“I spoke to your doctor,” he says, gently rubbing circles. “You’ve known for about four days?” She bites her lip, and her chest feels heavy. “Okay,” he sighs. “She tells me you need to be careful with stress. So, what happened earlier, is that going to be an issue every time I need to go away?”
She sits up, lowering Scoot to the ground, and pulls her knees up to her chest. He recognizes it as her defensive move, so they clearly have a bump in the road here. “Baby, I have to be able to do my job, but I have to know when I leave, you’re going to be okay with it too. Maybe you need to talk to the doc about this. Maybe—”
“Oh my god, Cole, no more doctors!” She stands and moves over to the fireplace, picking up a model car from the mantel. “I’m so tired of talking to people. Bottom line is you have no idea what it was like for me when you were taken.”
“Don’t I?” He leans forward and rests his arms on his legs. “If I recall, you pranced off to New York to find answers, only to get yourself taken. Seems to me I’d have an idea of what you went through.”
She puts down the car and whirls to face him. “Really? Did you see me held hostage, kneeling on the floor while a machete sliced through my neck? No. You were at most a day away from me, working on the actual hunt to get me back. I had to stay put and wait while everyone tiptoed around me, not wanting to stress me out.” Her voice drops a bit, and he sees a painful flinch flash across her face. “Not that it helped any.”
He sighs, knowing she’s still hurting from that day; they both are. “So, where does that leave us? I can’t not travel, Savannah. Blackstone is my life.” As soon as the words leave his mouth, he regrets them, and he sees her withdrawing. “I mean, it’s all I’ve had for so long, I’ve built my life around it. I can’t give up a family business just so you won’t worry. I could drive to town and be hit by a semi.”
She runs her hands through her hair and lets out a long breath. “I have to get to work.”
He stands and raises his hands. “Seriously?”
“Cole, it’s a little different, me working at a bar and you doing some crazy G.I. Joe manhunt for a guy who beats women within an inch of their lives and has killed men for looking at him the wrong way.”
“I don’t like you working when you’re pregnant, Savi.”
“Well, then, I guess we both don’t like each other working, but neither of us is going to stop, right?”
“Savannah…” His voice has an edge to it.
She grabs her bag then turns to look at him. Her face is so different. “I don’t want to fight with you, Cole. This is not how I saw this moment going. I think we both need space to think.”
He hurries to block her path. “Think about what, exactly?”
She drops her head and lets her hair make a curtain around her face. She takes a moment to gather herself, then looks up at him with red eyes. “Everything.”
“Ready?” Mike asks from the entryway.
“Yeah.” She waves. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Savi,” he barks, grabbing her hand and hauling her back to him, “don’t you dare find some reason to pull away from me. You can’t tell me you’re pregnant and then withdraw. I don’t know what’s going on with you, but you better start talking soon. I’ll see you later tonight, so be prepared to talk then.” He grabs her face and kisses her. She fights it for a moment then gives in. He gives her belly a little pat before he lets her go.
“Mike, call me the moment you drop her off at home, and wait and drive her to work. I don’t want her walking in the snow,” he warns as she shakes her head toward the door.
“No problem, Logan, I will.” Mike smiles at her and offers to take her bag.
He watches them leave, then pulls out his phone to call Frank when June appears from the kitchen. Her smile tells him she knows about the baby. Good thing about June, she can keep a secret, even from Abigail, if need be. She comes to his side at the window and gives him a pat on the back.
“She’s scared, honey,” she says quietly, not looking at him. “It was truly horrific what she went through here. That poor woman shut down and wouldn’t let anyone in, but it’s how she survives. When she saw that video and then lost the baby all in a matter of minutes, oh, Lord, it was…” She puts her hand over her mouth and shakes her head. “It was a nightmare. It scarred her. She still isn’t right. I can see it in her eyes.”
Cole nods, knowing she’s right. “I can too. But I can’t not work, June. I just can’t. It’s what I do.”
“I know, Cole, and she does too, but I think this job is especially painful because it has to do with her. It’ll take some time, but she’ll come around. I bet you anything when you see her tonight, she’ll be better.”
He rubs his aching head, wishing he could just pack up her shit and move her back home. “Let’s hope.”
“Congratulations, by the way.” She smiles. “I promise I won’t breathe a word.”
“Thanks.” He lets himself think about the little one growing in her belly. “You think you could help me with something?”