Cold Feet

Welcome Home

Savannah's POV

Hitting the button for my sunroof, I took a deep breath of that sweet Georgia air as I cruised by the Welcome to Jefferson sign. Lord it was good to be home in many ways. My life for the moment may be in Birmingham, but my roots would forever be in that red Georgia clay. Passing the high school on the way to my parents' house, I bit my lip as a thousand memories flooded through my mind. There was a reason I beat feet fleeing town by the time I was twenty-one. If these county lines could talk, damn there wasn't a mile that there were not memories involving my past. Glancing down at the shimmering diamond on my left hand I smiled. Little over a week on the eighteenth of June and I would be saying I Do to the man of my dreams.

Connor was the most perfect man ever in so many ways. He had recently stepped up to run his father's construction business so that would keep us in Birmingham. After graduating from Alabama, I mean I ran the opposite direction when I transferred out of UGA needing to leave town, I started my own fashion line that was pretty successful. Most of my business was online and social media so I was versatile to be wherever. With a last glance at the fifty-yard line of the football field, and tamping a random memory down, I turned to the left towards my childhood home.

Ten years since I had pulled in this circle driveway, and it still felt like yesterday since I had been here for Grandaddy's funeral. I stepped out looking up at the white two-story ranch house sighing. I'd only been able to make myself come home once in the last twelve years after it all went to hell. Shaking my head as the front door opened, I smiled seeing my daddy bound out the front door but trip when Nana pushed him out of the way.

"My baby girl is finally home!" she yelled striding towards me. Mama leaned against the doorframe to the front door laughing. I wrapped my arms around Nana breathing in the familiar smell of vanilla and White Diamonds. She pulled back cupping my cheeks. "It is so good to see you sweetheart."

"Nana," I chuckled kissing her cheek before Daddy swooped me up in his arms. "You just saw me last month for the wedding shower." He sat me back on my feet tossing an arm over each of our shoulders guiding us up the walk. I leaned in kissing Mama's cheek letting him guide us into the house. I gave Nana a wink. "I have that shirt you wanted in my bag."

"Yes,'' she said with a chuckle. "This is why you are my favorite granddaughter." She looked back at my dad. "Scott, son go grab those bags out of Vannah's SUV so I can get my hands on that shirt."

Later that night, I took a small sip from the homemade sangria Nana had whipped up after a family dinner enjoying the sounds of the summer night from the deck Dad built last year to "hush Mama up" as he claimed. We all knew that it was more for him than anything. My brother Josh's handiwork was noticed on it as well. I silently sent up a prayer that his leave would not be cancelled, and he would be here for the wedding. After all these years I was finally tying the knot, so he better be. Especially since my nephew was the ring bearer and ex-wife drama needed to be avoided if she had to bring him. I felt the other end of the bench I was sitting on creak slightly as my cousin Ashley flopped down on the other end.

With only a year between us, there was a time in our lives we had been thick as thieves, don't get me wrong, we were still close, but an aspect of my past tarnished a smidge. She sat her glass of wine down redoing her messy bun of blonde hair that had a slight curl to it which she claimed she hated. But the look was precious as all get out on her daughter and God knows that Tinsley ran the show around here. She was Nana incarnate. Picking her glass up, Ashley gave me the no bullshit look I was thoroughly used to at this point in our lives.

"Bout time you drug your ass fully home," she teased with a smirk on her face taking a sip. I rolled my eyes reaching over to shrug her shoulder. "When does Connor get in?"

"Not until next Friday," I sighed missing him already. "He is in the middle of a job that needs his attention so he and his parents will be in around lunch time that day. You really will like him Ash. He is an amazing guy."

"Seems to me you had one of those a decade or so ago," she snarked narrowing her eyes with an evil teasing gleam. I felt my heart falter as a rush of memories better left buried wanted to come to light but I refused to let them. Damn her for pushing those buttons. Especially when I was barely home twelve hours. I gave her a low growl in warning only resulting in her laughing. "Oh stop it Vannah. I know that ship sailed a long time ago."

"I am sure I am nothing but a distant memory," I said with a snort taking a healthy sip of wine. That man had long forgotten about me. "I mean it has been over a decade."

"Hmmm..." Ashley said noncommittedly which if hindsight is 20/20, it should have terrified me. But well, I was completely happy with my life and my fiancé, there was no chance of cold feet, was there?