Yesterday was Brooklyn and Jerome’s testimonies, today is mine. With every step I take up these limestone stairs, my heart races faster and my panic is rising. My feet feel as if they’re made of lead, making it almost impossible to lift them up each and every step. The only thing keeping me going is Kayden at my side. He’s holding my hand as we make our way into the Courthouse.
My stomach is in knots, and I’ve barely eaten anything in two days. I’ve been dreading the moment that I have to go in there and get on the stand. I’ll be facing Zak for the first time since that night when the last time we looked at one another was as my Audi was rolling down the embankment. When I close my eyes, I still hear my screams of panic and fear mixed with his and the sound of the glass shattering around us.
It’s insane outside of the Courthouse today. The press is everywhere, shoving their cameras in my face, firing off a thousand questions. I just keep my head down and don’t respond. Kayden knew it’d be crazy here today so he asked Jerome and Alec to work security for us along with Jax. They’re like a massive wall of muscle surrounding me to help keep the paparazzi at bay.
~~~
“You can do this, just remember, I’m here.” Kayden whispers into my ear as we sit down in the bench behind the prosecutor.
I give him a weak smile before I settle my eyes back onto my skirt; I just keep staring at the floral pattern, in an attempt to distract my mind.
When Zak enters the Courtroom, I begin to feel my anxiety build; Kayden squeezes my hand and kisses my knuckles to comfort me. It helps a little, but I’m still shaking on the inside.
When the Prosecutor calls my name, my ears ring and I feel nauseous. It takes a little coaxing from Kayden before I stand and make my way to the witness stand. I just keep repeating Kayden’s words of encouragement in my mind.
As soon as I sit down, I finally break and look at him. He looks the same, only bigger. Not fat bigger, muscularly bigger. He seems to be spending all of his free time in prison working out. His face is expressionless and cold as his dark brown eyes lock onto mine. It sends shivers down my spine.
I once thought his Italian Guido persona was attractive and charming, now it’s just downright terrifying.
Standing, I raise my right hand as instructed and pledge my oath to tell the truth, nothing but the truth, so help me God. Licking my lips, I swallow a few times. I’m suddenly feeling parched.
Seeing Zak has the opposite effect on me than I thought it would. Instead of crippling me it’s given me the strength to persevere. I will make him pay for what he did. I have to live forever with killing Jacob, but I know what I did was in self-defense. If I hadn’t been able to, I would be dead.
I mentally prepare myself to re-tell my story to the jury. I haven’t spoken about that day since I was seeing my therapist.
~~~
After the jury deliberated for over an hour, they had reached a verdict. I felt a rush of relief flood my body as I heard the jury say they found Zak guilty on all counts. The judge sentenced him to seventy years to life in prison, with the chance of parole in fifty years.
Stepping out of the back of the Audi, I follow Kayden through the doors of Knox Hotel. He has some work to do here and then he has a meeting about some new account he’s trying to land for Beaumont Industries.
Entering the penthouse suite, I feel a calm come over me. I did it. I testified and even though it got rocky near the end, I was able to tell the jury how I managed to get my pistol out from under my seat to stop Zak and Jacob. I think the image of Jacob dying before my eyes will forever haunt me, but with time it’s getting easier. I just look at my life and know without those actions I took that day, I’d not be here, and it makes it a little easier to cope with.
After grabbing a bowl of chocolate covered pretzels and a glass of wine I plop down on the sofa and turn on the TV. Kayden sits down beside me, with a worried look on his face.
Resting his arm behind me along the couch he stares at me intently and asks, “How are you doing? I want the real answer Savannah, not some bubble gum bullshit answer.”
I take a sip of my wine before answering. I don’t know what I’m feeling to be honest. Snuggling against him, I rest my head on his chest and look out the wall of windows overlooking the busy street of Post Oak Blvd.
“I don’t know what I’m feeling.” Shifting, I tuck my legs under my butt, and look up at Kayden, “I have a mixture of emotions flashing through me right now…” My voice trails off as I reflect on everything that’s occurred today. Letting out a small sigh, I say, “I’m happy we can put this behind us, but sad that Zak destroyed his life and Jacobs all because they couldn’t just ask for help. They thought kidnapping me for a ransom was the answer to all of their problems.”
Kayden moves his arm from the couch to around my waist, hugging me tightly against him, “Those are all reasonable emotions to be feeling right now. All I know, is you have the biggest heart of anyone I know. Even after everything he’s put you through; you’re still sympathetic towards him.” I can see the anger erupting in Kayden’s eyes as he runs his fingers through his hair and looks up at the ceiling. Dropping his eyes back down to mine, they are dark and masked with anger. “I don’t feel an ounce of sadness for that fucker. If it was up to me, he’d be getting a lethal injection in his God damn arm, not sitting in a fuckin’ jail cell for the rest of his life.”
Not wanting to dwell on this subject any longer, I climb up onto my knees, slide my hands over Kayden’s freshly shaven face and cup my hands over his ears. I kiss him with an explosion of passion, deepening the kiss as I slip my tongue into his mouth. I savor the contentment and peace washing over me as his tongue caresses mine, and his strong arms cocoon me against him.
I hold onto him never wanting to let go. I’m kissing him to not only show him how much I appreciate him being by my side today, but to help numb the pain we’ve both been suffering since that December night. I also want to show him that we’re stronger because of it and we can finally move on, leaving the past, in the past. I look into his eyes and whisper “Let’s take a bubble bath.”
Chapter Twenty Two
It’s a gorgeous day, so Brooklyn and I are spending the afternoon by the pool, sipping sweet tea as we scan through the gossip magazines on our Kindle’s. I can’t help but laugh at the garbage. They’ve been printing story after story of Kayden and me ever since our wedding. The People magazine spread published this week is featuring our wedding; it’s surreal seeing us on the cover in our wedding attire on the beach in Galveston.
Normally, I dread reading an article about us, but this is one I could read over and over. The pictures inside are breathtaking, they even featured some pictures from the reception. I literally burst out laughing at a picture in the bottom of the article of us all dancing to Luke Bryan.
The only downfall is now every magazine in the world is on baby watch! The other day they snapped a picture of Brooklyn and me walking out of a restaurant in Sugar Land. I had my hand over my stomach telling her I was full…They captioned it: ‘Savannah gushing about her pregnancy with her best friend Brooklyn Bennett.’
It’s been four weeks since we came home from Italy and I’m driving myself crazy as I wait to start my period…or not. I had it just before our wedding and was supposed to start yesterday, but nothing. I’m afraid to get my hopes up because my doctor said my cycle may be a little off as it adjusts to not taking my birth control.
Kayden’s been away the last three days in Hong Kong for business, so I’m not sure if I should take a test before he gets home or wait for him. If I do it before his return and its negative, only one of us will be disappointed. I’ll think about it later.
Sipping my tea, I about choke as I flip to a page talking about fall premiers in October; there’s a review for Celebrity Rehab with the world’s biggest douchebag: Logan.
“Oh my God. They only gave this season two stars.” I laugh, as I show Brooklyn the review. “I still cannot believe he went on that sho
w for sex addiction; what a joke. I’m glad he’s Giselle’s problem now.”
Brooklyn sits up, and leans over towards my lounge chair and reads the review, “That’s fuckin’ hilarious! Don’t even get me started. That bitch is lucky I didn’t ruin her perfect little plastic nose that night in the club. Those two are a train wreck just waiting to happen.”
We spend the next hour tanning and gossiping about all the juicy stuff that’s been happening on the set of As the Days Go By. Brooklyn just renewed with the production company extending her contract to February. Her character has had a really great storyline, and there’s talk that she could get nominated for a Daytime Emmy!
Finally giving into our grumbling stomachs, we head into the house to find something for lunch. Before I reach the kitchen, I have to stop for a moment because I’m suddenly hit with a dizzy spell. Everything goes black as I see lights floating around like lightning bugs. I brace my hand on the wall as I try to steady myself.
“Hey, you okay?” Brooklyn asks with concern in her voice as she grabs my arm.
Blinking a few times the spell passes, “Yeah, I think I was in the sun too long, I just need some water. That sweet tea must’ve dehydrated me.”
Walking into the kitchen beside me, Brooklyn quickly grabs me a glass of water, “Here drink this, it sounds like heat exhaustion. I guess we should’ve stayed in the shade; we were in the sun for long time.”
Sitting down at the island, I sip the water. “Thanks; the air conditioning is just what I needed, I’m feeling better already.” I tell her, as I take another sip of water.
“You sit, and I’ll make our lunch. What do you feel like?” She asks, as she walks over to the fridge.
I know we have a ton of leftovers because Frederick insists on making huge meals all the time. Kayden and I try to cook, but Frederick enjoys cooking for us, so we mainly do our own cooking on the weekends while he’s off.
“How about we warm-up left over pizza from last night? Just pop it in the oven for a few minutes.” Brooklyn pulls the pizza box out of the fridge, preheats the oven, and pulls out the leftover chef salad I made for us yesterday.
With Kayden gone on business, she’s been here the last few days keeping me company while Dixon is busy running Beaumont Industries. I finished my work the first night he was gone due to boredom, so it’s been nice having her here.
Two bites into my salad, my stomach starts churning. Just the smell of the dressing is making me nauseous. I’ve been feeling sick all week, but I think it is the residual effect of the stress I went through with the trial. I’m afraid to think it could be morning, afternoon, and evening sickness, because I don’t want to get my hopes up.
“Are you sick? You’ve barely eaten the last three days?” Resting her elbow on the island and her chin in her hand she peers at me, roaming her eyes across my face. All of a sudden her eyes get huge, “Oh. My. God! Are you pregnant!?”
Stunned, I stammer as her question soaks in, “Ummm…I don’t know?”
Brooklyn slaps her palm on the granite counter top and yells at me, “What do you mean you don’t know!?”
Giggling because that’s the first thing I always do when I’m nervous, I nibble on the inside of my lip. “My period is late.” Holding my hand up I stop the Brooklyn freak out, “But! It’s possible that it’s late because I just got off my birth control or it could be the stress from the trial, so I don’t want to get my hopes up.”
Jumping down off of the bar stool, Brooklyn grabs my hand and yanks me to my feet, “Dizzy spell because of the heat…nausea…irritability…”
I raise my eye brow at her and rest my hands on my hips, “Excuse me? Irritable?”
Brooklyn rolls her eyes at me, laughing she says, “You’ve been a little more bitchy than usual, I just blamed it on you missing Kayden and his Texas size-cock the last few days…but now it all makes sense. You are sooo knocked up! You two must’ve been going at it like fuckin’ jack rabbits in Italy!”
Shaking my head, I start pacing back and forth in front of her. What if I am pregnant? This is freakin’ crazy! It means my wish in Italy really came true. Holy fuck. Am I really ready for this? Is Kayden really ready for this!? Oh my God I’m freaking out, and I don’t even know if I am pregnant yet!
“Savannah! Take a deep breath girl. You look like you’re on the verge of a major melt down.” I can hear the amusement in her voice, she’s enjoying every minute of this.
I remember on more than one occasion her having a major panic attack thinking she was pregnant by a guy she hooked-up with. Now she gets to relish in watching me on the verge of having one.
“What if I am? Do you know how crazy this is? We’ve only been trying a few weeks Brooklyn!” I shout running my fingers through my hair.
A sly smile creeps up on her lips, “Well, Knox is an Alpha male, and we know he can go deep, so it’s no big shock that he would have super swimmers. Three major factors to guarantee success…he is a baby making machine, we could totally Stud him out!” God, I love her.
Giving in to Brooklyn, I agree to take a test and settle this; we make our way up to my bathroom where I have a few boxes I ordered online. I had to be discrete, the last thing I need is people taking my picture buying a pregnancy test. It would hurt too much to read the pregnancy stories that would arise after that if the test turned out to be negative.
“Okay, hurry up and pee on this thing so we can see if I’m going to be an Auntie!” Tearing open the box, Brooklyn shoves the two tests at me, and pushes me into the bathroom.
After doing my business, I set the tests on the sink, and go back out to the bedroom to sit with Brooklyn on the love seat. We stare out the window at the horses roaming around the field as we await my cell phone to beep alerting us that it’s been three minutes.
Neither of us says a word while waiting. As soon as my phone beeps, we both jump. “Ohhh, times up!” Brooklyn shouts, jumping to her feet and dragging me into the bathroom.
My fingers are shaking as I pick up the tests.
Holy shit!
Snapping my head from the tests to Brooklyn, then back to the tests I read the words on the clear blue test: four + weeks pregnant!
“Well?” Brooklyn asks snapping me out of my state of shock. Turning to her, my eyes are welling up with tears. I can’t believe it. I’m pregnant.
Shaking my head up down at her, I smile through my tears, “It say’s I’m four or more weeks pregnant…”
Instantly Brooklyn starts screaming, jumping up and down as she wraps her arms around me. The excitement consumes me and before I know it we’re laughing, crying, screaming and jumping around my bathroom.
~~~
After Brooklyn and I came down from our baby news high, we immediately started brain storming on how I should tell Kayden. It’s been two days since I took my pregnancy test, and it still hasn’t truly sunk in. I don’t think it’ll feel real until I see the baby for myself.
I made an appointment for this week with an OB/GYN in Houston; I got the appointment around the time Kayden normally takes lunch so he can come with me. Today, I stopped by a gift store and bought a sparkly box and baby themed tissue paper with baby bottles on it. I’m going to put the two pregnancy tests inside the gift box and give the gift to Kayden when he gets back to Sugar Land after I pick him up at the airport.
I’m a bundle of nerves the entire ride to the airport. Jax sensed it the moment I climbed into the back of our Audi.
Glancing at me in the mirror he asked, “Everything okay, Savannah? You don’t look well?”
God! I am like a freakin’ open book. I wear my emotions on my sleeve, so whenever I’m feeling upset or stressed it’s noticeable.
I give him a warm smile trying to mask my nerves, “Yeah, everything’s fine. Just excited to see Kayden; it’s been a long five days having him away.”
Thankfully he accepts my answer and continues driving without pressing me any further. I wanted to drive myself to the airport, but Kayden insiste
d I have Jax drive me. Even though the wedding is over, there are Paparazzi popping up all over Sugar Land, Galveston and Houston. There’s nowhere we can go without them being there following us around.
As soon as Kayden climbs into the backseat, I show him how badly I’ve missed him. I immediately climb into his lap and give him a proper welcome home kiss.
Finally coming up for air, I lean up sporting the biggest smile as Kayden slides his hands around and cups my ass. “Did ya miss me, darlin’?” He drawls, as he squeezes my butt cheeks in one hand and slides the other inside my skirt.
Wiggling under his touch, and blushing because Jax is only a few inches away, I whisper, “Baby, I missed you, very, very, much…” as I lean down and press a kiss just under his ear. I chuckle lightly against his neck as I feel his cock hardening in his slacks and pressing against me.
He blows a puff of air out as I slide off of his lap. “Fuck baby, it’s been five long days. I’ve got the worst case of blue balls in my life.”
Laughing I scoot up against him as he wraps his arm around me, and adjusts his pants with the other hand. “Don’t worry, we’ll have fun making up for those five long days tonight.”
A low chuckle escapes him as he gazes down at me, “If you think I’m waiting ‘til tonight you’re out of your mind woman. I plan on getting busy as soon as we walk through the front fuckin’ door.”
I shiver with anticipation. “Well, before you get too crazy and try to take me right there in the foyer, I have a Savannah surprise for you.”
Curiosity getting the better of him, Kayden forgets about his hard-on and is instantly intrigued. “It’s not my birthday; it’s not our anniversary…so why do you have a surprise for me?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
Kayden gives me a big smile and says “I love Savannah surprises!” I roll my eyes and giggle. He loves surprises and presents…just like a little boy.
Leaning forward between the seats, he slaps Jax on the shoulder, “Okay man, let’s get home in record time; I gotta see what surprise the wife here has for me.”
Savannah Series Boxed Set: Four Full Novels and One Novella Page 84
