Breathe Again (40 page)
“You are still an arsehole, you know. Even after all these years.”
“Well I probably should have told you this before I put a ring on it, but I’ll probably always be an asshole.”
“Arrrrrrsehole, Tate. You really need to learn how to say it properly. God, I hope Max keeps his accent.”
“He is going to be a future heartbreaker, that son of ours. I swear he was making eyes at the celebrant. He is three years old and he is pulling the moves.”
“We have taught him well.”
Our laughter meshed together as we stood in each other’s arms, looking over what would always be the changing day of our lives. What I was quickly learning about Savannah and me was that our pasts would always be there. They would always haunt and hinder when we were at our weakest, but as we stood here on the beach in Santa Monica, I felt the strongest I had ever been. We had lost so much, but to me I had gained the world in the form of a beautiful Australian and a gorgeous little boy who was the light of our lives.
“Mr. Davenport wrote us a letter,” I said softly, moving so I was standing behind her, my arms wrapped around her waist
“Are we going to read it?”
“Do you want to read it now or when we get home?”
“I’m not a very patient person, Tate.” She laughed and I got my answer.
“Let’s go down the beach and read it.”
Holding hands, we walked quietly down towards the far end of the beach, away from the chatter of guests and flash of cameras. Taking a seat on the cool evening sand under the sunset of California, I removed the letter from my pocket before pulling Sav onto my lap.
“You ready?” I asked as I opened the letter and held it in front of us. She nodded and we sat still as both read the letter in silence.
Dear Mr and Mrs Connors,
Wow. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be writing this letter.
To be honest, I don’t know where to start. You two have caused me to go grey before my time and to age years before I should, but what I see when I look at you two is something I never could have imagined.
My Savannah, words are always lost when I try and say what you mean to me, what you have done for me and who you are to me. You are the daughter I was never gifted but you are the only one daughter I would ever want. I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. Your father was beside himself. He had a beautiful blond-haired, green-eyed daughter who was the calmest baby I had ever seen. I remember holding you in my arms that very first day and I remember you looking at me and I felt protective of you from that very first day. We were thrown together in a turbulent array of heartache and sadness when we lost your parents. If it weren’t for you, my girl, I don’t think I would be here, I actually know I wouldn’t be here. Your father was my best friend and was like my brother, and if I didn’t have you to care for, to protect, to love, and to cherish, I wouldn’t be here. It’s as simple as that.
You kept me on my toes, you gave me every experience a father would want, and I thank you for that. I thank you for the late night chats, the Sunday morning pancakes, the Wednesday night footy and pizza nights, and the constant look of contentment you always showed to me. I also thank you for the headaches, the worry, the stress, and the heartache you enjoyed giving me. It meant we were real, it meant we fought, and it meant I could watch you become the most amazing woman I know. You have suffered, my girl. You have seen the worst the world could offer and you have experienced tragedy I would never wish on anyone, but you came through. You are the epitome of strength and determination. You are my hero.
To my newly acquired son, I was never subtle about my concerns about you. I saw a lot of myself in you and that terrified me. I didn’t want that for my girl, I didn’t want any more heartbreak for her, and I didn’t want me for my girl. You are a stubborn bastard and I thank you for that. I thank you for fighting for her love. I thank you for loving her, for caring for her, for breaking down her walls, for being everything she needed and more. I am proud of the man you are and I couldn’t think of a better life partner for Savannah. I consider you my son and you have my full support with everything you choose to do with your life.
Today you start a new chapter together. You start your forever life with each other and I couldn’t be happier or prouder to watch you both take this giant step together.
If I can leave you with one thing and one thing only, I will say this. Love each other completely, and regret nothing about your relationship. Every bump and hurdle you face makes you the couple you are. Never lose your feistiness because that’s what makes you Tate and Sav. Trust each other, help each other, love each other, and complete each other.
Mr Davenport
PS – Sav, you really need to start calling me Simon! This whole Mr Davenport thing is highly inappropriate now that you are a married woman.
Sav’s sniffles from the words I’d just read gripped me. He’d called me his son. He had given me Savannah entirely. “Wow,” I said. No other words could describe what I was feeling.
“I’ll never call him Simon,” Sav spoke softly. She looked back at me with tear-stained cheeks. “It makes my day knowing that it annoys him.”
I couldn’t contain my laughter as it roared out of me. Savannah’s ability to make me laugh at the most inappropriate times amazed me, and I hope that never changed. She fell against my chest as we sat on the beach away from our family and friends, together on the first day of the rest of our lives. Today had been everything I could have wished for. Mr. Davenports words rung in my ears. It was true. Sav and I gone through the worst but we have come out with the best and together it seemed like nothing or no one could break what we had fought so hard to get. Savannah was the best thing to happen to me, it was as simple as that.
“How does it feel knowing that I’ve got you for life, Mr. Connors?” Sav asked softly from my lap, lifting her hand and flashing her wedding ring in my face.
Tightening my grip around her waist, I pulled her in closer to my body as my breath caught on her neck and I spoke words that couldn’t be any truer.
“It’s the best life sentence a man could ask for, Mrs. Connors.”
The End
Read the rest of The Breathe Series
I started this crazy journey in February 2013 and to think that one year later I would be writing my third set of acknowledgements is so far out of this world that I can’t even begin to comprehend. I started writing because I needed to get the craziness of characters out of my head, I started writing because I felt like I had something to say but mainly I started writing because it was my escape, my special place and a place that was entirely mine.
I have so many people to thank and I don’t want to miss a single one of you so here goes…..
Thank you firstly to my amazing and super supportive family. Thank you for putting up with my crazy writing hours, listening to me talk about my characters as if they were real people, being genuinely interested in what I am doing and for being so damn great. I am the luckiest girl in the world to be able to call you my own.
To my little Snubley - Thank you for inspiring the character of Max, he couldn’t have had a better muse. I am so proud to call myself your aunty and I adore every moment I spend with you. I’ll always be your orchie and will always encourage your Thomas and Gordy obsession. I love you so much little man.
To the bloggers – there are SO many of you that I need to thank and that would mean another book just of my thanks. Thank you for always accepting me into your world, for making me laugh when I am pulling my hair out over a deadline, for your amazingly kind words and for your encouragement to continue my dream as a writer. I wouldn’t be typing up these thanks without you, you are the ones that are the machine behind my books, you are the ones that share, promote, encourage and entice people to read my work and for that I thank you for every inch of my heart.
To my fellow authors – I love that I have a group of people that ‘get me.’ Thank you for the late night chats, the sprints, the all-nighters, the encouraging words, the photos for inspiration and the virtual slaps across the face to put me in line. I am so grateful for each and every one of you, more than you realise.
Mickey Reed – Thank you once again for taking on the job of getting my aussieisms under control. Your constant support and words of encouragement mean the world to me.
Emily Tippetts – Thank you for making my words look so gorgeous and continuing to answer my formatting questions, you make this whole side of the book world so must easier.
Stephanie Higgins – Thank you for bringing the cover of Breathe Again to life. I cannot praise you enough and without you I’d still be trying to make a decision. Remember, strawberry lip-gloss ok?
Lydia – Thank you for keeping me organised, for making me laugh, for writing down all the things that I forget to note (what’s that character’s name again, where did they live, when’s that scene happen) and for taking care of the Bombshells when I am locked away from the world. Your friendship is beyond expectations and I would be lost without you.
Keelie – Thank you my lovely pimp queen and voxer buddy! Our late night chats and your constant support makes my heart swell.
To my amazing beta’s – You made a very nervous author extremely calm with your amazing words and emails of support. I loved that you ‘got’ this story. Your continued support of me and my writing is unfathomable and words cannot express my thanks to each and every one of you!
To my lovely Bombshells – You absolutely rock! Thank you for the chats, the laughs, the support, the constant Henry love and for being the best group of girls I could ask for. You are the ultimate support team and I don’t know what I’d do without you.
Tate Connors and Savannah Rae - Thank you for appearing in my thoughts all those months ago, thank you for being so damn stubborn that I had no choice but to write your story, thank you for taking me on the ride of my life. You may be fictional but you have been my constant companions and you have allowed me to live my dreams! I wish you were real so I could buy you both a drink.
To anyone reading this, THANK YOU!! Thank you for taking a chance in me and my words, thank you for reading Tate and Sav’s story and thank you for allowing me to live my dreams. I don’t have enough words that could show just how thankful I truly am.
Rachel Brookes is from a coastal town on the east coast of Australia where beaches, kangaroos and surfers roam free. Writing angst ridden love stories with a pinch of craziness, a dash of drama, a cup of romance, a spoonful of sexiness and delicious men to season is what she loves to do. Rachel sometimes forgets to eat, sometimes forgets to sleep and sometimes can’t remember the last time she cleaned her apartment but that’s because she is in a long term relationship with her laptop. When she does step away from her laptop she can be found taking too many photos, making scrumptious cocktails, laughing at Adam Sandler movies and spending her time with her amazing family. Having released Just Breathe and Breathless in 2013, Rachel is looking forward to a busy 2014 with the upcoming release of Breathe Again, the final book in The Breathe Series and many other books planned she can’t wait to continue this crazy ride.
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