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rips my heart a little more. I know their hearts hurt as much as mine, but I have to do what’s best to keep my babies safe. I hold them both until their cries soften and they fall asleep.
Around two AM I get out of bed to take some pain medicine. Sleep is fighting me so hard tonight. After checking the locks on the front door, I trudge back down the hall towards my bedroom. When I hear the chains on the porch swing rattle, I stop and listen closer, holding my breath. The springs squeak, followed by more chain rattling. Panic creeps up my back and I slowly make my way to the bedroom to get my phone. I don’t want to call nine-one-one since it might just be a stray dog, or my imagination. I don’t want to call Colton because he has a pregnant wife at home to care for. Picking up my phone I walk back into the hallway and listen closely. The porch swing rattles again and I quickly dial Luke’s number pressing send.
“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” He asks answering on the first ring.
“The porch swing is rattling. I’m scared.”
“What?” He chuckles.
“It sounds like someone is on the porch swing, Luke.”
“Sweetheart, open the front door.”
“What? Are you crazy? I’m scared. I know it’s late but can’t you come over and double check the house for me, please?” I whine. Luke sighs and I’m sure he thinks I’m crazy now.
“Sweetheart, listen to me. Walk to the front door and open it. Can you do that, Savannah?” I whimper into the phone. “Savannah, scoot.”
I slowly scoot as he requested towards the front door. “I swear if I get axed by my psycho bastard brother or one of his hit men, I’m hauntin’ your ass, Luke.” I whisper and Luke laughs into the phone again. My chest heaves nervously as I unlock the front door and twist the door knob.
“Savannah, ya gonna open the door?” Luke asks and his voice echoes. I pull the door open and slowly peek out the crack. Luke smiles at me from the porch swing, his dark brown hair a disheveled mess.
“Told ya I’d stay, sweetheart.” He says reaching his arm out to me. I shuffle my feet slowly across the wooden planks and sit beside Luke on the porch swing. He tucks me under his arm and kisses my forehead. My eyes flutter closed and a tears slips down my cheek. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to scare ya. You wouldn’t have been scared had you not been so damn stubborn and just let me sleep on the couch.” Slowly pushing off with the balls of his feet, the swing sways back and forth.
“I didn’t know it was you.” I mutter against his chest.
“Savannah, listen to me.” He says tilting my face so that I’m forced to look at him. “I’ve watched you suffer enough. He can’t hurt you now. I know you’ll be safe as long as I’m close by.”
“Luke, you can’t just sleep on the porch swing. I’ll be fine, really. Go on home.” I yawn, the rocking motion of the swing nearly lulling me to sleep.
“Hell no. I’m stayin’ right here.” He brushes my hair down my back. “Havin’ a hard time sleepin’ tonight?”
“Uh huh,” I hum as my eyes grow heavy. Luke continues to rock the swing back and forth.
“Sleep, sweetheart.”
I made it through a marriage to Josh Moore, but I promise you the divorce just might be the death of me. Carly introduced me to her attorney, Michele Runyon and she is working to have the divorce finalized as quickly as possible. The paperwork is never ending. I don’t know half the assets we share, or what accounts he has where. Josh handled everything. Luckily, my name ain’t attached to Josh’s company, Black Pike. I told Michele he could have everything, I just want to wash my hands of what life we shared together and never look back.
Daddy left me a thick bank account that I’ll use to take care of the kids until I’m comfortable enough with leaving them to return to work at the hospital. Although I know it’s blood money, I’d rather use it to support my kids than to spend one damn dime of anything Josh Moore has. Or had, rather. Michele tells me that since Black Pike is under a class action law suit and there is enough evidence of criminal intent on the company’s part, most all of his assets will be seized until a ruling is made in the case. Michele promises me that the divorce should be swift and I’ll be able to move forward with my life quickly.
Brailee is adjusting well to living here, Braden on the other hand is having a hard time with Josh’s absence. He’s a Daddy’s boy and although Josh traveled a lot, the kids still talked to him nightly before bed; something they haven’t done in three weeks. I’ve tried everything I can think of to make the transition easier on him. He does fine through the day, but wakes up almost every night crying for Josh. I wake up to his screams and cuddle him closer to me to hush his cries, then sob quietly to myself. It hurts so bad that Braden wants the one person who caused our family all this pain. But my baby boy just don’t understand the painstaking reality.
Luke slept on the front porch the first week we lived here before I finally ran him home. After falling asleep next to him on the porch swing that first night, I was confused when I woke up the next morning in my bed with the front door locked. I searched all through the house for Luke before checking the last place I expected him to be; still on the front porch. Any other man would have passed out on the couch, ignoring my disapproval. But Luke ain’t like any other man I’ve ever met. He’s compassionate and thoughtful; two qualities that I’m truly not used to experiencing.
The following six nights were much like the first. After calming Braden down from his nightmares, I’d tip toe out to the porch swing and sit with Luke until sleep found me. We rarely spoke a word those seven nights. Each morning I woke up in my bed with the front door locked and a huge man sleeping on my porch swing. It was almost comical seeing his large body scrunched up in the small five foot long porch swing, his arm bent over his face to shield the blinding sun from his eyes each morning. Why a man would suffer like that, sleeping on a porch swing through the hot summer nights is beyond me. I cooked breakfast for him a few times and he played in the yard with the kids like it was an everyday adventure that he looked forward to. It was nice having someone watching over us, because I truly feel safe when he’s close. But I don’t want to depend on a man as a safety net. I’ll find my strength soon enough, like everything else it will just take time.
Explaining how I felt to Luke was hard. The last night he spent on the porch swing I found my way out here after getting Braden back to sleep. I sat down beside him and with one inhale of his woodsy scent I melted against him. He kissed the top of my head and sweetly muttered, “goodnight sweetheart,” as he rocked the swing back and forth. Realizing what was happening I quickly sat up and fought through chest wracking sobs as I laid it all on the line. How he understood anything I said as my voice cracked with each word is beyond me. I told him that I appreciated everything he had done for me, but I needed time to learn to stand on my own two feet; I don’t need to depend on a man. I told him that just because I don’t want him sleeping on my front porch, doesn’t mean that I don’t want him around at all. He understood but I won’t deny that my heart splintered seeing anguish wash over his baby blues.
To be honest, I’m so used to being terrified of a man, it feels nice to have someone who wants to protect me. I don’t even understand the draw Luke has to me, but it’s obviously there for the both of us.
Chapter 36
My nerves are frayed, completely tattered from being holed up in the house for more than a month. Colton has taken me out to dinner a few times. I’ve been to my doctor appointments and I walk over to Emma’s when I get really bored.
Once I was released from the hospital Colton refused to let me return to work. The baby was completely fine after the accident, or so we’ll call it, but anxiety seems to keep getting the best of me. Dr. Staton thought it would be best just to let me enjoy the remainder of my pregnancy at home. Colton has been the acting CEO of Simon Energy since I was forced to take early maternity leave. I told him he could bring paperwork home that I could complete from the bed and he simply laughed in my face. Even
asking him how things are at the mines is pointless. He’s so worried about causing more stress and sending me into pre-term labor that he has me stressed from trying to avoid stress…yeah, figure that one out, will ya? Just stumped the hell outta myself- THAT’S how STRESSED I am.
I’ve spent my bed rest/imprisonment reading, playing board games with the kids and cleaning. Savannah and I have fiercely scrubbed every single corner of this house, so much to the fact that Colton swears the scent of Lysol will be forever seared into his senses. Ha ha. It started around two AM one morning. I was having terrible Braxton Hicks and thought I’d feel better if I moved around a little, so I started to clean. Twelve hours later the house was sparkly clean and I finally passed out on the couch. A few days later when Savannah brought the kids over to play she found me standing on the counter top scrubbing the top of the kitchen cabinets.
