Page 75 of Promise of a New Beginning
Riley led them into the living room. “Look who’s here,” she called out.
Her brothers turned, and she cringed as each one of them ran their eyes up and down Jack, then across their linked hands. The ten seconds of once-overs felt like an hour.
“Jack Remington, survivor man.” Hugh extended his hand and patted Jack on the back. “Man, you have one cool job.”
“Thanks, but it doesn’t compare to yours. Congratulations on your award.” Jack didn’t seem nervous at all, and for that, Savannah was thankful.
Josh hugged Savannah and whispered, “You look happy. So I take it dating Jack is a good thing?”
“A great thing.”
Josh held out a hand to Jack as Riley snuggled against his side. “I’m Josh, Savannah’s younger brother. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Thank you, Josh. I recognize you from the picture in Savannah’s living room. I appreciate you having us over tonight, and I hope we’ll see more of each other since we’ll be neighbors.”
Savannah cringed and noticed that Treat and Dane were eavesdropping. She hadn’t had a chance to mention to her family that they were moving in together.
“Neighbors? Do you live nearby?” Josh asked.
Savannah was about to jump in when she felt a heavy hand grip her shoulder. She turned toward her father, glad for the break in the conversation. His deep tan set off his dark eyes, and Savannah noticed a little more gray in his five-o’clock shadow. He was as handsome as ever. Even at his age, he still had a commanding presence.
“Hi, Dad.”
He hugged her tight. “I’ve missed you, darlin’.”
“Me too. Dad, this is Jack. Jack, this is my father, Hal Braden.” Savannah had called her father and told him about Jack moving in. She wanted to give him a chance to say whatever he felt he needed to in private instead of springing it on him. She’d also told him about Jack’s wife and how difficult her death had been for him. Her father’s response was more than she could have hoped for—and then some.You mother always knew that you were destined to change someone’s life, and that day you told me about Jack was the day I knew that she’d been right.She wished she’d known her mother better. She and Jack had talked that morning about families, and Jack wanted to have children as much as she did—only she hadn’t even realized how badly she’d wanted them until she’d seen Jack with Aiden.
She watched Jack offer his hand to her father, and her father opened his arms. “Son, in this family we hug.” He patted Jack on the back and then pulled him out of earshot of her brothers, though Savannah took a step closer to hear what her father had to say.
“That’s my little girl, Jack Remington. She’s stubborn and smart and she’s the light of my life. If you hurt her, I will have no qualms setting those men on you, you hear?”
Savannah froze. She’d never heard her father speak like that to any man she’d dated.
Jack drew his shoulders back and looked right at Savannah as he spoke. “Sir, if I ever hurt her, I’ll sic them on me myself.” Then he looked at her father and said, “I adore Savannah, and I will make you proud that I’m with her.”
Her legs grew weak, and she was thankful for Treat’s arm as it wrapped around her.
“He’s a keeper, huh?” Treat kissed her cheek.
“Definitely,” she said.
Dane appeared by Jack’s side. As the founder of the Brave Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission was to educate and advocate on behalf of sharks, Dane and his girlfriend, Lacy, traveled often and sported year-round tans. Dane spent time researching and tagging sharks, and Lacy worked remotely for World Geographic as an account manager developing marketing plans for nonprofit organizations.
Dane put his arm around Jack’s shoulder, and Savannah loved to see him embracing Jack into the fold of their family.
“I know a secret,” Max said as she sidled up to Savannah’s other side with Lacy in tow. Max’s dark hair had grown just past her shoulders, and it looked much fuller than it had the last time Savannah had seen her.
Lacy handed Max a glass of water and whispered to Savannah, “I know what it is, too.” Lacy’s blond corkscrew curls hung thick and heavy over her sun-kissed, lean shoulder.
“That’s not fair,” Savannah said. She moved in close to Lacy. “Tell me,” she whispered in Lacy’s ear.
Lacy whispered, “No way.”
Max grabbed Savannah’s hand and squealed. “Oh my gosh. You have an infinity ring? Lacy, look. Riley, you’ve got to see this.”
Savannah felt a flush run up her neck and spread over her cheeks, still thinking about Max and Lacy’s secret. Jack wrapped his arms around Savannah’s waist and kissed her cheek.
“I feel like I’m on display with all of you looking at me.” She put her hands on top of Jack’s, took a deep breath, and said, “I asked Jack to move in with me, and he asked me to marry him.” She couldn’t stop her smile from lifting her cheeks as she added, “And I said yes.” Her brothers’ dark eyes locked on her. Each one more serious than the next.
