by Kendra Riley
“And you left them?” Reese asked, looking hurt at the very thought that Jake had left his family behind. Reese was the brother who had always desired a family of his own as dearly as Jake had. It didn't surprise him that Reese looked upon him now with shock but it was only because he had not put all the pieces together.
“You're here to tell us goodbye then,” Brian said, his words casting a silence around the room.
“Not goodbye,” Jake said, feeling acutely the pain of parting ways with his brothers.
“But you will not ride with us any longer. The last job we pulled, that was the last job we will ever do together,” Brian said. His words were not a question because he already knew Jake well enough to know the answer.
“Yes, that was the last one,” Jake said, the realization only then striking him.
“What will you do?” his brother asked.
“I have enough saved up from our jobs to get a little place, maybe start a business. I have always been a decent mechanic,” he explained.
“But we need you,” Colton said, his voice angry.
“No, we don't need him like his child needs him. We all know what it's like to grow up without a father. We will not have this baby grow up alone. It's one of us,” Brian said. “Tell us about the child.”
“It's a little boy,” Jake said, wishing he had more to share with them. There was so much that he needed to make up for with his son.
“What is his name?” Reese asked.
“She named him Brian,” he said, his eyes locking with his eldest brother’s as he spoke. “I have told her about you all in my letters. She does not know the specifics of what we do, obviously, but she knows how much you all mean to me and that you're my family. That is why she named him Brian. She wanted him to have a piece of my family with him, even if he might never have us in his life,” he explained, struck again by the sweet generosity of Savannah’s gesture towards him and his family.
“She must be a hell of a woman,” Reese said with a smile of admiration.
“And she had excellent taste in names,” Brian said, unable to hid his joy and emotion at having a child named for him.
“Yes,” Jake said, too emotional to speak for fear of tearing up in front of his brothers.
“And now we have definitive proof that I'm your favorite. She wouldn't have named the child for me if your letters didn't clearly paint a picture of me as your favorite brother,” Brain teased.
“I love you all,” Jake said, his emotions swelling.
“Will we be welcome in your new life?” Reese asked.
“You're all always welcome in my life and in the life of my son,” Jake said, ignoring the risks it might bring.
“And we shall always stand by you and your son. Your lady too, if she means that much to you,” Colton said, surprising Jake with his sentimental side.
“Thank you all, brothers,” he said, knowing that now he could return to Savannah and being their new life in earnest.
Chapter13
When Jake returned to Belmont, it was early afternoon. He had planned, of course, to go directly to Savannah’s house. As he approached her street, though, he grew worried that she had not yet had the opportunity to tell her family about his return and their plans to marry.
Eager to distract himself, he decided to roam the town for a bit to give her more time. He should, he rationalized, learn all that he could about Belmont if it was to be his home. When he had arrived initially to scout the place, he had not paid much attention to anything beyond the bank and the roads. Then he had met Savannah and all thoughts of anything but her and their sweet sanctuary in the church had gone right from his mind.
As he made his way through the streets of the town, he couldn't deny that it was small. Still, it was a comfortable place. Everywhere he went, he tried to picture what his life with Savannah would be like there and it pleased him greatly to imagine putting down roots with her and their son there.
As he continued through his travels, a sign caught his attention. It was an “Open House” sign, stuck in the ground in front of the cutest little cottage he had ever seen. It was on the edge of town, surrounded on three sides by the woods. Still, it was in walking distance to Savannah’s house and to their escape in the woods.
The moment he laid eyes on it, he could see their whole lives playing out there. There was a swing set where he could imagine pushing his son and a porch where he could see Savannah sitting and waiting for him to return home. There was even a large garage in the back where he could easily work on motorcycles and start his own business as a mechanic.
A year before, he would have seen the home as a painful reminder of all that he didn't have and would likely never experience. Now, though, he saw it as a sign. Impulsively he parked his bike in the front yard and went inside. Half an hour later, he emerged the proud owner of the home. Though the owners had been reluctant to sell to a stranger, his offer of cash had been far too appealing for them to resist and they had ceased to ask questions.
He arrived on Savannah’s porch soon after. Only then did he realize why the house he had just purchased spoke to him so. It was because now he could offer Savannah and Brian a home, not just his word of protection and his love.
Now, he had a place to take his family and a home that was truly his own. It was with that confidence and peace of mind that he was finally able to knock on Savannah’s door. Mere seconds later, she answered, her mouth curled up in the sweetest smile he had ever seen.
“I have missed you,” she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down in to a kiss before he could speak a word.
“I have missed you too, but I don't know that kissing you on your front porch is the first impression that I want to make on your parents,” he whispered with a chuckle.
“Then you're perfectly safe. They went over to the church with my brother,” she explained, taking his hand and leading him in to the house. She brought him to the living room, filled with comfortable furnishings and covered with family pictures. Looking from frame to frame, he saw Savannah transform from a gawky girl with braces to the beautiful creature standing before him and he couldn't help but laugh. Then, though, the realization that she had told her family about him and they had left began to dawn upon him.
“They didn't want to meet me,” he said, his voice as cold as ice.
“They are all actually very eager to meet you. I love you. That is enough for them, though you will have to expect some teasing from my brother and my father. They left because I thought it would be best. I want you to meet your son without an audience. It should just be you and I with him at first. We have lots of time to make up for,” she said, relieved to see him relax as he absorbed her words.
“Where is he? Where is Brian?” he asked, suddenly overwhelmed at the thought that he was under the same roof as his son.
“He is upstairs in the nursery. Are you ready?” she asked, squeezing his hand gently.
“I have been waiting for this moment my entire life,” he said as he pulled her close to him and kissed her tenderly.
“Then let us not wait a moment longer,” she said with a smile.
He followed her through the house, but everything around him was a blur. All he could think about was meeting his son and being together as a family. Once they entered the nursery, he heard the baby before he even saw him. It wasn't a cry that met his ears though. It was laughter. The sound left an imprint upon his heart. It was so overwhelming that he felt his knees might buckle.
Savannah bent down and reached in to the crib. From the crib she pulled the most beautiful child that he had ever seen. His tiny hands were clutching his mother’s hair as he stared up at her with such pure love and joy that Jake wondered if that was how he looked when he gazed at Savannah.
“Brian,” she whispered with a smile, “I would like you to meet your Daddy. Jake, this is your son.” The look on his face was something that Jake worked to commit to his memory. He never wanted to forge
t the look of love and trust on her face as she held out their son to him. The baby was smaller than he had imagined, though he couldn't recall the last time he had even held a baby. He was sure that he had held a baby or two in his foster home, but that felt like a lifetime ago.
“Can I hold him?” he asked hesitantly. He didn't want to startle Brian or make him cry.
“You never have to ask that,” Savannah said sternly. “You're his father. You're as much his parent as I'm.” She gave him a look that left little room for doubt. She held nothing against him for the months he had spent away from her and he needed to forgive himself so that they could truly be a family.
“Alright,” he said with a grin. “I would like to hold our son now,” he said, doing his best to project as much confidence as he could.
“Here you go,” she said as she gently laid the boy in to his father’s arms. As Jake looked down at his son, he felt something inside of him breaking apart. All of his dreams had finally come true, though he couldn't truly believe it. It felt as though his heart was breaking apart and reforming itself, finally healed after a lifetime of disappointment and loneliness.
He took his free hand and rubbed the baby’s cheek gently. It was then that his son reached up and wrapped his tiny hand around his finger. Something about that moment was almost too much for him to bear. He had never felt so much love before and he wasn't even sure how to begin to express it to his son and his wife-to-be.
“I knew he would know you instantly,” Savannah said with a triumphant smile.
“How can you tell?” he asked, so in awe of the baby that he couldn't take his eyes off him.
“He cries when strangers hold him,” she said with a laugh.
“How does he know me?” he asked, taking his eyes from their son only long enough to reassure himself that she was truly there beside him.
“I have been telling him about you since the moment I knew he was growing inside of me,” she explained as she wrapped her arm around his waist. He put his free arm around her shoulder and pulled her tight, unable to believe that he truly had his family there in his arms.
“I love you and this baby more than life itself,” he swore.
“And we love you,” she said, gently running her hand over the baby’s forehead.
“When will you family return?” he asked, praying that meeting them would go as well as meeting the baby had.
“They will be back in about an hour. I wanted to give you a bit of time with Brian before the whole hoard descends upon you,” she said with a laugh.
With that, they made their way downstairs. Never once did Jake take his hands off of the baby or Savannah. It was as if he feared they would vanish in to midair if he ceased to hold them. Luckily, neither of them minded. When they finally heard her family coming up the walk, Jake inhaled deeply and looked at his family before rising to face them.
“Let me take the baby,” Savannah said as she swept up the baby and placed him in the bassinet in the corner of the room. When she returned to his side, she put her hand in his and smiled at him reassuringly as the door opened.
In walked a distinguished looking woman who was clearly her mother. She had the same delicate bone structure and bright, vibrant eyes. The man beside her looked more reserved, but his smile was a mirror of Savannah’s and he knew that he must be her father. The man behind them looked the most wary of all of them, but the look Savannah gave him pushed him to at least nod in Jake’s direction.
“Mother, Father, Samuel, this is Jake,” she said, smiling at everyone as though the situation was perfectly normal.
“We have heard quite a bit about you,” her mother said, doing her best to make him feel welcome.
“Yes, our girl speaks highly of you,” her father said as he extended his hand to shake Jake’s.
“I think the world of her,” Jake said, looking at her with a loving gaze.
“Hard to believe when you have not been around for a year. You didn't even give her a way to contact you. You didn't even know you had a son. You just sent her those letters, keeping her on the hook while you ran all across the country,” her brother began, making to effort to soften his words.
“Sam, we have talked about this,” Savannah said, her voice carrying a mixture of love and annoyance that only a sister could muster.
“Yes, we have. That does not mean I accept it,” Sam said, shoving his hands in his pockets.
“Don't be difficult, Samuel. He is Brian’s father,” her mother said as she gently placed her hand on her son’s arm.
“Sam, you know that I love you and how grateful I'm for everything that you have done for me and the baby. Jake is my heart. I have never hidden that from you,” Savannah said, not backing down an inch from her brother.
“And you're sure this is what you want?” Sam asked, looking past Jake as though he wasn't even there.
“It's all I have wanted for a year,” Savannah said, smiling up at her brother.
“Then I will not make this difficult for you. Still, I will not let my guard down.” It was then that he turned to Jake. “I trust my sister but I don't trust you. I will be watching you. She and that baby are the most important thing in the world to me. I'm not going to let some drifter get in the way of their happiness,” he growled.
“I understand that and I don't blame you at all. The only way that I can prove it to you is through my actions and over time. I will show you all, though, how much I love my family,” he said as he kissed Savannah on top of the head.
“If you stay around long enough,” Sam said, unable to keep from getting in one last dig at the man he knew had caused her sister such heartbreak when he left.
“I'm not going anywhere,” he said, doing his best not to let Sam’s words bother him. They were the words of a protective brother who loved Savannah nearly as much as he did. He was grateful that she such people in her life.
“Where will you be staying?” her mother asked, trying to lighten the conversation.
“Yes, where do you plan to take my sister?” Sam asked, his tone making his disapproval clear.
“Sam, he just got back to town yesterday and has known for less than twenty four hours that he has a son. You cannot expect every detail of our lives to be worked out already,” she said defensively.
“Actually,” he said, smiling down at her with eyes full of mischief, “I have a house.” Savannah was too stunned to speak after hearing his revelation, but the rest of her family wasn't.
“You do?” her mother asked.
“A house of your own. That is the responsible thing,” her father said in approval.
“Where is this house? Where do you plan to take my sister and my nephew?” Sam asked, his face red with anger.
“It's only a few streets over. We will be in walking distance,” Jake said, amused by the look of shock on Savannah’s face. “I'm going to start a business fixing up motorcycles.”
“Really? You figured all that out in one afternoon?” Savannah asked in disbelief.
“Don't look so surprised. I told you I have thought about this moment since the second we parted. Knowing about the baby just gave me more reason to act on those dreams,” he said with a smile.
“Still, you bought a house?” she asked, a smile of amazement spreading over her face.
“Where did the money for that come from?” Sam demanded.
“Sam,” his sister hissed.
“I have been saving for quite some time to start a life outside of the one I had with my brothers. I bought the house here because Savannah is here and this is her home,” he said, not bothered by Sam’s concern.
“Which house is it?” her father asked, giving his son a look that implied he would be best served by letting such topics alone.
“It's a little stone cottage on the edge of town. I saw it and I couldn't resist. I was too worried that someone else might snap it up,” he explained. “If you don't like it, though,” he said, turning to Savannah, “we can look for another. Somet
hing about it just spoke to me.” The way she smiled up at him told him that she more than liked the house.
“That was old Mrs. Sutton’s place. I used to love going there when I was a kid. She was so happy there, raising her three happy children. It was always a home full of love. When she decided to move to Florida to spend more time with her grandkids, I worried about who would move in there. I never wanted it to be filled with people who were any less lovely than she was. We will be so happy there,” she said as tears formed in her eyes.
“You will move in there with him, then?” her brother asked, his voice stern as he asked the question, making his disapproval obvious.
“After the wedding, of course,” Jake added before Savannah had a chance to verbally spar further with her brother, though Jake got the impression that they both enjoyed the fighting quite a bit.
“You will marry soon, then?” her mother asked, looked pleased at the thought of planning a wedding.
“I would like to marry her as soon as she will have me and we can get the certificate to make it legal,” he said as he hugged Savannah to his side possessively.
“I very much like the sound of that,” she said with a giggle.
“Sir,” he said, turning to her father, “when would be the soonest that we could marry in your church?”
“For my own daughter and the love of her life, I will make time,” he said with a laugh.
“I can take you both down to City Hall and get you fast tracked for the license,” Sam said, though he didn't look thrilled about the prospect.
“Thank you Brother,” Savannah said as she crossed the room to hug him.
“Don't look so surprised. If this is what you want, then we are going to make it happen,” he said, kissing his sister sweetly on the cheek.
“You're my best friend,” she said with tears in her eyes.
“I do love you, little sister,” he said, fighting back his own tears.
“I think we have all had enough excitement for one day,” Savannah said when she regained control of her emotions.
“Yes, I think we have,” Jake said with a laugh.
