Promise of a New Beginning (Sweet with Heat: Weston Bradens Book 5)

by Addison Cole

  “So, how do you handle it, Jack?” Pratt asked.

  “Not well, I’m afraid, but my position is a little different. I sort of lost my mind after my—for a while,” Jack answered. They were almost to the end of their hike and back at the stream, and he didn’t want to talk about Linda and stir up all that anger and guilt again. He was enjoying the short reprieve. “The real question, Pratt, is how are you handling it?”

  Pratt held Jack’s gaze. “Not very well, either, I’m afraid. Arguing with my parents. I thought that crap would end when I left for college, but they want to control my life.”

  “Too many parents want to do that, and it’s a real shame,” Lou said. “I hope I never do that to Aiden, but who knows what’ll happen ten years from now, or twenty. Live in the here and now. Maybe you both can let your family members know this is what you need to be happy. If they love you—which I’m sure they do—they’ll eventually come around, but arguing to prove your point won’t make it heard any louder. If anything, they’ll turn a deaf ear.”

  Lou may have been speaking to Pratt, but as Jack listened to his advice, he realized that he’d argued with his family, demanded that they leave him alone and let him deal with Linda’s death and the guilt he felt on his own terms, but not once did he have a heart-to-heart, calm and rational discussion about any of it. He’d been too angry and they’d been too hurt.

  Maybe it’s time to heal more than just my own broken heart.

  Chapter Twelve

  BACK AT THE stream, they cooked a stew of lentils, rice, carrots, and potatoes, and after eating as a group, Jack told them to take a few minutes to clear their heads and prepare for the shelter prep lesson. When he addressed the group, his eyes often drifted to Savannah, and each time they did, her stomach dipped like a fan girl seeing Tim McGraw for the first time.

  Savannah and Elizabeth watched Pratt and Josie on a boulder nestled beside two large trees. Pratt lay on his back with his head in Josie’s lap, and it struck Savannah how fast people connected with one another.

  “They’re cute, huh?” Elizabeth said.

  “When I look at them, I see how free they are. Like real life doesn’t exist. As if it’s just the two of them without a care in the world,” Savannah said.

  “But you know that in a paucity of hours, they’ll be back to the real world, and who knows what will happen, or if they’ll ever see each other again.”

  Savannah’s smile faded. A paucity of hours.

  Jack joined them a moment later. “Ladies, how are you holding up?”

  “This has been amazing, Jack.” Elizabeth looked in the direction of her tent. “I think Aiden is quite taken with you.”

  “He’s a cute kid. Seems really interested in all of this. I hope he can hold on to that as he gets older,” Jack said.

  “We’ll instill the lessons that you’ve taught him. Don’t worry.” Elizabeth touched Savannah’s arm and said, “I think I’ll join them.”

  Elizabeth turned her back to Jack and lifted her eyebrows with a wide smile toward her. In Manhattan, Savannah had one close girlfriend, Aida Strong, and she was so different from Elizabeth. Aida was a snarky and aggressive attorney, and Savannah enjoyed the time they spent catching up over drinks or dinners and passing quips back and forth when they passed each other in the hallway. Aida was a true city girl at heart, and as Savannah looked around the mountain, she knew that Aida would never have made it past the dirt landing strip, and she was glad for Elizabeth’s company.

  Jack crossed his arms and planted his feet in a wide stance as he watched over the group, a position she’d come to know as one of either anger or of caretaker and proud instructor. As he rubbed the back of his left arm with his right, she had the feeling he was proud of not only leading the group, but at having taught them a few things along the way.

  Her heartbeat ratcheted up as she drew her eyes slowly down his profile. The way his shirt and jeans strained against his impressive, taut muscles reminded her of the way he’d been standing when they’d first landed, only now when she looked at him, the first thing she saw wasn’t the harsh exterior. It was the birthmark just to the right of his left ear and the way he rubbed the thick white scar running down the back of his left arm.

  Without turning to look at her, Jack said, “Some people consider it rude to ogle others.”

  Savannah laughed. “Like when they’re bathing in the stream and that other person comes tumbling down the hill?”

  He looked at her then, and she could tell he was repressing a smile. “I was keeping you safe.”

  “From?”

  “Bobcats,” he said, and finally the smile broke free. He reached for her hand. “You realize this is a four-day course, right? This is our last night together.”

  Savannah didn’t want to think about it. “Yes.”

  “Just making sure,” he said.

  “What kind of answer is that?” Savannah opened her eyes wide. “Wait. Is this your way of saying that whatever this is between us is over when we leave?” I thought you weren’t a fling kind of guy.

  “Nope. Just making sure you’re thinking about it.” He picked up a rock and tossed it into the stream.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” She supposed they should even if she’d rather wait one more day and enjoy their remaining time together without the stress of worrying about what comes next.

  “Nope. But I would like to spend time with you tonight.” He looked at the water once again.

  “Me too.” She could see something pulling at his mind, sending worry lines across his forehead again. “Jack, is something wrong?”

  “Nope. Just thinking about stuff. Come on. I’ll teach you how to build a shelter. You never know when you’ll be caught outside of the concrete jungle.”

  Part of Savannah wanted to nail down where they were headed, but it frightened her, too. They’d have plenty of time to think about that later in the evening.

  They joined the group, and Savannah couldn’t shake the feeling that Jack had something big on his mind. She could only hope that it wasn’t about not wanting to carry their relationship past the weekend.

  Back at the fire pit, they listened to Jack explain how to make a shelter using materials indigenous to the mountain and woods.

  “Key elements to remember are length, warmth, wind direction, and of course…what?” Jack looked to Aiden for the answers.

  “Be away from animal dens,” Aiden said. He looked at his mother and then his father with a proud smile. Elizabeth pulled him close and kissed the top of his head.

  “Right. Excellent. All we really need are sticks and leaves. Later I’ll show you how to use mud and vines to secure and insulate a shelter, but for now, we’re focusing on the basic structure. The first thing I want you to do is to gather sticks about yay high.” He held a hand up to his chest. “We’re going to place them at an angle, so be sure they’re not too short. Remember, no one goes alone, so grab a buddy and take off.”

  Aiden rushed to his side. “Jack, after we do this, will you help me pack my own survivor bag with rope and stuff?”

  Jack raised an eyebrow in his mother’s direction. She shrugged, then nodded.

  “Sure, buddy. We’ll do it as soon as we’re done,” Jack said.

  Elizabeth appeared by Savannah’s side. “Ready?”

  “Sure.” Savannah took one last glance over her shoulder at Jack as they headed off in search of sticks.

  Finding appropriate sticks was not as easy as Savannah had thought it would be. Most were too short, some were too heavy, and others snapped like brittle bones. They grabbed the few appropriately sized sticks they could find. In her mind, she toyed with the idea of her and Jack in a homemade shelter in the woods. We wouldn’t need any insulation at all.

  “How are you holding up?” Elizabeth asked.

  “Fine, why?”

  “I don’t know. Tonight’s our last night here, and Lou said he and Jack talked with Pratt and that he had the feeling Jack needed help f
inding his way back to his family as much as Pratt did.”

  Savannah had already pushed the thought from her mind. She didn’t want to think about it being her last night on the mountain with Jack. “What do you mean?” Savannah asked as she reached for a stick.

  “He didn’t say much. Just that when Jack talked about how he handled things with his family after his wife’s death, he seemed a little stressed.”

  “Well, that explains why he seems a little distant today,” Savannah said. “How did you know about his wife?”

  Elizabeth looked away.

  “Elizabeth?”

  Elizabeth sighed. “You can’t say anything, okay?”

  “Okay. I promise,” Savannah said, not knowing if she could keep the promise.

  “Linda’s family has been really worried about him. I know her younger sister, Elise, but we weren’t really close before Linda died, so Jack and I had never met. Anyway, Jack sort of dropped off the face of the earth, and now Linda’s father is not well. He’s got terminal cancer.”

  “Oh no, that’s terrible,” Savannah said.

  “Really sad. He’s a good man, and they’re really worried because the last time Jack saw him they had a blowup, and Ralph—that’s Linda’s father—said things to him that he shouldn’t have. Mean things. And he wants to apologize before he dies. Anyway, Lou and I registered for the trip, and when I told Elise, she asked if we’d let her know how he was doing before they, you know, pushed their way back into his life.” Elizabeth shrugged.

  Savannah chewed on the information for a minute before responding. “So you’re here to spy on him?”

  “No. We’re here because Jack has the strongest reputation in the business, and we wanted to come on this type of retreat. We thought it would be good for Aiden and good for us as a family. But when Elise found out…They love him so much, and if you could see Elise’s dad. He’s so fragile right now, and what he wants more than anything on earth is to fix things with Jack. I mean, I was coming anyway. What was I going to do? Tell her I wouldn’t let her know how he was doing?”

  “No, of course not. Jack definitely has some unresolved anger and guilt. What are you going to do? Will you eventually tell Jack?” Will I?

  “No, I don’t think so. I’ll let them know that he seems to be still really hurting. You saw him when we arrived. He could barely speak without anger spewing out in all directions. Since you two connected, he’s softened, but you can see he’s still fighting those demons, and he could be for years to come. From what Elise said, he was never an angry person before the accident. She thinks he blames himself, and if what she says is true, then talking to Ralph might alleviate a lot of that guilt.” Elizabeth touched Savannah’s arm.

  Savannah chewed on the reality that Jack might be wrestling with his anger and guilt for years. Years.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you when we first met, but I didn’t know if it was my place or not. When I saw that budding interest between you two, I didn’t want to ruin it with this stuff, but when you asked me just now, I didn’t want to hide it from you.”

  “That’s okay. I get it. It probably would help him to talk to her father, but that really has to be his decision. Does he know he’s sick?” Savannah felt like she held this new knowledge in her hand, and it was a weighty and precarious position to be in.

  “No. By the time he was diagnosed, Jack had basically disappeared from their lives but, of course, not from their hearts,” Elizabeth said. “The disease has progressed really fast. It’s terrible—first Linda, now her father. And Linda’s accident was so tragic.”

  “Jack hasn’t shared the details of her accident with me, and I don’t know if he ever will, but I’d rather hear it from him when he’s ready.” She hated keeping any secrets from Jack, and even though Elizabeth had been planning this trip before she even knew Elise would want her to check on Jack, it still felt wrong not to tell him she knew Linda’s family. She couldn’t decide anything right then. She was too confused to think straight. “I hope they can all get the closure that they need.” Savannah thought of her father and the way he maintained that he was still in contact with her dead mother. She wondered if she was setting herself up to be hurt by continuing things with Jack.

  No one can compete with the ghost of a lover.

  Chapter Thirteen

  LATER THAT EVENING, after Aiden was safely tucked in bed, they told ghost stories around the campfire. Lou and Elizabeth sat hip to hip, Elizabeth’s hand resting on Lou’s thigh, her head on his shoulder. Josie and Pratt snuggled together on the other side of the fire. Savannah longed for that kind of comfort. She’d spent so many years being the brave, strong career woman that being able to let down her guard and rely on someone else seemed more appealing than sex and chocolate combined. Her previous boyfriends hadn’t been interested in discussions about her feelings or snuggling just to be close to each other. Their idea of comfort was buying her a box of chocolates once a month. Maybe that was why she’d never felt completely comfortable in a relationship. She always felt like she was on guard—in her relationships and at work. When she was with Connor, she was already deemed a notch below him because he was a celebrity, so she worked extra hard to impress him and his peers, and as a lawyer, she had to be on top of her game every minute. She inhaled the charred, smoky smell of the campfire and allowed herself to dream of a life where she could relax by a campfire more often.

  Savannah glanced at Jack sitting a foot away from her on the grass. His arms rested on his knees, and he was staring straight ahead, into the darkness. She had the urge to reach out and touch the curve of his back, but she knew that Jack had to maintain his professional appearance as their guide, even if she hadn’t been able to keep herself from kissing him earlier that morning. Luckily, as she’d thought, no one seemed to have seen them. At least no one was treating them any differently. They didn’t need to throw their relationship—or whatever it was—in anyone’s face. Savannah didn’t even know where they were heading, and now that she knew how worried Linda’s family was about him, she wondered if she had even more to worry about. Was Jack really too broken? Was she once again ignoring big red flags? Or was the feeling that she’d been brought to his camp for a reason real? She glanced at him again, hoping he’d want to see her even after they left the mountain. She knew she would not only want to continue seeing him, but she also knew she’d love to spend evenings with him by a campfire. Just the two of them.

  “I THINK WE’RE going to turn in.” Elizabeth stood and reached for Lou’s hand. “Jack, today was amazing, and thanks for helping Aiden pack his survivor bag. He set it beside the tent, and when we put him to bed, he said he knew everything he needed to and that he was going to survive the wilderness.” She laughed. “I think you have an even bigger fan now.”

  “I’m glad to hear it,” Jack said. “Sleep well.”

  “We’re turning in, too,” Pratt said. He pulled Josie close and kissed her forehead. “Jack and Lou, you gave me some stuff to think about today on the hike. Thank you.”

  “Glad it helped,” Lou said with a wave. Then he climbed into his tent behind Elizabeth.

  “You guys did great today,” Jack said. He’d felt Savannah’s presence near him all evening, and at first it had been torture to not be sitting close enough to put his leg against hers or touch her hand, but he’d also been mulling over what Lou had said about family, and that had given him something else to focus on. Arguing to prove your point won’t make it heard any louder.

  He caught Savannah looking at him with a smile on her lips but worry in her eyes.

  “Hey,” he said.

  “Hey.”

  “You all right?” he asked.

  “Yeah.” Her smile faded. “You looked so deep in thought tonight. Are you okay?”

  “I’ve got a lot on my mind, but yeah, I’m fine.” He moved closer to her. “There is one thing I’ve been dying to do all afternoon.” He put his hands on her cheeks and kissed her. Just the taste of her
lips and the smell of her fresh skin made his body react. He had planned on one light kiss, just enough to take the edge off from thinking about her so much, but as he deepened the kiss, he couldn’t pull away.

  Savannah, however, could. She pulled back and whispered, “We’re in the middle of the camp.”

  He blinked away the fog of desire. “Right.” What was he doing? He leaned in closer. “I want to make out with you all night long.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “But I’d really like to talk and get to know you. So it’s probably better if we don’t go anywhere just yet. I can’t be trusted when I’m alone with you.”

  She ran her index finger down his chest. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “I’ll get a blanket, and we can hang out here by the fire.” When he returned, he spread the blanket, and Savannah joined him beneath the stars.

  She snuggled against him. “I can’t believe tonight’s our last night together.”

  “It’s our last night here, but it doesn’t have to be our last night together.” He took her face in his hands. “I can’t help it, Savannah,” he whispered. “I know we’re in the middle of the camp, but I have to kiss you again.” He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “I’m not very good at small talk,” Jack admitted. Who am I kidding? I suck at small talk. Ever since Linda’s death, he’d been afraid of saying the wrong thing. He worried that his guilt and anger would seep into every conversation, and that was enough to drive him into silence. Luckily, Savannah filled the gap.