Page 146 of Need You To Choose Me

“What finally?” Mrs. Tyson interjects, the discussion forgotten, and now all the attention is on me.

“Umm…” I squirm in my seat, my ears buzzing as I try to come up with some answer.

“We were just talking about something,” Becky offers.

“Are you talking about the fact that the new Coach is sneaking out of Savannah’s house in the middle of the nightthese days?” Mrs. Miller raises her thin brows as she grabs her wine glass and nonchalantly takes a sip. “As if that’s something new.”

What the—My mouth falls open, making the older woman snort.

“What? We all knew it was just a matter of time before you two got together.” Mrs. Miller waves her hand dismissively. “The man’s had a thing for you since the first time he stepped into this town, and who could blame him? So when Charlotte told me she saw him sneaking out the other day, I can’t say I was surprised.”

“You andCoach?” Jessica points her finger at me accusingly as she glares at me. “I knew something was going on between you two during the town fair!”

“Town fair?” Mrs. Tyson snorts. “Try football practice. I’ve never seen a man run faster in my life when that kid threw a ball and almost hit Savannah. It was quite epic, if I might say so myself.”

My ears are buzzing as they continue fighting over who was the one who figured out first there was something going on between Blake and me. My mouth feels dry, making it hard to swallow.

I hated this. I’ve been the center of gossip so many times growing up. When I was five, my teacher was giving me a pitying look when I was the last one at school because my mom couldn’t find the time to come and pick me up. Or when I was six and some of my classmates were laughing at me because I came to school in dirty clothes. At eight, when we finally moved to Bluebonnet, everywhere I went, I could hear soft whispers about that Parker girl causing trouble. And, finally, at nine, once my mom was gone, and everybody talked about how she left me behind and wondered if she would ever come back.

But Blake wasn’t my mother.

You’re mine, Savannah. I don’t want to play any more games or hide around. I want us to be together. I choose you, but I need you to choose me back.

No, Blake most definitely wasn’t my mother.

It wasn’t fair for me to expect him to put everything on the line if I wasn’t determined to do the same for him. He deserved better, and so did I.

Wedeserved better.

“They’re like the freaking FBI,” Becky mutters next to me.

There was no “like” about it. The two of them would give the FBI a run for their money.

“It’s true.”

The group stops their discussion, and once again, I’m the center of attention, their curious glances making my stomach roil.

You can do this, Sav. It’s not like they don’t know it. At least part of it. Might as well get it all out.

“Blake and I, we’re together. I know it’s not really professional since I’m his son’s teacher and all, but we met before…” I curl my fingers, my nails digging into my skin as I tilt my chin up, bracing myself for whatever’s coming next. “I know you all thought that my ex is my baby’s father, but that’s not true. It’s Blake. He’s the father.”

I hold my breath, my shoulders tense as I wait for their reaction for what feels like forever, and for once, they actually seem surprised.

“You’ve gotta be shitting me!” Jessica’s mouth falls open, her eyes wide.

“Oh, thank God!” Mrs. Miller raises her glass. “I was worried you’d be connected to that tool for the rest of your life. I guess that explains a lot of things.”

“That’s good, honey.” Mrs. Tyson nods and pats me on the leg. “Blake’s so good for you. I don’t think I’ve seen you smiling so much before he came here.”

“Didn’t I tell you something’s going on between them?” Mrs. Miller smirks. “I have a nose for those things. Charlotte will be so jealous when I tell her I was right. That woman has them right under her nose but is too blind to see anything.”

I blink as they shift their conversation while my heart still thunders in my chest.

Just like that, my secrets were out, and now they were already discussing Charlotte, and their upcoming town meeting and the bake sale.

“They didn’t say anything,” I whisper softly, still not quite able to wrap my mind around it.

“What would they say?” Becky shrugs and gives me a pointed look. “They already knew about your little rendezvous. But why am I only finding out about it just now? You and Blake finally get together, and you’ve been quiet this whole time? I swear these days, I’m the last one who finds out what’s going on in my own town. If Miguel weren’t home today, I’d make you go out for drinks so you can tell me everything.”

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