Page 70 of Promise of a New Beginning
“Oh, Jack. That was so thoughtful. How did you know my size?” She ran her fingers over the soft leather.
“I might have peeked in your closet, but I promise I didn’t snoop at anything personal.”
She wrapped him in a tight hug. “I love these, and I would love to spend time at your cabin. I’d spend time anywhere with you.”
“Well, that’s good, because I have a few more things for you. They’re not as exciting, but I think you’ll appreciate them.” He handed her a bag, and Savannah withdrew the contents.
“Toilet paper? Body wipes? Flannel pajamas? A bathrobe. Indoor-outdoor slippers? Are you trying to tell me something?”
Jack smiled. “Only that I love you. I know how you hate going to the bathroom in the woods, and you can’t always shower in the stream. If you’re going to come on any survival weekends with me, I want you to be comfortable. The toilet paper and wipes are biodegradable, and the bathrobe is in case you do decide to take a dip in the stream. It’ll keep you warm afterward. And these…” He held up the pajamas and slippers. “Are for when you get cold at night. Although you’ll be in my tent, and I plan on keeping you very, very warm.”
The seduction in his voice and the hungry look in his eyes drew her lips to his.
“You’re so thoughtful. I love everything. Thank you.”
Jack kissed her again. “After Siena and my mother left, I had time to do some thinking.”
Savannah’s pulse sped up at the mix of sensuality in his eyes and the seriousness in his voice. Before she could decipher what it might mean, there was a knock at the door.
“Are you expecting someone?” Jack asked.
Savannah went to answer it. “No.” She looked through the peephole. “I don’t know who it is. A man.”
In a few quick steps, Jack was between Savannah and the door. He pulled it open, and Savannah saw his body stiffen. She peered around him, and the resemblance between the two men was undeniable. The same dark eyes, the same high cheekbones, the same broad chest.
“HELLO, JACK.”
His father stood before him in a gray suit and tie, and for a breath, Jack’s world stood still. “Dad,” was all he could say.How did you find me? Why are you here?He felt Savannah’s hand on his lower back, and he stood between the two of them. His father could hurt him with his harsh stares and whatever else he had in store, but he wouldn’t allow any of that nonsense toward Savannah. He put his arm around her and, feeling torn between pride for his strong, war-hero father and remembering how much it had hurt the evening before when he hadn’t accepted his apology, Jack raised his chin and did the only thing he could—he showed Savannah that despite what might happen in the next ten minutes, he was proud of her and proud of himself.
“This is my girlfriend, Savannah. Savannah, this is my father, James Remington.”
Savannah’s trusting eyes smiled at his father. James shook her hand and smiled, and Jack felt a pang of hope—and tried not to let it carry him away. After what his mother had told him, he knew this was not going to be an easy fence to mend.
“Nice to meet you, Savannah. Please excuse the interruption into your evening. My daughter gave me your address, and while I should have called first, I wasn’t thinking as clearly as I should have been.”
His father had always exhibited good manners, which, Jack realized, was one reason he was so struck by the way he’d treated him the previous night.
“Don’t be silly. You’re welcome here anytime. Come in, please.” She stepped back and allowed him to pass.
Savannah touched Jack’s hand, but he was busy trying to figure out how to politely take whatever conversation was about to happen out of earshot from Savannah to respond. She slid her hand up his arm and squeezed his forearm.
“I’ll just take my things back to the bedroom and give you some privacy,” she said.
Jack watched her gather her things. He couldn’t find his voice to say thank you, but as Savannah touched his cheek on the way to the bedroom and her green eyes reassured him, he knew he didn’t have to.
“Would you like to sit down?” he asked his father. Jack’s nerves were tangled in knots. He’d promised his mother not to reveal what she’d shared with him, and he knew his father never would. Which left him wondering what could possibly be done to bridge the gap between them—something he wanted more than almost anything else at that moment. The thing he wanted most was to move forward with Savannah, but no matter how contentious things had become between them, his father owned a hunk of his heart that would never belong to anyone else, and Jack wanted to move forward with his new life with a whole, fulfilled heart.
He followed his father to the couch, then opted for a chair instead so he could look him in the eye.
“Your mother doesn’t know I’m here, so before we talk, I’d like to ask that you don’t tell her I came.” His father rubbed his hands together, then settled them in his lap.
Jack had never seen his father act any other way than in complete control, and now, watching his hands unclasp and rub the thighs of his slacks and his eyes dart around the room, he saw a different man emerging, and Jack wasn’t sure what to make of it.
“Okay.”Breathe. Just breathe.
“Son, I’m not here to berate you, so you can put your shoulders back down where they belong.”
Despite his nerves, Jack breathed a sigh of relief.
