Page 85 of Secrets That Bind Us
“You… you promise?” she croaks, and goddamnit, my heart is splintering with how full it feels.
“I swear it on my life, Savannah.” I rasp. “I was put on this earth to be yours and Noah's dad. I was made for your mama and to be a father for her children. Will you give me that chance to prove it? Will you let me love you, your mama, and Noah the way it was meant to be?”
She nods in my neck, silky black strands tickling my arm. I kiss her head and give her one last squeeze.
“Thank you.” I sniff, no longer able to taper down the emotion.
She sits back and looks at her hands, thumbs rolling over each other. “Are you going to move in?”
I glance at Verity who’s been quietly sobbing into her hands. Red-rimmed eyes peer over at me, and she gives me a blink. I look back over at Sav. “Would that be okay with you?” I ask my daughter. “When it happens, I mean. Would that be okay with you?”
She nods, inky strands in disarray due to the gentle breeze blowing in. Her eyes are also red from her tears that gloss over her freckles. “I like it when you’re here,” she admits with a wince. “It’s the good kind of loud.”
And Verity breaks out in a sob, reaching for our daughter, who allows herself to be yanked into Verity’s lap and held tightly. “Oh my God, Savannah. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, Mom. I know it’s not.” But it’s Savannah comforting her mother, coming full circle. “You always worked so hard for us. I like your quiet, too. If Dean was always loud, I wouldn’t want him here.”
“Hey!” I bark.
“See?”
Verity giggles through her muffled sobs and swipes a hand over her forehead. “I’ll do better, I promise. I won’t work as much.”
“Yes you will. I want to go to Paris.”
Verity laughs with a roll of her eyes, and wipes at her nose. “Oh, Sav.”
“It’s all about balance, Mom. I know who pays for my first-class ticket.”
My fiancé nods, laughing through her tears. “I guess you’re right.”
Sav stands, kissing her mother on the forehead. “I’m gonna go now. I gotta finish up this painting. Can I do it in the barn? The fog is still nice; I want to capture it with my camera before I paint it.”
“Just the picture. We’re about to have breakfast soon. You can come back out after. I know Will is putting in the finishing touches for the wedding, then the wedding planner and designer are set to be in later today to start mapping everything out once he’s done, so it needs to be empty. Zoey will be here while we’re at the shop. Unless you want to stay here with your aunt?”
Savannah shakes her head quickly. “I’ll just snap a quick picture.”
“Okay.”
She heads inside to grab her camera.
I look over at my soon-to-be bride. “That was… intense.”
Verity nods. “She’s like her father in that regard.”
I smirk. “I’m intense, huh?”
She groans. “Stop it. You know what that does to me. The kids are home.”
I waggle my brows. “The kids are distracted.”
Verity’s eyes go wide in realization. “Oh my God,Zoey.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Savannah
Present Day
