Page 171 of Need You To Choose Me

I turn my attention to Savannah. All the color has drained from her face. Her gaze is distant, her hand resting on her belly as if she wanted to protect our baby from her mother at all costs.

“Sav, baby?” I ask tentatively, moving closer. “Are you okay?”

She blinks and looks up, but that emptiness is still clinging to her gaze. It’s like she turned off a switch inside her, and only a shell of a woman was left. “Yeah. I’m just tired.”

“Okay. Let’s get you?—”

Savannah shakes her head. “I think I’ll sleep in my bed tonight.”

What?

Hell to the no.

I slide my finger under her chin and lift her head to face me. “Savannah…”

Her lip trembles, some of that vulnerability peeking through the cracks of the fortress she built around herself, but she presses them together. “Not tonight. I can’t deal with this tonight, Blake.”

Her words are like a punch to my gut. She takes a step back, breaking the contact between us, and before I can come up with a way to change her mind, she’s already slipping into her house and locking the door.

“Fucking hell,” I mutter quietly, running my fingers through my hair.

“Dad?” I glance down at Levi, who’s watching me with wide eyes.

“Sorry, buddy. You okay?”

He nods, nibbling at his lip. “Was that really Sav’s mom?”

“I think so, yes.”

“She made Sav sad. I don’t think I like her.”

That made two of us.

“Is Sav going to be okay?”

Looking down at my son, there is no missing the worried expression on his face, so I rest my hand on his shoulder and pull him into my side. “I don’t know, buddy.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

SAVANNAH

The loud bang has me jumping in surprise. I look up from my book only to see Mom rushing down the stairs in a frenzy.

Dread settles inside my belly as I close the book, not even bothering to check where I left off before I get up.

“Mom?” I slide into the hallway to find her slipping into her shoes. My gaze darts to the bag tossed over her shoulder. “What’s going on?”

She looks up, surprise evident on her face as she straightens and shoves her blonde hair out of the way. “Savvy, you’re home from school.”

“Yes.”

I don’t bother pointing out that it’s Saturday, and there was no school today. She was a mess. Her cheeks were red, her eyes bloodshot. She’s been drinking. Again. She hasn’t been drinking since we got here a couple of months ago when we moved in with Grams after Mom’s boyfriend kicked us out of his house. Then again, I heard her and Grams shouting last night when I was supposed to be asleep. Grams was mad because Mom didn’t show up for my school play. Not that I expected her tosince she didn’t come to any of my other school stuff. But Grams was there, sitting in the first row and clapping excitedly the whole time. She even gave me flowers after.

“Where are you going?”

“Just have something to take care of.” Mom plasters a smile as she opens the door. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

What?

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