License to Love (79 page)

“I know.” Cassie sniffed and pulled her long hair over one
shoulder and finally looked up at Savanna.

“Then can you say you’ll try?”

“Maybe I can say I’ll try to try.” Cassie closed her eyes and
leaned against the doorway. “I miss him so much,” Cassie continued, speaking of
Mike now. “I miss planning our future, just having a future with him.” While
Cassie talked, Savanna crept closer until she could reach her and put a hand on
her shoulder.

“I’m here. Just talk.”

Cassie looked up with tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry I’m mad
at you. I think I’m mad because you can be happy now and I can’t.”

“You will be someday.”

“I don’t know. When I see Jason, I feel like I’m waiting for
Mike to walk into the room,” Cassie sobbed on the last few words. Savanna
wrapped both arms around Cassie and let her cry. After several minutes, Cassie
nodded toward the house, and they both laughed because they’d been standing out
in the cold. Inside, the house was warmer and brighter. They sat side by side
on the couch while Cassie talked.

Savanna listened for a while, and when Cassie grew quiet,
she had to say, “Jason’s hurting, too.”

“Tell him I don’t blame him. I’ve been so mad and hurt, but
deep down, I know it wasn’t his fault.”

“Sure.” Savanna had so many things to say, but she didn’t
want to ruin this moment.

“I’ll try, but it’s going to take a while.”

She held onto Cassie still. This was what it had been like
before she moved away, when they were as close as friends could be. This is
what she’d been waiting for since she got back from Texas. “He won’t care about
that,” she told Cassie. “Jason knows you’re hurting. Is it okay if I tell him
he’s not ruining our friendship?”

“He’s not.” Cassie wiped her sopping eyes and actually
smiled. Then, after pulling in a deep breath, she added, “It’s been me.”

“Cassie?” Savanna swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. “I
need to tell you something else.” The words tumbled out as she shared what she
knew about Rachael.

Cassie had one question. “Why would she say it was Mike’s?
No one will believe that.”

“I have no idea. First she told people it was Jason’s baby.
She’s changed her story several times, and that proves she’s lying. I wanted
you to be prepared, because it’ll probably get around.”

“Great.” Cassie sighed.

“I’m here for you, no matter what, and no matter where I’m
at. Just call.”

Savanna went home much later, when Cassie was ready to crash
for the night. As she walked to her car, Savanna could breathe easier. Things
seemed better, at least with Cassie. She had the mediation in a few days, and
that had kept her stress level at a constant high. She’d been blessed to have
her mom, Cassie, and Jason supporting her through it.

Her own home was quiet, with Aubrey most likely in bed and
Jason waiting for her. She felt excited about sharing this news.

“It went well,” Savanna said with relief and a wide smile.
Jason motioned for her to join him on the couch, where she nestled into him,
listening to his heart beat under her head. The beating picked up speed, faster
and faster.

“Baby,” he whispered, smoothing her hair back. “I have to
ask you something.”

She tilted her head and looked up at him, ready to listen,
wondering where his soul-searching of late had taken him. Maybe he had been
lying here, thinking, while she was gone.

“Will you marry me?”

She blinked. Tried to restart her heart. Attempted to
breathe.

“I want all of us to be a family. I wanted to get a ring and
surprise you, but I can’t sit here with you and not tell you what I’m
thinking.”

She tried unsuccessfully to smile, but cried happy tears
instead, while wrapping her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. She
loved his smell, the feel of his skin.

“Savanna?” He sounded uncertain now, and she found that
endearing.
Oh, she hadn’t answered yet!

“Yes!” She laughed. “Oh, Jason, yes!”

Maybe the best things weren’t planned, Jason thought. How
could he have seen this happening? Savanna and Aubrey had changed his life so
drastically, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

He pulled her on top of him to hold her tightly. “I want you
to be able to stay home with Aubrey if you want, or work part-time, so you can
have more time with her. And I want to buy a house, have more kids, get a dog.
The whole deal.”

He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her long and deep,
until she moved against him suggestively. A minute later, she pulled back to
say, “A small wedding.”

“Anything you want.” He pulled her to him again, wanting to
kiss her forever, or at least long enough to forget the rest of the world and
its problems. Her familiar little noise sent burning sensations all through
him. He couldn’t let go of her.

“Upstairs . . . bed,” she murmured against him.

He wished again he could scoop her up in his arms and carry
her. Instead they made their way slowly up to the bed, kissing along the way.
They reached the bed and fell upon the end.

Her mint-colored sweater felt as soft as it looked, but he
wanted to touch underneath. His hands rested on her curvy hips, so he slipped both
hands under the bottom of her sweater to skim along her bare skin, first her
back, then her sides, and then the bottom of her bra.

He traced the material around to the back and undid it. Her
little noises weren’t so quiet when his hands flattened against her back where
her bra would normally cover.

“Jason! You have to be fair.”

“Huh?”

Savanna reached for the bottom of his shirt, pulled it up
and over his head. Watching her face, he couldn’t look away from the
appreciation he saw in her eyes. She reached for him, flattening her hands on
his chest.

“Jason, touch me all over.” She kissed his neck and earlobe
while pulling his hand down to her pants.

“You’re headed for a point of no return,” he warned in a
husky voice.

“Take me there,” she said. Her trust pulled at his heart
more than her need for him.

Jason’s hands slowed down. His entire body pounded with want
and need for her. Taking hold of the bottom of her shirt, he pulled it up and
over her arms. Since her bra was unclasped, it came right off with the shirt.

Seeing her bareness gave him a distinctly male ache. She
gasped in delight when he rolled her onto her back. His mouth followed the path
his hands had taken.

He slipped his hand down to the front of her slacks and
undid the button, needing to touch more of her. They were silky and slid right
off her legs when he tugged, exposing miles and miles of soft skin. He skimmed
his hand down her thigh, along the crook of her knee, and over her calf.

“Savanna . . .” He wanted more and more of her.

They didn’t need words to communicate their desire for each
other. It was more than desire even. It was amazing. Everything felt new and
mysterious, but they also had a perfect rhythm. A perfect love.

Savanna counted the hours at work until she could see Jason,
and she still felt shell-shocked by what happened between them the night
before. Of course, her co-workers and a couple of faithful customers who knew
her were happy to hear the news of her brand-new engagement.

The mediation meeting was only a day away, but today she
celebrated. She arrived home with Aubrey, who got excited about seeing Jason.

“Gase!” she called out his name as Savanna carried their
things inside. As if he heard her, he came over a minute later. Aubrey spotted
him and ran to him, “Gase!”

“Aubrey, hey!” He stooped down to hug her and settled on the
floor to play. “Savanna, how was your day?”

“Long,” she answered, flopping down beside him on her back.
Aubrey pulled out toys for playtime.

Jason scooted up against her back and wrapped his arms around
her. A few seconds later she realized he had something in his hands.

“I got you something today.”

Excitement buzzed through her as he opened his hands to
reveal the foil-wrapped box. With shaking hands, she lifted the lid and found a
smaller, velvet box inside. Jason, unable to contain himself, pulled the
smaller box out and opened it.

The diamond flashed in the light, a beautiful solitaire with
smaller stones wrapping it. Savanna gasped.

Smiling widely, Jason lay back on the floor. “This is me on
my knee, figuratively I guess, properly asking you to marry me.”

The phone rang in the background as Savanna gazed in wonder
at the ring. The best thing wasn’t the expensive jewelry, though. It was his
love and promise.

She nodded and had to wipe her moist eyes. He slipped the
ring on her finger. Somehow he knew her size, or maybe, by fate, it fit
perfectly.

He kissed the ring and then stretched up to kiss her,
pulling her down on top of him. 

The phone rang again and neither moved, but it kept ringing.
“It must be important.”

Savanna climbed to her feet, feeling her body tingle all
over with happiness, and said, “Maybe it’s Cassie.” Hope rose up in her as she
picked up the phone, but it was her mother who spoke.

 “I think you should come over. Georgia Stauffer is here.”

Savanna didn’t move or even blink. Why was her ex
mother-in-law at her mom’s house, the day before mediation?

Her mom snapped her out of it. “Savanna, are you all right?”

“Do you know why she’s there?” This wasn’t happening. How
could this be happening?

“She won’t explain without you here.” Her mother’s stiff
voice made Savanna think Georgia stood close enough to listen.

“I’ll be right over.” Savanna shuddered as she hung up.
“Jason?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Eric’s mother is at Mom’s.” At her words, Jason leapt to
his feet with surprising agility, considering the cast. She added, “I need to
go over there.”

“I’ll go with you,” he said at once.

“What about Aubrey?” she asked. “I need you to watch her. I
don’t want her anywhere near that woman.”

“Are you sure Eric isn’t there?”

She knew what he was thinking, that this was some kind of
trap. “No, Mom would have told me.”

“Any idea what this is about? You’ve hardly mentioned her
before.”

“Because I hardly know her. This doesn’t make any sense.”

Savanna looked over her shoulder once on her way out the
door, and saw Jason sitting with Aubrey, worry on his face.

Savanna used the ride over to steady herself. She’d come a
long way since Eric left her, and she wouldn’t let Georgia Stauffer intimidate
her. Could Eric be dead? What else would send Georgia here?

Parking by the climbing rose vines, Savanna got out and
walked briskly up to the door. Margaret must have been waiting because she
opened it as Savanna approached. They walked to the adjacent room in silence.

“Hello, Savanna.” Georgia Stauffer, waiting in the front
room, stood straight and tall with her obviously dyed black hair in a bun. Her
necklace looked cluttered with different-colored gems, and she completed the
look with layers of matching bracelets, earrings, and rings.

“Hello, Georgia. I didn’t think I’d be seeing you again.”
Savanna planned to say more, like ask why she’d come, but Georgia didn’t wait.

“I suppose not,” she said, her face stiff like she’d had too
many plastic surgeries. “It seems you didn’t look back when you left my son.”

“But I didn’t….” She threw a helpless look to her own mom.
Looking protective, Margaret stepped closer, her arms crossed.

“I want to know why you left him, and why you won’t let him
see his daughter.” Georgia’s cold, dark eyes didn’t show anything but detached
loathing.  

“What?” Savanna couldn’t think of where to begin. Eric must
have fed his mother a diet of straight lies. “You’ve had a long time to ask about
all this before now. I stayed in Texas for over a year after Eric left me!” a
year and a half, actually. She’d been stuck, pitying herself, until Mike’s
death pushed her into action.

“I know you threatened him and took his daughter away!”
Georgia’s voice rose. “And I plan to straighten it out.”

“There’s nothing to fix, I’m telling you. Would you slow
down and listen to me?” She wanted to strangle her, gaudy necklace and all.

“I’ll see you at the meeting tomorrow.” Georgia brushed by
them and sauntered out the front door to her waiting car. Margaret and Savanna
could do nothing but stare after her. A minute later, Savanna felt her mother’s
hands on her shoulders.

“I can only imagine how messed up her son must be.”

“Mom, what does she plan to do?” Savanna felt a black hole
open up inside her. “What if she tries to take Aubrey away?” Maybe this was
more than an attempt for joint custody and visitation. Maybe Eric and Georgia
wanted to take Aubrey back to Texas, away from Savanna.

“She can’t,” Margaret declared. “She has no right!”

“But what if she tries? They have money. What if Eric has
decided he wants Aubrey? How I can fight them?” She turned into her mom’s arms,
her hands on her face as she cried.

“Savanna, what grounds could she have? If I know my
daughter, you have proof about Eric. Am I right?”

Savanna tried to calm herself, thinking. Their divorce
papers proved her story. In reality, she could probably bar Georgia from the
mediation, or she could face her and Eric together and prove just how awful he
had been to Aubrey. No way would she let Georgia tear apart her family. Her
family . . . Jason. She pulled her face up to look into her mother’s strained
face. “Mom, Jason asked me to marry him, and I said yes.”

“Oh, Savanna!” Margaret clasped her hands to her face before
wrapping her arms back around her daughter. Remembering the ring, Savanna held
her hand out for her mom to see.

“Wow, it’s absolutely beautiful.”