“I think you have the wrong guy,” he finally said, looking a little uncomfortable as he took a drink.
She shook her head. “No. Although I did miscalculate a
few things about you that were pointed out a few months ago, you are still you. The past few days, staying here with you and you taking care of me, has reminded me of that. Thank you.”
“For?”
“Taking care of me. I hate that you’ve had to, but I do appreciate that you have.”
“It’s my fault you needed taking care of.”
“My wreck was a series of unfortunate events—the fender bender that caused the initial slowing down on the interstate, the driver behind me who was texting rather than paying attention to the road. You had nothing to do with my wreck.”
“It’s my fault you were on that road.”
“I chose to be on that road. You didn’t force me to drive to Nashville. I did that of my own free will.”
“You’re being too generous to me.”
She laughed. “No, Charlie. I assure you, being too generous with you isn’t what I’ve done over the past few months. Quite the opposite. I keep trying to dislike you but it just won’t happen, no matter how much I want it to.”
He winced again. “You would be better off if you hated me.”
She took a deep breath. “I thought so, but I was wrong.”
“How so?”
“Because you’re basically a good guy. Just because you didn’t want the same things from our relationship that I did doesn’t make you less of a good guy. It just makes you not the guy for me.”
The skin pulled tight over his cheeks and he took another drink. “You’ll find the right guy. You’re a wonderful woman and any man would be lucky to have you in his life.”
“You’re probably right,” she agreed, studying the man across the table from her and wondering if she already had found the right guy for her. “But if I never do, I’ll be just fine. I don’t need a man to make me feel complete. I had a good life before you and I’ll have a good life after you.”
As she said the words out loud, she knew they were true. Not that her life was the one she’d envisioned, but she would have a good life. She wasn’t so sure about the man sitting across from her.
“I hope you have a good life too, Charlie.”
He frowned. “I do.”
Savannah didn’t believe him.
“Truce for the baby’s sake?” she offered.
He nodded. “Just so long as you understand that for me nothing has changed from how I felt on the night I told you I was moving to Nashville.”
“Just so long as you understand that for me everything has changed from how I felt before the night you told me you were moving to Nashville,” she countered.
“Fair enough.”
The waiter set down a strawberry shortcake with homemade cream sauce, whipped topping, and two spoons.
Savannah sighed in appreciation. “That looks amazing. I’m pretty sure both spoons are for me since I am eating for two,” she teased, committed to the truce between them. A truce was the best thing for their baby, the best thing for both of them.
Being angry with him for being a jerk would be easier in many ways, but the reality was she couldn’t stay angry at a man who was taking such great care of her when he didn’t have to, other than the little fact that he hadn’t loved her nor wanted to stick around for the rest of her life. Now that she didn’t want him to, maybe they really could forge some type of truce that would allow them to raise their baby in peace.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“RUMMY!” SAVANNAH BURST out laughing and slapped the card Charlie had just played.