by Len Webster
For a moment, he smiled, but it died the second he saw her.
For the first time in weeks, he saw her. She outshone the short, sparkly red dress she wore. Her blond hair curled down her chest as her red-lacquered lips spread into a smile Will saw through.
She’s here.
She’s back in New York.
“Lucky son of a bitch,” Coates said next to Will, reminding him his heartbreak was not public information.
Savannah Peters, the woman Will had spent one flawless night with, had entered the function room with Walter’s hand on her back. Will couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was beautiful, yet she looked so unhappy. Her blue eyes were dull. The sparkle he adored no longer remained.
She wasn’t his Savannah. She was Walter’s. She was the brand new Knicks player’s girl.
“Who is she?” Coates asked, but Will didn’t answer as he watched Walter introduce Savannah to his teammates and other important people with the Knicks. “We should have been NBA players, Will. Maybe we could have had a girl like that.”
I didn’t have to be.
I just had to be me, and I had the girl.
Will didn’t take his eyes from Savannah as she shook countless hands, her smile never nearing as complete as it had been with Will. She was pretending. And as he watched her and Walter make their way toward him and Coates, Will knew Walter had won. He got the girl. All he had to do was go to her like Will instructed. All Walter had to do was tell Savannah he loved her, and she took him back. Will had given Walter everything he needed to have her. He should be angry. Hate Walter. But his client had finally manned up. All he could do now was hope that Walter sobered up and saw that Savannah was worth sobriety.
And as he stood in front of Will and his boss, he saw it. There were no bloodshot eyes and no hint of intoxication in them. It appeared Walter had listened to him for Savannah’s love. Will had to be happy for her. She got what she had always wanted.
Walter’s love.
“Good to see you, Walter.” Mr. Coates shook the Knicks player’s hand.
“Thanks for coming, Trenton,” Walter said. Then he smiled at Savannah who kept her eyes locked with Will’s. He couldn’t read the emotion in her dull blue eyes. “Savannah, this is Trenton Coates of Coates and Jackson Finance.”
Savannah finally took her eyes from Will’s and spread her lips into another one of those fake smiles Will hated seeing. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Coates.”
Mr. Coates’s eyebrow raised with amusement. “Southern.”
“She is,” Walter confirmed.
“Georgia?”
“North Carolina,” Savannah corrected.
Mr. Coates nodded. “Did you go to Duke with Walter?”
“I did.”
Walter grinned, but it stumbled when he faced Will. The warning was clear in his taut expression.
Will had to pretend he didn’t know the woman before him.
He had to pretend he didn’t know what her kisses felt like. Pretend not to know what it did to his damn heart when she breathed his name as he made love to her. Will had to pretend he hadn’t fallen in love with the woman in the red dress.
His body lost strength at the thought. He had stopped falling. He was very much in love with Savannah Peters.
The realization saddened him, but at least he knew what it was like to love her. Even if it was for a single moment. Will had asked her to take a chance at someday, but her someday had been with someone else.
Her someday was never meant to be with me.
“Savannah, baby, you remember Will Lawrence, my financial advisor?” Walter introduced.
Will felt his heart ache and race as her sweet smile returned to her. It was the first true one he saw since she arrived at the party. Could Savannah actually be happy to see him?
“I do,” she simply stated. “But I’ve known Will for much longer than you think, Walter.”
“You have?” Walter asked, shock mixed with annoyance heavy in his voice.
Savannah nodded. “We share a goddaughter, don’t we, Will?”
She was resisting Walter and wasn’t hiding the fact that she knew him. Will was surprised but not as surprised as Walter. Smiling, Will ignored those around them and stepped closer and kissed her cheek. He heard her sharp inhale as he pulled away. It was all he needed to know that he still affected her. That Walter might have her heart but not completely.
“We do share a beautiful goddaughter,” Will agreed. Her eyes gleamed with happiness at the fact that he didn’t continue to give her the cold shoulder.
“What a small world,” Will’s boss said in awe.
It was a small world, but Savannah was the center of Will’s. Had been from the moment he met her and he had been in denial.
“We should continue making our rounds,” Walter spat out as he grabbed Savannah’s hand, her flinch visible but she composed herself within seconds.
“Yes,” she agreed. “Y’all have a good night.”
Then she and Walter left, and Will watched her walk away.
Walter’s welcome party was in full swing. Will had stood by as he watched Savannah meet many important people. She had smiled and nodded along, playing the part of Walter’s girlfriend perfectly.
Girlfriend.
She was Walter’s girlfriend.
And Will was in love with his client’s girlfriend.
It was all kinds of wrong.
Will had prided himself in being an ethical man, but there was no denying his want and need for Savannah. No denying his love for her. But Will wouldn’t hurt her. If she was happy with Walter, he had to let her go. Her happiness was what he cared about. And he would rather live night and day in longing than allow her to compromise the future she had always wanted.
Her needs were more important. And he would protect her heart and give it all it ever wanted. Even if it meant he never got to see Savannah smile after tonight. Never got to feel the warmth of her love.
“So have you spoken to her?” Emerson asked as she sipped her champagne.
Will shook his head. “Ah, no.” He glanced over to find his partner staring at Savannah and Walter.
“Did she ignore you and pretend she isn’t falling in love with you?”
He shook his head once more. “Walter introduced her, but she said she knew me and that we share a goddaughter.”
Surprise brightened Emerson’s face. “She did, huh?”
“She did.”
“Then that is something.”
“I suppose.”
Emerson turned and raised her brow at him. “You suppose?”
“I don’t know, Emerson. She’s here with her boyfriend. He must have won her back.”
“Did she say that Walter was her boyfriend?”
Will’s shoulders fell as he pressed his lips together. “No.”
Emerson shook her head as she stepped closer and placed her hand on Will’s shoulder. “Will. Sweet, clueless Will. Then she’s not here with him.”
“She is. She’s with him right now.”
“Men.” She sighed. “Will, she might be here with him, but she’s not here with him. Get what I’m saying?”
Will slowly shook his head.
She sighed again. “Will, she is probably here to support him, but she isn’t here as his girlfriend. Just look at how uncomfortable she is. When I watched you two in his kitchen, all I saw was longing in her eyes for you. Now look at her.”
He did. He turned to find Savannah with a strained smile nodding at an older gentleman as Walter kept his palm on her back, as if he were scared to let her go. Then Savannah looked Will’s way, and their eyes met. That sadness turned to warmth as her hesitant smile curved just a fraction.
He saw it in her eyes.
The longing for him.
For them.
To be together.
“That doesn’t look like a woman who is here with her boyfriend,” Emerson added.
As much as Will appreciated Emerson’s support, he
didn’t want to get his hopes up. Savannah was kind, but she wouldn’t be here if she didn’t still love Walter and want to support him. After Savannah told him more about her and Walter as they sat on the bench in Central Park, Will understood their connection. Their relationship. Her desire to help him find sobriety.
“Excuse me, everyone.” Walter’s voice boomed through the room. “Can I have your attention?”
Will turned to find Walter and Savannah on the stage. Savannah appeared fearful as she stood by Walter’s side. She looked out at the audience, and her eyes met Will’s once again. The pleading and apology were brighter than the stars they saw at the planetarium together.
“I just wanted to thank my teammates, the coach, the chairman, and everyone at the Knicks for hosting this welcome party. I’m excited to be home.”
Applause filled the room, and Will joined in with his own claps.
“I also need to thank this woman next to me.” Walter turned and faced her. “Savannah, thank you for all your support. You saved me. You’ve spent years saving me. I wouldn’t be here without you. I wouldn’t be the man I am today if it weren’t for you. So thank you.”
Will’s heart stopped. His breathing ceased as he watched Walter capture Savannah’s cheek in his palm. Savannah’s body went rigid, but Will couldn’t see her eyes.
Did she want Walter to kiss her?
Did she want him to finally make it public?
A thousand questions infested Will. Bore into his chest and struck his heart. For a moment, he felt nothing. Heard nothing. Saw nothing but Walter inch closer to Savannah’s lips.
And all Will could do was stand and watch.
Experience the worst moment before him.
The moment Walter kissed Savannah for the world to witness and for Will to know and accept it was over. Savannah reached up and grasped his hand. Just as Walter was about to kiss her, she turned her chin, and his lips pressed against Savannah’s cheek.
Relief.
Sheer relief flooded Will as Savannah turned away and stared at him from the stage. The plea for Will’s forgiveness in her eyes ached him. Will wanted to go to her, wanted to push people aside and storm the stage. He wanted to rip Walter away from her and promise her eternal happiness.
But he couldn’t.
All he could do was reassure her with a small smile and a nod.
“I love you, Savannah,” Walter declared and gasps—including one from Emerson next to Will—filled the room. The shock on Savannah’s face was hard to look away from as she looked over at Walter.
Walter had done it.
He had publicly expressed his feelings for her. And that meant Will didn’t have a chance. He would be the villain if he ever pursued Savannah and her heart. There was no chance. And as Savannah looked at Will, he saw it, too.
Her eyes filled with unshed tears. Tears he was sure people thought were of joy at Walter’s declaration, but Will knew otherwise.
He knew what he had to do.
And that was to walk away.
So Will pressed his lips into a smile, hoping she saw his approval, before he turned and headed toward the exit, leaving the party.
Walter Vidović had won.
And William Lawrence let him.
Twenty-six
Savannah
He said it.
Walter Vidović said he loved her in front of everyone. In front of his family she had just met. In front of his painkiller addict mom who had kissed her on both cheeks and whispered how thankful she was that Walter had found someone like her. His mother who Savannah hadn’t wanted to meet, knowing the neglect she put Walter through with her addiction. In front of his dad who nodded his approval of her and who had spent years in denial over his wife’s substance abuse. Savannah had felt so awkward and unlike herself. Walter had put her in a situation she had never thought she’d be in. The spotlight was one she had never wanted. It was foolish of her to think she could have avoided it, but he exposed her without giving her a chance to contemplate if this was what she wanted. The media was bad, but meeting his parents … she hadn’t expected to be introduced to them.
But as she met them, she found them to be like normal parents—but behind their practiced smiles and their need to keep up their societal status, they had ignored their son’s drinking problem. Turning a blind eye to the fact that their son was close to drinking himself to death. It only made her resent his parents more. Walter had spent years telling her stories and opening up to her when he was drunk. When he was vulnerable and slept in her arms, entrusting her with his secrets. Savannah wasn’t meant to meet Mr. and Mrs. Vidović. She had only expected to make an appearance at the party and then leave. Her flight back to Montpelier was later tonight. No matter how much Walter begged, she was not staying with him in his apartment. She had tried to be supportive the last time she came to New York and that ended in utter disaster.
Again, for what felt like the millionth time, she made another mistake. It seemed she had been making mistake after mistake the moment Walter had told her he loved her and kissed her in Vermont.
That kiss.
At her door.
That kiss that made her think of Will.
Made her want Will.
Need Will.
The kiss that made her realize she was in love with William Lawrence.
She had well and truly fell, reaching her destination.
But Walter had once again come back to her and decided that now was his time. He wanted now with her. He finally told her he loved her, but it wasn’t enough. Savannah couldn’t give him the words. She loved him, but that love had unhinged and fallen from its place in her heart.
After his declaration at her door, Savannah welcomed him inside, and they talked. They didn’t discuss her love for him or his love for her. She only discussed one topic, and that was his sobriety. He informed her that he was in a program with a celebrity doctor. They were apparently going to find the root of his problems and why he depended on alcohol. Savannah was proud that he was finally getting help. She had lied and said her father would be home, and she didn’t know how to explain why an NBA player was in their living room. She was too exposed to have him in her apartment for long. Too weak to fend him off. Before he left to go back to his hotel, Walter asked for her help and support.
Savannah wanted him to find sobriety. She had spent years wanting him to get better, so she couldn’t turn him away. She would never forgive herself if she let him walk away without her belief and support and then he hurt himself further. She was a lot of things, but she did not give up on people she loved—even when they didn’t deserve it.
“I do,” Walter said as Savannah watched Will walk away with her heart.
She understood why he didn’t stay. Why he chose to walk away after Walter told the world he loved her. It appeared as if Savannah had chosen Walter.
But she didn’t.
If only Will had picked up his phone, then he would have known that she was supporting his battle with addiction and nothing more. Wide and happy eyes were on Walter and her, and she couldn’t disappoint these people. People Walter would need as he worked on himself. When Savannah couldn’t see Will anymore, she knew he was gone.
And her heart couldn’t function.
Torn.
Shredded.
There was no one to blame but herself.
So she put her heartbreak and sadness aside, turned, and smiled at Walter. He might love her now, but Savannah knew him. She knew what he was up to the moment he tried to introduce her to Will, so Savannah cleared the air. She already knew William Lawrence, and they shared a goddaughter. And now Walter knew it. He might not know that Savannah loved Will, but he knew they shared a connection.
When Walter realized she wasn’t going to tell him and the entire room that she loved him back, he brought the microphone to his lips, and said, “Thank you all for being here to celebrate. I hope you all have a great night, and I can’t wait to make my mark at the Knicks.”
Everyone’s cheers cut through the tension she felt. She couldn’t let those around them know she was battling her own fight. Her own addiction to Walter. Once Walter handed the microphone to one of the waiters, he grasped her hand and helped her down the steps. She knew this was his special day, but she couldn’t let him kiss her.
She might still love him—even just a little bit—but she wouldn’t let the world see their kiss. See the truth in the tension in her body. Savannah didn’t want his lips on hers. She hated that his kiss replaced Will’s. But she knew Walter was trying to prove his love.
However, Savannah no longer loved him the way she had at Duke.
She knew better.
Had been cared for by a better man.
And that better man had walked away.
“Savannah, are you okay?” Walter asked as they made it off the stage.
She looked up at him and let out a sigh. Then she glanced over at where Will had been standing, hoping he had returned. When she only saw Emerson, she knew he had left. Savannah stepped back, away from most of the guests and the stage. Then she grasped Walter’s arm and dragged him toward the fire exit.
The moment they stepped into the quiet hall, she released his arm. She needed answers, and he had promised her some. He also believed she would be coming home with him, but Savannah had rebooked her ticket to fly out tonight instead of tomorrow.
“Walter,” she said carefully, not wanting to set him off or give him a reason to find another bottle. He had been sober for two weeks. She would not be the reason he broke. But she would not stay and let him believe her heart was for the taking. “Why did you tell everyone you love me?”
He winced, perplexed by her question. “Isn’t that what you want?”
It felt like Savannah didn’t know what she wanted.
But she knew who she wanted.
“Walter, you tried to kiss me.”
“And?” He seemed bewildered, not understanding the situation. There was no them. It was the first time Savannah had ever really felt sure of a future without Walter. She just had to ensure that he understood it.
