Free Midnight Secrets by Ella Grace Page A

smile was followed quickly by a nervous biting of her mouth. “Would it be terribly selfish of me to ask you to come to breakfast in the morning? We’ll make you something extra special.”
    She had no idea how much he would love to say yes. Spending extra time with her was incredibly tempting. But he couldn’t. He had made a promise to his mother that he would have breakfast with her. And though he had issues with Francine, Zach prided himself on keeping his promises.
    “I wish I could but I promised to have breakfast with my mother. I’ll still stop by on the way out of town. Okay?”
    “I understand. I know she’s going to miss you.”
    Zach nodded but stayed silent. Discussing his mother was taboo anyway. Talking about her tonight of all nights was impossible.
    Reading his silence correctly, Savannah changed the subject. “I’ll fix you a lunch that you can take with you so you don’t have to eat at a fast-food place. Maybe you can find a roadside park on the way.”
    He had to smile. Savannah was always trying to make sure he ate well. Zach searched for the right way to convey how much he appreciated that and what she meant to him. Words failed him but he trudged forward. “These last few weeks have been a lot of fun.” Bland and insipid words. As soon as they left his lips, he wanted to yank them back. They were an understatement of mammoth proportions. From the moment he’d met her, Savannah had treated him as if he was something special. And in all his years, he’d never laughed so hard or felt so good. Nor had he ever cared for anyone so much.
    She tilted her head to look up at him, and her lips trembled for a second before she put on the smile he knew he’d dream about for the rest of his life. “I’m going to miss you so much but I’m so proud of you. I know your dad would be, too.”
    Though they rarely talked family stuff, he’d explained to her why he had joined the army. About his dad, his service and sacrifice. And in return, she’d told him about her mother. What a fine and beautiful person she was. It had often struck him as odd that they were from completely different backgrounds but had so many similarities. Maybe that was one of the reasons they fit so well together.
    He swallowed hard and heard himself say, “You’ve got a lot of big stuff ahead of you, too. College and law school. I know your mom would be happy about your choices.”
    “I think she might be very surprised. Up until it happened, I never even paid that much attention in school—she was always encouraging me to study more.”
    She always referred to her mother’s murder as “it.” Never able to say those words.
    “I’ve no doubt she would be proud of you and what you’ve become,” he told her.
    “I hope so.” Her fingers traced his face as if trying to commit it to memory. “What am I going to do without you? You always make me feel better about everything.”
    “You’ll be so busy, you’ll probably forget about me in a few weeks.”
    Deep down he knew that was one of his biggest fears. They had this unbelievable connection now but what would happen when they were far apart for months at a time? Would she meet someone else? What if she wanted to date other guys?
    “If you wanted to date other guys, I’d understand.”
    She froze in his arms. “Are you breaking up with me?”
    Ah hell, he’d planned to tell her how much she meant to him and instead made her think he wanted to end things with her. “Of course not. I just don’t want to hold you back if that’s something you wanted to do.”
    Green eyes searched his face, questioning and vulnerable. To prevent himself from saying more stupid things, he pulled her back into his arms and lowered his mouth to cover hers. She tasted like butterscotch and vanilla, both flavors from the dessert sundae they’d shared earlier. The memory of her taste would be with him until he died.
    With a sweet moan of surrender, she sank into his arms. Seeking soft, firm