He knew kissing her there in front of her dad and uncles, especially if she pushed him away given their last conversation was suicide, but he was willing to take the chance. Pulling away from her, he cradled her face in his hands, as she stared up at him with a stunned expression. But at least it wasn’t a disgusted, angry, or even a hurt one, so he went for it. He pecked her softly, sweetly and she was all for it. She even smiled pecking him back. Though Byron knew better than to go for any deeper kisses.
“Where you’ve been?” her dad asked, his own terrorized tone from earlier now sounding a bit annoyed.
“There.” She pointed at the television that had gone back to reporting on the school shooting and Byron finally let her go. Turning to Byron who was still swatting tears away, she touched his face as if she already understood why he’d be so upset. “I would’ve called if I’d had my phone, but I left it here.” Her dad lifted it with a frown, to show her they’d already figured out that much. “I don’t have anyone’s phone numbers memorized, and I didn’t even think to Google and call the restaurants until about a half hour ago, but no one answered. I called all three.”
“We closed them all early to rush down here when we heard the news and couldn’t get a hold of you,” Sal explained. “Your aunts are with your mom and Sienna, helping Gordo calm them.
“Yeah, she’s fine.” Her dad was already explaining to his wife on the phone.
Savannah explained about not even being in the same room as the shooter, just the same building, but they’d gone on lockdown after the shot was heard, and they didn’t let anyone out until they had him in custody.
“Who did he shoot?” Angel asked.
“No one.” She shook her head. “I heard someone say the gun went off on accident.”
“You see, this is why you can’t believe shit on the news anymore.” Angel turned to her dad. “I didn’t wanna say anything earlier because you were already so worried, but I’d heard one channel reporting that they might be dealing with a mass school shooting.”
Everyone in the room hugged Savannah one by one, and Byron was already wondering how in the world he’d tear himself away from her once the dust settled.
“You always leave your door unlocked?” her father asked with a scowl as he pulled away from her.
Savannah winced, exchanging glances with Xochitl. “We’ve been known to rush out sometimes and forget to lock it. But there’s security out front.”
“Not always.” Her dad countered with an even more severe scowl. “We walked right in because no one was there when we got here.”
The lecture she got from her dad and uncles about safety and the importance of locking not just her door, but all her windows was much appreciated by Byron. Savannah promised she’d be more diligent about locking everything from here on.
All said and done, much to Byron’s relief Savannah said she’d save the trip down to La Jolla for the morning. “If it’s all the same to you daddy, I’m exhausted and it’s safe to say mom’s dinner’s a wash anyway, right?”
Thankfully, he didn’t argue. Byron and Savannah walked them out. “You guys go ahead.” Mr. Moreno told his brothers and Taz. “I’ll be right there.” He turned to Savannah but placed a hand on Byron’s shoulder. “Give us a moment, sweetheart.” The instant alarm in Savannah’s face wasn’t missed and her dad’s face soured. “He’ll be fine.”
She nodded, saying nothing before kissing her dad goodbye on the cheek, then wincing at Byron. Her father waited until she’d gone into her dorm but started toward the parking lot. Byron walked alongside him bracing himself, as he remembered the lethal probing earlier. “Look, I don’t need to know what it is that upset her anymore. Obviously, she’s over it and it’s clear you really care about her.”
“I’m in love with her, sir. Have been almost since I met her.”
Alex stopped and stared at him for a moment blankly, as if letting that sink in. “Well, I guess if anyone’s gonna date my baby girl, he better be in love with her. Lowers the odds of his hurting her, and me ending up in prison.”
“I’d never hurt her,” Byron said with conviction. “What she was upset about earlier was something that happened before her and I had made things official. Before I knew I even had a chance of anything serious with her. But ever since things changed, I promised her, like I promised you before and I’m promising you again, I would never hurt her.”
Her dad searched Byron’s eyes for a silent moment, as if looking for any insincerity. “Good to know. And believe it or not, son, I like you. The idea of her having someone who’s looking out for her now that she’s so far from home, had grown on me. But I’ll especially like it now that I know how much she means to you.” He shook his head with a frown. “Girl can’t even remember to lock the door, for Christ sakes.”
Byron chuckled almost giving into the stupidity of what hearing her dad say he liked him did to him. He nearly blurted out that he didn’t have to worry because most days she stayed at his place lately anyway. But he managed to catch himself. Instead, he admitted something there was no doubt about anymore.
“She’s everything to me now.” He had to suppress the emotion he was feeling once again. “I’d do anything to keep her safe and happy. You have my word.”
Her dad glanced away taking a deep breath, before looking back at him. “I’m holding you to that, boy.” Clapping Byron’s shoulder, he started to walk off but turned around. “You’re welcome to join us tomorrow if you wanna drive down with her.” Before Byron could respond to that, the big guy turned around again with an almost smirk. “Don’t think I’m all sweet on you either. I’d just feel better if she didn’t take the two-hour drive down and back by herself.”
Smiling for the first time, in what felt like way too fucking long, Byron was already mentally clearing up his busy schedule tomorrow. “I’ll see you there.”
Despite how good it felt knowing Savannah was safe, and that her father and him had made an unlikely connection, Byron started back to the dorm where he knew he’d be facing the music about his night with Irma now.
Twenty-Nine
Why not?
Vannah
The moment she opened her dorm door, Byron stepped in and wrapped his arms around her tightly again. He held her for a long time taking in deep breaths. His embraces were always heartfelt, but this felt even more emotional somehow. Xochitl had already confirmed what Vannah thought she’d imagined when she first walked in. Those really had been tears in his eyes she’d seen, and they’d been shed because of the dread he’d been put through. Vannah couldn’t even blame him. He’d already suffered two harrowing and heart wrenching experiences in his life. She didn’t even know how she would’ve handled thinking something might’ve happened to him. Just like all the other times she’d been so quick to forgive and forget his past popping up, she’d already decided she wouldn’t dwell on the whole Irma thing. And she knew why now, just as he had today, Byron had worn his heart on his sleeve from the very beginning and she loved him for it. She’d promised not to hold his past against him, and she was keeping that promise.