Page 150 of Need You To Choose Me

“That’s so high school.”

“Maybe,” he whispers, his nose tracing the column of my neck before he places a kiss to the hollow of my shoulder. “But you like it.”

Yes, I did.

I liked it a lot.

CHAPTER THIRTY

BLAKE

Blondie:

Do you have a ladder?

I blink a few times as I reread the message, but the damn thing doesn’t change.

A ladder? Why would she?—

My gaze drops to the timestamp.

Cursing loudly, I slip my phone into my pocket and go to the kitchen, where I can hear the radio softly playing as Mrs. Maxwell works.

“Hey, Mrs. M., I’m going over to Savannah’s. She messaged me something about a ladder.” The image of Savannah trying to balance her weight on a ladder sends a chill through my bones. Her bump has really grown in the last few weeks, and she shouldn’t be climbing anywhere. It has a “bad idea” written all over it. I shake my head, pushing those thoughts back. “Can you keep an eye on the kids?”

Mrs. Maxwell snorts. “What kind of question is that? Off with you.” She grabs a towel to dry her hands. “I’ll go check in withthe boys and see if they want to go to the movies this afternoon. Levi’s been talking about it for days.”

I open my mouth to protest, that familiar pang of guilt eating at me. Levi heard in school that they were premiering the new Spider-Man movie in the small Bluebonnet theater, and he’s been talking on and on about how he wanted to go. I was planning to take him, but with all the other stuff, it just didn’t come up.

“Hey,” Mrs. Maxwell places her hand on my shoulder. “You both need to learn how to let people help you.”

I guess she had me there. I was constantly telling Savannah that she doesn’t have to do everything on her own, and yet, here I was trying to do just the same.

“I have the kids; you go and help your girl.” The corner of her mouth curls up. “You and Savannah deserve some alone time too.”

I run my fingers through my hair, not bothering to tell her we’ve been sneaking our alone time in the middle of the night for weeks now. “Okay, but if you need anything, just call. And you still have your card?—”

She rolls her eyes and pushes me toward the door. “I’ve been doing this for years, mister. I think I can manage. I’d tell you to be careful, but she’s already pregnant so…” She winks at me. “Have fun.”

Before I can say anything, she closes the door in my face, and I can hear her calling Levi and Daniel from the other side of the door.

Shaking my head, I make my way across the street, scanning the space for any sign of Savannah, but there is none.

What is she doing?

Knocking on the door, I wait for a moment, but when there is no answer, I press the door handle.

“Seriously, this woman?—”

Yes, this was a small town, but she should take her safety more seriously.

“Blondie?” I call out, looking down the hallway, but there is no answer.

I peek into the living room, hoping to find her curled on the couch reading one of those smutty books, but once again, it’s empty. Turning on my heels, I glance at the kitchen before making my way up the stairs. “Sav? You in here?”

Did something happen? She didn’t fall, did she?

My hand grips the railing harder as my heart kicks up a notch, dread spreading through me as my mind starts playing different scenarios in my mind, each one worse than the other. My palms turn sweaty as I take two steps at a time, my voice more frantic.

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