Page 77 of Soaring Free
Savannah huffs. “It quite literally is none of your business, Shane, but nothing happened between Theo and me until after the divorce was finalized. So go ahead and spin whatever narrative you have to tell yourself to sleep at night, but I have done nothing but put our children first at each and every turn.” It is also none of the business of the people gathering to watch the drama unfold, but that ship has sailed. We may not be in front of the entire town right now, but enough people are here and gossip like this will travel faster than the speed of light.
“Oh really? Where are our babies right now then while you’re gallivanting this betrayal in front of our entire town?” I roll my eyes at his betrayal accusation. Savannah did no such thing.
“Our babies are with their aunt and cousin painting pumpkins—and is this even your town anymore? You don’t even live in Forrest Falls anymore, so even though there is no betrayal to galivant, I’m not sure what your problem is right now.”
“Sleeping with your attorney and my enemy isn’t a betrayal?” Shane barks a fake laugh and throws his hand up in exasperation like Savannah is being the ridiculous one right now.
Savannah throws her hand on her hip and levels Shane with a glare. “He wasn’t my attorney—his sister was! Also, we didn’t have our first date until after the divorce was finalized, you know, over six months after you bought a penthouse without me and filed for divorce. There’s no scandal here, Shane, so you can stop the theatrics. Are you in town for work or did you actually want to see your daughters? Do they even know you’re in town?”
Shane gets a wicked gleam in his eyes and takes a menacing step toward Savannah.
I think the fuck not.
I tug her under my arm and shift my body so I’m closer to Shane. “You know Savannah loves those girls better than anyone else ever could and she’s a wonderful mother, Shane. I knew you were an asshole, but I had no idea how low you were willing to stoop.”
“Oh, that’s rich coming from you.”
“Because … I’m rich? How original. That’s not even a good joke, but your behavior is. What’s the goal here? Make a public scene? Embarrass Savannah? Me? All I see is you embarrassing yourself, so if that’s your goal, congratulations, you’ve achieved that with flying colors, man.”
“This is between my wife and me, Harrington. I’m the best thing that ever happened to her and we both know it. Maybe if you hadn’t been involved trying to alienate her affection for me, she and I could have found a way to reconciliation, you know, for the sake of our girls.”
“What?” Savannah squeaks and rears her head back.
“You walked away, and now you’re making outlandish claims you can’t back up, but that’s on brand for you, Shane. All talk, no follow through.” Savannah nudges me and I know she’s uncomfortable at the crowd that continues to form around us, not even trying to be subtle in listening to this confrontation that Shane started—quite literally on Main Street. “Keep it up and you’re just giving her more evidence for the restraining order she should have filled against you months ago.”
“The fuck?!” Shane rears back like I punched him in the face. I’m guessing if his firm wanted him to wrap up his divorce without negative attention, then a restraining order would also be frowned upon. “You don’t have grounds for a restraining order, Savannah. This … this is a mistake. You do not want to threaten me. You know, maybe you liked the attention our divorce got you and you want more of it, even if it is at the cost of the wellbeing of our daughters. What a pathetic excuse of a mother.”
Before Savannah can respond, I interrupt whatever she was going to say. “This is not how you talk to a woman, let alone the mother of your children. And anyone that knows Savannah at all knows that she is a wonderful mother, and to say otherwise is to slander her good character. But keep it up. I have an entire team of attorneys that would love to pursue whatever you want to throw at us.”
“Us? There is no us. This—whatever it is—is nothing more than a fling, Harrington.”
“Huh, doesn’t feel like a fling when we’ve been talking about building plans for our new home. We want a fresh start, and it’s a little cramped right now.” I don’t fight the smile that spreads across my face as he realizes what I just admitted.
“What does that mean?”
I take a step closer and lower my voice. “It means that for the last three weeks or so—and you’d know this if you hadn’t cancelled the last two visits with your children—we have been living together. One big happy family.”
“That’s bullshit.” He turns to Savannah. “You wouldn’t move in with him without my permission.”
“I don’t need your permission to live my life, Shane. And it was just a temporary thing, but I don’t think it is anymore.”
“A temporary thing? Sounds like you’re just being dramatic. Again.” Shane turns his glare to me. “Enjoy my sloppy seconds, Harrington. She’s not even that good in bed, and my life is so much better without her in it and all her fucking drama.”
Savannah stiffens at the comment but does her best to keep her facial expression neutral. We all know Shane just wants to hurt Savannah, and his comments are aimed to do just that.
But I also can’t let him get away with spewing bullshit like that about Savannah.
“You do not speak to any woman like that—let alone my woman, Shane.” As I start to turn us away from his perpetual bullshit, I lean in and lower my voice so only Shane can hear me. “And I have found that to be outrageously false.”
“What the hell are you talking about now, Theodore?”
“Your false accusation about her not being good in bed. Well, I mean, you’re partially right, she’s not just good. She’s fucking outstanding.”
I can’t help but smirk as Shane’s eyes look as if they’re going to pop out of his head like a cartoon character. He’s about to say something else, but I turn and guide Savannah away from her asshole ex and toward the pumpkin painting station to find our girls.
My comment may have been slightly crass, but who the hell does this guy think he is to talk about Savannah like that? I’m quite proud of myself at not making a bigger scene, but as soon as I look down and see Savannah’s face, I think I might have overstepped.
Chapter fifty
