by Len Webster
“No, thank you,” he said as he approached the couch and sat down. Then Savannah sat next to him and looked up at him with her big blue eyes. Though beautiful, the sad gleam in them tore his heart to shreds.
Am I responsible for the tears you’re trying to hold back?
Impossible, he thought.
“Last night …” She inhaled a deep breath and exhaled it once she turned her body to face him. “I’m sorry I said he’s more interesting than you. That’s not what I meant. Sure, maybe when it comes to basketball, but that’s it. Will, I meant it when I said I find you so interesting. You are.”
She finds me interesting …
And as Will looked at her, he believed her. She wasn’t like his ex-girlfriend. She didn’t laugh in his face and walk out the door. Savannah wasn’t Rebecca, and Will felt guilty for even thinking of his ex when he was with her.
“I didn’t know you knew Walter, and I didn’t know he was your client.”
After Will had pushed the memory of Rebecca from his aching heart, all he could think about last night was not having Walter Vidović as his client. He thought about asking Emerson for her advice, but he knew she would call him crazy for wanting to end a business relationship with Walter—especially now that he was all over the news. Everyone seemed to want to know what was going through his head. If he did a tell-all, he’d make millions. Millions he could invest. Investments Will and Emerson could give their advice on. But for Will, it wasn’t about the money.
He would have to sacrifice one relationship for the other.
His career or his friendship with Savannah Peters.
As he stared into her blue eyes, he knew his choice.
Her.
“I don’t want to put you in a position where I could cost you everything,” she said, his heart stumbling in beats. She was agreeing to what he had proposed last night. He sensed it. He goddamn felt it.
“Savannah …”
Her smile softened a fraction as she shifted on the couch for comfort. “Walter isn’t worth losing my friendship with you, Will. A friendship I want but can’t have.”
His heart fell from his chest.
Her words were shards of glass, impaling him.
Will understood what she was asking for, what she wanted and needed. He was proud of her, and he would respect her. He always would. William Lawrence didn’t have a place in Savannah Peters’ life, and it was the way it had to be. The way he had always believed it to be.
He was her best friend’s cousin.
Nothing more.
Always nothing more.
Besides his cousin, they shared a goddaughter. And now he had a weekend of memories he would never forget. Memories he was sure he’d always compare after her. For Will, he respected Savannah too much to make her unhappy.
“I can’t have you, Will,” she whispered. “It’s too hard to navigate even being friends. We should just be Miller’s godmother and godfather.”
Just godparents.
Before this weekend, he would have been content with that statement. But now it wasn’t enough. He couldn’t deny what he wanted, and that was more. However, he could see it bright in Savannah’s eyes that more with him wasn’t what she wanted.
This was goodbye.
He’d go back to New York and put the weekend behind him. He’d see Savannah again and politely smile at her without her knowing she broke him. He cared too much to let her know or allow himself to hurt her with that knowledge. She would return to Vermont and forget him. If this was all Will could have, he would take it. He would steal a moment during an event just to see her and think of what could have been. He would be content with a moment over a constellation of stars.
One small, rare moment.
Nodding, Will reached up and cupped the side of her face. He thought she would flinch and pull away. Instead, she leaned into his touch as she wrapped her hand around his wrist.
Time seemed to slow.
Maybe even stop.
His breath was stolen with the curve of her smile.
And his heart stopped for a single moment to remember her blue eyes and her name in its next and final beat before he walked out of her life.
“Savannah,” he breathed as he leaned forward, pressing his forehead to hers. He glanced down at her lips. Perfect and right there.
One weekend with her wasn’t enough, but he would be grateful for it. Because the love she showered his goddaughter was pure. So damn beautiful. Just like her big heart.
“Will,” she whispered breathlessly, tilting her chin and inching her lips to his.
So close to touching. So close to knowing what it would be like to kiss her.
But that opportunity was lost the moment they heard the front door open and close loudly. They pulled back instantly, staring at each other.
There was no horror on Savannah’s face. Will could see it. She wanted the kiss as much as he did. God, his heart strained, wanting to know if their connection was all in his head.
But now he would never know because Evan broke their spell when he said, “Savannah, I’m home.”
Savannah pulled away, brushed her blond hair behind her ear and got up from the couch. She tried to smile, but all he saw was disappointment. The disappointment he felt in his blood and bones.
“Hey,” Evan said as he stepped into the living room and stood by the kitchen counter, holding a small gift bag. “Hey, Will.”
Will got up from the couch and patted at the hem of his shirt. “Hey, Ev. How was your presentation? I thought you weren’t coming home until tonight.”
His cousin’s husband sighed and then smiled. “It was actually pretty good, but I’m happy to be home. I took an earlier flight because I couldn’t stand being away from my daughter for much longer. The informal meetings didn’t require my presence. Is Miller awake yet?”
Savannah shook her head. “Not yet. I was just about to wake her.”
A large smile consumed Evan’s face. “I’ll go wake her. I got her something while I was in Texas. AJ is going to kill me.”
“What did you get her?” Will asked.
“Longhorns,” Evan replied as he reached into the bag and pulled out a toy bull with long horns. “I think she’ll love it.”
Next to him, Savannah laughed. “I think so, too. Why don’t you wake her up, and I’ll make y’all some breakfast?”
“I’ll help,” Will offered as she glanced over and smiled at him. He looked over at Evan who eyed them before he put the toy back in the bag.
“Alright. I’ll go wake up Miller. Won’t be long.” Then he went down the hall and to the staircase to go to his daughter’s room.
When Will heard Miller’s bedroom door close, he turned to find Savannah staring at him.
They had almost kissed. They were also ending a friendship the moment they went their separate ways today.
“So breakfast …?” Savannah suggested, ignoring what had almost happened between them.
She didn’t have to say it out loud. The plea in her eyes was enough to know that she didn’t want to talk about what could have been moments ago.
So Will nodded. “Yeah, let’s go make some breakfast.”
The love that shone bright in Miller’s eyes was intoxicating as she sat in her father’s lap at the table, staring up at him. Will couldn’t look away. Growing up, Will remembered his cousin’s husband broke her heart more times than he could count. But he learned through the years that even though Evan Gilmore was a clueless teenager, he was a man who didn’t give up loving his wife or his daughter. He had come a long way, and Will was proud to have him as a cousin-in-law.
“Jesus, Sav. You still have it,” Evan praised as he set down his coffee after taking a sip.
At the end of the table, Savannah smiled and lifted her gaze from Miller to Evan. Earlier, she had shown Miller how the mug they had purchased Will worked with hot water. Miller was so enchanted by the way the mug illuminated with constellations that Evan stated he’d have to pur
chase one. Savannah had laughed before she poured the hot water down the sink, dried Will’s mug, and then made everyone coffee.
“Thanks, Evan. My Chino’s days are long behind me, but I had to welcome you home the best way possible.”
“I appreciate it. And honestly, guys, thank you for looking after her. I know it wasn’t easy.” Then he smiled at his daughter. “Miller, would you like to call Mummy soon?”
Miller nodded her head eagerly. “Yes, please. I want to see Mummy.”
Evan kissed his daughter’s chubby cheek as she giggled. “We’re seeing Mummy on Friday.”
“Y’all must be so excited to go see Alex,” Savannah said as she cut into the pancakes that they had made together while Evan woke up Miller.
The tension between Savannah and Will had been excruciating. A lot of apologies for accidental brushes and touches. The silence killed him as his thoughts shouted. The silver lining was that he was relieved that they hadn’t kissed. Had he known what her lips were like, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stay away. It was fate that intervened, ensuring they remained on course.
“More like dying to see her,” Evan clarified. “As much as Miller might be excited to see her mother, I know she can’t wait to eat Yorkshire puddings. She practically lived off them the last time we were in England.”
Will laughed, remembering the video Alexandra had sent him of Miller eating the large savory pudding. It was cute how Miller had gotten the pudding all over herself. A loud alarm went off, and Will pulled out his phone from his jacket pocket to find the reminder he had set going off. He let out a sigh, wishing he had more time. He turned off the alarm and slid his phone back in his pocket before he stood from his seat and gave everyone a small smile.
“I’m sorry. I better get going. I have a train to catch,” he announced.
“Are you sure?” Evan asked as he held Miller to his side and stood.
Will nodded. He had to get back to New York and catch up on some emails from clients before he returned to work tomorrow. “I’m sure. I gotta get back to New York.”
Evan nodded. “Let me get my keys and I’ll drive you.”
“No, that’s not necessary,” Will said.
“Will, I can—”
“I’ll drive you,” Savannah offered, interrupting them.
Will glanced over to find her picking up her finished plate. “Savannah, it’s fine.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I might as well get gas after I drop you off. I need to fill up before I go back to Montpelier.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure, Will.”
The burst of warmth in his chest replaced the awkwardness he felt when they were making breakfast together. Will hadn’t meant to make it weird, but he didn’t know how Savannah was feeling. And maybe a short drive to the train station was what they both needed.
Will walked around the table and stood in front of Evan holding Miller. Her big green eyes focused on him as she held up the new toy her father had given her. Will patted the longhorn and smiled at his goddaughter.
“Uncle Will has to go back to New York now, Miller,” Evan informed.
Miller’s bottom lip trembled as she shook her head. “No. Willy, stay.”
Will reached out and took her from her father, kissing her cheek. “Sorry, Millie. Uncle Willy has to go back home. You have fun in England with Mommy, okay?”
“Okay, Willy,” she said in the saddest voice he had ever heard.
Will hugged her tight before he pulled back and wiped her tears away. “It’s okay, Millie. I promise to visit soon.” She nodded as Will handed her back to her father. “Thank you for letting me spend the weekend with her, Ev.”
“Of course, Will. And thanks again for helping Sav.”
“Savannah did all the work,” he praised as he smiled at her. Savannah’s cheeks were a lovely shade of pink before she turned away. “Have fun in England. Give my cousin a hug for me.”
“I will,” Evan promised.
“Savvy!” Miller called out when she realized Savannah wasn’t with them.
After putting her plate in the sink, Savannah quickly returned to the dining table. She pressed her palm gently to Miller’s cheek. “I’ll be right back.” Then she kissed the toddler’s head before she turned to Will. “Ready?”
Will nodded, but he wasn’t.
Not really.
After Savannah returned his mug to the gift bag and handed it to Will, he followed her out of the Gilmore home. The drive to South Station was quiet. Savannah’s broken car radio increased the tension in the air. Every time he glanced over to say what was on his mind, he would find her squinting at the street signs. He smiled, wanting to laugh but refrained from doing so. She still wasn’t a confident driver in Boston, but he didn’t blame her. Though it was no New York City, Boston was a hard city to navigate by car. When she parked outside the station, she turned off the engine and turned in her seat.
“So we’re here,” she said, looking uncomfortable and hesitant as she tapped her fingers on the steering wheel.
“Yeah. I’ll grab my suitcase from the trunk.”
Savannah pressed a button. “Should be open.”
“Thanks,” Will said as he unbuckled his belt. Then he grasped the door handle and pulled it. He got out of Savannah’s car and made his way to the trunk. Lifting the lid of the trunk, he grabbed his suitcase, then closed it. Savannah had gotten out of the car, and he joined her on the sidewalk. He set his suitcase down before he pulled up the handle and grasped it tightly.
Savannah’s lips parted, but she quickly closed her mouth. She seemed unsure and confused. Will felt exactly that, but he didn’t want to further add to her confusion. So he decided a quick, clean break was what they needed.
Forget a weekend of misjudged feelings and move on.
They were never meant to be, acting on borrowed time and affections.
They would never be, and Will had to accept that and say goodbye.
Will cleared his throat and squared his shoulders for strength. “Thank you for the weekend, Savannah, and thank you for the ride to the station. I really appreciate it. You were really good with Millie. She adores you.”
A sweet smile finally broke, her blue eyes gleamed with happiness and appreciation. “Thank you, Will. That means a lot. You were really good with Miller, too.”
“Well …”
“Well,” she repeated, then sighed. “Listen, about what happened at the house before Evan came home …”
Curiosity quickened his pulse. “Yes?”
Savannah bit her lip nervously and released it a second later. “Were you going to …?” She paused as if it pained her to continue.
Will knew he had to be the one to ask the question they both needed answered. “Kiss you?”
She nodded. “Yeah, were you?”
Will let go of the suitcase handle and stepped closer, and Savannah’s breathing hitched. “Were you going to kiss me back if I did?”
Savannah’s eyes hooded as she glanced down at his lips and then met his gaze. He could just see her swallow hard as her chest rose and fell with each hard breath. “We shouldn’t.”
“No, we shouldn’t,” he found himself whispering as he cradled her jaw in the palm of his hands. Her skin like silk, beautiful and soft.
He thought of all the reasons it would be wrong for them to kiss. She was in love with another. That other so happened to be his client. It was unethical.
Yet here he was, leaning closer as Savannah’s eyes closed. She was falling to his kiss, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted her to. Will was conflicted. He wanted to kiss her, but he also didn’t want to taint their weekend should she return to Vermont and regret him and everything between them.
Will was a lot of things—boring being one of them—but he was not a man who took advantage of a fragile heart.
Especially not the heart that beat in Savannah Peters’ chest.
But Will was also a weak man who would neve
r get this close to the forbidden fruit again. He wouldn’t bite it. No. He wouldn’t risk damnation on her soul. She deserved better than that. So Will gave her an inch and wouldn’t allow them to take the desperate mile he wanted. His thumb brushed her cheek, somehow thinking he would wipe away the beautiful pink that peppered her pale skin.
She whispered, “Will,” and he heard her Southern drawl.
It was enough.
Enough to break him.
Enough to ruin him.
Enough for him to softly press his lips to hers.
Barely.
Barely the touch of their lips.
Barely a kiss to hold them.
Barely a friendship to sustain them.
Bare moments that were black holes in the galaxy.
If they were lucky, they were dying stars where only those with telescopes would witness their beautiful destruction.
But they weren’t.
He was the cold, lonely moon.
She was the bright, warm sun.
And they would never meet but in the witness of an eclipse.
An eclipse that would take years to find them.
Fourteen
Savannah
“Earth to Savannah,” her boss said, waving her hand in Savannah’s face.
She blinked, realizing that the meeting she had been sitting in with Monty and some of the executives had ended. Embarrassment heated her cheeks as she lowered her finger from her lip. “I’m sorry, Monty.”
Her boss squinted as she set her pen down. “What is going on with you? You’ve been distracted since you came back to work yesterday. I can’t have my marketer’s mind elsewhere during an important meeting.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
Her boss’s serious expression faded as she laughed. “Savannah, I’m kidding, but I am worried. Is everything okay?”
Is everything okay?
Savannah wasn’t sure. It was Wednesday, two days since she’d said goodbye to her goddaughter and returned from Massachusetts. She had hugged Miller tightly and told her she would miss her and that they would video chat as soon as she arrived back in Vermont. But that wasn’t what kept her so distracted.
