“Because...I don’t know, it’s embarassin’. It’s takin’ forever and for what reason? That boy has no parents and the state thinks he's better off there than with me because I’m single. It’s bullshit,” I say shaking my head.
“We’ll get that figured out, okay? No matter what happens Savannah, you deserve happiness. That little boy does too and I’m not gonna stop until y'all get it.”
I lean into his big body further and revel in its security. Part of me though, a small part of me, remembers what Hugh said. The whole time I had thought he was the prince, but he was the big bad wolf. Is that what's happening now with Jackson? Is he going to ride in on his white horse only for it to actually be a dragon and burn down my whole world? Am I just being blindsided again? I want to follow my heart but now my brain is making me doubt this. Damn you, Hugh.
Two years ago…
“What’s the deal with him?” I ask as I point to a little boy sitting on the grass.
We’re at the Louisiana Cajuns baseball stadium and the team is hosting a baseball camp for the local orphanage. I eye the little boy sitting by himself and I instantly feel a connection to him. I can’t describe it, but I’m drawn to him and I feel a strange instinct to protect him.
“Tucker Rosen. Three years old. He was actually just brought to us. His parents were killed. Murder-suicide sadly. He was home, neighbor heard the couple fightin’ and the gunshots go off and found him hidin’ in his closet. Apparently, it happened a lot, domestic abuse situation, the woman never pressed charges and cops were called once in a while,” Mary says.
“What about him? Was he abused?”
“He doesn’t talk much. The hospital checked him out and he didn’t have any cuts or bruises. Hasn’t let go of that, though,” Mary says motioning to the tennis ball he’s throwing back and forth between his hands.
“Mind if I talk to him?” I ask.
“I know that look, Savannah.”
“What look?” I say innocently.
“Boys like him have a hard wall to break through. He doesn’t have the physical scars, but the mental ones are harder to heal. You want to take that on? I know you’ve been wantin’ to, but…”
“Gimme a sec,” I say jogging towards him, picking up a baseball off the grass on my way over.
“Hey Jeremy, throw me a glove will ya?” I yell towards Louisiana's starting catcher.
He nods and jogs over handing me a glove. I throw the baseball up in the air a couple of times but miss catching it on purpose.
“Dang this is hard,” I say to myself but a little bit louder to ensure Tucker can hear me.
I eye him out of the corner of my eye and I see him crack a smile. I throw the ball up again but miss and I hear him giggle. I look over and he stops, looking back down at the ground.
“Hey buddy, you good at baseball?” I ask.
He looks up at me and throws the tennis ball in the air, catching it without looking.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Come here for a sec,” I say waving him over.
He gets up slowly, bringing the tennis ball with him.
“Think you can have a catch with me? I’m new at this and not so good.”
“It not hard, just do dis,” he says in a quiet little voice.
He throws the tennis ball in the air and catches it, looking over at me and smiling.
I smile back and throw the baseball up in the air, letting it land in my glove.
“You’re a great teacher, thank you.”
“Welcome.”
“Why don’t ya go out there with the rest of the kids? They could probably use some help too,” I say motioning to the field.
His smile falters and he tucks his head into his chest.
“How about I go with you?” I ask.
I put my hand out for him and he looks at it. He moves slowly towards me and puts his hand in mine. A warmth runs through me and my heart jumps in my chest. We walk towards the field and after a couple of minutes, Jeremy effectively takes Tucker over to the rest of the kids. He stands on the sidelines for a little while but quickly warms up to the game and joins. I stand there with my arms crossed and a big goofy smile on my face.
“I don’t know how you did it. We’ve been tryin’ to get him to just say two words since he’s been brought to us,” Mary says coming up next to me.
“No family?” I ask looking over to her.
“No. He’s stayin’ with us until someone fosters him.”
“Me. I’m gonna foster him. I want him Mary. Somethin’ about him, just...we need each other.”
“I’ll help ya through it then. I know ya can’t save em’ all, but if you could get him to break out of his shell like that in one day, y’all were meant for each other.”
I smile knowing she was right. After all the heartache I’ve had to deal with, things were finally falling into place.
Chapter 16
Jackson
“This is so cute. I love baby showers,” says Lacey from beside me.
“When's the last time you were at a baby shower?” I ask, amused.
“When's the last time you were?” she sasses.
“Well, normally it's a woman thing, ain't it?”
“Yes, but I think the co-ed thing is so cool. I'm gonna have a co-ed baby shower!”.
“Easy there kiddo, let's graduate high school first.”
I see her roll her eyes and then she's gone, making her way over to Bella. She has gotten so close to Savannah and her family and it scares me a little. I want it all to work out with Savannah, but there is also that little factor of my career. It can bring us across the country with one quick phone call and that would suck.
“Hey,” I hear a soft voice say from behind me.
I turn around and see Savannah walking towards me. She is in a light yellow dress with a bunch of lace and patterns. It's sexy as hell on her but all I can focus on is her face.
“What's the matter?” I ask, cupping her cheek, giving her a quick kiss.
“Nothin',” she says quickly, trying to change her expression.
I know her too well and can tell something is bothering her.
“I know somethin’ is wrong. You get this little crease in your forehead and chew the inside of your cheek.”
She stares at me and I see her mouth relax and I smile.
“You were chewin’ your cheek weren't ya?”
“I...how do you know I do that?” she asks, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I pay attention to the people I care about. Now what's wrong? You got that forehead crease more than a smile lately, I don't like that.”
I cup her cheek and she leans into my touch, closing her eyes.
“I'm fine,” she says softly.
I kiss her forehead and grab her hand, walking towards the entrance of the restaurant.
“Jackson, what are you doin’?” she asks, with confusion.
“I’m teachin’ you how to drive stick,” I smirk.
We walk briskly to my car and I open the passenger door, guiding her inside. Once she's in, I shut the door and slide across the hood, winking at her. I see her laugh through the windshield and hop inside, starting the car, formulating a plan.
“What are you doin’ Jackson Turner?” she says, skeptically.
“I told you, I'm gonna teach you how to drive stick. I gotta admit though, I don't know if I'm gonna teach you anything that you don't already know.”
A smile breaks out on my face and she rolls her eyes.
“Really, what are you tryin’ to do?”
“Make you forget about whatever is puttin’ that frown on your face. Buckle up, princess.”
I speed away from the restaurant and drive the ten minutes outside the town, stopping at a secluded spot by a lake.
“Gabriel, Charlotte and I used to come here as teenagers. This was a big make-out spot,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows.
“Come here,” I say, my voice raspy. “This has to be quick. People might start looki
n’ for us.”
“Oh, you charmer. Dinner isn't for another hour, we should be fine,” she says, climbing over the console on to my lap.
I recline the seat and she quickly unbuckles my pants and pulls down my zipper, freeing my already hard cock. She dips her head down quick and licks my tip, kneeling down on the floorboard between my legs.
“Savvy, what are you doin’?”
“You get to have all the fun. I want to finally suck on this gorgeous cock, Jackson Turner.”
She smiles, a hint of wickedness in her grin and with one quick motion she gobbles down my erection to the base, slightly gagging on it and damn if I don't come right then.
“Shit!” I say, pulling on her hair to release her mouth. “Savvy what the…”
I trail off as she sucks one of my balls in her mouth and I nearly choke on my own saliva. My God this woman can give a blow job. I feel her smile around my ball and then suck in the other one, her tongue running along the space between them. I look down and groan. Her hand is wrapped around the base of my dick and her mouth is full of my balls.
“My God princess are you tryin’ to kill me?”
She pops my balls out of her mouth and moves back to my throbbing length, licking the precum off the tip. I put my hand under her chin and lift her lips to mine, kissing her hard.
“Ride me, Savvy.”
She nods and reaches down between us, sliding her panties to the side and straddles my lap. I feel her warmth surround me as she goes deeper, and I put my hand on her waist to stop her.
“Go slow, you good?”
“I'm okay. It's uh...deep.”
“Take your time. I want you to feel good, princess.”
The truth is I want her to go slow because her blowjob put me over the edge. I’m so close to coming but she comes first, always.
I softly kiss her shoulder, trailing kisses up her neck as I move her hair to the side. My rough, calloused fingers run down against the soft skin of her arm and she shivers.
She slides down on my body further and when she finally sits, my dick is all the way inside her, nice and snug.
“Yes,” she moans.
She starts to bounce on my lap, her forehead leaning on mine. I don't break her gaze and when she tries I move, grabbing her cheek, making her focus on me again.
“I want to watch you come, Savvy.”
“Jackson...I...God you feel so fuckin’ good,” she says, panting.
Her arms go around my neck tightly, her nails digging into the side of my neck. The movement pushes her breasts in my face and I pull down the front of her dress, freeing them. I nuzzle my face in between her tits, biting the soft flesh of each. I grab her ass with both hands, digging my fingers into the meat of it.
“I love your ass princess.”
I grab her cheeks harder and she whimpers, bouncing harder on my cock, testing my restraint. Hold back Jackson, she comes first.
I dip my head down and suck a nipple in my mouth, biting the tip. I suction onto her tight pebble, hollowing out my cheeks, taking almost her whole tit in my mouth and she clenches around me.
“Jackson!” she yells, her hand gripping my neck, digging her nails in. “Don't...oh shit...that...too much. It's too much.”
I lightly bite her nipple again and she screams, shivering on top of me, her body gripping mine like a glove.
I wrap my arms around her back and pump up into her a couple of times and finally let go, exploding inside her.
We stay there for what seems like an hour. My dick still buried inside her, protesting the separation that's to come. I nuzzle my nose in her neck and she kisses the top of my forehead.
“I've never heard you like that,” I say smiling, helping her off my lap.
“I...I'm kind of embarrassed. I don't know where that came from. You just..well, you were...you made me speechless, Goner.”
She smirks and I kiss her cheek, giving her a smirk of my own.
I zip myself up and we drive back to the restaurant, slipping in while everyone is enjoying the end of their meal.
“You okay now? I didn't mean to totally push whatever was botherin’ you away, I just don't like to see you upset. We can talk about it if ya want.”
“I'm okay, now. How can I not be?”
She winks at me as she goes in search of Charlotte. She's got me, heart and soul. I am Savannah Gavinwood’s. I'm the Goner alright.
Savannah
“You hussy,” Charlotte admonishes me, as I slide next to her at the buffet line.
“Oh, stop it. You want me with someone, but then give me shit when I do. Pick a damn side, woman.”
“Hey, I'm happy with it. Just gotta give you shit for all the times you give it to me. How’s it goin’ between y'all?”
“Same, I guess. I'm just, blah, to it all. Waitin’ for his decision, waitin’ for Hugh to drop another bomb on me, waitin’ for the state of Louisiana to stop sucking ass and let me foster Tucker. I'm just...waitin’ and it sucks.”
“I hear ya. Well, you got a little niece on the way to spoil so think of the positives. Then, I'm sure you'll get two of your own to spoil, soon. Good things come to good people, Sav. I really believe that.”
“Thanks Charlie. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
I tried to believe Charlotte’s words, but the truth was I felt incompetent. I couldn't have a child on my own, hell, I couldn't even adopt a child on my own and all this defeat is starting to weigh me down.
I pile my plate with all different foods, famished from our rendezvous and make my way towards Jackson.
“Feedin’ the whole table?” he asks, laughing.
“Both of us.”
He smiles and takes the fork I extend to him. We eat together and my mind is racing. All of these different emotions, scenarios on so many different ends of the spectrum, pulling me one way, and then the other. I'm praying for the day that I can I feel the calm. Will I ever feel the calm?
Chapter 17
Savannah
I walk through the double doors unsure of what to expect. I know the options, I know the end result that I want. Do I really want to go through all this, if there is still a possibility of it not happening at the end, though?
“Hey, it's fine, okay?”
Charlotte grips my shoulder and squeezes. I wanted Jackson to be the one with me here, but I'm still not sure where we stand on all of this craziness.
“I know,” I say, smiling.
We sit in the waiting room until my name is called and walk in the back. The nurse guides us into the doctor's office, instead of a patient room. Sign number one that everything is not okay.
“She just wants to have a quick chat with you before you head in,” says the nurse.
I nod and take a seat, Charlotte sitting in the chair next to me. I fiddle with my fingers, picking a piece of loose skin as I wait with every terrible scenario running through my head.
I'm not going to be able to have my own baby. I'm prepared for her to tell me the worst. Even the surgery won't help, I just know it. I try to will the tears away, but one escapes past my eyelids.
“Hey,” Charlotte says reaching for me.
I lean into her shoulder and more tears escape.
“We don't know anythin’ yet, Sav.”
“Why are we in her office, then? It's bad news Charlie, I just know it. I’m never gonna get Tucker and now this. I’m doomed to be alone forever.”
“Savannah, stop it! It’ll be-”
We hear the door open and Charlie stops talking. I quickly lean back in my seat, wiping my tears away.
“I'm Doctor Carmichael,” says the petite blonde woman, probably not much older than me.
“Savannah Gavinwood. This is my sister-in-law Charlotte,” I say, motioning to Charlie.
“Congratulations,” she says.
“Thank you,” Charlie says back, smiling.
“Oh right. You too, but I meant you, Savannah.”
Her words don't register, a
nd I look at her with confusion.
“What?” I ask.
“I was looking over the records that your doctor sent over and the tests we ran. I didn't find any of the problems he had described. In fact, your body is one of the healthiest ones I've ever seen for your reproductive age.”
Going, Going, Goner (Double Play Series Book 2) Page 14
