Page 17 of Bursting With Love
“You’ve only known him a day. Give it time,” Elizabeth said. “Maybe he’s a really sweet guy.”
Savannah thought of Jack. “Or maybe he’s too broken to ever heal.”
“Thanks, Savannah,” Josie teased.
Savannah rose to her feet. “Don’t mind me. I’m just in my own little world today. We should probably bring the water back up or Les Stroud will come looking for us.”
Josie picked up the pot of water and they began their walk back up the hill. “So you guys don’t think I’m a slut?”
She said it so quietly that Savannah almost missed the question. She put her arm over Josie’s shoulder. “You’re no more of a slut than I am. You’re young and free. Why not enjoy it? As long as no one is getting hurt, why shouldn’t you enjoy each other? Even if it’s only for a few days.”
“Thanks, Savannah.” She looked at Elizabeth and grabbed that lock of hair and began fiddling with it again. “Elizabeth?” she asked tentatively.
Elizabeth turned to face her with a wide smile. “I’m all for sharing yourself with whoever you feel will bring you pleasure, until you find the one whose pleasure you could never live without. I get a feeling about these things, and I don’t think either of those two men are broken beyond repair.” She held Savannah’s gaze.
“Are you Jack’s personal dating consultant or something?” Savannah asked.
“No,” Elizabeth said. “I just see something between you guys. I don’t know why, but…” She shrugged. When the campsite came into view, Elizabeth grabbed their arms and stopped walking. She lifted her chin toward Jack and Aiden, sitting side by side. Lou and Pratt sat across from them by the fire, each manipulating a length of rope. It looked like Jack was teaching them how to tie a knot.
“Those do not look like broken men to me,” Elizabeth said.
Jack put his arm around Aiden and pulled him close. His deep voice boomed into the evening. “Great job! You’ll be a master survivalist soon.”
Aiden wrapped his arms around Jack’s waist and hugged him. Savannah wasn’t surprised to see Jack’s body stiffen. His arm hung in the air above the boy, as if the hug were a giant leap from his arm on the boy’s shoulder. He lowered it slowly toward Aiden’s back, as if he were almost afraid to hug him, and in the next moment, he pulled the little boy close. The sweetness of the moment in the dimming sunlight brought Savannah’s hand to her heart. Jack rested his head on the top of Aiden’s hair and caught all three women staring at him.
Chapter Seven
JACK HAD BEEN dreading the night since he’d woken up that morning. He knew that the minute he lay down he’d be barraged with memories of kissing Savannah, and those images would be chased by Linda’s trusting and disappointed face. He’d never cheated on her when she was alive—and now, two years after her death, he was nearly paralyzed with guilt over a single kiss. A kiss that had him thinking about plenty of other dirty things besides Savannah’s lips. He couldn’t push past the thought that he had carelessly crushed his wedding vows. Thinking of Linda brought his mind to Aiden and how good it felt to spend time with a child.
He sat on the boulder beside the camp with his knees pulled up, his hands steepled together in front of his mouth, and his chin resting on the pads of his thumbs. He wondered what he would be like if he had a normal life. Normal. Jack wasn’t sure he even knew what normal looked like anymore. Was normal two adults with dreadlocks and an awesome son? Or was it a single career woman hiding out in the woods to heal whatever ache she had at the moment? Or was normal two kids searching for answers? Maybe there was no normal. Will I ever find my normal again—whatever that is—and have the family I always wanted?
Jack lay back on the rock and looked up at the stars, thinking of his brothers and sister. He was the eldest of six. Before Linda died, he’d seen his four younger brothers and his sister often. Now he was lucky to see them once a year. He closed his eyes and listened to the sound of Elizabeth and Lou singing to Aiden, and their voices silencing when, he was sure, Aiden had finally closed his eyes and fallen asleep. A few minutes later, the metallic scratch of the zipper on Pratt and Josie’s tent broke through the silence. Josie’s hushed giggles brought a smile to Jack’s lips despite his internal conflict. He wondered what it would be like to camp with a woman who truly enjoyed the outdoors. Linda never had, and now, as he lay beneath the stars, he wondered if Savannah ever would. He draped his arm over his eyes to block out the moonlight and wondered if he might fall asleep right there with the cold, hard rock at his back.
