License to Love (81 page)
Authors: Kristen James
“Wow,” Sam breathed under his breath. However, in the
silence, Savanna was certain they all heard it.
Eric looked at his mom and shrugged. “I’m sorry. I’m not
interested in raising a kid.”
Triumph and sweet relief surged up in Savanna’s chest,
making her dizzy at first. Apparently Georgia had been behind everything.
“Were you following me?” Savanna suddenly accused,
remembering how she thought she’d imagined Georgia in the mall. Georgia’s
shoulders shook as she tried to hold herself together.
Another emotion crashed down on Savanna when she saw
Georgia’s face fall and tears come to her eyes.
“I just want to see my granddaughter,” she whispered hoarsely.
“I hardly have any family left.”
Savanna glanced at Jason, her heart hurting for the older woman.
It couldn’t be easy having a son who wanted the good life and friends more than
family.
“You didn’t have to try to take her away in order to see
her,” Savanna said at last. Of course, any visits would have to be monitored,
but maybe she could allow Georgia to meet Aubrey.
Eric stood then. “It looks like my part in this is done.
Sam, good afternoon . . . Savanna, I’m sorry.” Those looked like bitter words
for him to utter, rushed and late as they were. He strode out the door much
like he’d walked out of her life. After hearing what he had to say about his
own daughter, Savanna knew it was best for Aubrey not to know him. She had many
other people who loved her and wanted her.
Jason wrapped his arm around Savanna’s shoulder and said to
Georgia, “You have Savanna’s number. We can talk about this later.”
Savanna nodded, “Right now we need to look for Cassie.”
“Is this the best way to look?” Savanna asked in the car. Jason
drove while they both scanned the side streets for Cassie’s car. They’d stopped
in several different places she might go.
He sighed. “Honestly, probably not, but I’m not sure what
else we can do. Is there anywhere else she liked to go? Or went to with Mike?
Somewhere special we haven’t thought about?”
Somewhere special for her and Mike . . .
“You were here the last two years,” Savanna thought out
loud. “I feel horrible for not being around more, for not visiting or calling
more.” She rubbed her temples. Her eyes hurt from straining and squinting,
trying to see everywhere from inside the car.
“Hey, honey, we all have our own lives and problems, too.
You tried to be there for her, but you were going through a lot,” he reminded.
“You’re here now, right?”
She nodded.
“I
was
here the last two years.” Jason seemed to be
talking to himself. “What did they do together?”
“Where did they go?” she prompted.
“The hills. Mike loved driving out to go four-wheeling.”
Jason’s voice filled with excitement. “They picked berries and even went
camping. The hills, that’s gotta be it.” He pulled over and grabbed his cell
phone to call several people, one after another, listing a couple different
areas around Eugene. Savanna was thankful other people would recognize the
nicknames for these different campgrounds and wilderness areas, because she
wouldn’t have a clue.
It was hours later when her cell phone rang with Cassie’s ID
song. “Thank God!” Savanna cried as she hit the talk button.
She skipped hello. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, and I’m sorry, Savanna. Kent said how worried I
have made everyone.” Cassie’s shaky voice carried sadness. Savanna glanced at
Jason and whispered, “Kent found her.” She vaguely remembered him as one of the
other firefighters.
“What were you doing? Why didn’t you call?” She didn’t want
to sound angry, but she couldn’t understand why Cassie hadn’t cared about
letting people know where she was.
“I couldn’t. The cell wouldn’t get reception. I was out of
gas. I didn’t know what else to do but walk down the road toward town.”
She must have been a ways out. Savanna sighed, relieved,
even if she didn’t understand it still.
“I heard that sigh, and I know. I should have gotten more
gas, but I started driving and ended up way up on the mountain, and then I had
to take several turns to find the main road. I felt closer to Mike up there.”
She ended quietly, and Savanna couldn’t hold onto any anger.
“Where are you? We’ll meet you.”
Together, Jason and Savanna ran to the car and started
driving. When they reached Cassie, Savanna hurried to her friend and grabbed
her like they’d been apart for a decade during wartime.
“I’m
sorry,” Cassie whispered again, wiping the tears that were running down both
her cheeks.
“Stop
saying that. It’s okay now.” She felt Jason waiting behind them. For once,
Cassie didn’t tell him to take a hike. She just held onto Savanna.
“How did
mediation go?” Cassie asked. “I can’t believe I missed it.”
“I can’t
believe you remembered when you’ve been lost. It went fine. Great. Eric wasn’t
even interested in Aubrey; it was all his mother, just like you thought.”
Cassie
laughed, a small soft sound of relief. It was a genuine laugh that Savanna
hadn’t heard in a long time. “I told you it would be fine, right?”
She
paused instead of answering, and Cassie’s eyebrows came together.
“Savanna,
is there something else?”
“Cass,
she was so sad and broken, and just wanted to see her granddaughter. Once Eric
finally showed his true self, she fell apart. She just wanted to see Aubrey. So
I told her we’d talk about it.”
Cassie
smiled. “You always were a soft one, wanting to help others, but I agree. I’d
want to see my grandbaby too.” They’d taken a step back and her gaze fell on
Savanna’s hand. The light must have caught the diamond sitting on her finger.
Savanna held her breath as Cassie looked back at her face and then behind
Savanna where Jason stood waiting. New tears shined her warm brown eyes. “I owe
you guys an apology.”
Savanna
embraced her. She wasn’t the same joyful, laughing woman, but she was getting
there. “No, everything’s all right now.”
Cassie
stepped back and then took a step toward Jason. Slowly, she took another. “I’m
sorry I’ve been so mad at you. I don’t know how I could have handled it
differently, but I don’t want to go on like this anymore.”
He
smiled, his own brown eyes watery, and took a step toward her so they were
standing face to face.
She
leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. “I just miss him so much. And
it didn’t have to be that way.”
Jason
pulled back and Savanna could see his eyes, blazing with regret, sadness, and
pain. “I’m so sorry I didn’t listen to your dreams. I thought I was helping.”
“Jason,
I just meant Eric didn’t have to die. I don’t blame you. We do things and have
to live with them, and you didn’t do anything with wrong intentions. I know
that now. I know you lost Mike too.”
He
couldn’t talk through the tears but just pulled her into a fierce hug. “Thank
you for saying that.”
“I just
kind of lost it and took it out on you. I’m so very sorry.” Cassie spoke into
his shoulder and reached out blindly, knowing Savanna was right there. Savanna
grabbed her hand.
“Cass, I
understand,” Jason said. “I lost it too. I wrecked my jeep in the process and
almost drove Savanna away. But we’re going to be okay. All of us.”
Savanna’s
mind took a still frame that would be burned into her memory for the rest of
her life. She finally saw her two closest friends hugging.
Cassie
looked at Savanna to ask, “Where’s Aubrey?”
“My
mom’s watching her.” Thank goodness she had her mom around now.
“Let’s
go over there, all of us,” Cassie suggested.
Jason
motioned, and they followed him to the car and then talked all the way there.
Margaret met them on the street with Aubrey on her hip.
“Oh,
Cassie, come hug me!” Margaret looked over Cassie’s shoulder at Jason and
Savanna. She didn’t miss the fact that they were all there together. “Let’s go
have some hot cider and get you warmed up. It’s chilly out here.”
Margaret
and Cassie headed in, but Jason held back. He pulled Savanna by one hand into
his arms for a long, drawn-out, emotional kiss.
“I was
worried that today would be a horrible day,” Savanna said, “And it was
difficult, but it turned into one of the best days of my life.”
His eyes
gleamed. “My Savanna, whose strength brought all of us back into
the sunlight. Let’s go celebrate!”
The End
Return to Table of Contents
, or
a different story:
Turn the page for
info on
More Than a
Promise
, Book 2 of the Second Gift Series.
Also Available:
More Than a Promise, Book 2 of
the Second Gift Series
(Cassie’s Story)
Cassie escapes to Ocean View Stables on the Oregon Coast to cope with the three
year anniversary of her husband’s death. She’s starting to dream about her
future again and possibly romance. A safe romance, that is, where people don’t
die. She runs into Ethan Caldwell, the cute boy who teased her through grade
school. He sure grew up – into a man who’d catch anyone’s eyes. Now he’s a
single dad to nine year old Isabel, who talks about her parents getting back
together…as soon as her mom is out of rehab. Then maybe her mom can watch her
while her dad goes on his work trips. Apparently Ethan has some kind of
dangerous, secretive government job. This isn’t at all what Cassie is looking
for! So why is she running full speed into another broken heart?
New Release
November 2012:
A Spy For
Christmas
– A Christmas novella
What’s more
dangerous? The Oregon wilderness, hit men, or the heat in Grayson’s arms?
Watch
for another Christmas novella December 2012
And
Promises Fulfilled
in early 2013.
Kristen James loves writing romances set in Oregon with
dreamy heroes that will melt your heart. She enjoys the outdoors and watching
wildlife in her yard and on the river by her house. Besides reading and
writing, she loves traveling, cycling, hiking, berry picking, canoeing, fishing,
and camping, especially doing these with her family. Life should be an
adventure!
Visit
www.writerkristenjames.com
to learn more and read her blog. Connect on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/WriterKristenJames
and Twitter at @writerkristenj. She loves to interact with readers.
Amazon author page and
full book list at
http://amazon.com/author/kristenjames
