Another man appears in the doorway. Like Stuart, he is athletically built, and impeccably dressed in chino shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. His facial hair is trimmed into a neat stylish beard and his eyes are wider than saucers as he takes in the scene in Savannah’s kitchen.
‘Good morning.’ He strides over to me and extends a hand. ‘I’m Steve, pleased to meet you.’ His grip is firm and full of unspoken warnings regarding his daughter.
I nod and squeeze his hand. Message received. ‘I’m Ronan, pleased to meet you, sir.’
‘No need for those type of formalities.’ His voice lowers lewdly. ‘The only formality required in my presence is keeping your pants on.’ His eyebrows rise but the twinkling in his coffee-coloured eyes implies he’s teasing.
‘Dad,’ Savannah hisses, swatting his arm.
‘How are my two princesses today?’ Stuart heads towards the table and coos over the twins, while Steve continues to stare between Savannah and me, assessing the situation.
‘Ronan brought us donuts,’ Isla exclaims and I could kiss her for leading her grandfathers to believe that I just arrived. That I didn’t spend the night buried between their daughter’s legs.
‘That was kind of him.’ Stuart nods approvingly.
‘Yeah, he sneaks out every morning, but he doesn’t always bring donuts back,’ Isla announces with a toothy grin.
A wince crinkles at the corner of my eyes. Stuart snorts and Steve harrumphs.
Savannah’s chuckle echoes around the kitchen. ‘I guess that’s the end of your five a.m. starts.’
‘Come on, girls, let’s go brush your teeth and find your shoes. Grandad Stu and Steve are taking you for a special day out.’ Savannah presses a kiss to Eden’s head and ruffles Isla’s hair. The girls leap up from the table and Savannah follows them up the stairs leaving me alone with the two men who raised her.
Stuart and Steve corner me against the kitchen counter.
‘So, it’s serious.’ Steve folds his arms across his chest.
‘I told you it was, didn’t I?’ Stuart insists. ‘Savannah doesn’t mess around.’
‘Neither do I,’ I assure them.
Steve eyes me warily. ‘That’s not what the gossip blogs say.’
I flinch and close my eyes for a second trying to articulate the right words. ‘When I retired from competitive swimming, there was a giant void in my life. A void which I filled anyway I could; drinking, partying, playing the field.’ I swallow hard. ‘Believe it or not, I’ve been obsessed with Savannah since she totalled my Aston Martin two years ago. And the void I was trying to plug morphed from being a sport, to being a person. I never dreamed I’d be lucky enough to be the man that Savannah chose when she started dating again.’
‘I actually thought she hated you.’ Stuart shrugs. ‘But then, love and hate are so finely entwined, isn’t that right, Steve?’ He nudges his partner.
‘Just don’t hurt her, okay?’ Steve warns.
‘Never,’ I promise, holding out my hand to Steve again.
He nods and shakes it with a little less aggression this time. ‘She seems… happier. Take care of her.’
Savannah’s fathers finally load the twins into their Audi, and crunch down the driveway, Stuart waving a little more enthusiastically than Steve. I breathe a sigh of relief.
‘That wasn’t so bad, was it?’ Savannah’s hands snake around my waist as her chin rests on my shoulder.
‘At least I had my shorts on this time.’
‘Not for long.’ Savannah reaches for my waistband, but I catch her hand in mine and still it.
‘Patience. We’re going on a road trip.’ As tempting as it is to lay her out across the kitchen counter, I’ll feel so much better knowing Savannah is ready for next week. Once we get the shoot wrapped up, we get to come out as a couple to the world, and I, for one, cannot wait.
‘We are?’
‘Yep. Pack a bag.’
Twenty minutes later, she’s strapped into the passengerseat of my Tesla. ‘Where are we going? And why can’t I drive?’
