The Cure (A Michigan Sweet Romance #1)

by Parker J Cole

  They released each other and dried their eyes. The taller woman gave a wobbly laugh. “Thanks, Savvy girl. I needed that.”

  “You and me both.”

  The woman’s eyes turned to him. “Hi, I’m Renee Button. Nice to meet you.”

  Savannah still didn’t meet his eyes while she made the introductions. “Micah specializes in these kinds of situations, so I asked him for his help with Liliana.”

  “Good to meet you.” Renee stretched out her hand for a shake. “I hope you don’t mind if I ask you a question or two in regards to Markita.” A pleading look entered her eyes.

  “Of course, Mrs. Button.” He’d have to be the troll Savannah tried to make him out to be in order to deny the woman’s request.

  “Thank you.”

  The curtains were drawn back then.

  Liliana laid on the bed, the right side of her body swathed with bandages.

  “Auntie Savvy!” The little girl cried out, her eyes wide with excitement.

  Savannah knelt by the bed, greeting her niece. “Hello, Snuffy!”

  Micah swallowed the sudden lump in his throat, a little shocked at his own reaction. He’d seen cases like this, some even worse. He’d been able to maintain a professional distance from them and provide care without emotional entanglement. That detachment carried him through some rough situations.

  Not this time. The knowledge ofLiliana’s courage made it difficult to maintain that distance.

  Yesterday he hadn’t had much opportunity to study the child but today, he saw how closely she resembled her parents. Her face had escaped damage from the fire. Liliana’s lovely deep caramel skin and the fine-boned physical traits she shared with her mother and aunt made her resemble an angel. The high clear forehead and abundance of hair she gained from her father surrounded her head like a halo. Her eyes stole the show as her most arresting feature. Twin pools of bright, brilliant honey held his gaze as he came up to her.

  Sorrow constricted the chords of his neck. How could Savannah not tell him about Fiona and Bart? It was more than just the fact that she neglected to tell them of their demise. There was another, more precious reason for him to have known.

  A tiny finger from her uninjured left arm pointed at him and the little girl gave a weak grin. “Hi, Uncle!”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Savannah’s eyes collided with Micah’s with the force of two magnets helplessly drawn to each other. Snuffy’s innocent words opened a door to a memory four years old. His eyes darkened and she knew he’d traveled to that place with her.

  Could he recall the way the sunlight had bathed her parents’ house that day as well as she did? Golden rays had highlighted its quaint charm and suffused the vivid, green bushes with a gemlike resemblance.

  Did he remember how they walked to the door, not touching but so aware of each other the air practically hummed with the potency of their connection? How attuned they’d been then, so in sync she often wondered if their hearts beat at the same time. Before they knocked on the door, Fiona had come out to greet them. Her sister took one look at Micah and said, “Hi, brother-in-law.”

  “Fiona!” she’d admonished her sister, her face heating up.

  “Hey, I’m just calling it like I see it,” Fiona stated with an emphatic nod.

  “What are you calling like you see it?” Bart’s voice called out from the recesses of the house. When he’d come out, he stood by Fiona, a dark giant of a man with muscles on top of muscles. Yet he drew Fiona into his arms with a gentle tug.

  “Oh, I see.” Bart’s eyes twinkled as he looked back and forth between them. “Did you at least find out what his name was, sweetheart, before hitching these two together?”

  “Bart, don’t encourage her!” Savannah had exclaimed, hoping a hole would open under her. She and Micah had been seeing each other for four months back then. Their relationship lacked the whirlwind, romantic tension of two people who dated for the sake of basking in heady emotion. No, they had taken it nice and slow. But their bond with each other had strengthened with each passing day. Perhaps that’s what had made their relationship so special. Micah and she knew what they desired when they agreed to date each other. It wasn’t about testing the waters and seeing if compatibility could be achieved. They’d known if they were going to be together, it was for the long haul.

  Maybe that’s why when she chanced a glance at him after her sister and brother-in-law’s words, she’d seen a slight smile on his face and a special gleam in his eyes. Her heart had thumped hard in her chest. Micah had wrapped his arms around her shoulders and drew her into his solid frame. He said nothing with his mouth but everything with his possessive hold.

  Fiona gave her a knowing look, her eyes resembling diamonds. Even then, she knew Micah was there for keeps.

  Maxine and Lawrence had come out then and the family crowded the doorway, welcoming Micah with the unspoken knowledge this man was going to be a member of the family.

  “Auntie?”

  Snuffy’s voice brought her out of her reverie. She blinked, breaking the hold of Micah’s eyes. She glanced around and saw Tisha and Connie giving her furious, accusatory glares.

  “I’m sorry, ladybug. What did you say?”

  “That’s my uncle!” The little girl said again.

  Never had Snuffy looked or acted so much like Fiona. The way she smiled, her eyes with genuine child-like fervor, everything called back to the same sort of discernment her sister had.

  Savannah’s lips stretched upward but she was sure it wasn’t a smile on her face.

  “That’s not your uncle, ladybug.”

  “Uncle!” the child insisted and waved her uninjured arm in the air.

  “No, ladybug, that’s my friend, Micah.”

  She could feel the tension emitting off his body. Hearing such a prophecy again, this time from the mouth of a babe, must have rattled him.

  Savannah studied her niece and a sour film of acrimony coated the back of her throat. Micah should have been the girl’s uncle. He should have been the one by her side. Being a parent was hard work and took an adjustment she hadn’t appreciated before the care of Snuffy rested fully on her shoulders. Not that she regretted her decision to take up the responsibility. Nothing would ever make her feel that way.

  Was there another woman by his side? One anxiously waiting for his return?

  Viciously she slammed the door on that thought. No use in going there. Savannah struggled to keep her composure as she said, “Micah is a doctor.”

  “My-kah?” The girl said his name like a cough. Savannah swallowed back a reluctant laugh.

  “Yes, ladybug.”

  “Tall man. He hurt neck.”

  She felt Micah move after his stone-shock stillness and he squatted down beside the bed. His knee popped audibly.

  “Hi, Liliana.”

  The scent of his cologne, a spicy woodsy aroma, invaded her nostrils. She inhaled it deeply. She’d always loved the way he smelled. Then she stopped herself from enjoying it.

  “Hi, My-kah.” Liliana said.

  Savannah released a sigh of relief. That “uncle” stuff must’ve been a fluke. Nothing more than that.

  “Your aunt said you’re hurting.”

  The girl nodded solemnly, the smile gone from her face. “Hurt all over.”

  “I know it hurts but if you do what the doctor says, you’ll feel better soon.”

  Liliana’s eyes dropped. “Okay.”

  “Lil’an’, who that?”

  Savannah turned around to see Markita, lying on her side, not as heavily bandaged, trying to peer around them.

  “My-kah, auntie friend.”

  Micah turned to face the other child, who watched at them with a suspicious expression. It was so serious, it was comical. Her angel dip mouth pouted out. “He your uncle?” She sounded as if she didn’t believe it

  “Uh-huh.” Snuffy nodded.

  Tisha and Connie groaned. Savannah stole a glance at Micah to see the plastic smile dominate
his face. Was this as hard for him as it was for her? The children, in their curiosity, had no idea the can of worms they’d open.

  “No, Kita. That’s Miss Savvy’s friend.” Renee sat in the chair next to her daughter.

  Savannah sent the woman a grateful glance. Anyone with half a brain could tell the children’s words caused the air to thicken with strain. She cleared her throat. “Snuffy, show Micah your angel.”

  The little girl held her uninjured arm up to display a colorful angel one of the nurses had drawn. Micah took the small hand into his big one, and studied it. “That’s a pretty angel, Liliana. But it’s not as pretty as you are.”

  “What ‘bout me?” Markita shouted, affronted at being left out.

  “Kita!” Renee chided her daughter.

  Yet, the little girl managed to break the heaviness in the air. Micah spent the next little while assuring both girls they were the prettiest angels God ever made. Watching his interplay with them, Savannah couldn’t suppress wistful thoughts about what might have been.

  She remembered two weeks after their engagement they had taken a walk along the Tawas City beach. Eventually their walk led to the pier that overlooked Tawas Bay. The afternoon sun had flooded the sky inside a burst of flaming rays. They stood in silence for some time, lost in each other’s presence and the bright future ahead of them.

  She’d been so happy that day.

  “I’m looking forward to the rest of my life with you, Savvy.” He tugged her against him, a positon she knew to be his favorite.

  “Me too.” Her head found its preferred resting place on his shoulder.

  “I think I already know what you’re going to say, but everyone says we should still talk about it. How soon do you want to have kids after we’re married?”

  Savannah pulled away slightly to look at him. “Why? What are you thinking?”

  “I’m not thinking anything particular. I just want to know.” He’d looked nervous as he said the words.

  “There’s gotta be a reason. You can tell me what it is.”

  Water slapped against the pier. His hair whipped about in the wind like a golden flag. He folded his arms and shivered somewhat. “A little chilly. Let’s head back.”

  “Micah.”

  He uncrossed his arms. “It’s a little embarrassing but I think my biological clock is ticking.”

  They both laughed and Savannah fell back into his arms, leaning on him for support. When their mirth subsided, he wrapped his arms around her and leaned his chin on top of her head. Above the crash of the waves, she heard him loud and clear.

  “Ever since I found out I was adopted, I craved a family of my own. God blessed me with the best parents in the world and I love them. But I want my own family. My kids will never be abandoned on the steps of a hospital.”

  “Micah.” She hadn’t known until then he’d been adopted. She’d wanted to look up into his face but his hand came and held her to him.

  “It’s the reason why I didn’t get involve with women, Savvy. I didn’t want anything to happen that might even make that an option before God showed me the woman He had for me. Being abandoned with no reasons for why, it just…scarred me.”

  He squeezed her harder to him, his arms clamped around her waist in an almost bruising grip. “Now He’s given me you, I don’t want to waste a moment, that’s all.”

  Tears beaded in the corners of her eyes at his declaration. Then he gave a shudder and his grip relaxed. “But I won’t rush you into anything, either.”

  He kissed the top her hair, his hand moving up and down her back.

  After a few seconds of nothing but the waves to augment their conversation, Savannah cleared her throat. “Well, we have a problem.”

  His hand stilled. “We do?”

  She lifted her head to gaze up into his face. “I didn’t want to have to say this, but—”

  “Savvy?”

  Connie’s voice broke her thoughts. From the frown of her friend’s face, she knew she’d get stern talking-to later. For the rest of the visit with Snuffy and Markita, she evaded his eyes. Every time she met them, she was thrust into a past that was better forgotten.

  ***

  The ten-degree chill of the winter wind couldn’t dampen the heat of the blood rushing in his veins. Micah climbed into his truck and slammed the door. He stabbed the key into the ignition and the engine roared to life.

  The contact between Savannah and Liliana chafed at him. His fingers squeezed the steering wheel as the car idled. How often had her hands caressed the child’s face throughout the day? How many times had she flinched with Liliana as the little girl complained about her wounds, her eyes wet with unshed tears as she did what she could to encourage her niece? All afternoon he’d been subjected to her caring ways.

  His breath steamed out in white diaphanous puffs. The heater wasn’t on. He made the adjustment, then sat back in his chair and gazed out the frosted window.

  He shouldn’t have come here. Should have stayed back in Chicago and told Savannah he was too busy. He and Greg had a thriving practice. Besides that, an article for publication in an industry journal sat on his computer, needing to be finished. Two offers asking for him to speak at some prestigious medical schools waited for his response. A Chicago TV station sent a request for him to appear on their show.

  He had things to do. None of them mattered.

  His hand gripped the steering wheel as if his life depended on it.

  Seeing her in a maternal light hurt. The interaction with her niece solidified what he already knew. She’d be a perfect mother. It hurt like everything else these past three days. It brought back those dreams of his from three years ago. When she said, “ladybug”, his stomach clenched, the endearment like spiked coils twisting his guts.

  Micah shifted the car into gear and drove out of the parking lot. Couldn’t she tell how much it wounded him to see her in that state? With each sweep of her hand over Liliana’s face, she lacerated his heart over and over again. How agonizing it was to see her being motherly to a child that wasn’t theirs. Savannah knew how he longed for children of his own.

  His lips pulled back from his teeth, fighting back the moan that sought escape.

  He remembered the day he met her family and how right it felt to be in their presence. He and Bart had hit it off right away, already feeling like brothers. Fiona reminded him of Savannah in a muted sort of way and that endeared her to him. Lawrence and Maxine had welcomed him with open arms. Nothing felt so perfect like that moment.

  All of that, gone.

  Suddenly, he couldn’t bear to go back to the empty hotel room alone. No wish to lay in the bed, stare at the ceiling, and try to ignore the chill in the center of his chest. The same chill he’d experienced the minute Savannah walked out of his life three years.

  But the chill’s not there anymore.

  Micah froze, caught off guard by his thoughts. He unzipped his coat and placed his hand on his chest. Underneath his palm, he couldfeelthe pulse of his heart as it beat. It was true. The coldness he’d experienced in years past had dissipated. Since when?

  “Argh!” he shouted in the silence of the car. What was he trying to imply? That now he’d seen Savannah, the emptiness which had resided in his torso had seeped away? What a joke!

  Making a snap decision, he pulled out his phone and dialed.

  “Yeah, Micah,” Donald greeted.

  “Could you meet me at the restaurant on Main? The steakhouse?”

  “Yeah.”

  He hung up. More than likely he’d regret talking to Donald but right now he needed a friend. He didn’t want to be alone.

  Navigating through the streets in the middle of the snowstorm required most of his concentration. The snow hurled itself at the vehicles like a monster intent on eradicating them all. Slick, icy roads made the way to the restaurant an almost treacherous endeavor but Micah relished it. He couldn’t help but compare it to the day he’d traveled through the rain to the jewelers to buy the
ring he intended for Savannah. The weather had worked to thwart him but he was a man in love! Only God would stop his progress.

  Sheets of rain resembled a gray curtain but he’d persevered until he reached the little shop. How his heart had thudded inside his ribcage as he bent over and saw the engagement ring that sparkled in the same way Savannah’s blue eye did whenever she was displeased. The anticipation of—

  “Stop thinking about it,” Micah admonished himself viciously and sent all his focus to trying not to die in order to meet Donald at the steakhouse.

  “Hi, Micah,” Donald greeted as Micah slid his tall length into the seat across from him in the tiny booth forty minutes later.

  Micah nodded in return, taking in the changes he saw on Donald’s face. Everything about his friend reminded him of a tree. Mahogany skin, long arms and legs, and a calm air he wore like a coat. He hadn’t seen Donald in some time but they’d remained in contact over the years.

  “Good seeing you.”

  “You look like you put on some weight,” Micah joked, an old gag between them. Donald could eat a truckload of food and never gain a pound.

  “On my lip, right?” Donald’s white teeth gleamed against his dark skin.

  They laughed obligingly and Micah felt some of the tension lining his back ease away. After all, Michigan also had good memories. He had grown up in Tawas, surrounded by the small-town embrace. He knew most people by a simple look. He watched the tourists that came in year after year in the summer. The community felt more like a family than a town. All of his memories weren’t bad.

  “You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?” Donald brought him out of his thoughts.

  “No, what did you say?”

  “The waiter is here to take your order.”

  Micah glanced up at the man, who made a little joke about turning to stone, and they placed their order. Once completed, Donald turned to him, his brown eyes kind.