Brody’s eyes go wide. “Umm... I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far ahead, and her parents are kind of strict, so I don’t even know if they’ll let her go out with me.”
“We’re having a Valentine’s Day party at Lush,” I mention. “You’re too young to attend, but if you’re okay with double dating with your old man, we can have dinner there.”
“Who are you going out with?” Savannah sasses.
“You.” I pull her into my side so I can kiss her temple.
“Funny, I don’t remember being asked.” She leans forward and grabs her glass of wine, taking a sip.
She sets it down, and I tip her chin to look into her ocean blue eyes. “Savannah Cartwright, will you be my valentine?”
A mischievous grin curls her lips. “Hm...” She taps her chin in mock thought. “Exactly what does being your valentine entail?”
“For starters, dinner at Lush.” I kiss the tip of her nose. “Followed by an evening of dancing and drinking.” I peck her cheek and lean in so only she can hear my next words. “And afterward, a night in my bed.” A shiver wracks her body, making me chuckle.
“You guys are gross,” Brody says with a gagging sound. “I’ll have dinner with you guys since Sariah’s parents are more likely to let her go if my parent is there, but try to tone it down a notch, will you?”
“Hey, don’t act like you don’t kiss your girlfriend by your locker,” I taunt.
He stands and shakes his head. “I do, but not in front of my dad. So about making some money...”
“We’ll figure it out.” I’m sure I can give him something to do to earn some money.
“Thanks, Dad.”
He throws his trash away, then disappears into his room, leaving Savannah and me alone.
“Want another glass of wine?” I ask, seeing hers is empty.
“No, thanks.” She yawns. “I’m exhausted. I think I’ll head home—”
“Let’s finish the movie first,” I suggest, not ready for her to leave yet.
She yawns again but agrees, and I pat my lap so she can lay her head down. I click the movie back on, and within minutes, the sound of her soft snores fills the room. I pull my phone out, checking and replying to a bunch of emails I neglected today. Then I check my calendar for the rest of the week. I do all this one-handed while I use my other one to play with her hair.
“Is Savy okay?” Brody asks when he comes out of his room a couple of hours later. The movie has ended, and the screen is paused.
“Yeah, she’s not feeling well.”
“Is she sick?”
“No, she’s on her period.” I could lie, but what’s the point? He’s fifteen and has to learn about this shit sooner or later.
Brody’s nose scrunches up. “Oh. Sariah said when she’s on hers, she cries a lot.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, it makes women emotional.” Savannah shifts slightly, snuggling closer to me. “You done with all your homework?”
“Yeah. Sariah’s mom said she can go to dinner with us.”
“What about the movie?”
“Only if you guys come... but I know you have that party afterward, so…”
“I don’t have to be there the entire time. I won’t be at any of the others. I’ll make a quick appearance, and then we can go to the movies if that’s what you want to do.”
His face brightens. “Yeah? That’d be cool. Thanks.”
“No problem. Get ready for bed. It’s getting late, and you need to get up early tomorrow.”
“I’m gonna jump in the shower.”
“All right, if I’m not here when you get out, I’m walking Savannah home.” As soon as I wake her up... which is hard to do when she’s sleeping so peacefully.
“Or she can just spend the night,” Brody suggests, shocking me. “It’s not like Mom doesn’t have that asshole living with her.”
“Watch your mouth.” I side-eye him. “Why don’t you like Ted, anyway?” He’s made several digs at the guy, and his mom mentioned they used to fight. I don’t know the guy, but I’m not sure how I would feel if Brody didn’t like Savannah.
“I just… I just don’t like him,” he mumbles. “But Mom loves him so…” He shrugs. “I’m just glad I don’t have to live with him anymore... as long as you’re here.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I assure him. “But at some point, you’re going to have to see your mom… and not just when he’s out of town.” We have fifty-fifty custody, but she’s always had him the majority of the time because of my dumb choices. “Maybe we should sit down and talk to your mom—”
“No!” Brody barks. “Just leave it alone, please.” Something more is going on, but I don’t know what it is.
“What about your therapist? Would you consider talking to him about it?” We still have three and a half more years of him being home until he goes to college, and there’s no way his mom will let him avoid staying at her house that long.
He averts his gaze, looking past me. “I guess.”
Not wanting to push him, I leave it at that for now. “All right. Go jump in the shower. You have school in the morning.”
“Unless it snows enough for schools to cancel,” he says as he walks down the hall toward his bathroom.
Once he’s gone, Savannah rolls over onto her back and looks up at me. “I don’t think I like that Ted guy,” she says, obviously having heard at least that part of our conversation.
“Yeah, me neither,” I agree, dipping my face to kiss her. “Want to spend the night? Unlike Ted, Brody likes you and said he doesn’t mind.” I waggle my brows, making Savannah smile.
“As tempting as that sounds, I think it’s best if I sleep at home. All my stuff is there, and I think we should take it slow… not just for us but for Brody too. He’s been through a lot, and he might be okay with it, but it doesn’t mean we should take advantage of that.”
“You’re amazing,” I tell her, kissing her when she sits up. “I’ll walk you home.”
“Such a gentleman.” She grins, kissing me back.
Chapter Nineteen
Savannah
“Wow! Look at you,” Brianne says, walking into my room. “Benjamin isn’t going to know what hit him.”
I turn around and glance at myself in the mirror, taking in my appearance. Since the Valentine’s Day party at Lush is a black-tie affair with a red, pink, and black theme for the occasion, I’m dressed in a bright-red velvet minidress that’s covered in shimmering sequins and ruching at the waist to accentuate my curves. The front dips low, showing off the swells of my breasts while keeping it classy with long sleeves, yet it has an off-center slit up the side. My dirty-blond hair is down in waves with one side pinned back behind my ear. Since it’s been snowing on and off, I’m wearing red suede closed-toe heels with an ankle strap.
Not wanting to wear a dress bought by another man, I bought this dress for tonight during Brianne’s and my shopping trip. She needed something new as well, so we made a day of it. It was nice since we haven’t had a lot of girl time between dating and working.