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“All hundreds, as far as I can tell, unless he’s hiding a bunch of ones somewhere there, but I didn’t see any. I’d bet he saved every hundred he got from the bar and put it in the safe. I didn’t realize he was so much of a saver, but come to think of it, I remember getting all my payments from him in twenties.”
Oakley nods, the muscles in her face relaxing as she grows serious. She looks up at me. “I guess it’s yours, then.”
“What?” I ask, scratching my head. “I don’t get it.”
“The money. It’s yours. I owe you that much for the bar, so this is me paying you off. You’re welcome, by the way.”
“Oakley, I…” Guilt washes over me, drenching my soul in the type of sorrow a man only feels when he knows that what he’s done is wrong. I can’t keep taking money from Oakley. I can’t even ask her to pay back what Angus owed. It just feels so wrong.
I put my plate down on the grass, kneeling down and taking her hands in mine. “I want you to know that any debt you owe is eclipsed by the feelings I have for you. I don’t want you to pay me anything for the bar. Smoke, Steel, & Whiskey belongs to you, and only you. I will make sure nobody touches it who isn’t welcome. I will have a hundred of my men guard it every night if need be. I want you to feel safe.”
Her eyes tear up, and I want to get up and pull her into my arms, but I remain on my knees. I have more to say. “Oakley, I want you to know something, and it’s not just because you’re rich now.”
She laughs, wiping a tear from her sparkling eyes. “Honestly, Savva, I have something to tell you too, but I want you to go first.”
My heart leaps, and then my throat threatens to close up and ruin the whole thing for me. I swallow hard, trying to get some moisture into my throat so that I can talk without croaking. “I just wanted you to know that I’m madly in love with you, absolutely head over heels.”
She puts her hand over her mouth, blinking rapidly as more tears come to her eyes. “Oh my God, Savva. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“I hope it’s not too soon, but I needed you to know,” I say, finally standing up.
“I love you too,” she replies, testing the words slowly, then repeating them. “I love you!”
She throws her arms around my neck, pulling me in for a kiss and rocking back and forth. I put my arms around her, holding her gently, still mindful of her injuries, but she seems oblivious to them.
“Wait, but I also have something to say,” she says, pulling back and clasping her hands together. “I need to do it now. I have to be brave.”
My stomach drops, anticipating the worst as she purses her lips and reaches into the back of her mind for the best way to tell me.
What could it be? She just admitted that she loved me, so what else could she possibly have to say?
“All the baby talk wasn’t for no reason,” she begins.
My shoulders relax a bit, but I’m still on the edge. What’s this about?
She squeezes her hands together until her knuckles turn a waxy white color. “God, I don’t know why this is so hard. I’ve been stressing so much about it that I think I’m going to hurt myself if I keep it in any longer. I’m pregnant.” She looks up at me expectantly, her eyebrows drawn together in a worried expression.
I’m surprised even though I know I shouldn’t be. I just thought that she had been on birth control when we started having sex. I didn’t expect it to turn out this way, but I suppose our recklessness could only end in one way.
“Um, wow,” I say, breathless and unsure how I’m supposed to respond. I’m excited, yes, but I don’t want to look like a fool if this isn’t what she wants.
“I hope that’s okay,” she says, putting her hand over her belly. “I know it’s a lot for you, and you never asked for this, but I didn’t want to keep hiding it from you, especially not after you told me that you were in love with me. The universe was just giving me all these signs that I should trust you, and here we are.” She laughs nervously. “You know, I wasn’t expecting it either.”
“No, that’s… That’s incredible. I was thinking maybe you weren’t happy about it, but if you are and you want the baby, then I don’t see why we can’t both be excited to bring it into the world,” I say, unable to stop myself from grinning ear to ear. I’m smiling so hard that it hurts my cheeks, pure paternal bliss rising up in my chest.
She sighs in relief. “Oh, good. I would’ve tried to raise the baby alone if I had to, but I want to do it with you. I love you so much, Savva. You don’t even understand.”
I pull her into another embrace, squeezing her shoulders and feeling the warmth of her delicate body. I can barely believe that I’m hugging two people now, and one of them is going to be running around the yard in a diaper pretty soon.
“I love you, Oakley. You’re my everything,” I say, closing my eyes and just being present with her.
I get the feeling that everything is going to be okay.
She pulls back after a moment, her eyebrows drawing together in focus. “I broke my phone at the bar yesterday, and I was really mad at my mom. I think I should call her, though. She may have tried to reach out since then.”
I nod at the front door to the house. “There’s a phone in the living room you can use if you know her number.”
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