Page 13 of Regancy & Savior
“Where did you grow up?” he asked.
“Here. You?”
“Most of the time here,” he responded slowly.
“What do you mean most of the time?” I turned and looked into his handsome face. He had the eyes of a person who had a story to behind them.
He looked over at me before focusing ahead. “I was born in Atlanta, but my mama died when I was young, so my grandfather came and got me. He brought me here, and I’ve been here ever since.”
Immediately, my hand found his, and I caringly squeezed it. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
He nodded his head. “It’s cool. I made peace with that a long time ago.” He tightened his grip around my hand. He didn’t seem like he was gonna let it go either, and something in me didn’t want him to.
I decided to change the subject. “What in your life makes you happy?”
He screwed his face up with amusement. “What type of fucking question is that?”
I laughed. “I don’t know. I just asked it.”
He chuckled. “Money makes me happy. What makes you happy, Lane?” The way he looked at me had my tongue twisted for a moment. I blinked a few times before I got too lost in his eyes.
“Um… right now, my career. It’s the only thing in my life that is going the way I want.” I laughed because I had definitely overshared in that moment.
“Then let me be one of those things.” The way he looked was so serious that I momentarily forgot what we were talking about.
“One of those things that make you happy.” He leaned further into my space.
I shocked myself when I didn’t move back. Instead, I sat there and looked at him, hanging on to the sincerity in his tone.I didn’t even move when his hand touched the side of my face. Something about his touch sent a jolt down my spine, and in that moment, I knew I messed up. There was no way I could be that way with Sabastian. It was impossible.
REGANCY
It was the moment that my eight-year-old wanted to stay with her grandmother for the weekend instead of spending it with me that let me know that I was boring as fuck. I had become a workaholic. When even Lane said I was boring, I figured I was pretty bad, but those days, I was putting all of my energy into the tavern. It was a necessity for it to be successful. It would take a few more months, and I wouldn’t need to hover so much. Instead, I’d be able to hire another manager or two and step back. Then I had been thinking about opening a nail studio. I didn’t do nails or any of that, but I liked the idea of owning one. I liked to have my hands in everything and have multiple streams of income. It was just my thing because I knew for a fact that I liked creating successful businesses. These days, all I thought about was how I could continue to create different avenues to bring in capital.
I’d been there since five that morning, and the last thing I needed was to be there any longer, so I was gathering my stuff to take my ass home and open a nice bottle of wine. Once I was all packed up, I opened my door and walked toward the front of the crowded establishment.
“See you, boss lady.” My bartender, Sandra, smiled in my direction.
“See you. Call me if?—”
“We need anything. We know. Enjoy your night.” She nodded as I continued toward the door. I was dead ass exhausted, but I wasn’t going to get sleep. Instead, tonight I’d sit up and obsess about the night I allowed myself to have with Savior. I didn’t mean to sleep with him, but he caught me at a weak moment, and it was what it was. I made sure not to see him since, though. Even though we lived in the same building, I purposely took the stairs every day, and I made sure to be quick whenever I was coming or going. Lane said I was being ridiculous, but in that day and age, I was being rational.
Once I reached the parking lot, I clicked the automatic start on my key fob, but I didn’t hear my car. My eyes immediately zoomed in on the empty space where I know I parked it that morning. I blinked a few times in disbelief before fishing my phone from my purse. I couldn’t figure out how the hell somebody had stolen my car from this crowded ass parking lot. The more I stood there and thought about it, the angrier I got.
“You looking for something, shorty?” His voice made me pause and sent a shiver down my spine.
I turned around, and Savior was leaned against the open door of his truck. He wore a knowing smirk. It was one of those smirks like he had some slick shit on his mind.
“You good, mama?” he asked after I didn’t respond to him.
“My car wa?—”
“It was parked on private property.” He crossed his arms as his eyes traveled my physique. I knew I looked like shit, but I didn’t give a damn, because I was beyond pissed off.
“Where is my car?” I walked toward him with a mug.
He chuckled. “That ain’t how you greet nobody.”
I shook my head and crossed my arms. “My c?—”
