Chapter 16
It was December 17. Saturday.
Savannah rolled over and turned the alarm on her phone off. It had gone off every Saturday morning at 5:00 a.m. since they got back from Mackinac. Savannah was very careful with her alarms on her phone.
She was one hundred percent certain she hadn’t set it.
And since she hadn’t set it, she didn’t turn it off. Before she turned it off, she wanted to figure out how it got set to start with.
She lay on her back and stared into the darkness. Listened to the rain slamming against the window panes.
One week to get ready for Christmas. She hadn’t decorated. Not that she ever decorated all that much. She spent Christmas at her mother’s house or her sister’s, so there wasn’t really any need.
However, she hadn’t bought a single gift either. That was out of character. She usually did her shopping online the day after Thanksgiving. This year, she’d sat at the computer doing some research instead of shopping.
Doctor’s offices pretty much closed for the season, so she had no meetings scheduled until after the new year.
She had two weeks to do whatever she wanted.
The problem was she really had nothing she wanted to do.
She hadn’t heard from Noah since the night he’d gotten the call from his wife in the middle of the night. Something about his daughter, she was certain.
Her fingers had hovered over his phone number a thousand times. She had written him little text messages a hundred times and deleted them.
The bottom line was Noah was still married. His wife beckoned and he left her in the middle of the night.
Then he didn’t contact her.
For Savannah, that spoke volumes.
After a couple of weeks, she decided she wouldn’t hear from him again.
She told herself she was ok with it.
That’s how Noah operated.
He breezed in, upset a girl’s life, then like the wind, he was gone.
Chasing Noah was like chasing the wind.
Perhaps in another twenty years, they would meet up again. Perhaps their timing would be better and they would have another go at it.
In the meantime, there was no point in worrying about it.
Unfortunately, her brain worried over it constantly. Trying to make sense of something that made absolutely no sense.
Doubtless he had family things to do.
Maybe he wasn’t even really getting divorced. Maybe he just told her that to make her feel better about spending time with him.
Out of all her theories, out of all her crazy explanations, that was the one that made the most sense to her.
She’d been played.
He lived in a world of his own. A world that she wasn’t part of. It was, after all, why he’d left her before.
It really was less painful this way. It just would have been nice if he would tell her ahead of time how many days she should wait before declaring him MIA.
After Mackinac, he’d shown up after a week. So, apparently a week was within range. But how long?
One week to get ready for Christmas.
Today was as good a day as any to get it knocked out. The rain was forecast to be out before noon.
She would get dressed and head out to the mall with everyone else.
If all else failed, she could get everyone gift cards.
She dragged herself out of bed, threw on a robe, and went downstairs to make a latte.
With latte in hand, she started back upstairs. She would drink her coffee and do some preliminary scouting on the internet for gifts. She had to have some kind of a plan after all.
The doorbell rang when she had her foot on the first step.
She nearly dropped her coffee and fell off the stairs.
Who could possibly be at her door at 5:30? A spurt of fear shot through her. Something could be wrong with her mother or her sister.
Somebody must have died.
Or else somebody wanted to kill her.
She inched to the door, peeked out. Noah?
She stepped back. Hallucinating.
The doorbell rang again.
“Ok,” she muttered. Maybe it’s not a hallucination. “Noah?” she called.
“Yeah, it’s me. Can I come in? It’s raining out here.”
She peeked out again. Squinted. “Savannah,” he said.
She keyed in the alarm code and opened the door. Noah stood there, dripped from the rain that had drenched him. How long had he been standing there?
“What is it with you and phones?” she asked.
“I’m old fashioned,” he said.
“You’re an idiot.” She opened the door wider, and stepped back. “Come in out of the rain.”
He stepped inside. Pulled a single red rosebud from under his trench coat. Held it out to her.
She took it from him, feeling a little clutch in her heart.
Noah was her weak spot. Her drug of choice.
One look from him and she was off the wagon.
She wasn’t, however, about to let him know it. “I’ll get you a towel,” she said, going to the guest bathroom downstairs and returning with a dry towel.
He had already shed his raincoat and shoes. “I knew it was going to rain today. Of all days.”
She looked askance at him. What did he even mean? “How did you even know I’d be up this early?”
He smiled that mysteriously cocky smile that sent her heart rate into high gear. “Don’t you always get up at 5:00 on Saturdays?”
Her alarm clock. Mackinac.
Seriously?
She folded her arms. “If you tell me you had this planned for all these, what, nearly two months, I’m going to….”
He grinned. “You’re going to what?” He took a step forward.
She stepped backwards, but bumped up against the stair post. Then he was standing next to her, blocking her from moving.
“I hope you were going to say you’re going to kiss me. After all, I had a long trip.”
“You live for travel, Any excuse.”
“Can’t deny it,” he said. “Nonetheless…”
He bent his head, pressed his lips against hers.
She moaned, leaned into the kiss. And this is what I live for.
He deepened the kiss and their arms wrapped around each other. She couldn’t get close enough.
His cell phone rang and he jumped. It was odd. Noah was usually exceptionally calm. And rarely worried about his phone.
“I have to take this,” he said, walking back to the kitchen and answering the phone.
Savannah stood where he left her. Her lips tingling from his kiss. Her emotions running rampant.
No. I won’t do this. I won’t allow him to keep doing this to me.
The words hurt her. Even in her head. And tears gathered in her eyes.
She dropped to the step, gathering her robe around herself. Shivering.
Felt the tears dropping onto her hands. She swiped at them. Not caring.
A few minutes later, he came back, saw her sitting there, saw the tears on her face. He rushed to her side. Pulled her to him. She didn’t resist. Allowed him to cradle her against his chest as the dam broke free and she sobbed against him.
“Hey,” he said, rocking her. “What is this? Sh. What is it, my love?”
Her chin trembled. She sobbed harder.
“I can’t,” she said, but couldn’t catch her breath.
He held her, made soothing noises, and rode out the storm with her.
Savannah’s pain must have been a culmination of past hurt, because the intensity was unlike any she could ever remember experiencing. She felt like she was going to explode from the inside.
She grasped at him, holding onto him for dear life.
Then, just like that, it was over.
She had no more tears.
He continued to gently rub her back.
They were both soaked now. She was soaked not only from her tears, but from his wet clothes.
She disentangled herself from him and was surprised that she still held the rose in her hand. A drop of blood landed on her robe and she saw that her hand was bleeding from a thorn.
A perfect illustration of what Noah was doing to her.
“Are you going to tell me what just happened?” he asked.
“I can’t,” her chin trembled. I won’t cry again. “I don’t cry around anyone else. Ever.”
“I’m not sure what that says for my character,” he said wryly.
“You must think I’m pathetic.”
“The thought never crossed my mind.”
She steadied herself. Plunged forward before she lost her nerve again. “I can’t do this,” she said. “I can’t be your… girlfriend.”
She couldn’t look at him. She expected him to walk out right then.
But he didn’t move.
“Ok,” he said.
She looked up. The calm Noah she knew so well was back. So, he didn’t care. The thought turned her tears to anger.
“You can’t just come around here when you feel like it. What am I supposed to do? Just wait around until you show up again?”
“I had something to do,” he said.
“We all have things to do.” She wiped the blood on her robe. Handed the rose back to him.
“Look at me,” he put a hand under her chin. Kissed her lightly on the lips.
She kept her face blank. At least she hoped it was blank.
“That was my daughter on the phone.”
“You don’t have to explain anything to me.”
“My daughter just got out of the hospital last night – the psychiatric hospital.”
“Oh Noah,” she was flooded by remorse. “Is she ok?”
“She is now. When I was here and got that call, she was unconscious. She attempted suicide.”
“Oh no. Noah.” She took his hands.
“I felt responsible. She called me the day before, but I barely had time to talk to her. I told her I’d talk to her later.”
“Oh, God. It’s my fault.”
“Not in a million years. It’s no one’s fault.”
“You went to counseling, too.”
He nodded. “She’s ok now. I had to stay close for the last few weeks to go to counseling with her every day.”
“Wow.”
“I wanted. I needed to get through that.”
“It’s ok. I understand.”
“I should have called you. I’m sorry.”
“You had something you had to take care of.”
He laughed. “Obviously another of my bad choices. But there was something else that had to be resolved before I came back.”
“Something else?”
“Yes. It seems we reconnected at a bad time in my life. I needed to get it straightened out.”
“And have you?”
He retrieved the bag he’d dropped at the door and sat back down next to her. Pulled out a document, about a quarter of an inch thick, bound with a binder clip at the top.
“Read this,” he said.
She wiped her hands on her robe. Took the document from him.
“I’m going to make us some coffee while you read that.”
“It might take me awhile,” she said.
“You can skim it,” he suggested. “Want to sit on the couch?”
She followed him to the couch, took the throw he offered and settled in.
She opened the document and began reading. She could see immediately that it was a divorce settlement.
“Are you sure you want me to read this?” she asked, looking up at him. This is private.”
“I need you to read it. I’ll be right back.”
As she read, he handed her a hot cup of coffee and holding his own cup, sat across from her, watching as she read.
She skimmed a few pages, but read almost all of it word for word.
Thirty minutes later, she clipped the document back together and handed it back to him.
He looked at her expectantly. Savannah wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do with this information. Did it change anything?
“You got divorced yesterday,” she said.
“That was the other thing I had to take care of. Now you don’t have to worry about me lying to you about being married.”
“I wasn’t worried about that.”
“And you’re not a good liar.”
“Of course I am. Just not with you.”
“I think that’s a good thing.”
“You’re a wealthy man, Noah.”
“I have enough to get by.”
She scoffed. “You have enough to buy, what, twenty more planes?”
“Probably more like ten, but I can only fly one at the time, right?”
“Why are you showing me this?”
He moved to sit next to her. “I want you to know. I don’t want any more secrets between us.”
“I have some news, too,” she said.
“What?”
She went to her little desk where she kept her computer and paid her bills. Picked up an envelope. Handed it to him.
He opened the letter and his face broke into a wide grin. “You’re going to be a psychologist.”
“Maybe,” she said. “I haven’t accepted yet. The clinical psychology program is full time. I’d have to quit my job and use my savings to live. It takes about six years since I don’t have a master’s degree yet. I have to decide if I can do that. If I want to do that.”
“I think you should do it.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I don’t have your bank account.”
He kissed her on the cheek. “It’s an honor to be accepted,” he said.
“You’re right,” she agreed. “it is.”
She put the letter aside. “So what happens now, with your daughter?”
“She goes back to school. Graduates in May and goes to college.”
“Just like nothing happened.”
“Better than before.”
“And your new business?”
“A slight delay, but it’s going. I have my first flight next week.”
“It sounds like you’re all set.”
He grinned. “As I said, I had some things to take care of.”
She didn’t bother to tell him that a simple text message would have made all the difference. “I didn’t think I’d see you again.”
He nodded. Held up his hand. “I promise to never, ever disappear on you again. If I do, you have my permission to send the authorities to look for me because it means foul play.”
She laughed.
“I know you don’t believe me. And I don’t blame you.”
“You don’t have the best track record.”
“I’ll make it up to you.”
“Ok,” she said, but she knew that even though her heart was willing, her head was not so quick to jump on board the Noah wagon.
“So,” he said. “In celebration of my newly divorced status, I’d like to take you to dinner tonight.”
She hesitated. Hadn’t she just told him she couldn’t do this anymore?
“Please,” he said, holding his hands under his chin. “I promise I’ll have you home by midnight.”
She laughed. “Ok.”
“I’ll be back to pick you up at 3:00. Wear something formal.”
“Three o’clock?”
“Yep,” he glanced at his watch. “You’ve got plenty of time.”
She scowled at him, but he laughed and kissed her on the mouth. “Lock the door,” he said, as he went outside, closing the door behind him.
She followed him to the door, which he had already locked, clicked the deadbolt, and set the alarm.
Glanced at the grandfather clock in her foyer.
She had enough time.
Energized in spite of herself, she sprinted upstairs, and ran bath water.
Comforted by the hot water, she digested all that she had learned about Noah that morning.
She didn’t know if it changed anything. It hurt her head too much to even try to sort it all out.
He wanted to take her to dinner. To celebrate and she would go with him. There would be plenty of time for Christmas shopping tomorrow. Or the next day. A light week. A vacation really.
Wishing for a New York blow dry bar, she dried her own hair and put in some hot rollers for a more formal look.
He wanted formal. She could do formal.
She ate a quick lunch of grapes and cheese, then studied her closet.
There was really no choice. She had recently purchased a dress for no particular reason other than the fact that she’d fallen in love with it on sight. The sales lady had called it a mermaid dress. It was white silk, strapless, with a daring neckline. The sequined asymmetrical sash at the hip emphasized her slim figure.
Since it as too early to get dressed, she checked her email and skyped her sister.
“You look good,” her sister complimented.
“Thanks.” Savannah studied her sister. Charlotte rarely wore make-up and kept her hair pulled back in a pony tail. Her sister was wearing full make-up including eye liner and lipstick. And her long hair fell softly around her face. “So do you,” she said, her thoughts churning. Why would her sister be dressed in the middle of the day? “What are you wearing?” she asked, straining to see what her sister wore.
“Just a t-shirt,” her sister leaned back, tugged on the collar of her blue shirt. “A date with Noah?”
“What?” How could her sister even remotely know that?
“You look kind of excited and your hair is in those soft curls you only wear when you’re dressing up for a date.”
“Might not be Noah.”
Charlotte shrugged. “Ok, then,” her sister played along. “What’s his name?”
“Never mind about me,” Savannah changed the subject. “Where are you anyway? Why is it so quiet? Did you give the children away?”
“They’re off doing their thing. Let’s just enjoy the quiet moment, shall we?”
“Of course,” Savannah said automatically, but couldn’t let go trying to discern what was different about her sister. “Are you at home?”
“Where else would I be? I’m always at home.”
Savannah checked her watch. Her sister obviously wasn’t in the mood to give up any personal information. “Ok, well, I have to run. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Her sister grinned. “Sounds good. Hey.”
Savannah waited before she clicked off. “What’s up?”
“Have fun and enjoy the moment.”
Savannah clicked off and put her sister out of her thoughts. Charlotte always had marched to the beat of her own drum.
Savannah shut down her computer and went to get dressed.
Studying the finished product in the mirror, she decided she was probably over-dressed, but he’d said to go formal, so formal he was getting.
She packed her evening handbag, pulled her phone off the charger, and went downstairs to wait for Noah.
While she waited, she straightened. Shredded her mail.
Checked the window twenty times.
Wondered why they were leaving for dinner so early. Probably driving into Atlanta. Perhaps he had tickets to a play or some such.
It was easy to be full of surprises, she mused when you didn’t see someone very often. She wondered what he would be like on a day-to-day basis.
You know what he’s like. He’s kind and funny. And considerate. And thoughtful. And ever so sexy.
Savannah sighed. The past was in the past. Right now, in this moment, her head was swirling with Noah. The Noah she knew before. The Noah who was in her life now.
He pulled into her driveway at ten minutes to three. Sat in his car for nearly ten minutes before coming to the door. She knew this because she watched him from the window.
Her breath caught as he came up her walkway.
He was incredibly handsome in his black tuxedo. She no longer felt overdressed.
She opened the door and his jaw dropped.
“Wow,” he said.
“You’re kind of wow yourself. I think divorce agrees with you.”
“Nah,” he said. “It’s the company.”
They went to his car, a rented BMW sedan and he helped her get inside.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
He grinned.
“You know I-”
“Don’t like surprises,” he finished her sentence for her. “I know you don’t, but I think you’ll like this one.”
When they turned down the road toward the airport, it all fit together for her. “I should have known.”
“You should have,” he agreed. “Like you said, any excuse.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“That might be why you like me.”
She looked at his plane as they drove up. And in that moment, decided to just embrace the fact that she liked everything about him.
She couldn’t even be mad at him for more than a few minutes.
“I’m not sure I can get in the plane in this dress.”
“Yeah,” he said, “I should have had you get dressed when we got there. But I’ll help you.”
Seated in the plane, Noah did indeed look happy. And it was contagious. She could think of nowhere else she wanted to be and no one else she wanted to be with.
She was amazed, again, at the clear view from the cockpit. Surrounded by glass, it really was like being a bird.
Once they were in the air, he took her hand. “I missed you,” he said.
“I missed you,” she immediately responded and smiled. “I don’t suppose I get any clues as to where we’re going?”
“And ruin all the fun?”
It turned out to be a long flight. But the sunset was absolutely gorgeous. It gave a clue, however, to their direction. They were traveling west.
The flight was uneventful. Savannah closed her eyes and relaxed, enjoyed the sway of the plane.
Her eyes opened when they began their descent. She straightened in her seat, searching the land below. Gasped.
Las Vegas.
She turned to Noah, her eyes wide.
“It was on your list, right?”
Savannah’s thoughts flew back to their conversation in Starbucks when he’d asked her to name places she wanted to visit. He’d asked for one and she’d given him five. Impressed that he had remembered, she smiled broadly into his eyes, but turned her attention to the view.
Savannah had never flown into Las Vegas at night. The view was outstanding. The lights. She could almost feel the energy from way up here.
“So is this my date to the casino?” she asked as their wheels hit the ground.
“Something like that. Since it’s early,” he said, “do you mind if we have drinks before we have dinner? Our reservation isn’t until 6:00 local time.”
She shrugged. Smiled. “I’m with you.”
A limo waited for them. Savannah didn’t comment, but this was certainly different from the dash and dine cars they used at the airports in their youth.
In the backseat of the limo, Noah pulled her into his arms, his fingers entwined with hers, resting their hands against her shoulder. The silence was companionable. Serene, even, after the four-hour flight.
The driver took them to the Stratosphere Hotel, then hand in hand, Noah led her up the elevator to the 107th floor to the rotating Sky Lounge. The view was breathtaking. And they were there just in time for sunset.
Once they were seated with drinks, Noah took her hand, looked into her eyes. “Are you happy?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said.
“I feel so fortunate that we ran into each other again. I hope we have a new beginning.”
“I thought we already had a new beginning.”
He nodded. “We did.” He seemed to study the view – watching the lights. Stirred his crown on the rocks.
“You’re not going to drink that,” she observed.
“You know I can’t. But the olives are great.”
She knew that Noah was firm on his twelve-hour bottle to throttle rule. And she respected that. And she knew that flying for Noah was rewarding in itself. Nonetheless, the prospect of flying all the way back to Alabama tonight seemed a bit daunting to say the least. “It would have been fun to spend the night,” she said, hoping her voice sounded light.
He shrugged, kept his eyes on the view. “We can check into it if you like,” he said.
What was wrong with Noah all of a sudden? “Maybe next time,” she murmured and stared at her drink. He, of all people, should know that she wouldn’t travel without luggage. Besides clothes, there was make-up, hair products, medication. A girl didn’t just hop in a plane without a go-bag. It took all her reserve to tamp down the annoyance she was feeling at the moment. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to look at him.
“What’s on your mind, Noah?”
He turned back to her. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you.”
“Like you put it,” she said. “A new beginning.”
They were alone in their private world, the sunset creating a glow of warmth.
“I’m sorry you’ve had to go through so much lately. With your daughter and your divorce.”
“Speaking of my divorce,” he said.
“What about your divorce?”
“I’ve come to the conclusion that divorce doesn’t suit me very well.”
A little pang of panic shot through her. “Are you thinking about getting back together with Claire?”
“Hell no.”
That was a relief. “What then?”
“I’m thinking of getting married again.”
“Well, you made it, what, a whole day?”
“About a day and a half, more like.”
She laughed. “You men just can’t stand to be alone.”
“That’s it,” he said. “We need someone to take care of us.”
“Do you have someone lined up for this marriage thing?”
“Nope,” he said.
She frowned at him. “I think maybe you need time to reset after your divorce.”
“You know how us men are.”
“True. I have to go to the restroom, Noah.”
He stood up, and she found her way to the restroom. There was a little sitting area there in the restroom. She sat on a chair in front of mirror and reapplied her lip gloss. Noah was acting strange.
Almost like he was going to break up with her. If he hadn’t brought her all the way to Las Vegas…
Any excuse to fly.
She went back to the table, and Noah stood up to help her in her chair, but instead of sitting, he knelt.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her heart tripping up a notch.
“Your napkin fell,” he said, picking up a white napkin from the floor and setting it aside. “I’ll get you another one.”
“Thank you,” she murmured, taking the napkin from his hands. She kept her gaze down. Berated her treacherous heart. She closed her eyes and took a long, slow, calming breath. It’s just drinks and dinner. In Vegas. The ink was not even dry on Noah’s divorce papers.
Perhaps the gentle rotation of the lounge mixed with the alcohol was causing her head to spin a bit.
“Hey,” he said, a mysterious smile playing about his lips.
She looked up. Answered his smile with her own.
“Why don’t I call the car around to take us to dinner? But we can walk a bit when we get to the strip.”
“Sure,” she said. A walk sounded better than good. Some fresh air to clear her head.
Hand in hand, they went down the elevator and out to where the car waited for them.
They drove about ten minutes, then the driver stopped and let them out of the car to walk along the crowded Vegas Strip. Hand in hand, they were engulfed by the sights and sounds of the city that never sleeps.
His hand tightly gripping hers, he suddenly stopped. People funneled around them, mostly ignoring them.
Her eyes widened and her heart tripped as he put his hands on her waist and lifted her off the ground and twirled her around. Her thoughts collided. He’d gone mad. He was ill. He was doing this right here on the strip of Las Vegas like it was nothing.
He stared at her with an intensity that blocked out the rest of the world. “Savannah,” he said, not caring who heard him. “I love you.”
She felt her heart open and a smile exploded on her face.
She lifted her gaze to the people walking around them.
No one had any idea how long she had waited for this moment.
For this man.
A couple, likely in their fifties, also hand in hand, walked slowly past them, the woman’s eyes locked onto Savannah’s. Her lips curved into a secret smile.
Savannah knew her heart was in her eyes. This woman kept her eyes trained on Savannah as she walked past. The man leaned into her, kissed the top of her head, and though she only caught of glimpse of his face, she saw the love reflected there.
This.
This was her destiny. A sense of serenity settled over her. “I love you, too.”
It was going to be a late night. Again, Savannah was disappointed that Noah hadn’t planned better. It wasn’t like him. A trip all the way to Las Vegas seemed like it warranted at least a stay over of one night. Nonetheless, her heart was bursting. Noah had just declared his love to her in front of God and a world of strangers. She truly couldn’t keep the smile from her eyes.
When they reached the MGM Grand, they walked through the casino, passed the buffet, and toward the theater to the Joel Robuchon restaurant, decorated elegantly in black and white, replete with pink tablecloths.
As she followed the hostess toward their table, an odd tingle went up Savannah’s spine as she heard women laughing ahead. Noah had reserved a table in the corner with a plush cloud-soft circular bench next to the cozy fireplace with a mirror above.
When the hostess stopped in front of a table, Savannah stopped. There were three people sitting at their table. She glanced at Noah who had a huge grin on his face.
Perplexed and confused, she turned back to the women.
Looked past the gorgeous blonde young woman.
To her sister.
And her mother.
Noah stepped forward. “Emily and Charlotte,” he said with a nod. Then turned to take Savannah’s hand. “Savannah, this is my daughter, Danielle.”
Danielle stood up and hugged Savannah. Savannah then looked into lovely blue eyes that mirrored Noah’s. She had the same goofy grin that her father was wearing.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Savannah said automatically.
Danielle laughed. “It’s nice to finally meet you too.”
“Mom? Emily?” Savannah said. “What are you doing here? I don’t understand.”
They look expectantly at Noah.
He squeezed her hand. “I thought it was time for everyone to meet,” he said, then helped her slide into the circular booth. Noah and his daughter sat on the outside. Savannah sat between Noah and Charlotte.
Dinner was a blur. Savannah struggled to wrap her head around how both her sister and her mother had ended up in Las Vegas without her knowing about it. She always knew where they were. Her mother chatted with Danielle like they had known each other forever.
“Are you ok?” Noah asked, about halfway through dinner, his lips next to her ear.
“I think so. I’m just… astounded. Why didn’t you tell me they would be here?”
“I wanted to. I wanted to tell you so much that it was hard for me to talk about anything else.”
“That explains it.”
“It’s hard for me to keep a secret,” he said.
She stared into his eyes. Frowned. “How can that be? When you’re so full of surprises?”
He shook his head. “I can’t explain it. I guess this was just really important to me.”
Before she could further contemplate his statement, they were drawn back into the dinner conversation. They were discussing a show they had tickets for that evening.
Savannah frowned. So her mother, sister, and Noah’s daughter were staying the night, but they were returning home tonight. The whole scenario made no sense.
She set down her fork. “We don’t have tickets,” she stated. With the table suddenly hushed, she continued, fighting to keep her voice neutral. “We’re flying back to Alabama tonight.” She lowered her eyes and bit the inside of her lip as she battled with the emotions warring inside her. Disappointment seemed to be at the forefront at the moment.
When no one spoke, she steeled herself and looked up. All three women were staring at Noah. Savannah turned her gaze to Noah. His eyes were closed and he was squirming.
Squirming? Noah Worthington?
She picked up her glass of wine and lifted it in a toast before swallowing a sip. A bubble of laughter spilled over her lips. Noah Worthington was human. The man whose attention to details was legendary had truly botched this one.
He had brought her mother, her sister, and even his daughter to Vegas. They all had tickets and obviously were staying the night. But even though he had gotten them here all together, he hadn’t thought about the two of them spending the night.
Now all eyes were on her. Eyes that questioned her sanity, but Savannah didn’t care. She was going to savor the moment that Noah screwed everything up.
The server brought their ticket and Noah quickly handed the man his credit card.
He then reached into his bag, no doubt to retrieve his iPad to check the weather. Of course, they had to leave soon. Savannah’s private amusement was rapidly fading.
But it wasn’t his iPad that he pulled from his bag. “Since it’s Christmas, I brought gifts for everyone,” he said. He pulled out three flat blue boxes and handed one each to their family members.
Before Savannah had time to react, he pulled out a fourth box, this one square all around and handed it to Savannah. She recognized the trademark Tiffany’s boxes. Noted that her box was different from theirs. But it should be, she told herself. They were family members. She was his… girlfriend?
Holding the box in her hands, she looked up at Noah, a million questions swirling in her head.
“Open it,” he said.
The other three women already had theirs open. He had given each of them a silver bangle which they all promptly put on their wrists.
As they oohed and aahed over their gifts, Savannah sat, silently, holding her little blue box with the white ribbon wrapped around it. Unshed tears glistening in her eyes. It didn’t matter what was inside the box. It only mattered that she was here. With her family.
With Noah.
Realizing all eyes were on her again, she pulled the bow loose.
“Wait,” Noah said, placing a hand over hers. “Let me.” He took the box from her and removed the wrapping. Then he slid off the seat and knelt on one knee.
She swallowed thickly. Her mind refusing to function.
He took out a little blue box and lifted the lid.
Revealing a shiny, dazzling, diamond ring in a perfect Tiffany cut setting. He took her hand in his.
She gasped and lifted her eyes to his. Felt a tear drip down her cheek. Then another. She swiped at them.
What was it with Noah and tears anyway?
“Savannah Skye,” he said.
Another tear.
“I’ve always loved you and I always will. I want to wake up with you every morning and fall asleep with you next to me every night.”
She closed her eyes. Took a deep breath.
“Savannah,” he said.
She opened her eyes and locked her gaze onto his.
“Will you marry me?” He reached out, wiped a tear from her cheek.
She didn’t answer. She couldn’t catch her breath.
Had anyone ever died while being proposed to?
“Savannah?” he asked, with a little laugh, and a nervous glance at her sister.
“Yes,” she said, with a deep intake of air. “Yes,” she said again, a smile breaking across her face.
Then she was in his arms and everyone at the table was laughing.
Noah slipped the ring on her finger. Put his lips against her ear. “This has been far too long coming. I don’t want to waste any more time.”
She nodded against his chest. Stared at the most beautiful engagement ring she had ever seen.
She was engaged!
To Noah.
The thought was almost surreal. Like he said, too long coming.
They gathered up their things and went outside.
“Where are you staying?” she asked her mother. It no longer mattered whether they stayed or left. As long as she was with Noah, nothing else mattered.
Her mother glanced at Noah before she answered. “The Bellagio.”
She nodded, her hand in Noah’s.
“We’ll go back to the hotel with you,” Noah said.
“Yeah,” Savannah said, enjoying her own humor. “Our plane doesn’t leave until we get there.”
They all climbed into the limo and Noah opened a bottle of champagne.
“To us,” he said, holding up his glass.
“I’m so glad you all could be here,” Savannah said, then found herself fighting back tears again.
They clinked their glasses together and sipped champagne while until they approached the front drive of the Bellagio.
They all got out and went into the lobby.
Noah stopped, and turned to face Savannah. Held both her hands. “There’s one other thing.”
Savannah couldn’t imagine what else Noah could possibly have on his mind. They had just gotten engaged. Perhaps he wanted her to move with him to Ft. Worth.
These were things she hadn’t considered. She loved her house. She was thinking about going back to school.
She must have had that deer in the headlights look on her face.
“Savannah,” Noah said. “Stop thinking.”
She mentally shook herself. Smiled.
She was engaged to Noah Worthington.
“We’re actually staying here tonight.”
“I don’t have…”
“I know,” he stopped her before she could explain, again, that she needed her go bag.
“Your mother brought everything from her house. Your make-up. Some clothes.”
Savannah looked her mother who merely shrugged. “It’s what he wanted. I didn’t think you’d mind.”
Her thoughts were too jumbled for her to decide if she minded or not. Then it struck her. Champagne. Noah had drunk champagne in the limo and wine at dinner. He’d planned this all along. So much for Noah missing details.
“Ok,” he said. “There’s one other thing.”
She laughed. She couldn’t help it. “What?”
“Remember how we were never friends?”
“Of course,” she said, smiling at the memory of the way he had kissed her on their first date.
“I don’t want to be engaged either.”
He’d gone mad.
Again.
“I don’t understand,” she said, feeling the weight of the diamond on her finger.
“I want to be married.”
“Ok,” she said.
“Now,” he said, a mischievous smile on his face.
“Right now?”
“Sure,” he said. “Everyone we care about is here.”
Savannah looked at her mother and sister watching them expectantly. His daughter, a smile on her face.
Almost on cue, the wedding march wafted through the air.
I’m hallucinating.
“And,” he said, taking a step back to look at her. “You’re wearing white.”
Savannah laughed. “What are the odds?”
“I think I hit the jackpot.”
Noah had set up everything through the hotel and all the details had been handled.
She had flowers. There was a cake. A photographer.
The rest was a hazy jumble. They had skipped the whole friendship stage and they had breezed past the engagement phase.
Thirty minutes later, Noah’s lips were on hers and she was Mrs. Noah Worthington.
And just like that, twenty years were gone in an instant.
“We did it,” he said.
“I had almost given up on you,” she said.
“Key word, my love,” he said against her lips. “Almost.”