“So how was the drive?” Savannah asked, doing her best to change the subject. “See anything interesting?”
“Well, we got a bit of a late start so we didn’t stop nearly as much as we would have liked,” Paul began, “but we made a list of things we want to see on the way back when we have more time.”
“How long are you going to stay in the area?” Ian asked.
“Just the weekend. Savannah told us about your grandson’s christening—congratulations, by the way. You must be very excited,” Robyn added.
“We are,” Ian said. “He’s my first grandchild, but there’s another on the way and I have a feeling there will be another not long behind.”
“Wow! You are going to have your hands full!” Paul said with a huge grin.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Ian said, smiling back at him. “Family is very important to me. It always has been. And I love how my kids are following in my footsteps.” Everyone nodded. “So I know you’re going with Savannah and staying out by the beach, but it would really mean a lot to me and to Hugh and Aubrey if you would join us tomorrow for the christening. It’s going to be a small church ceremony and then we’re going to my son Aidan’s house for a barbecue—nothing fancy—but we’d love to have the three of you with us.”
Savannah hung her head while her parents giddily accepted the invitation.
“We would be honored,” Robyn said. “We traveled so much while Savannah was growing up and our family is scattered all over the country, but we understand and agree with you on the importance of it. Thank you for wanting to include us.”
Ian smiled and looked over at Savannah before returning his attention to her parents. “We think the world of your daughter and even though we’ve only known her for a week, she’s made quite an impression.”
“Well, thank you,” Paul said.
For the next hour, they all sat around enjoying the desserts Ian and Martha had brought home with them and talking about things to do in the area. Riley joined in as much as he could, but he couldn’t help noticing how quiet Savannah had grown over the course of the night. He knew how she felt about not going to Connor’s baptism but hadn’t thought the whole situation would affect her quite like this.
There was no way for him to get into it with her right now with their parents around, but he vowed he was going to get to the bottom of it somehow.
When her parents stood and announced they were tired from their drive and wanted to get to the hotel, Savannah stood with them. Her suitcase was waiting by the front door and it pained Riley to see it there.
He, Ian, and Martha walked them all out and as the parents were all talking, Riley pulled Savannah to the side. “You okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah, why?” Her voice was soft but Riley could see the distraction in her eyes.
“You got really quiet in there, that’s all. I just wanted to make sure you were all right.”
She shrugged. “I knew your dad would extend the invitation, but I thought my parents would respect my request and decline. I thought they’d want to spend the weekend with me—and just me. I guess I was wrong.”
“Hey,” he said quietly, grasping her shoulders. “Don’t take it like that. You know my dad can be charming and persuasive. Maybe they were just being nice. If you really don’t want to go, talk to them. And I’ll talk to my dad and get it straightened out. Okay?”
Savannah nodded and sighed. “I’m going to miss you tonight. I know we only got to sleep together last night but…I liked it.”
He groaned. “You’re killing me.”
“It’s what I do,” she said saucily and looked over her shoulder toward her parents before turning back to him. “I really want to kiss you, but—”
“I know. I feel the same.” He had to fight the urge to simply pull her into his arms. “Can I call you later? Maybe after everyone’s asleep?”
“I’d like that. I have my own room and they’re not adjoining or anything—the hotel was pretty booked. I was lucky to get two rooms. But if you give me a couple of hours, I should be back in mine and then we’ll be free to talk.”
“Okay.”
She smiled sadly. “Okay.”
When she moved out of his grasp, Riley dropped his hands and let her go. He slowly followed her over to the RV and stood next to his dad. “It was nice meeting you both,” he said.
“Same here, Riley,” Paul said, shaking his hand. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing you again tomorrow.”
Stepping back, Ian, Riley, and Martha let the Dalys climb into their vehicle and wished them a good night before watching them drive away. Ian squeezed his son’s shoulder as if telling him he understood.
“I’m going to take Martha home,” he finally said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
And for the first time, it didn’t bother him that his father was implying he might not be home until then.
If anything, it made him smile.
* * *
The night sky was full of stars, and the breeze coming off the ocean was absolutely heavenly. Savannah relaxed in her seat by the pool and watched her father approach. He had two bottles of water in his hands and a smile on his face.
“Where’s Mom?”
Paul Daly sat down and handed one of the beverages to his daughter. “She’s soaking in the tub and giddy about sleeping in a real bed tonight. As much as we love the RV, there’s no way to fit a king-size bed in there.”
Savannah chuckled. “Definitely not.” She took a drink and let her head fall back. “I never get tired of the sound of the ocean. If only I could afford it back home.”
“As you can see, California isn’t the only place you can find the beach, sweetheart. You’re young. You can go wherever you want, and I can guarantee you, you’re going to be able to find a surfside home in your budget once you leave L.A.”
She shrugged. “Yeah, but…I like it there. My job is there.”
“Your job makes it possible to work remotely. You know it and I know it. Tommy’s lucky to have you and I think he’d be supportive if you wanted to move.”
“I don’t know about that.”
When he looked at her quizzically, she told him all about the conversation she’d had with her boss on the day he gave her the news about interviewing Riley.
“Tommy can be a great guy, but when he doesn’t get his way, he can be a real jackass. I’m never sure which version of him I’ll be getting when I go into the office. I think one day he’d be fine with me working remotely and the next he’d insist I move back.” She shook her head. “I don’t know if I’m up for that kind of aggravation.”
“All I’m saying, Savannah, is you have choices. That’s not the only magazine out there, and I didn’t really think you wanted to be a music reporter for the rest of your life. What happened to writing your book?”
Ugh…why couldn’t he want to go to bed too? “I work on it every now and then, but I haven’t settled on any one story that I’m passionate about.”
He nodded. “How’s the interview going? Riley seems like a nice guy—definitely not the conceited rock star I was expecting.”
“Yeah,” she said, unable to hide her smile. “He wasn’t what I was expecting either. I really had him pegged all wrong and I had to apologize to him for it.”
He chuckled. “Sometimes you’re too honest for your own good. Someone like Riley Shaughnessy doesn’t need his ego stroked, I’m sure. You should have given him hell just for fun.”
She laughed with him. “It did cross my mind, but—”
“But,” Paul interrupted, “you found out you genuinely liked him.”
There was no point in pretending otherwise. Her father was like an evil genius when it came to finding out her secrets. “I do.”
“Nothing wrong with that. From what I observed tonight, he genuinely likes you too.”<
br />
“What makes you say that?”
“For starters, he didn’t take over the conversation. He let everyone talk about whatever we wanted to and never turned the conversation to himself.”
“Dad, that hardly says—”
He shushed her. “Secondly, he wasn’t openly groping you in front of me and your mother. It shows he has respect.”
Savannah rolled her eyes. “Why would he be groping me at all? Sheesh!”
“Because under the table he was holding your hand,” he said evenly. “I’m not blind, Savannah. And,” he said with a smirk, “I was looking for any telltale signs.”
“You’re crazy,” she said, but with humor. “I still don’t understand why you would even think to look for anything. I’m here on assignment. I’ve traveled with rock stars before. Riley’s hardly the first celebrity I’ve hung out with.”
“Yeah, but he’s the first one who brought you home to meet his family. And when you called and asked us to visit, I could hear it in your voice that you were nervous. You weren’t your usual confident self. I knew right away something about this whole situation was different.”
Well, damn.
Before Savannah could begin to explain, her father spoke. “You’re a grown woman, Savannah. I’m not going to sit here and lecture you about getting involved with Riley. I think he’s a very nice guy and his father is even nicer. Personally, I’m looking forward to meeting the rest of the family tomorrow.”
“Um…yeah, about that…”
“Yeah, I know you invited your mother and me here because you didn’t want to go to the party or encroach on their celebration, but now that I’ve met Ian and Riley? I think it will be a good thing to go.”
“Dad…” she whined.
“You know, not everything is about you, sweetheart,” he said. He was smiling but his voice was firm. “They were incredibly sweet to invite all of us and it’s just rude to turn them down.”
“But I wanted us to spend some time together. It’s been a long time since we’ve done that.”
“And whose fault is that?” he countered. “We invite you to come home to visit all the time but you’re always busy. We drove all this way, we’re spending time together now, and we’ll still be spending time together tomorrow at the christening. You’ll have to introduce us to everyone and I’m sure it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Savannah really wasn’t so sure. She frowned at him. “If I promise to come home more often, can we skip the party?”
Paul laughed out loud and finished his drink. “Why is this such a big deal?”
“Dad, it’s a personal family event. We’re not family. I would resent it if a bunch of strangers showed up for something like that. It’s just not right.”
He frowned at her. “In your line of work, you have gone to multiple events where the only reason you were there was because of a single person. You’ve shared stories about parties you’ve gone to, Savannah. You weren’t related to anyone there. So why don’t you just come out and tell me what’s really going on.”
She groaned. “All those other events weren’t family parties, Dad. There’s a difference.”
“I don’t see why. At least this one you were invited to—and according to Ian, the whole family wants you there. What does Riley say? Did he ask you not to go?”
“No!” she cried adamantly and then realized maybe she was overreacting. Taking a steadying breath, she shifted in her seat. “No. Riley wants me to go too,” she said softly. “He was really upset I didn’t want to go.”
“I see.”
Savannah looked over at him. “Do you?”
He nodded and smiled sadly. “Unfortunately, I do.” Leaning forward, he took one of her hands in his. “I think the Shaughnessys scare you.”
“What? You’re crazy.” There was no humor in her statement this time.
“Hear me out,” he said. “We traveled a lot and moved around a lot when you were growing up, and you never really had the chance to observe what a normal, close-knit family was like. Whenever we visited relatives, it was a big, chaotic circus and because we lived so far away from everyone, you never had the chance to feel close to any of them. I’m sorry for that. But it doesn’t mean you can’t still experience it.”
“Dad—”
“I’m serious. The only one looking at you as an outsider, Savannah, is you. From the little amount of time I spent with Ian and Riley, they don’t strike me as the kind of men who extend invitations just to be polite. They genuinely want you there. And—if we’re being completely honest—if you’re involved with Riley, then you owe it to him to be there with him. By not going you’re essentially saying you’re ashamed to be seen with him or you’re ashamed of the relationship.”
Looking away, Savannah felt herself blush.
“Oh, come on! You’re kidding me, right?” he asked, clearly frustrated.
“Riley isn’t… He’s not just a normal guy, Dad!” she cried. “He’s one of the biggest rock stars in the world! And here I am…a reporter…and I’m supposed to be writing a story about him, and now I’m sleeping with him! How do you think it’s going to look to everyone?”
“Okay, for starters, you didn’t have to throw in how you were sleeping with him. TMI, Savannah,” he said in an attempt to lighten up the situation. “And really, I don’t think anyone’s looking at you that way.”
“But you don’t know for sure!”
“And neither do you! I don’t understand what it is that has my confident daughter suddenly doubting herself! It’s not like you!”
Tears began to well in her eyes and she quickly wiped them away before they had a chance to fall. “I have never been someone to get involved with a subject,” she said, hating the tremble in her voice. “Ever. I don’t get starstruck. I don’t fawn over people. And yet from the very first time I came face-to-face with Riley, I have felt completely… Everything’s different. I don’t even recognize myself some of the time.”
Standing up, Paul grabbed her hands and pulled Savannah to her feet and hugged her. “It’s going to be all right.”
It was harder to stop the tears this time. “How do you know?” Her voice was muffled against his shoulder.
“Because I just do,” he said. “Haven’t you figured that out yet? Dads know everything.”
She couldn’t help the giggle that came out. “What if…what if I fall for him and…he doesn’t fall back?”
Pulling back, Paul looked down at his daughter’s face and gently wiped away her tears. “It’s a risk we all take. You’ve dated plenty of guys, Savannah. Sometimes things don’t work out. But the fact you’re feeling this emotional tells me you may have met the one.”
“Oh God…” she groaned and began to cry again.
“Shh…it’s all right, sweetheart. Trust me.”
And Savannah just let him hug her until she calmed down. It felt good to get it all out and share her fears with someone. And the fact that it was her dad was really just a perk. They’d always been close and there weren’t any secrets between them—he wouldn’t allow it. And right now there was comfort in simply standing there with him.
When she finally pulled herself together, she thought they’d sit back down, but he stopped her and kissed her on the forehead.
“It’s getting late and I should go up and check on your mom. Are you going to be okay?”
She nodded. “Eventually. The whole thing basically terrifies me. I’ve never fallen so hard so fast. It’s like being swept up in a tornado.”
Paul chuckled. “That pretty much sums it up. But in the end, it can be amazing. Don’t shy away from the tornado, kiddo. I think you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for when things calm down.”
Sighing, she rested her head on his shoulder as they began to walk back toward the hotel. “Promise I can call you when I’m freaking
out and you’ll talk me down from the ledge?”
He chuckled. “Sweetheart, you can call me any time—day or night—and I promise I’ll be there to listen and help you out.”
“Thanks, Dad.” She stopped and hugged him fiercely.
They walked inside and rode the elevator in silence. Paul and Robyn were on the tenth floor, Savannah on the twelfth. With a promise to see one another in the morning, she waved as her father stepped off the elevator and then hugged herself for the rest of the ride.
* * *
After a hot shower, Savannah slipped on her robe and wandered around the hotel room as she towel dried her hair. It was after eleven and she wondered if and when Riley was going to call. It was the first time in a week he was by himself and she was pretty sure he was enjoying the solitude.
She wasn’t.
It was funny how in such a short amount of time her life was changing and the things she swore were a necessity to survive—like her peace and quiet and alone time—were suddenly not so important. She missed Riley—missed talking to him. Looking over at the king-size bed, she imagined how decadent it would be to share it with him.
Not happening.
Tossing the towel on the chair, she sat down on the bed and sighed. The christening party. Now that her parents were on board there was no way out of it. No doubt Riley would be thrilled when she told him, but it didn’t make it any easier for Savannah to relax about it.
“I guess it won’t be so bad,” she muttered. It wasn’t as if she didn’t like Riley’s family. She did. And now she’d get to meet his sister too and maybe get in some time talking with her for the article too.
“No! Dammit!” Jumping back to her feet, she wanted to kick herself. This was one of the main reasons she didn’t want to go to the damn party. It was a family celebration, a party—and part of Savannah was sorely tempted to use it as a work opportunity. “What is wrong with me?”
Pacing back and forth, she thought of all the ways she could avoid the temptation—unfortunately, not going was no longer an option and it was her number one excuse! Of course she’d leave her pad and pen and recorder at the hotel to eliminate the temptation. But how was she supposed to have normal conversation with everyone? Savannah figured they’d all be happy to share Riley stories with her again—particularly Darcy since she missed the first round of it—so how was she to stop them?
This Is Our Song Page 18
