“That’s amazing,” I said into her hair. I felt myself shake a bit over the whole thing.
“Wait, wait, wait, guys,” Duke blurted out with wide eyes. “What the fuck is goin on here? Sav you’re not…” his voice sounded strangled. He paused and looked at her closer. “Are you…? Nick’s…?”
I felt her nod against me, and his face slowly transformed into the biggest shit-eating grin. He pumped his fist in the air, accidentally hitting the roof of my truck.
“Fuck yeah,” he said while shaking his fist out. “Drive to the nearest pro shop, Sis. I need to buy some baby skates.”
She placed a hand on her stomach and laughed with glassy eyes.
Right there in my truck was the first time in a while that I was finally able to breathe again without a tight chest. Looking at each other’s smiling faces and feeling happy felt like a sign that things really would be okay again.
____
As we rode back to the hotel, Duke suddenly seemed obsessed with whoever he was texting on his phone.
By the time we entered the lobby of our hotel for the night, I could clearly seewhy…
A twenty-something girl with a bright smile was seemingly waiting for him in one of the cushy hotel armchairs. I immediately recognized her from one of the front row seats at the arena tonight.
“Who’s that?” I asked him out of the side of my mouth.
He shook his hair to the side and wagged his eyebrows at me. “She wanted to hang out with me. No big deal.”
I watched him stand a little taller and take longer than usual strides over to impress her. He took her hand and gallantly led her to the hotel bar.
Sav slowed her pace beside me, and her shoulders slumped. “Are you kidding me? I was so looking forward to going right to bed,” she pouted, making me laugh a little. The two of us were definitely starting to slow down while Duke hadn’t even hit his going-out prime yet.
I put a hand to the small of her back and ushered her toward theelevators.
“But… I’m staying with Duke,” she stammered. “And he has the room card.”
I just chuckled at that. “I have a feeling he wouldn’t mind if you stayed with me tonight.”
Her eyes widened with worry and she started to turn around to retrieve him.
I took hold of her shoulders and gently guided her back toward the elevators. “No, no, no, Callahan. You can’t be all in mom-mode just yet. He’s a big boy, he’ll figure it out.”
“Ugh,” she put a hand to her forehead. “He’s too young for a girlfriend,” she complained.
“Weren’t you already secretly married at his age?” I countered with a smirk.
She froze. “But he’s… he’s… he’s not allowed to do that!” She practically stomped her foot like she was throwing a tantrum.
“Oh how the tables turn!” I laughed at her incredulously. “He’s getting older, Sav. Ya gotta let it happen,” I said as I walked us toward the elevator. “She looked like a nice girl.”
“She looked older than him!” sheprotested.
“Nice,” I said under my breath, to which Sav elbowed me in the stomach and gave me another poutylook.
As soon as the elevator dinged, I entered and held an arm over the door to keep it open for her, but she stayed rooted to the spot.
“You really don’t mind if I crash with you?” she asked hesitantly. I could tell she was fighting off a yawn as she said it.
I shook my head. “Not at all, ya crazy girl. Let’s get you to bed.”
47. Sav
The perfectly-made, comfy-looking bed was like a beacon of hope. It practically called out to me, just wanting to be slept in, and I immediately flopped down on it.
