Page 130 of All I Want For Christmas

She nodded slowly. “Yeah. Maybe. I’d still want to travel a lot. And it would help me be better at designing travel packages for other people if I travel widely myself.”

“That makes sense.”

“But I can fly anywhere from New Orleans.”

Theo breathed deeply. He hadn’t even been aware how important her answer was to him. But yes. That sounded very promising.

Her phone started chiming and their eye contact was broken.

She glanced down. “It’s time for dinner. I set a timer.”

He coughed slightly. “Okay. Yeah. Great.”

It was great. He was gettingveryinvolved here. He really wanted her to be happy, to love her job, to feel fulfilled. But he also really wanted her in Louisiana. So much it was concerning. He wantedhertowantto be in Louisiana. With him.

As they headed downstairs for dinner and whatever else, Theo made himself breathe deeply and do some internal self-talk.

He was moving fast here. At least his heart was. Just like it had with Kelsey. He’d tried to tie her down. He’d said all the words—forever, stay, home, roots…love.He’d gone full steam ahead. He’d known what he’d wanted and he hadn’t paused, taken a breath, or blinked.

He was smarter now.

He had to tread carefully. He had to let Savannah be whoever she wanted to be,wherevershe wanted to be.

But…if she wouldn’t stay with him, then he could go to her.

That was something he’d never considered with Kelsey.

Huh.

He watched Savannah greet Lucy with a smile and the introductions around the dining room, crowded with people, begin.

He’d never thought about following Kelsey. Or finding a meet-you-in-the-middle spot. With Savannah he wasn’t only considering it, he could picture it easily.

If she wanted to see the Grand Canyon, or the Eiffel Tower, he wanted to see her see those things.

“And this is Theo, my…”

His attention immediately snapped back to the moment and Savannah stumbling over his introduction.

“Boyfriend,” he said, extending a hand toward the man she was introducing him to. Theo had no idea what the man’s name was, but he knew whohewas. “I’m Savannah’s boyfriend.”

“Nice to meet you Theo,” the man said, taking his hand. “Sorry your trip got interrupted.”

It seemed that while he’d been thinking about traveling the world with Savannah, she’d explained their situation. Theo grinned and slipped his hand around Savannah’s waist, hugging her against his side. “It’s not a big deal. As long as I’m with my girl, I don’t really care where we end up.”

He felt Savannah’s surprise, but he liked the way the other man looked them over and clearly bought the story easily.

“Okay, everyone! We’ll do this buffet style,” Lucy called. “You can start here,” she said pointing. “Then go along, fill your plates, and find a seat at the table.”

Dinner was delicious. It wasn’t the same as sitting around at Ellie’s with the Landrys and filling up on gumbo. There was no shrimp or sausage or oysters. But the food was delicious and there was a lot of it. There were also a lot of people and friendly conversation. There were only a few people present who had actually intended to be here tonight. There were four other couples who’d been stranded by the storm. All of the rooms were now full and from what Lucy was telling them, it sounded like they were all stuck together for the next couple of days at least.

Theo looked down at Savannah. She was right next to him. He had his arm draped over the back of her chair and she was leaning into his side slightly. He loved the feel of her against him and he didn’t want to make any large movements in case she hadn’t noticed how close they were.

She had a glass of wine in hand, and she was smiling at something a woman named Piper was saying. He didn’t know Piper’s story or what the deal was with her and Dylan, the guy with her. Theo hadn’t been really paying attention to anyone but Savannah. But this felt…good. Comfortable. Savannah was a natural when talking with people she’d just met, getting to know others easily. She was warm and sweet.

He almost laughed at that thought. Six months ago, warm and sweet were two of the last adjectives he would have used to describe this woman. He’d gotten to know her as they’d hung out with the Landry family and their friends and sassy and sarcastic seemed more the ‘real’ Savannah. But now he knew these were both genuine sides of her. And he loved that he knew both.

He could imagine doing this over and over again as they traveled and met new people. It was actually even more fun sitting here next to her, watching her be polite and friendly, but knowing just how naughty and even bitchy she could be.

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