Chapter 12

 

 

Sitting behind his desk again wrapping up a long, hectic day, Harding dialed Mordecai. He’d gotten confirmation from Amira and Zoya that they could leave for Asheville on Friday. Now, he needed to see if his brother’s schedule would allow him to break free this weekend.

“Yo, what’s up, Harding?” he answered, sounding out of breath.

“Hey, man. Didn’t think you were going to answer.”

“I wasn’t. It’s arm day. I’m pumping iron.”

“Then I’ll get right to the point. I don’t know if the girls have said anything to you yet, but—”

“Oh, Zoe had plenty to say,” Mordecai said cutting him off. “I didn’t know you and Savannah were broken up. When we last discussed it, I thought you were intent on working things out with her.”

Harding shook his head. That’s not what he had in mind to talk about. Just how much had Savannah told his sisters last night? Jeez. “That’s not why I’m calling you. Did Zoya happen to mention anything about us meeting with our half-brothers this weekend?”

“She did, and yes, I’m free. I don’t have any sessions this weekend,” he told him. As a personal trainer, even if he did have clients, he could easily reschedule. “Now, let’s get back to Savannah. What’s going on, Harding?”

“That’s between me and Savannah, don’t you think?”

“Nope,” Mordecai said. He chuckled. “Okay, maybe it is but I feel like she’s a part of this family. Besides, we’ve already had a talk about your dilemma. No need to keep everything to yourself now. I know how much you love the girl so go ahead and get it off of your chest. Are you and Savannah really getting a divorce?”

“It could come down to it. I’ve scheduled an appointment with a lawyer next week.”

“Dang. What happened, man?”

“It’s not working out how I’d hoped.”

“Huh?”

“The long distance, the family drama—”

“Man, forget her parents,” Mordecai interrupted to say.

“How can I when they are the crux of our problem? Savannah has a lot at stake when it comes to us.”

“Like what?”

Harding blew a long breath and rubbed a hand across his head. “Nothing. I’m done talking about it. I’ll let you know about further plans for the meet and greet.” He hung up the phone and held his head. His brother was right. Savannah was a part of the family. Of his family. He just wasn’t a part of hers. While he felt like he didn’t owe anyone an explanation regarding his breakup with Savannah, in a way, he realized that he did.

She fit well with his side of the family – not bad for a man who had no intention of getting married in the first place. But a woman as beautiful and brilliant as Savannah could make a man change his mind easily. Just yesterday, he had to resist snatching her into his arms. She was his perfect woman – the one woman who made him break his own rules and eat his words. What exactly was he supposed to do without her? Start over? That wasn’t the answer. Who would he start over with? Any woman he would even attempt to date would be subpar compared to Savannah, and he’d be a fool if he tried to convince himself otherwise. Savannah was it for him, and he secretly hoped she believed the same about him. That she would fight for him.

He glanced at the clock on his computer screen. It was time for him to go but he wasn’t eager to go home. He hadn’t received any updates on Savannah’s whereabouts today and he, for some reason, thought she’d come back here to his office again as she had done the day prior. As time ticked on, that possibility was becoming more and more unlikely.

Before leaving his office, he called Dante back and told him they were all heading to Asheville on Friday. Dante had stated that they would figure out the accommodations once everyone arrived. That left them with a full day to pack for the weekend trip.

Harding smiled, thinking about the effort he put forth to make this all happen, something he hadn’t told Savannah about. He wanted to tell her, but they would only see each other once or twice a month and they were usually all over each other and didn’t talk much in detail about anything. Whenever they did talk, it would mostly be about her court cases, her parents and anything else going on in her world. Sometimes, he got the feeling that she avoided certain subjects in hopes he wouldn’t bring up their living arrangements. Now, she knew where he stood on matters. The fate of their marriage rested solely in her hands.