Joanne touched her daughter's hair and said nothing.
It would not be easy to forget that man.
***
The day after the ceremony, Joanne planned to go back to Chicago with Ethan's body.
However, Savannah still had some business to deal with and would return to Chicago a few days later.
The night before Joanne's departure, Savannah went back to Green Bay and invited Joanne to have dinner together.
She was going to call Cooper and asked him to bring Kaiden to have dinner with Joanne, but Joanne said she had some private words to tell her and wanted to eat with her alone.
In the evening, the mother and the daughter sat at the table, enjoying rare family time.
When Garcia served the last dish, Savannah picked up her fork and said, "Well, let's get started."
"Wait a minute." Joanne, however, didn't move but kept looking toward the door.
"What are you waiting for?" Savannah wondered.
Just then, footsteps came from the porch, and a tall, handsome man came in.
"Thanks for having me, madam," he greeted Joanne politely and then smiled at Savannah.
"Kevin, why are you here?" Savannah stood up in surprise.
Kevin was back from Italy?
Joanne smiled and walked over. She welcomed Kevin in and sat him down at the table.
"I asked Kevin to come over. He returned home this time to deal with some business of JK. I know you are good friends, and he had taken care of you when you were at the orphanage. You haven't seen each other for a long time, so I asked him to have dinner together." Then Joanne turned to Kevin with a kind smile, "Kevin, make yourself at home. There's a room available, you can spend the night here if you chatted late."
Savannah realized why her mother wouldn't let Kaiden come tonight.
She was trying to fix up Kevin and her at supper tonight.
Kevin looked extremely flattered, as though he had just sensed what Joanne meant. But he soon recovered his usual calm and gentle posture.
Joanne was quite satisfied with this gentleman. She had heard a little bit about Kevin's feelings for her daughter. She knew they had been together before Savannah recovered her memory.
It was a pity that they missed each other.
If only they could be together again.
Savannah could only get over Dylan by getting into a new relationship.
That was why she invited Kevin to dinner tonight.
***
After dinner, Joanne found an excuse to leave first, saying that she had to gather together Ethan's belongings tonight so that she could leave for Chicago tomorrow morning.
Savannah and Kevin saw Joanne off at the door.
"Kevin, I'm sorry." Savannah said in a low voice, "My mom's just too worried about me. You don't really have to stay here, and I don't want to waste your time... I'll talk to her tomorrow and tell her not to do it again."
"Savannah," Kevin interrupted her.
Savannah looked at him. His eyes were clean and gentle.
"Even if your mother didn't call me, I'd like to come and see you," Kevin said, looking affectionately at her. He heard that Savannah came back for business when he returned to LA this time, and he had always hesitated to meet her. Yesterday, Joanne called to invite him to dinner, so he agreed.
Savannah understood his intention. She lowered her eyes and sighed, "Kevin, I don't want to use you to get out of my last relationship. It's not fair to you. I blamed myself the last time I did that."
"If I can help you forget the unpleasant people and things, I don't mind being used by you." Kevin's gentle voice wandered in the night, just like the soft night wind blowing into her heart, making her warm. Her nose suddenly stung.
Kevin looked at Savannah in front of him. She was the girl he had loved since he was a teenager. Once, he was determined to take care of her forever and let her live the best life.
But now, the man of her choice couldn't give her happiness, and even hurt her again and again. What was he waiting for?
He had given her five months to think and settle down.
If she still refused him, he would not harass her again.
If she nodded, he would never turn his back on her, and he would be her patron saint for the rest of her life.
Taking a breath, he pulled out a ring from his pocket and got down on one knee.
"Will you give me a chance?" He asked in earnest as he held her hand.
He had had the ring ready five months ago. But she had not agreed to go to Italy with him.
Undaunted, he kept the ring, hoping that one day she would accept it
Savannah looked at him in amazement, and her breath was taken by the diamond ring on his finger. She paused for a moment before she recovered and shook her head.
"Kevin, I'm sorry... I can't."
"You hate me?"
"Of course not."
"You can't live with me?"
"I didn't mean it like that," Savannah looked at him. Such a man was Prince Charming in the eyes of many girls. She should be very happy if she could live with him, but...
"Since you don't hate me and would like to live with me, give me a chance to take care of you." Kevin looked at her tenderly.
"No, Kevin..." Savannah took a deep breath and decided to make her mind clear, "you know, I had been planning a wedding with him and now... I'm not quite over it, and I can't take you as a substitute and marry you before I've forgotten all about him..."
"I don't mind." He interrupted her again.
Savannah looked into his loving eyes and felt as if the door of her heart was slowly opened by him.
Her eyes blurred for a moment, both from relief and happiness.
Kevin gently wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Miss Schultz, will you accept my proposal to be my wife?"
This was what he had wanted to say to her long ago, though much too late.