Page 16 of Protective Phlox

“She didn’t say what she wanted, just that she wished to speak to you.”

“Well, she’ll have to wait. I need to get work done before I deal with her. With the mood my father put me in, I’m liable to kill her.”

I walked into my office and took off my jacket, placing it on the back of my leather chair. Goran didn’t usually follow me, but he did today, and I glanced at him as I sat down.

“Do you have something you want to say,” I asked, rolling up the sleeves on my shirt before opening my desk drawer and pulling out a bottle of vodka. Pouring myself half a glass, I offered it to Goran, who shook his head.

“May I speak to you as a friend for a minute?” I glared at him, annoyed that he was asking me this stupid question again. “Fine,” he said and closed the office door before he sat down across from me. “Do you not think you’re being a bit harsh on Savannah?”

My fingers drummed on the top of the desk. “No, why? You think what she did was right?”

“I didn’t say that. I think that Savannah was in a difficult situation and chose what she felt gave her son the best chance at a normal life. How many times have you said you wished you’d never been born into this family?”

“That doesn’t make it right that she kept my son from me. I know nothing about him. He is a virtual stranger, and she’s so…so…infuriating.” Chugging down the vodka, I let the burn settle in my stomach as I stared at the folders of projects I had on the go.

“I never said that choosing to keep him from you was the right choice. But would you have chosen differently? I guess I’m just saying, maybe try talking to her about it rather than…well…what you’ve been doing. You may get better results.” Goran stood and did up the button on his suit.

“She is far too bold, and mouthy, and aggravating, and….”

“She is all the things you fell in love with years ago and still love today.” I glared at Goran. “She pushes your buttons because you push hers. The chemistry between you is tangible, but you’re both strong-willed. Continuously locking horns isn’t going to work.”

He was right. Savannah could push my buttons like no one else, and even when she yielded, she never fully handed herself to me on a silver platter. That wasn’t true. She had let go at the resort and allowed me to see all of her. That was when I knew I was in trouble. It was why I left before she was awake. I was too tempted to stay at that resort with her forever, and we’d already discussed it until there was nothing more to be said. She would go her way, and I would go mine, back to our worlds, and pretend that our time never happened.

“Just think about it. I’m heading to Shameless and then Delirium. There has been some trouble with drunk patrons, and you know how much I love handling that.” He smirked.

“Are you planning on sleeping?”

Goran walked to the door. “I’ll sleep when you sleep.”

“Then you may never sleep again,” I teased.

“So be it,” he said and slipped out. If I could only find a cloning machine so I could make a hundred of him, I would be set.

I grabbed the folder off the top of the pile and flipped open the top, but the words were all blurring together as my mind zoned out to Savannah and Cutter upstairs. A soft knock on the door jerked me out of my confounding thoughts.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and my mother stepped inside. She looked as livid as my father had. Great, here comes round two.

I stood and walked around the desk as she marched forward and slapped me across the face. My mother had never hit me. I grabbed my cheek out of shock, not because it hurt. Her eyes filled with tears.

“How dare you, Nathaniel Grigoriy Mikhailov.”

“Not you, too. I already had to hear the rant about bringing shame down on the family.”

I went to turn away, but my mom grabbed my arm and pointed at me. “I don’t care about that. I care that you got married without me there. I spent my life raising you four and have done nothing but look forward to the day that I could watch my children fall in love and marry and give me grandbabies to dote on. I wanted to help pick dresses and pour over flowers with your betrothed, and instead, you get married across the world with none of the family and….” Mom sucked in a deep breath from her rant and collapsed into my chair, tears running down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have struck you, I….” She broke down sobbing. I hadn’t been expecting this reaction at all.

I kneeled in front of my mom and grabbed her hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t have a choice. If I brought Savannah back here without being married, Dad would try to kill her. This was safest. I didn’t mean to cut you out.” I grabbed some tissues from the holder on my desk to hand her. She dabbed at her eyes.

Mom sighed like she was carrying the weight of the world. “Tell me, Nate, is it true? Do I have a grandbaby?” I smiled and nodded. Her face morphed immediately.

“He is incredible. I…I can’t even explain the feeling I had when I saw him.”

“It’s called love, my son. I know you haven’t had a chance to see much of that in this house, but I have wished nothing but love for my children. What’s his name?”

I stood and leaned against my desk. “Savannah named him Cutter Nathaniel Freeborn after her, but I’m going to rectify that and make sure he has the Mikhailov name.”

“Can I meet them?”