Page 84 of Freeing Savannah

Savannah nodded slowly. “Thank you. For calling. For telling me.”

“Sure thing. Get some rest.”

The call ended, and for a long moment, Savannah stared at the phone, caught between surprise and gratitude.

“She meant all of that, didn’t she?” she said softly.

Sawyer leaned closer, brushing her hand with his. “Yeah. She did.”

And for the first time since everything had fallen apart, Savannah felt like maybe—just maybe—things were beginning to come back together.

“Guess you’re officially Kandy-approved,” Savannah teased.

“I can sleep easy now,” he’d replied, dry as ever, before pulling her into his arms.

But now, the silence was heavier.

The weight of the truth still hadn’t fully landed. That Brian, the person she’d trusted for years and had advocated for adding him to the tour, had been behind it all . . . she didn’t know how to process that. Discovering his computer expertise was just as shocking to her. No wonder he’d so easily hacked into her iPad.

She hadn’t cried. Not yet. But her body felt wrung out, her mind scraping against disbelief like broken glass.

She turned to find Sawyer watching her.

“He loved me,” she whispered. “And he still tried to blow me up.”

Sawyer didn’t flinch. “He didn’t love you, Savi. He obsessed. That’s not the same thing.”

She nodded, though she wasn’t sure she believed it yet.

Then came a ding from her phone. A message from her mother. She opened it, fingers trembling.

I’ve filed. It’s done. I should’ve left him years ago. I’m sorry it took this long.

Savannah closed her eyes, heart squeezing. One more crack in the carefully polished image of her life. One more secret exposed.

“You okay?” Sawyer asked, putting an arm around her shoulders to pull her close. She handed him the phone. He read it, then nodded. “Good. It’s about damn time.”

So much had happened over the course of twenty-one days. The tour’s glittering legacy was now scorched earth, but Savannah found she didn’t care. Not about the press. Not about the shame or the scandals.

She only cared that she was still here. And so was he. She suddenly realized she wouldn’t change a thing about the past three weeks if it meant she hadn’t been reunited with Sawyer. He was the best thing to come out of all of this.

“I can’t stay in this place,” she said suddenly, voice shaking. “It feels like he’s still watching me here. Like the walls were trained to report back.”

Sawyer glanced around, eyes hardening. “Then don’t.”

She blinked. “What do you mean?”

He looked at her like it was obvious. “Come with me. Back to Bell Creek. Move in.”

Her mouth parted, but no words came.

“I mean it, Savi. I’ve got the space. And I want you there. With me.” He hesitated, then added, “It’s where you’re safe. It’s where you’rehome.”

Home.

She hadn’t had one in years. Not really.

“Okay,” she whispered. “Yes. I want that.”

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