Page 65 of Imperfectly Perfect

Savannah was walking on eggshells around Fallon, and all of that had changed since the last time they spent the night together. No matter what Savannah did, she always seemed to end up in relationships with people who couldn’t handle themselves. In turn, that meant she was the one running circles to try and keep from upsetting them.

“Thank you so much for coming.” Saylor stepped into the open kitchen and leaned against the counter right next to where Savannah had stationed herself.

“Thank you for the invitation.” Savannah plastered a smile on her lips and started mixing another drink for anyone who wanted to grab one. She could easily fall into the role of kitchen wench and disappear in here for hours if it’d be allowed. It would give her some sense of purpose in the sea of strangers.

Saylor touched Savannah’s arm lightly before pulling back and grinning. “Did you see where Tia ran off to?”

“She’s in the bedroom with Fallon and Monti, I think.” Savannah bit the inside of her cheek. She hoped that Saylor wouldn’t catch just how much Savannah knew that she shouldn’t, that she understood who the family was, the three women that everything centered around. She and Saylor were simply outsiders.

“You met Fallon then? She’s hard to read.” Saylor crossed her arms in a half-pout as she took the drink Savannah made and sipped at it.

“Yeah, she can be,” Savannah muttered under her breath, half-hoping that Saylor didn’t hear her.

“She scares me,” Saylor mumbled. “The first time I met her, it was like walking into a firing squad.”

Savannah snorted. She could absolutely see that, especially now knowing that Saylor was dating Tia. If there was one thing that Savannah understood about Fallon, it was that she was fiercely protective of the people she thought were hers. That would absolutely include Tia and Monti, and likely Athena as well. The question remained whether or not Savannah would ever fall into that category—or even Brinley.

“She’s just got this sour puss look on her face all the time.”

“The perfect resting bitch face,” Savannah chimed back. “I know it well.”

Saylor’s brow furrowed, and her gaze dropped to Savannah’s hands before moving back up to her face. “How do you know Fallon? Surely you didn’t just meet her.”

“That’s a long story.” Savannah ducked her chin and reached for her half-drunk cup. Maybe she would drink it all and she’d take a rideshare home instead. She took a small sip and decided against it. She needed to keep herself together throughout this entire confrontation, and yes, she knew without a doubt that it was going to be a confrontation. “I just can’t seem to escape her. She’s everywhere.”

“And you want to escape her?” Saylor crossed her arms, one eyebrow rising to the sky.

Savannah knew her well enough at this point to understand that she wasn’t going to be able to get out of this conversation now. Since Saylor had come to work for her a few months ago, she had blossomed. She’d gone from being reclusive and quiet to being confident and bubbly, as if she had woken up from a long sleep.

“I don’t want to escape her.” Savannah flicked her gaze to the bedroom Fallon had vanished into. Escaping Fallon was the last thing on her mind, but she was very conscientious of the space around them, and making sure that Fallon was as comfortable asshe could be with that space. “I want her to come to me on her own terms.”

Saylor looked confused, and Savannah could understand why. No one knew they were together, even though their relationship had been ongoing for a while at that point. Before now there hadn’t been anything to tell, and even now, Savannah wasn’t sure what she could say. They’d started the conversation about changing the rules of their relationship but they’d never defined anything. Which left her in quite a spot.

Were they dating?

Were they in a committed relationship?

Was it okay for Savannah to say more or did she still have to maintain that line?

“We’re tentatively together, but we haven’t had a moment to sit down and really talk things through yet,” Savannah finally said, choosing her words carefully. Saylor was pragmatic to her core, probably too much so, but that meant she would understand what Savannah wasn’t saying.

Which was that she was lost.

And she didn’t have anyone other than Kyla to help her sort through things.

And she really needed to call Kyla.

That’s what she would do on her way home. Then maybe by tomorrow morning she’d have her head on straight and she could clearly walk through the conversation that she and Fallon desperately needed to have.

“You’re dating Fallon?” Saylor shook her head in bewilderment. “I can’t imagine anyone dating her.”

“We’re not…dating. At least not yet. Like I said, she and I still have a lot to discuss, and me showing up here unexpectedly into her world wasn’t part of that plan.” Savannah twisted her cup between her fingers, debating again whether or not to have another sip.

Saylor laughed lightly. “If there’s one thing that I’ve learned about this family, it’s that none of them like surprises. Tia’s probably the best with them, but only if it’s something that she considers fun and exciting. If it’s an emotional blow, whether it’s good or bad, they will hate it and they will all close in on themselves.”

Savannah’s brow drew together. “What do you mean?”

“Meaning that Tia being in a relationship with me was a blow to both Fallon and Monti, whether or not they want to admit that. It’s shaken the three of them in a way they didn’t expect. Monti and Athena wasn’t such a blow because Monti kept them at a distance for the most part until Athena. So it’s far more like Tia’s gotten her back.”

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