Page 68 of Soaring Free
An arm around my shoulder startles me momentarily before I realize it’s my sister. “It’s okay, Sav. This won’t last forever and you are going to get through this.” Vivian comforts me as I turn in to accept her hug. I’m used to being the one taking care of her, not the other way around, but right now, I need her. “You know whoever is doing this messed with the wrong damn woman and family, right?” I nod. She’s right. I know she’s right, and I know this won’t last forever, but man, I wish I was already on the other side and could focus my rage at whoever is making me feel uneasy in my own home. Whoever they are, they would be wise to start running now, because this mama bear is coming for them with claws out and an entire Cavalry at her back.
Even my chamomile tea and honey in my favorite lavender mug didn’t help relax me last night before bed, and I tossed and turned most of the night. I’m about to make my second cup of coffee for the morning as the girls eat breakfast when the doorbell rings. I check the screen of the smart speaker on my counter and grin when I see the unexpected surprise.
I throw open the door with a big grin. “Well, fancy see y’all here. Good morning, Gigi, Theo. To what do we owe this lovely morning surprise?”
Theo holds up a bag of pastries from Sprinkles, the bakery on Main Street, and a tray with two coffees from Java Jive, one that looks suspiciously like my preferred iced vanilla latte. “A little bird may have told me that you could use a little sweet treat this morning,” he says as they both come inside, and he leans in to kiss me good morning. Gigi gives me a quick hug before bouncing into the kitchen with the pastries to share with my girls.
“Hmmm. Does that little bird have a name of Vivian or Walker?” I tilt my head, still smiling but knowing one of them had to have mentioned my meltdown last night.
Theo shakes his head. “No ma’am, there’s a code.”
“Oh, a code, huh? Well, then that means it was Walker.” His eyes dance with amusement as he laughs, all but confirming my guess. “Whomever it is, I hope you tell them thank you because I needed this.” Theo and I are still in the foyer, and he pulls me in for a proper hug. I exhale a little more feeling his arms holding me.
He tilts my head up with a hand along my jaw. “And maybe I needed it too. I don’t like hearing you were upset and I wasn’t here. You should have called me. Why didn’t you?”
I shake my head. “I know, but it’s not fair to Pippa and Gigi that their routines get thrown off because I had a bad night and I needed you to come rushing over.”
“Says who? Also, those two love spending time together, and half the time I think they’re more put off that I don’t set up sleepovers more often. Gigi gets spoiled by her aunt and uncle, so don’t use that as an excuse. But if you insist on using that as an excuse, then why don’t we talk more about it and find a solution.” I gasp at what he’s insinuating. The only solution would be all of us sleeping under the same roof, and while I’m all in with him, it’s probably too soon to have that talk.
“I can see your wheels turning so let’s just lay it out, alright? Would most people think it’s soon to talk about moving in together? Sure. Maybe? I don’t know. Actually, don’t really fucking care. But you know what I do know? I know that I’ve never felt like this with anyone in my entire life, Savannah. You are feisty, loving, intelligent,” he pauses to kiss my forehead before continuing, “an absolute knockout, a wonderful mama, and a million other things. So, this shouldn’t be that big of a shock when I tell you that falling in love with you was one of the easiest things I have ever done in my life.”
I raise a hand to his cheek, needing to be closer to him. “You … you love me?” I barely whisper.
“Without a doubt. You are more than my girlfriend, Savannah. You’re mine. And my heart? It’s yours.” He leans down and presses his forehead against mine. “Those feisty little kitten claws have permanently extended into my heart, into my soul, into my daily thoughts, and into my future plans. I’m yours, baby. Whatever that means or looks like for us, I need you to know that.”
“It was easy,” I softly respond, our lips almost touching.
“Sinking your claws into me?” He smirks.
I chuckle. “No. Well, maybe. But it was easy for me to fall in love with you too. I’m right there with you, Theo Smith-Harrington. I’m not sure the moment it happened, but you have become my safe place, my shelter from the storm, and when I’m not with you, I miss you because I’m missing a piece of my heart that belongs with me.”
“I absolutely belong with you because we belong together.”
The tears that have been threatening to spill tip over the edge, but for the first time in months, these aren’t sad or angry tears. They are tears of adoration, elation, and devotion. “I love you, Theo.” I barely get his name out before his lips descend on mine and he devours my mouth. I run my hand up to grip his hair, giving it a slight tug like I know drives him wild. Loud giggling from the kitchen causes us to separate with massive smiles on both of our faces.
Theo leans down and kisses the tip of my nose. “Next time you need me, I expect you to call me, regardless of what other people might think or need or expect.” I nod in agreement. “We have a lot of things to figure out, and we will, I promise, but I’m so happy to not have to try and hold those words back anymore.”
“Oh really? Was it a struggle?” I tease as we turn to walk down the hallway, holding hands to join our girls in the kitchen.
“Daily. I’ve wanted to say those words to you since I saw you standing up at your sister’s wedding in Texas almost three weeks ago.”
“Well, I can’t imagine a better start to my day than hand-delivered coffee and a declaration of love. I think it’s going to be a good day, sir.”
Just before we reach the kitchen, Theo lands a playful slap on my ass, making me jump in surprise. “I can think of a few ways that would definitely be a more fun way to start the morning, but I’ll have to show you another time.” He laughs as he reaches into the carryout bag from Sprinkles and pulls out one of my favorite blueberry muffins.
I bite my lip as my imagination runs wild. “I look forward to exploring that with you,” I tell him quietly, so our girls don’t hear.
He grabs a plate from the cupboard and puts the muffin on it before handing it to me with a wink. “Sounds like a great plan to me, baby.”
Chapter forty-one
“Not so high, peanut!” I squeal as Lucy tries to get her pizza dough to touch the ceiling.
“Oops, sorry, Mama!” She grins, showing the adorable gap where her two front adult teeth will be coming in before I’m ready for it.
“You’re doing great, kiddo!” Theo reaches across the counter with a closed fist and Lucy meets with her own for a fist bump. “I think you even threw it higher than I did, but if anyone hits the actual ceiling, I call not it for cleaning it off.”
I laugh as I look up at Theo’s kitchen ceiling and realize that it’s probably impossible for any of us to toss dough that high unless we rolled it into a ball and threw it straight up. My eyes meet Theo’s across the kitchen and he winks at me. Gigi read some book where a family made their own mini pizzas and requested that we do that—together. While other couples may be spending their Saturday night out on the town, we are spending it with our four girls, and I think we got the better deal. Each girl has their own little station set up to make their own pizzas, and Theo’s granite countertops are covered in flour, dough, and soon will likely be covered in marinara sauce.
