Page 105 of Heartbeats & Highways

Grimacing, I rushed to the window and quickly shut it, wishing the sound of the wooden frame hitting the sill wasn’t so loud.

“I’m good. Be out in a sec!” I called back.

“Okay. I’ll be downstairs.”

I used the bathroom and was washing my hands when there was another knock on the door.

“Evie, it’s me,” Savage said.

I quickly dried my hands and went to open the door. Savage’s expression was tight with emotion.

“We’re leaving,” he decreed.

“All right,” I said softly.

He raised his brows but said nothing at my quick agreement. He took my hand and we went downstairs to the kitchen. Willa was cutting up a banana bread loaf and placing slices onto dessert plates while Duke was wiping down the counters. Waverly and Sailor had disappeared.

“Ah, good. Just in time for dessert.” Willa glanced at Savage and then at me.

“We’re leaving,” Savage announced.

“Why?” Willa asked.

“Ask your husband,” Savage stated. “Come on, Evie.”

“Thanks for dinner,” I said.

Savage and I left their house and got into the car. He sat in the driver’s seat, staring out the window.

“I heard your talk with Duke,” I said.

He didn’t look at me. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, I was in the upstairs bathroom, and I heard through the open window.” I nibbled my lip. “He doesn’t like me.”

“He doesn’t know you.” He clenched the steering wheel.

“You should tell him how we really met, Savage.”

“That would just invite more questions.”

“Doesn’t he have a right to ask them?” I asked. “He’s your best friend. They’re your family. They just want what’s best for you.”

“You’re what’s best for me.”

“I agree.” I placed my hand on his arm. “Don’t be mad at him. Think about how this looks from his perspective. He’s not wrong for being concerned.”

“You’re being way too understanding about this.”

“What should I do?” I asked. “Demand you stop being friends with them? Choose me over your best friend? That would prove his point. I know how you feel about me. I also know how crazy fast this has been for us. Both of those things can be true.”

When he didn’t reply, I asked, “Savage? Who’s Tracy?”

I thought he wouldn’t reply because he was silent for so long, but he surprised me when he said, “She’s a girl from my childhood. She was someone I failed to protect. And I carry that guilt with me every day.”

I didn’t press him to tell me more.

It seemed we both had pasts we were trying to keep in the past.

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