Savannah Series Boxed Set: Four Full Novels and One Novella

by Jamie, Danielle

  Lying back on the bed, I flip the next note open.

  Hope you love your new car. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was perfect for you. It’s hot, fast, and hard to tame. I know you love pink, but baby, there’s no way I can drive around with you in a pink car. So I hope you like the metallic purple. It’s sparkly and girly, just what you like, but not so girly that it looks like a teeny bopper should be behind the wheel!

  I can’t wait to break it in when we get back to Texas ;)

  Clue #6: I’ll make this one easy; it’s hanging in the closet…put it on and head down to the beach. You’ll find a man waiting for you down by the shore. He’ll give you the final note, telling you where to find me.

  Putting my new car keys into my purse, I head over to the closet. I feel like I’m running on auto-pilot. I can’t believe Kayden bought me a freakin’ Maserati! My entire body is shaking right now; I can’t help but feel that Kayden has something huge planned for me when I find him. Pulling the closet door open, I find a new pair of brown cowgirl boots with pink rose detailing on them. They’re gorgeous! Hanging in the closet above them, is a white garment bag. Taking it out of the closet, I lay it on the bed and unzip the bag.

  Inside is a baby pink, strapless cotton dress, with a wide brown belt. I quickly get dressed, slide my feet into my new boots, and fix my hair. Pulling it high up in a curly ponytail, I decide on a pink flower headband and feather earrings. Opting to leave my purse in our room, I head down to the beach for my final clue!

  Walking towards the water, I spot a man standing by a horse, holding a folded piece of paper in his hand. I can’t control the excitement bursting out of me and speed-walk the rest of the way. My heart is pounding so hard in my chest; I swear anyone who stands near me can hear it!

  Waving, I yell to the man, trying to speak over the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore and the sound of beach goers all around us.

  “Hi, are you waiting for me?” I ask shyly.

  “Are you Savannah Livingston?” He asks, eyeing me curiously.

  “Yup, the one and only!” God, I sound so stupid, I laugh to myself. This is beyond awkward.

  “You have photo I.D.?”

  Shit! I didn’t bring my purse. Does he actually think I’m lying to him? “Umm, sorry, I don’t have any I.D. on me. I can run back up to my hotel room and grab my purse.” I can’t stop fidgeting from foot to foot. This is embarrassing.

  Letting out a laugh, the man hands me the paper. “I’m just yanking your chain, ma’am. Here ya go, Mr. Knox said to give this to you, and the horse.”

  Letting out the breath I’d been holding, I gladly accept the paper and take the horse’s reigns from him. Speed reading because I’m running out of patience, I quickly read the note. I’m ready to get my man!

  You’re almost to the finish line, darlin’! I can’t wait to see you tonight in those sexy new boots…and nothing else. Before I get myself all worked up, here’s your last clue!

  Clue #7: Ride the horse I rented for you about a mile down the beach. Once you get to the designated area, you’ll find me waiting for you.

  Hurry, we don’t want to miss the sunset, baby.

  Stuffing the note inside my boot, I climb up onto the horse. I’m so nervous my palms are sweating, and my stomach’s doing flip flops. Gripping the reins, I kick my heels into the horse’s sides and click my tongue, signaling for her to go. Trotting along the beach, and feeling the mist of the water spraying up off of the shore onto my skin feels fantastic right now.

  Every step closer I get to Kayden, the more nervous I’m becoming. People are lying on the beach or swimming in the water, watching me as I ride along the shore. As I get closer to where Kayden says he’ll be the beach becoming almost deserted.

  My heart skips a beat when I spot Kayden off in the distance. He looks too handsome for words in dark cargo shorts, and a light salmon as he calls it, polo shirt. I think a real man can wear pink and pull it off. I think it’s sweet, because our outfit’s color coordinate. There are rose petals scattered all over the sand where he’s standing. The sun is beginning to set, and the sky is breathtaking with its painted colors of pinks, reds, and oranges. Coming to a stop a few feet in front of him, I climb off of the horse and hook it to driftwood lying on the beach. Each step I take towards Kayden feels like a million years to complete.

  Walking towards him, I give him a nervous smile. He looks just as nervous as I feel right now. Stopping in front of him, I lean up onto my tippy toes and plant a sweet, delicious kiss on his lips. Pulling away, I take his hands into mine, “Thank you for this, Kayden; this has been the most amazing birthday, and so much fun.”

  Letting out a nervous laugh, Kayden smiles down at me with his panty droppin’ smile. It was that smile I saw the first day I met him, and I swear I’ve been his ever since that moment. Even though Logan was my boyfriend, I knew Kayden was something special. The way my heart flutters when he looks at me, it’s a feeling no other man has ever made me feel.

  Gazing at my right hand, Kayden plays with my infinity band for a moment; then focuses his attention back onto me. “When I gave ya this ring, Savannah, it was a symbol of my love for you. That day I promised that my love for you was infinite…Forever. There’s no one else I’d rather grow old with, baby, than you.”

  Oh. My. God! I can’t stop screaming those words over and over in my head. Is this seriously happening right now? Please pinch me…reassure me that I am, in fact, not dreaming right now! Reaching into his pocket, Kayden pulls out a small glass bottle that’s sealed with a cork. Inside is a note rolled up; handing it to me, he asks me to open my final clue.

  With trembling fingers, I pop the cork off of the bottle and let it drop to my feet. Tipping the bottle, the note pours out into the palm of my hand. “What is this, Kayden?” I can’t control the nervousness in my voice as I roll the paper open, and eye Kayden while doing so.

  “Open it and you’ll see. I hope you liked your other birthday presents, Savannah, but I really am hoping that you’ll love your final gift.”

  Unrolling the paper, I take in the sounds around me: The seagulls singing above us, the waves crashing against the rocks beside us, and the sound of the warm tropical breeze blowing through the palm trees behind us. Looking at the paper, I have to reread it to let the words written sink in.

  My sweet Savannah,

  I never in a million years would’ve believed the day I met you that I’d be meeting my soul mate. I used to laugh at people who talked about love at first sight. But after that gorgeous September day, when my eyes connected with yours, I knew that it was possible to love someone with your entire heart the moment you met them.

  Today, for your 25th birthday, I want to not only celebrate a fresh new year for you, but the start of forever for you and me. I want to watch you walk down the aisle, and be able to make you not just my best friend...but my wife.

  With tears streaming down my cheeks, I drop the letter and look into Kayden’s amazing green eyes. They’re so full of love for me; I don’t understand how I ever got so lucky to have him love me so unconditionally.

  Taking my right hand in his, Kayden drops down onto one knee in front of me. I immediately suck in a sharp breath as I try to grasp the fact that this is actually happening. My dream proposal by my dream guy is happening right now, on the beach in Maui.

  “Savannah Elizabeth Livingston, I love you with every fiber of my being. A life without you in it is just not possible. I need your love just as much, if not more, than I need air to breath. You’re my soul mate…my other half, the missing piece to my crazy puzzle. I want to grow old with you, spend our evenings sitting on our porch, sippin’ on sweet tea outta mason jars.

  “I want to have tons of little blue eyed and blonde haired mini Savannah’s running around Sugar Land, and maybe, a few green eyed and brown-haired, rough and tough boys tackling each other in the field beside the barn. I want to experience every crazy, intense, blissfully happy moment with you. The good, the bad
, and the ugly. I’ll live every day the happiest man in the world as long as it’s with you by my side. So baby, will you marry me? Make me the luckiest man on the entire freakin’ planet, and say yes to becoming my wife?!”

  Blinking through the tears that are falling from my eyes, I fall to my knees and wrap Kayden in my arms. “Of course, Kayden! I want that…all of that! You and I forever, Knox. You and I until the end of time. I’d love nothing more than to become you’re wife.” I can’t contain my joy and excitement exploding out of me. I flutter kisses all over his face, finally stopping at his lips, where he kisses me so deeply. I feel as if I’m floating above our bodies, watching blissfully as Kayden and I are entwined in each other’s arms, kissing with such passion; it’s as if we needed each other’s lips in order to survive.

  Wiping away my tears, I smile at Kayden as he digs a small black velvet box out of his shorts. “I was so nervous I forgot to take the ring out!” He blurts out as he nervously pops open the box and pulls out the most gorgeous ring I’ve ever seen.

  Sliding it on my finger, I take in the beauty before me. A three carat princess cut past, present, and future ring with infinity loops on each side. Every inch is covered in diamonds, and it’s almost blinding with the sunset glistening off of it.

  “This is perfect, Kayden. If I could design the perfect wedding ring…this would be it.” Taking his face between my hands, I pull him in for one more kiss. “I love you, Kayden, and I cannot wait to be Mrs. Kayden Knox.”

  Chapter Twenty Two

  My 25th birthday has definitely been the most memorable so far, and it’s not even over yet. Walking hand in hand with Kayden, we enter my party. I can’t wait to announce to everyone that we’re engaged. Looking over at the far corner where everything’s set up, I spot everyone.

  “You ready to party until you drop, baby?” Kayden asks, squeezing my hand and smiling down at me with his mega white, giant smile, immediately calming my nerves.

  “I was born ready!”

  After two hours of dancing and having an amazing dinner, we all huddled around as we waited for my birthday cake to be rolled out. We announced our engagement with a toast before dinner. It’s was the most amazing feeling seeing everyone I care about so overjoyed for us both. My mom, Brooklyn, Mya, and Rebecca all cried when I told them about my afternoon and the proposal. I have a sinking feeling that they all knew about it since they didn’t question me leaving them at the pool earlier after Kayden sent me the mysterious text to head up to our penthouse suite.

  My dad and Kayden are so close; it melts my heart seeing them together, talking and laughing. Everything seems to be perfect right now; I just can’t help but be afraid that something’s going to happen to ruin our happiness. Every time things seem to be perfect, not too soon after, the other shoe drops.

  “Hey, Birthday Girl! Whatcha going to wish for, seeing that you pretty much have everything a girl could ask for?” My mom asks, wrapping her arm around me.

  Reagan can’t help but chime in, “Make a wish for me; I need a sugar mama that’ll keep me in Gucci and Prada suits for the rest of my life.”

  Slapping Reagan on the arm, I shake my head in disbelief at him. “You make enough to keep yourself in overly priced suits for the rest of your life! Stop looking for girls in bars, and maybe you’ll finally find the one.”

  Brooklyn burst into a fit of laughter, “Seriously, Savannah, do you hear yourself? This coming from a girl who met her now fiancé in a bar?”

  “Hey, if you want to get all technical, Kayden and I actually met at Envy. We just met again at a bar later on.”

  Its bittersweet having everyone here, right now: all of my friends, my parents. I love it, but then I also hate it because I know after tonight we’ll all be going our separate ways again. I’m just grateful I get to celebrate becoming engaged with all the people I care most about in this world.

  Piling around the outdoor sofa, we watch as the waiter pushes my cake out; its hot pink and leopard with sparklers sticking out of the top of it. Just as she parks my cake in front of me and everyone starts to sing Happy Birthday, I notice a very familiar voice singing along with everyone over a microphone.

  Turning to look towards the outdoor stage by the bar, my jaw hits the floor as my eyes take in the person singing on stage. Dustin-freakin-Lynch! I absolutely love him! I got to meet him once last year at an award show I attended with my parents. He’s so sweet and beyond sexy! Kayden always refers to me as an angel, and him my cowboy, from his song. So Kayden having him here on my birthday, and the day we became engaged…its perfect.

  “Oh. My. God!” I shriek and stare at the stage in shock.

  “Dustin Lynch is singing you Happy Birthday!” Everyone screams out as we all watch in awe at the gorgeous country singer up on stage with his acoustic guitar.

  Kayden flashes an impish grin at me as he stands and takes my hand, pulling me to my feet. “You’re just full of surprises tonight.” I finally say as the shock slowly begins to wear off.

  “That. I. Am. Now blow out your candles and make a wish!” Slapping me on the butt playfully, Kayden steps back, giving me room to stand in front of my cake.

  Closing my eyes, I take in a deep breath and blow out my candles, making my wish. I stand up and happily accept all the birthday wishes and hugs from everyone.

  “Now let’s get this party started!” I shout out, tossing back a shot of whiskey. “Let’s make my first night being twenty-five the most kick ass night of my life!”

  “Slow down there, cowgirl. Before we go all balls to wall, you owe me a dance.” Taking my hands in his, Kayden walks me over to the dance floor beside the stage. After signaling to Dustin, he begins to strum the first song Kayden ever sang to me, Cowboys and Angels. Snuggling into his chest, I let my tears of joy fall freely from my eyes as I think back to that night. Kayden and I sitting by the fireplace sipping on glasses of wine, laying there on the floor as I listen to his sweet southern twang sing to me. It was the first of many amazing and memorable nights with Kayden. I can’t wait to spend forever with him, creating many more memorable evenings together.

  ~~~

  The last two weeks since we flew back from Hawaii have been hectic to say the least. Between Kayden working night and day on his wind energy project with Dixon, my flying to LA once a week to work on next month’s issue, and then moving everything into Kayden’s beach house in Galveston, I’ve barely had a second to breathe! Brooklyn is sad that she’ll be staying in the beach house by herself, but I reassured her I’m only ten houses down. Plus, she got a call back for a small role on a soap opera in LA, so she’ll be flying back and forth to LA weekly to film.

  We had a photographer come to Galveston last week to do our engagement announcement photos. They’ll be going into the mail to everyone this week. I’ve been bombarded by friends, family, and coworkers with congratulations.

  The news of our engagement spread as fast as a wildfire. The morning after my party, the news of our engagement was all over the web and TV. This past week we were on the cover of every gossip magazine. The world has gone crazy over the news of the most eligible bachelor getting engaged.

  Hanging the last of my clothes up in my closet, I finally feel like I’ve accomplished something. I’m officially all unpacked. I can’t wait until its warm enough outside to spend every day lying out on the beach with Brooklyn. Lots of summer nights sitting by the fire and enjoying drinks with our friends.

  “I still can’t believe you moved in here. You could’ve stayed at our beach house you know; just jumped back and forth like you were doing.” Brooklyn says, plopping down on the plush pink chair in the center of my walk in closet.

  Walking over to her, I sit on her lap and wrap my arms around her. “I’ll still see you all the time; we’re only a few houses apart! I imagine you and Jax would like some privacy, am I right?”

  Pursing her lips at me, she lets out a loud puff of air before tossing her head back against the couch. “I suppose you’re
right…it’s just, we’ve lived together for seven years. It feels weird seeing your things gone from your room.”

  “Believe me, you’ll love not having me there. Now you can go all OCD and not have to worry about my messy ass destroying all your hard work.”

  “Whatever. I still don’t like it. But it is what it is. Kayden stole your heart, and now he’s stealing my best friend.”

  Giggling, I stare at Brooklyn dumbfounded. “Oh, cut the dramatics, little Miss Actress. You could win an Oscar with this performance you’re putting on for me.” Rolling my eyes at her, I climb off of her lap and grab my jacket.

  “Get your whiny ass up; we need to hurry, so we’re not late for our kick boxing class.”

  Dodging the rain, we sprint from the beach house to Brooklyn’s Jeep. I don’t want to dirty my pretty new car driving it in this God awful rain. Jumping into the passenger seat, I toss my umbrella into the back seat and crank up Florida Georgia Line’s Cruise.

  “God. We so gotta see these guys in concert, like soon!” Brooklyn’s says, reversing out of the driveway.

  “Well your birthday is coming up girly! So what do you say? We go spend your big Two-Five with the hotties from Florida Georgia Line?”

  “Hell-mother-fuckin’-yeah!”

  ~~~

  Leaving our kick boxing class, I ask Brooklyn to swing by the grocery store. I’m PMSing big time, and in desperate need of some chocolate. Walking through the candy aisle, I fill my shopping basket to the brim with all kinds of chocolaty goodies. From candy bars to Chips-Ahoy cookies, I’ll probably gain five pounds, but it’ll be so worth it.