All of this registered in the periphery, though, because Savannah walked in from the kitchen and claimed his attention. She must have put her hair up when she’d showered. It cascaded over her shoulders, with just a few damp tendrils gleaming in the light from the dining room fixture. She leaned over and placed a gravy boat on the table. The neckline of her black sweater gaped, and he caught a wisp of black lingerie before she straightened and absently adjusted the top. Was she wearing the same bra she’d had on before? Hard to say, but a picture of her pale, generous breasts encased in the black lace flashed through his memory, and now he had some adjusting to do.
He took care of it as discreetly as possible while putting the beer in her fridge. Behind him, Savannah announced, “Dinner is served.”
Everyone flowed into the dining area and took seats around the table. He sat opposite Savannah, with his mom on his left and his dad on his right. They joined hands for silent grace, said amen, and then…holy shit, he should have prayed for mercy because the conversation took a fast, dangerous turn and dragged him along like a tin can tied to a bumper.
Savannah’s mom passed the potatoes and said, “We should shop for dresses when you come home for the Daughters of Magnolia Grove Christmas Eve dinner.”
His parents turned to him in unison. “You’re coming home for Christmas Eve?” His mom asked the question cautiously. Hopefully.
Hell, no. The last time he’d come home for Christmas Eve, Kelli had been pregnant. Life had seemed so bright and shiny and full of blessings. Less than a year later fate had snatched all those blessings away. He’d skipped the occasion—and the painful memories of what should have been—ever since.
“I don’t—”
“We wouldn’t miss it,” Savannah interrupted, and gave him an impatient look. One that said,You’re doing this to make them happy, so make them happy already.
Fuck. He hadn’t requested the time off. He’d be swapping shifts and owing favors to God and everyone just to clear his schedule.
“We’ll have to ride our contractor to get the basement done in time,” his dad said to his mom, and shot him a grin. “You and Savannah will be the first to try out our guest suite.”
There you go, Smith. Want to bite back the “We wouldn’t miss it”?
She chugged her champagne, swallowed with an audible gulp, and said, “Guest suite?”
“Oh, yes,” his mom chimed in, nodding. “It will be very comfortable. King bed, fireplace, fancy bathroom. There’s even a small, separate sitting room.”
“That is so sweet of you, but I wouldn’t want to impose, or make anyone uncomfortable,” Savannah said.
“Oh please.” Her mom dismissed the comment with a wave of her hand. “You’re full-grown adults, you’re engaged, and you practically live together as it is.” She pointed in the general direction of Beau’s apartment across the hall. “Besides, if you’re in the Montgomerys’ basement, that leaves our spare room available for Sinclair.”
“Hey now”—Sinclair froze with her fork halfway to her mouth—“I have a perfectly good place of my own.”
“Honey, I refuse to leave you holed up in that barn you call home over the holidays. You’ll spend Christmas with us. Your sister and Beau will stay with the Montgomerys. It’s settled.”
“Sounds”—Savannah swallowed again, and her lips drifted into the off-center smile—“lovely.”
“After Christmas, I’ll set up meetings and tours at the countryclub, Lakeview Landing, and the Oglethorpe Inn,” her mother continued, then looked at Beau’s mom. “Anywhere else, Cheryl?”
“Maybe the Whitehall Plantation?”
Mrs. Smith pointed a finger at his mom. “Absolutely.” Her finger shifted to him and Savannah. “You two should see what these places have to offer as possible wedding venues.”
Were the walls closing in? Suddenly he was spending Christmas in Magnolia Grove, sharing a bed with a woman he’d just promised himself he wouldn’t complicate things with, and touring half the county for potential wedding sites. Hell, he might even have to plunk down a nonrefundable deposit to make the charade look real. When he’d thought about a hundred little lies, he hadn’t anticipated taking their show on the road and putting on an act for his entire hometown. The lidocaine from the stitches started to wear off, and his head ached like a son of a bitch.
But he took in the sight of his parents leaning toward each other, strategizing about how to get the basement done in time, and where to put the tree, and he felt the tightness in his chest abate. They glowed with anticipation. All he had to do was stay the course and he’d give them the merriest Christmas they’d had in a long time. They deserved it.
So he plastered a smile on his face, fielded questions as best he could, and nodded with Savannah when his parents mentioned they’d be back in Atlanta the following week for an appointment with a specialist and wanted to take their son and future daughter-in-law out for dinner. At the end of the evening he congratulated himself when both sets of family huddled for a last round of hugs before meandering down the hall, leaving a trail of chatter behind them.
“Drive safe,” Savannah called, and shut the door. Then she sagged against it, expelled a breath, and rubbed her hands over her face in a gesture he already recognized signaled fatigue.
“Thank you.” His quiet words seemed to fill the apartment.
She straightened and smiled up at him. “You’re welcome. All in all, I thought it went pretty well.”
“You did amazing. My parents are high-fiving each other right now.”
“I’d say both sets of parents are high-fiving right now. I’m almost offended.” She moved away from the door. “I had no idea I was such a lost cause.”
“You’re the catch. I’m the lost cause.”