CHAPTER 22
This was a stupid idea.
Cole peeked over at Savannah, wondering if she could sense his anxious mood, but she didn’t seem to suspect a thing. She watched the traffic out the passenger window and hummed along to the radio.
He’d gotten her out of the house on the pretext of taking her out for a birthday lunch. It wasn’t a complete lie. Lunch would be involved, but that wasn’t the focus.
When he parked in front of the roller rink, he glanced at Savannah
She sat up straighter and stared at the building, eyebrows raised in surprise. “Cole?”
Cole hopped out of the truck and opened her door. “Just come on.”
She accepted his hand, letting him pull her from the car. “But what are we doing here?”
“You’ll see.” He pressed his mouth into a line as the overwhelming desire to grin like an idiot struck him. He paid for their admission and led a very wide-eyed and confused Savannah through the skating rink.
The lights inside the rink were dimmed, and flashes of blues and greens sparkled across the polished wood floor, bathing the skaters in color as they whirled by. Pop music drowned out all conversation and kept Savannah quiet as she took in their surroundings. She’d stopped walking to watch a line of skaters fly past her on the way to the rink. Cole grabbed her hand to urge her on. He led Savannah to the back party-room he’d rented. Marissa had coordinated most of the details, but it was his idea to throw her a party. When Marissa mentioned the skating party she had when she was ten, Cole latched on to the idea. He liked that he could give her a childhood experience she’d missed out on, and maybe even teach her to skate. He also thought it was the perfect venue to reunite Savannah with the children she still thought about daily. He didn’t know if Savannah would break down at seeing everyone, but hoped they’d at least be happy tears. He wanted her to enjoy her birthday, not have a sob-fest on his hands. But her hesitation and sudden silence had him wondering if he’d made the right call.
With one hand still holding Savannah’s, he opened the door to the private room. They were greeted by an explosion of pink. Balloons, crepe paper streamers, a happy birthday sign strung from the ceiling, and a platter of pink frosted cupcakes sat on the table.
“Surprise!” A dozen or so voices squealed in unison.
Savannah’s mouth gaped, no sound escaping as she took in the little faces in front of her. Then she dropped to her knees and released an exhale, like she’d been holding her breath for weeks.
The children ran to her, overwhelming her and knocking her back as they climbed into her waiting arms. Savannah’s smile was as big as he’d ever seen it and silent tears leaked from the corners of her eyes.
He knew it was slightly risky tracking down the families with children, sending them an invite to Savannah’s birthday party, but the risk had been worth it — especially seeing Savannah so happy. He’d promised to pay their admission and skate rentals, and almost everyone had agreed to come. Watching their reunion made the cost well worth it.
Once Savannah was freed from the pile on the floor, she launched herself into Cole’s arms, holding him tight, so tight he couldn’t breathe. No words could adequately express how much seeing the children meant to her.
He l gently kissed her temple. “Happy Birthday, Savannah.”
Her mouth curved into a smile and all his fears about this being a dumb idea dissolved away.
They spent the afternoon skating —well, wobbling across the slickened floor in rollerblades, which none of the children or their mothers had used before, and eating pizza and cupcakes. Cole attempted to teach Savannah to skate; a task made more difficult with children wrapped around their legs.
By the end of the day, a rosy-cheeked Savannah said her goodbyes, and exchanged email addresses with several of the women before following Cole to his car. It seemed that today had given her some of the closure she needed — the ability to see with her own eyes that everyone was alive and well. The deep satisfaction glowing on her features was all the thank you Cole needed.