Sugar on the Edge(90)

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 fucking 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 fuck’s sake, I’m coming,” I yell at her, but I don’t move until Savannah is completely gone from my sight.

Sighing, I turn and walk past Lindie… heading back to the bookstore. She fortunately stays silent and doesn’t berate me for my behavior. I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial Savannah’s number. She doesn’t answer but I don’t expect her to, so I leave a message.

“Savannah… please talk to me. I’ll come to you after the signing. Or you can come to me. I’m staying at the Mandarin Oriental. Room 877. Please… I’m begging you. Let’s talk. I have so many things I need to say to you.”

I hang up… not knowing what else I can do at this point.

I walk back into the bookstore with Lindie, making my apologies as I walk past the line of fans. When I sit back down at the table, I put the smile back on my face. Except this time, it’s not as plastic.

This time… it’s coming naturally to me.

I saw Savannah… and she looked marvelous. And though she wouldn’t give me the time of day, the fact of the matter is, she sought me out. So she must still care… at least a little bit, to have come all this way.

And… I’m having a girl. A little baby girl.

My smile gets brighter as I look up and greet the next person in line.





And so, here it all begins.

At least, I hope this is the beginning.

I booked the earliest flight I could out of New York the following day. Savannah never did return my calls. Yes, calls as in plural. I left her seven more voice mails, but she was proving to be stubborn.

I had to assume she flew back to North Carolina, and I was in hot pursuit. I pull the rental car up to The Haven, carefully following the dirt driveway around to the back. I’m immediately relieved to see Savannah’s car sitting beside a large truck. No one is in sight.

I park and shut off the car. Gripping the steering wheel hard, I lay my forehead against it and take in a deep breath.