Page 30 of The Game Plan
Dad. The word flies out of her mouth, and instantly, I’m hit with a what-if. What if I were her baby’s dad? What if this were all mine? Shaking my head to clear the runaway thoughts, I focus on her—the woman who nearly gave me a stroke from worry.
“I’ve been pacing like an idiot thinking something happened to you.”
She scoffs. “I wasn’t aware I had a curfew,” she tosses over her shoulder, brushing past me toward the couch.
“You don’t,” I grumble, trying to rein in my temper. “But you said your shift ended at eleven.”
“It does, but tonight we had a staff meeting run over, and by the time I got out of the building, it was closer to eleven-thirty. And then…” Sav raises the brown bag. “I was craving tacos. Besides, you didn’t call to check on me.”
“I was afraid of distracting you while you were driving.”
Savannah kicks her heels off before dropping onto the couch. She relaxes into the sofa like she’s been dying to do that for hours and settles the bag of tacos into her lap, pulling out a wrapper. I stand and watch her make herself at home, like I asked her to. My heart warms at the sight.
Her mouth closes around the taco, eyes closing as a soft moan leaves her lips, and my body heats.
Fuck’s sake. Get a grip, Campbell.
“I didn’t want to wake you by cooking,” she says around a mouthful.
My shoulders ease, and I take a deep breath, walking toward her. Without a thought, I lean down and press my lips to the top of her head. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I didn’t mean to yell.”
She stiffens at my gesture before melting into it. “It’s okay. I’m sorry I didn’t let you know I was stopping. I didn’t think you’d be up.”
Rounding the coffee table, I take a seat on the opposite side of the couch. “I couldn’t go to bed without making sure you were home safe.”
“You worried about the baby, Sunshine?”
“You, Peach,” I admit. “Worried about you.”
Her cheeks flush as she turns her attention back to her tacos. Lifting one, she gestures it toward me. “Want one?”
I shake my head. “No, thanks.”
We fall into a comfortable silence as she eats and I watch the same reel of sports highlights flash on TV. The sound of paper crinkling has me turning my attention to the woman I can’t stop thinking about. Sav must feel my gaze on her. Her eyes meet mine, and electricity crackles between us.
Her expression softens. We’re sitting close enough that when she stretches her arm out, she places her hand on mine. Heat flares at our connection. “Thanks for worrying about me, but you don’t have to wait for me every night.”
“You’re living here. I wasn’t going to bed until I knew you were okay.”
“Thanks, Grant…for everything.”
Turning my hand over, her fingers fall between mine, and I squeeze gently.
I feel that same damn ache. The one I always get when Savannah Holycross is in my presence. The kind that has me wanting to claim her. Crew’s words from earlier run through my mind.Your past with her isn’t in the past anymore—it’s your present. Decide if you want it to be your future.I want to know when Crew and my sister got so philosophical with their relationship advice.
Knowing I want Savannah and her baby in my future, I vow to myself that I’ll start showing her.
Sitting here with her, for the first time all day, I can finally breathe.
She makes me feel alive.
Alittle over a week has passed since I moved in with Grant. Saying we’ve fallen into a routine would be a stretch. It’s not awkward, but it’s notnotawkward. We don’t talk about what this is. It’s more than roommates, but not a relationship.
It’s like we’re both waiting to see who crosses the invisible line first.
Grant’s been…great, like really great. Helpful, present—but never hovering. I’ve caught him watching me more than once, but he never says anything. It’s like a million things are running through his head, too, and neither of us knows what to say.
Even with us both working opposite shifts, he still finds a way to make my day. Some days, he sends me a ‘good morning’ text. Other days, he has a warm bath waiting for me when I get home from work. After the freak-out incident when I came home later than planned, I shared my location with him in case of an emergency. Now he uses it to track when I’ll walk in the door, surprising me with sweet gestures: a warm bath, dinner reheated,Criminal Mindsqueued up.
