License to Love: Holiday Box Set (Contemporary Romance)

by Kristen James

  “What about Aubrey?” she asked. “I need you to watch her. I don’t want her anywhere near that woman.”

  “Are you sure Eric isn’t there?”

  She knew what he was thinking, that this was some kind of trap. “No, Mom would have told me.”

  “Any idea what this is about? You’ve hardly mentioned her before.”

  “Because I hardly know her. This doesn’t make any sense.”

  Savanna looked over her shoulder once on her way out the door, and saw Jason sitting with Aubrey, worry on his face.

  Savanna used the ride over to steady herself. She’d come a long way since Eric left her, and she wouldn’t let Georgia Stauffer intimidate her. Could Eric be dead? What else would send Georgia here?

  Parking by the climbing rose vines, Savanna got out and walked briskly up to the door. Margaret must have been waiting because she opened it as Savanna approached. They walked to the adjacent room in silence.

  “Hello, Savanna.” Georgia Stauffer, waiting in the front room, stood straight and tall with her obviously dyed black hair in a bun. Her necklace looked cluttered with different-colored gems, and she completed the look with layers of matching bracelets, earrings, and rings.

  “Hello, Georgia. I didn’t think I’d be seeing you again.” Savanna planned to say more, like ask why she’d come, but Georgia didn’t wait.

  “I suppose not,” she said, her face stiff like she’d had too many plastic surgeries. “It seems you didn’t look back when you left my son.”

  “But I didn’t….” She threw a helpless look to her own mom. Looking protective, Margaret stepped closer, her arms crossed.

  “I want to know why you left him, and why you won’t let him see his daughter.” Georgia’s cold, dark eyes didn’t show anything but detached loathing.

  “What?” Savanna couldn’t think of where to begin. Eric must have fed his mother a diet of straight lies. “You’ve had a long time to ask about all this before now. I stayed in Texas for over a year after Eric left me!” a year and a half, actually. She’d been stuck, pitying herself, until Mike’s death pushed her into action.

  “I know you threatened him and took his daughter away!” Georgia’s voice rose. “And I plan to straighten it out.”

  “There’s nothing to fix, I’m telling you. Would you slow down and listen to me?” She wanted to strangle her, gaudy necklace and all.

  “I’ll see you at the meeting tomorrow.” Georgia brushed by them and sauntered out the front door to her waiting car. Margaret and Savanna could do nothing but stare after her. A minute later, Savanna felt her mother’s hands on her shoulders.

  “I can only imagine how messed up her son must be.”

  “Mom, what does she plan to do?” Savanna felt a black hole open up inside her. “What if she tries to take Aubrey away?” Maybe this was more than an attempt for joint custody and visitation. Maybe Eric and Georgia wanted to take Aubrey back to Texas, away from Savanna.

  “She can’t,” Margaret declared. “She has no right!”

  “But what if she tries? They have money. What if Eric has decided he wants Aubrey? How I can fight them?” She turned into her mom’s arms, her hands on her face as she cried.

  “Savanna, what grounds could she have? If I know my daughter, you have proof about Eric. Am I right?”

  Savanna tried to calm herself, thinking. Their divorce papers proved her story. In reality, she could probably bar Georgia from the mediation, or she could face her and Eric together and prove just how awful he had been to Aubrey. No way would she let Georgia tear apart her family. Her family . . . Jason. She pulled her face up to look into her mother’s strained face. “Mom, Jason asked me to marry him, and I said yes.”

  “Oh, Savanna!” Margaret clasped her hands to her face before wrapping her arms back around her daughter. Remembering the ring, Savanna held her hand out for her mom to see.

  “Wow, it’s absolutely beautiful.”

  “You don’t think I’m rushing things?”

  “Do you?” Margaret asked.

  They were moving fast, but Savanna wanted to, needed to. “I love him, and he loves me. And he loves Aubrey. He wants to be her daddy.”

  “If you don’t have doubts, I’m happy for you.”

  “I thought you would be the one with doubts. I picked Eric and looked how that turned out, and I haven’t known Jason that long.” She was listing doubts, but she didn’t feel doubtful. She felt very sure about it, which was a rare feeling for her these days.

  “Well . . . I was worried when he got in the accident, but he’s been there for you. It sounds like he’s thought about his life and worked through his grief for his friend.”

  “We’re both working through things. I know nothing’s guaranteed.” Especially now that Georgia had shown up, Savanna added in her mind.

  “Marriage is about hard work, I want you to know that. If you both want it to work, it will.” Holding Savanna by the shoulders, Margaret looked her over. “You look tired.”

  “I’ve been busy lately. And I haven’t called you, I’m sorry. How’s school this year? You’re over that cold?”

  Margaret’s face lifted in a warm expression. “Listen, you’ve got a lot on your mind, so I want you to go home to Jason and Aubrey.”

  “Mom?”

  “School’s good. I’m good. You go rest, okay?”

  “If you’ll lock your door and not let that woman back in.” Savanna squeezed her mom one more time before leaving. In her car, she shook with anger when she thought about Georgia. What else could pile on top of her? Had Jason felt this angry, unable to do anything, when he ran off the road? Well, she didn’t plan to let Georgia get the better of her.

  Turning down her street, Savanna spotted a small black car that she didn’t recognize parked in front of Jason’s townhouse. Not another surprise. It couldn’t be Georgia over here that quickly. Eric? No, there’s no way in hell he’d come here with his mom.

  She walked through her front door and saw Rachael standing in the front room while Jason sat next to Aubrey on the floor. She probably looked like a mess after crying on her mom, but she didn’t care.

  “Hello,” she said, setting her purse in the closet. Jason didn’t introduce Rachael, and something about his eyes made her put up her defenses.

  “Well.” Rachael shifted her weight from one foot to the other and finally took a step toward the door. Her gaze landed on Savanna’s left hand, spotting the ring. “I’m glad you’re getting better, Jason. I’ll leave you two alone.”

  When the door shut, Savanna sat on the couch and Jason joined her. Aubrey climbed into her lap with a picture book.

  “What now?” Savanna asked over Aubrey’s head. She couldn’t read Jason’s expression.

  He didn’t look at her when he answered. “What happened with Georgia?”

  “Rachael first.” Her words sounded stiff to herself.

  When he looked at her, she saw frustration in his eyes. “She wasn’t happy when I told her we’re engaged.”

  “You told her?”

  “You’d better believe it.” The proud and possessive gleam in his eyes gave her confidence, but she wasn’t ready to relax. He added, “I think she needs someone to talk to, but I told her she needs to look for someone else.”

  “I’ll admit her story is sad.” That didn’t mean she wanted Rachael leaning on Jason. She waited to hear what he had to say about it.

  “She’s hurting, all right, but she cheated on me and lied about so many things,” he said, his voice hard.

  “Does she have someone she can turn to?” Feeling compassion for Rachael surprised her.

  “She’s got friends around, and her family lives in town.”

  “That’s good.”

  “I’m done thinking about her,” he said, “So what did Mrs. Stauffer want?”

  She rested her head on Aubrey’s and breathed in the smell of baby shampoo. It’d been easier to talk about Rachael than Georgia. This was too big and scary to
talk about. “I’m not completely sure.”

  She felt him tense up. “And?”

  “And I just don’t know yet.”

  He let it drop but she knew that had to be hard for him.

  Fifteen

  Jason never lied to people, never betrayed them, and never hurt them if he could help it. Maybe he shouldn’t expect everyone to rise to his expectations, but he could expect it from Savanna, especially on something so important.

  Different scenarios chased each other around in his head. Did Eric want her back? And if so, why would he send his mother to ask her? Did the mother want Savanna and Eric to fix things? Maybe the scumbag was dead, and Aubrey had inherited money from him. That didn’t seem to make sense, but why wouldn’t she tell him the truth? Did she plan to leave? Go back to Texas?

  Looking up at the clock on the wall, he sat for a minute, watching the second hand go around. He wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.

  The second hand started around again. The phone rang, and he jumped to answer it.

  “Jason?”

  “Savanna?” Why would she call when she could walk over?

  “I need to talk to you.”

  No, not like this. “I’ll come over.” He hung up before she could argue. Whatever she had to tell him, she’d do it to his face. He couldn’t handle games, not when he loved her this much. This was the biggest commitment he’d ever made. He’d never had so much at stake before.

  She met him at the door with a robe over her nightgown. “I couldn’t sleep,” she started, “I have to tell you what Georgia said to me.”

  “I knew it was something bad,” he said, shutting the door behind him and facing her.

  “Eric lied to her.”

  When he saw the tears on her face, his anger vanished. Reaching over, he pulled her against his chest. With a shaky voice, she told him everything.

  “We’ll fight her together, do you hear me?” He pulled her face up by her chin. “And we’ll win.”

  Savanna had taken the next day off work to deal with the mediation, and it happened to also be the day for Jason to have his cast removed. He had offered to move his appointment, but somehow she felt it was a good omen for that day.

  As they left the medical building, side by side and Jason without crutches, she could tell a difference. He smiled at her with an emotional look and took her hand. As they reached her car, he hesitated, and knowing his thoughts, she handed him the keys.

  “Wow, this feels good,” he said as he drove out of the parking lot. “We’re ready to face anything today, right?”

  She nodded while taking a deep breath. Her cell phone rang just then, and while she didn’t recognize the number, she recognized Tammy’s voice. “Savanna? Have you seen Cassie? Or talked to her? She’s been gone, and her office called me.”

  “What? Where would she go?”

  “I don’t know . . . that’s why I’m calling you. I’ve been calling her and checking her house. She’s just gone.”

  Silent, dreadful seconds ticked by. Where would Cassie go? Was she so depressed that she’d….? Savanna couldn’t go down that line of thought. “Okay, okay. Call the police. We’ll start looking too. I’ll call you soon.”

  As she ended the call, Jason pulled into a store parking lot and turned to her with questioning eyes. “What’s going on?”

  “Cassie’s gone. No one knows where she is.”

  A serious mood fell over them. Jason yanked his cell phone from his pocket. “I’ll call my friends. The guys at the fire department. Check with everyone you know.”

  Ten minutes later, Savanna told him, “I’ve called everyone in my phone who knows her.”

  He reached over and squeezed her shoulder. “I did too. I even have the police on to it, even though that’s not by the rules. She hasn’t been missing long enough to be officially missing.” He glanced at the clock. “But we should have left five minutes ago.”

  She followed his glaze to the clock and back at him, wondering what he meant.

  “Mediation?” he reminded gently.

  “Crap! I can’t do this now.”

  The way he worked his jaw meant he was thinking hard. “Everyone is looking for her, babe. We’ll keep our phones on in case anything comes up. Most of the time, it turns out the person just didn’t tell anyone where they were going. I think we should go to mediation and get it over with; it should take less than an hour. Then, we’ll do whatever we can to help find her.”

  “You think it’ll be over in an hour?” She’d been dreading this day like it was an appointment to get her arm amputated. Putting it off would mean stressing about it even longer. She’d be stressed and worried about Cassie no matter what, so Savanna nodded, wondering if she’d regret it later.

  “It can’t go on too long. We might have other meetings to worry about later, but let’s take it one step at a time.”

  They arrived at a building that housed legal offices and went inside. Georgia Stauffer, all decked out and done up, was waiting in the lobby with a thirty-something man who turned out to be their mediator, Sam Haden. About five foot seven with dull blond hair, he looked ordinary to Savanna, but also honest, if she could make that assumption. He’d been explaining to Georgia that she couldn’t come to their mediation session.

  Savanna offered her hand to him and said, “I’m Savanna Thompson, and this is Jason Lancaster, my fiancé.”

  “Fiancé!” Georgia crossed her arms. “You’re moving on already? See what I mean, Sam. I’ve been trying to explain this situation to you. She has no consideration for my son.”

  “Listen,” Jason jumped in sternly, “We need to keep this short today. A friend of ours is missing, but we’ve agreed to come here for an hour. I don’t even see the other party to this matter.”

  Just then, Savanna felt a breeze from the office door opening. Her ex-husband was pushing the door open with his hip while tying his tie.

  Jason was facing her so that Eric was walking in behind him. How funny to see them both. Two men with brown hair and brown eyes, but they were so different. Jason looked warm and caring. Eric looked so cold. He stared at her blankly. There wasn’t anger like she’d feared, but there wasn’t any nervousness either. Then again, why would he be nervous about anything? That thought went through her mind, followed by the realization that he didn’t look like he cared whatsoever.

  She braced for fear, loathing, or something to hit, but nothing did.

  “Well, now we can begin. Savanna, Eric, please follow me.”

  Georgia, Eric, and Jason all spoke at the same time. Sam Haden stood there with his mouth open before collecting himself. “I can’t allow other people to attend, I’m sorry.”

  “What if Eric and I both agree that his mother and my fiancé can join us? I’d like Georgia to be present for this,” Savanna said.

  The poor man remained calm, obviously a needed skill with his job, and nodded after Eric gave his approval. Sam turned and motioned for everyone to follow him down the hallway and into a small conference room.

  Savanna sat alongside Jason. He touched her leg under the table for support.

  “Let’s talk about why we’re here,” Sam started, “There has been a motion to revise custody arrangements for Aubrey Stauffer, who currently is in the sole custody of Savanna Thompson. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, usually both parents are granted time with their minor child, and joint custody is common. I’m here to help both you discuss this issue and see if you can reach a solution without going to court.”

  “Aubrey Thompson.” Savanna corrected. “Her name is Aubrey Thompson. When Eric filed for divorce, he stipulated that Aubrey’s last name would be changed, along with mine, back to my maiden name.”

  Mr. Haden tried to keep a blank expression, but Savanna caught the sideward glance at Eric. Georgia gave Eric a questioning look and waited for him to speak, but he continued to sit without saying a word, as if he had no part in this business.

  “It’s obvious she manipulated
him.” Georgia’s voice sounded desperate.

  Instead of addressing Georgia’s comment, Savanna said, “Eric spent a lot of time at work, the club, or out with friends after we got married, which didn’t seem all that strange for a doctor. Then I got pregnant.” Here she paused and looked at Eric. He gazed down at the table, still without any signs of distress such as grinding his jaw or crossing his arms.

  “Eric?” Sam turned to him as well. “You have every right to share as well.”

  Eric shook his head before glancing at her. His look shocked her. Had she imagined a softness and regret in his eyes?

  Savanna continued, “He said I went behind his back and got pregnant against his wishes, so then he was gone even more. He was often very angry when he was at home and even violent at times. When Aubrey was born, he came to the hospital to tell me goodbye, and then he filed for divorce.” She remembered the pain and the humiliation and tried to keep her chin up. Jason kept his hand on her leg. Feeling stronger, Savanna continued, “Eric paid me off. He gave me five thousand dollars after I agreed not to seek alimony or child support. That’s all I had to start over again, on my own with a baby. But I didn’t know what else to do. He didn’t want anything to do with her.”

  “It’s not true,” Georgia clasped her hands and drew her lips into a tight line. “Eric, you need to speak up here.”

  “Mother,” he spoke in a quiet, yet authoritative, voice. “The marriage was a mistake. Getting married seemed like the next step in my life, but it wasn’t anything like I’d imagined. Having a wife held me back. Then the kid. I didn’t want kids. I tried to fix it the best I could so everyone could move on. Look, I came here for you, but I just can’t do it. I can’t go backwards.”

  A shocked silence fell over everyone. Savanna felt Jason’s grip tighten on her leg before he caught himself.

  “Wow,” Sam breathed under his breath. However, in the silence, Savanna was certain they all heard it.

  Eric looked at his mom and shrugged. “I’m sorry. I’m not interested in raising a kid.”

  Triumph and sweet relief surged up in Savanna’s chest, making her dizzy at first. Apparently Georgia had been behind everything.