She was kind, resilient, and an incredible mom. The thought of being with her didn’t just make sense—it felt right.
But I wasn’t about to pour all that out to her brother. Instead, I took a deep breath and said, “I’ll be honest. I do really like Savannah. And Alana’s already got me wrapped around her little finger.”
Marcus grinned. “Maybe she just knows a good guy when she sees one.”
I smiled back, the weight of his words settling warmly in my chest.
I lifted my water bottle to my lips and squirted some in. It was cool and refreshing. I drank a bit more before saying, “I wonder how Alana will react when she meets Roger. Do you think she’ll take to him like she does to me?”
“No,” Marcus answered bluntly.
I turned my head to look at him sharply. “You sound very sure of that.”
He nodded, not looking at me. “I’m not just saying that because you’re a friend and Roger isn’t and wasn’t before either. Really, the reason why I don’t think Alana will take to Roger is because even though he’s her father, she doesn’t know him at all.
And she will absolutely see the way her mother acts toward Roger. She will see how stiff and fearful Sav is and that will make her fearful, too. Sav won’t be doing it on purpose.
And it’s not actually a bad thing, either. Alana needs to learn from her mother how to differentiate between good guys and bad guys. The way you treat her and the way Roger treats her – Sav, I mean – will determine what Alana thinks of you and him. We already see how she’s taken to you.”
“Yeah, her mother didn’t even have to be there for Alana to recognize me and come running up. She calls me Jackson Fireman. Mr. Jackson Fireman.”
Marcus laughed, throwing his head back. “Because she’s heard her mom call you Jackson and she knows you’re a fireman. That’s insanely cute, man.”
My grin widened. “I know it. She’s an adorable little girl. It makes me feel all mushy inside when she gives me a kiss on the cheek or comes running up to me like I’m her...” I stopped. He knew what I was going to say.
He tilted his water bottle at me and nodded. “Go for it,” he said.
Chapter Eleven
Savannah
I scanned the document on my screen for the hundredth time, the words blurring together. Proofreading a single page shouldn’t take this long, but my thoughts kept straying to Roger.
It was as if my brain refused to settle, caught in a tug-of-war between two men: one who made me feel safe and another who made me question if safety was even possible.
Roger. His name alone sent my pulse racing, my stomach churning with worry. Someone had given him my address—what if they’d told him where I worked? Or worse, what if he’d figured it out himself? Was he following me?
My phone buzzed on the desk, and I glanced at it. Another text from Mya, her hourly check-in.You okay?she’d asked again. I typed a quick response:Still breathing.
The day was coming to an end, which I was glad about. I didn’t want to be at work anymore. I was seriously thinking about taking a page from Jackson’s playbook and taking some vacation time.
I had about five or six days leave I could take and they’d probably pay me to work from home, too. Those ideas went through my mind several times as I tried to focus on my work.
The phone on my desk rang, the shrill sound snapping me upright. My heart leapt into my throat as I grabbed the receiver, praying it wasn’t him.
“Hidden Pines Chronicle, this is Savannah Gilson speaking. How can I help you?”
“Miss Gilson, this is Sally Carrington at Little Tykes Preschool. I wanted to inform you that a man came to the daycare today asking to see your daughter, Alana.”
Her words pierced me like a dagger. My lungs refused to fill. I pictured the daycare staff recoiling as Roger stormed through the place, snatching up my sweet girl and running out with her.
“Is she okay?” I gasped. “Did you keep him away? Does he—does he have her?” My questions came out at a rapid pace with panic laced in every word.
“She’s fine, Miss Gilson,” Sally reassured me, her voice calm and steady. “We didn’t let him anywhere near her.”
Relief washed over me so forcefully, I nearly cried. “You have the custody documents on file, right? He’s not allowed to see her without my permission.”
“That’s right. And we made that very clear to him. Alana is unaware of the situation. She’s been a delight as usual.” Sally confirmed, her tone resolute.
