16. Nixon

Chapter 16

Nixon

Shit. I should've kept my mouth shut instead of putting Chad in his place. Now, I've upset Savvy.

"I'll go help. There's a lot of stuff to get ready." I rise from the chair; my sole priority is Savannah.

Entering the kitchen, I find her hands braced on the counter, her head hanging low. Her shoulders are stiff and I can tell she's more than upset.

"Are you ok?" I keep my voice soft so I don't frighten her. She jumps anyway. Her hand flies to her chest.

"I'm good, fine. What could possibly be wrong?" She throws her hands in the air and lets them fall to her sides.

"Savvy… Don't," I whisper.

"Don't what?"

"Don't do that to me. We don't lie to each other. We're transparent, raw and honest."

"You want honesty?"

I nod my head, my gaze never leaving her. I know whatever leaves her mouth is going to gut me, but I can't shy away from this conversation.

"Ok, here's a little dose of honesty. It hurts like hell knowing my boyfriend of a year has no plans of staying together unless I want to pack up my entire life and move across the country. Then he guesses we can keep this going. Just what every girl wants to hear."

"You deserve better than him anyway."

"Don't you dare judge me for who I'm dating." She glares.

"I'm not. Honest. I just… I want to see you happy, that's all I've ever wanted."

"You wouldn't know what makes me happy, Nix. You don't know me anymore." She glares as she lets all of her anger focus on me. I don't mind. If she needs a punching bag, I can be there for the night.

"You're right." I close the distance between us. "But I want to get to know you all over again. I want to know your favorite things and what you hate. I want to know your comfort foods and what you wear to lounge around. I plan on learning everything about this version of you."

"Why?"

"Because, I told you, I never stopped caring. I never will."

She glances away, nibbling on her bottom lip. For a few minutes we stay in silence. I can see the emotions running across her features. She's torn on what to do. She's hurt and in pain, but she wants to go back to how things used to be.

"What desserts am I even supposed to be getting? I don't even know what Mom made." She pushes off the counter.

"She didn't make anything. I did it all."

"Are you kidding me? She let you make dessert too? Shit, Nixon! Is she sick? Is she dying? Please tell me she's not dying!" Savannah's frantic as tears fill her eyes at the thought of something being wrong with Carla.

"No. Nothing like that. I kinda asked her to let me do everything. She's been running herself ragged this week trying to fill all the orders the restaurant had and then with Thanksgiving tomorrow… I wanted to give her a break."

"Really? You did this for her?" She peers up at me, wide blue eyes locked on mine.

"No. I did it all for you," I whisper.

Her brows furrow like she doesn't understand. Her gaze flickers from my lips to my eyes and back again. Her chest rises and falls more rapidly than before. Her tongue swipes across her bottom lip, drawing my attention, making me want to claim them. Leaning down, I close the distance, wanting to kiss her just as much as she wants to kiss me.

Right before our lips touch, she places a hand on my chest, stopping me from doing anything else. I'd never touch Savvy without her permission and she knows it.

"We can't, Nix. I have a boyfriend."

I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment before taking a step back. She's right, she does have a boyfriend, but for how much longer? He obviously isn't in love with her. If he was, his plans for after college would not only include her, they'd center around her.

My plans center around Savannah. I came back here for her. Yes, I can work from anywhere, but even if I couldn't, I'd still be here. She's all that matters.

"I'll get the cheesecake if you want to get the cannolis and the pizzelle," I mutter, stepping around her.

"Nixon…" My name falls off her lips like a plea, but I can't handle that right now.

My heart already feels like it's been ripped out of my chest and stomped on. Every single time Chad touches her, the ache grows. Every time she looks up at him with familiarity I want to scream.

That should be me holding her in my arms. It should be me she finds a familiar comfort with. Chad shouldn't exist in her life because I should be the only one.

"I'll come back for plates and forks," I call over my shoulder, making my way into the living room.

Carla's gaze finds me the instant I'm within view. Her motherly look gives me the strength to get through the rest of the night. I know at the end of the day, Carla and Donny are on my side. That holds more weight than anything and will give me a fighting chance.

I wait until Savannah comes out, then I go back in for plates and forks. I don't want any more alone time with her right now.

"Who wants some cheesecake? Donny?"

"Damn, Nixon, you think I'll turn down cheesecake? No way in hell. Make sure you put a cannoli and pizzelle on there too. What kind of Italian would I be if I didn't go to bed stuffed? I have to see if your skills live up to Carla's praise."

Handing him a plate, I don't say a word. I want to know what he thinks. His opinion means more to me than I care to admit.

"Carla?" I motion to the desserts.

"A small piece of everything, sweet boy. I want to know if I'm a good teacher."

Everyone else says the same, they all want to sample each dessert. By the time I've gotten my own plate, Donny's setting his empty one down on the end table.

"Nixon, I think we need to have a talk," he says grimly.

"About what?" I roll my eyes, my lips twitching.

"About why the hell you aren't working for me full time! Everything was amazing tonight. You're on Carla's level of skills."

"Thank you. I'm glad you liked it."

"Liked it? I loved it, son. I'm serious, the offer always stands for you to take a place in the family business. Whenever you get tired of being your own boss, you come see me."

"Family business? You know he's not actually family, right?" Chad snickers.

"Nixon will always be part of my family as far as I'm concerned," Donny snaps with a glare. "And who knows, maybe one day he'll legally be family."

"She's my girlfriend," Chad growls.

"For now. You said so yourself, at the end of next semester you're going back to California. Who knows what will happen then?"

"Dad, please," Savannah begs, her gaze bouncing between all three of the men in the room.

I keep my expression neutral, there's no reason to engage in this argument. Savannah needs to make her own choice where Chad is concerned.

As soon as I'm done with my dessert, I begin cleaning up everything. I'm emptying the dishwasher when Carla comes into the room.

"Stop it. You cooked everything, let me clean up. Go enjoy your time with Savannah."

"She doesn't want to spend time with me."

"She does, sweetie. She's torn right now. Having an old crush and her current boyfriend in the same house has to be a little stressful."

"Maybe I should just go back to my house."

"No, I don't think that's what she needs. She needs you to remind her why you were always her best friend. You were the one she leaned on when things got tough. I'd say right now is a tough time for her. She's about to close one chapter of her life and she's unsure of what will happen next. Her entire future is up in the air."

"I'll try. I think I'm going to call it a night though. I can only take so much of Chad in one sitting."

"That makes two of us," she whispers with a frown.

"Night, Carla." Placing a kiss on her cheek, I exit the room to tell everyone else goodnight.

"I'm heading to bed. It was nice meeting you, Devon and Chad. Donny, thanks for letting me use your kitchen. Savvy… It's good to see you again." Tapping the door frame twice, I take the steps two at a time and close myself inside my room.

This is going to be a long weekend filled with nothing but stress.