I wrinkled my forehead. “That’s the third time you’ve asked me the same question.” I’d told Savannah that my father was in Houston for the weekend, handling some ranch business.
It would only be Gabriel, his fiancée Lena, Micah’s family, and us.
I stared at Savannah. She sucked in her bottom lip and glanced around the living room behind me, as if avoiding eye contact.
“Hey,” I said, taking her hand into mine. “I know Joel wasn’t the most welcoming back then when he thought we were too young. But he’s not all that bad. Honestly.” I shook her hand a little, trying to garner a smile.
Savannah didn’t respond. Instead, she glanced over her shoulder. “Aiden left this place a mess. I need to make him clean it up.”
There were pillows thrown all over and a few of his toys strewn on the floor.
She started to turn for the stairs, but I grabbed her by the arm.
“Leave the kid alone,” I told her. “He scored three goals in the championship game today. He’s earned to let his mess sit for a little while.”
She snorted.
“Besides, I’m the one who helped him make the mess.” I grinned, remembering the fort we’d built out of the pillows that morning before we left for his soccer games.
“That’s because you’re a bad influence.” She pointed at me and stuck out her opposite hip. A move that forced me to drop my gaze, noting the way the floral wrap dress rested over her curves.
My cock stirred in my jeans, and briefly, I contemplated calling Micah to pick up Aiden and take him over to his place while I took Savannah back upstairs.
“I’m ready,” Aiden yelled as he charged down the stairs, interrupting my thoughts of what I wanted to do to his mother.
When I peered into Savannah’s eyes while a smile played on her lips, I knew she read my thoughts.
“Later,”I mouthed to her right before Aiden came running into the living room.
“The gang’s all set,” I said.
“Let’s bug out,” Aiden said.
I laughed at him using my military lingo, directing us to head out. “You’re learning,” I said as I ruffled the top of his hair from behind him.
He glanced back and gave me a proud smile that punched me directly in the solar plexus.
“I almost forgot the potato salad,” Savannah said, right before we got in the car.
I directed Aiden to run in and get the massive bowl of salad that Savannah had left in the refrigerator.
A few minutes later, we were off. Micah and Jodi’s place wasn’t far from mine. I’d bought my home within weeks of getting my orders to relocate back at the base outside of Harlington. That was almost four years ago.
Though I should’ve been doing everything to close out my life in Harlington, I dragged my feet. The Air Force scheduled me to head out to Germany in less than two months, and for the first time in my career, I found myself begrudging a move.
For years, the constant moving and being out of town that my career required didn’t bother me. At times, what agitated me the most was being in one place for too long. The loneliness would settle in.
But the past four years had spoiled me. Being so close to my family was something I hadn’t even realized I’d missed, until I had it again.
Though, I had to admit, as I looked over into the passenger seat at my wife, that the lonely feeling I carried for so long had begun to ebb. I wasn’t in a rush to pick up and move as I had been for so many years.
“We’re here,” I said as I pulled up in front of Micah’s home. Gabriel had parked his huge-ass truck right in the middle of the driveway.
“Aiden, stop running,” Savannah called when he hopped out of the SUV and darted for the door. “Come grab the potato salad,” she instructed.
She turned to me as I rounded the front of my truck to come beside her. “You’d think as much as he ran around this morning, he would’ve burned some of that energy off.”
I chuckled. “Wishful thinking on your part.”
