His mother’s eyes burned with outrage. “You’re a typical man. Thinking with the lower portion of your anatomy. You’re completely blinded by lust, but in a few years you won’t look at her with the same lovesick puppy eyes. Then you’ll thank me for trying to protect you. You can do better than her, Matt. Why can’t I make you see that?”
Matt shook his head, sadness and grief so thick in his chest he could barely breathe.
“I’ll never thank you for this. You’re nothing to me anymore. I’ll never subject my wife or children to your poison.”
Her face whitened with shock. “You don’t mean that!”
“I mean it. You aren’t my mother. I have no mother. I have no family save Savannah. I’ll never forgive you for this. Stay away from me. Stay away from Savannah. If you ever come within a hundred yards of my family, I’ll forget that you gave birth to me and I’ll have you hauled away in handcuffs. Are we understood?” he asked, his voice stiff.
She stared wordlessly at him, suddenly looking every one of her sixty years. If she hadn’t so callously tried to destroy the woman he loved, he would have felt sorry for her. But she showed no remorse. No regret.
“I have nothing more to say to you,” he bit out.
He turned and walked away, his mother’s cries for him to stop ringing in his ears.
He walked out of her house, never looking back. He got into the waiting cab and directed the driver back to the hospital.
Savannah needed him. Chances were she’d never forgive him, but he’d make sure she never wanted for another thing in her life. He’d provide for her. He’d spend the rest of his life making it up to her if only she’d let him.
Savannah awoke to silence. She was so relieved to no longer hear the horrible ringing in her ears that she could weep. The vile headache was gone. It no longer felt like the top of her head was going to explode. She was oddly free of pain.
It took her several moments of staring at her surroundings to discover that she was in a hospital room.
Then the events leading up to her collapse came back to her in a flash. Was she okay?
She blinked harder to bring the room more into focus. There was light shining through a crack in the bathroom door. A glance at the blinds told her that it was dark outside.
Then her gaze fell on the chair beside her bed and she found Matt staring at her, his gaze intense. She flinched away from the raw emotion shining in his dark eyes.
“Hey,” he said quietly. “How are you feeling?”
“Numb,” she answered before she could think better of it. “Kind of blank. My head doesn’t hurt anymore.”
He carefully picked up the sheet and pushed it over her feet. “They’ve been giving you meds and they’re monitoring you closely”
“Is something wrong with me?” Savannah asked, a knot of fear in her throat.
“You’re fine. Your blood pressure is stabilized.” He replied.
Savannah closed her eyes and then suddenly Matt was close to her, holding her, his lips pressed against her temple.
“Don’t worry, love,” he murmured. “You’re supposed to stay calm. You’re getting the best possible care. I’ve made sure of it. They’re monitoring you round-the-clock. Everything is going to be okay.”
She sagged against the pillow and closed her eyes. Relief pulsed through her but she was so tired she couldn’t muster the energy to do anything more than lie there thanking God that there was nothing serious wrong with her. She wasn’t sure she could handle any more problems. She had enough.
“I’m going to take care of you, Savvie,” Matt said softly against her temple. “I’m going to take care of you and protect you. Nothing will ever hurt you again. I swear it.”
Tears burned her eyelids. She was emotionally and physically exhausted and didn’t have the strength to argue. Something inside her was broken and she had no idea how to fix it. She felt so… disconnected.
Matt drew away, but his eyes were bright with concern…and love. But was it enough? What was love without trust? He wanted her. He felt guilty. He wasn’t a jerk. He had feelings and it would destroy him now that he knew the truth. But he hadn’t trusted her, and Savannah wasn’t sure if they could even forge a relationship when this much hurt and betrayal was involved. Maybe they’d been stupid to even attempt it.
“What’s going to happen?” she whispered. “Do I have to stay here? Do I go home?”
She bit her lip because she wasn’t sure where she’d go. Her relationship with Matt was a big question mark, but she had no place to go except home with him.
He took her hand—the one that she wore his ring on—and thumbed it absently.
“You’ll stay here until a decision is made about your health. But the doctor said that if you go home, you’ll have to rest “
Her expression must have reflected her horror and her fear, because Matt leaned over to kiss her forehead again. He held her hand and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles.
“I don’t want you to worry, honey, okay? It’s nothing serious. I’ll handle everything. We’ll go someplace warm and beautiful and all you’ll have to do is lie on the beach or in a comfortable chair and watch the sun set. I’ll hire a personal physician to oversee every part of your care.”
Her brow furrowed and she could feel the pain creep back into her head.
“Matt , we can’t just go off to some island paradise somewhere. Ignoring our problems won’t fix them.” She said.
He stroked a hand over her forehead, smoothing her hair back. “Right now, all you need to concentrate on is feeling better. And what I need to concentrate on is removing as much stress from your life as possible.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but he kissed her lightly, silencing her.
“I know we have a lot to work out, Savvie. I had no idea how much when I said this before. But right now let’s put our differences aside and concentrate on your health. Can we do that?” he asked.
Her resistance slid away. She nodded slowly, not withdrawing her hand from his.
Despite what had happened in the past, she didn’t doubt for a moment that he cared deeply about her.