Can't Stop Lovin' You

"You owe us an explanation, Van..." Jack said in a confuse tone.

Beside Jack, Maddie was still lingering around and she wouldn't shut up until Riley decided to shut her, meanwhile Jack didn't seem to care about it. Dragging her away from Jack slowly, so Shane wouldn't see how rude she could be sometimes, Riley felt like she already won.

"What happened to you? Why did you disappeared?" Jack asked more questions, trying to put his mind back on. "You left us with a single note, Savannah. A single note!" He added, almost shout.

Seeing his mother threatened, Shane shook off Zack's hand as he ran toward his mother and put his defend on his mother. The little boy was trying to protect his mother as Jack stared at him, confused.

"You can't hurt my mom!" Shane shouted.

Jack took a few steps back, not believing what he actually heard just now. His mind was a little everywhere and it was harder for him to focus on just a subject in front of him. Savannah pulled Shane closer to her and hugged him tight, leaving Jack in major confusion. He didn't know whether what to think or to say.

Everyone inside the shop was just as confused as Jack but they didn't want to conclude anything just yet until at least Savannah said a word about it herself. Trying to cool things down, Alex decided to invite them all to his apartment to catch up with Savannah's life in the past five years of her disappearing.

"That's a very great idea, dear." Lindy commented. "But I can't stick any longer, need to run for a photoshoot I have to assist. Welcome back, Van!" She added in rush as she held her phone and picked up a call.

"I'll meet you guys at Alex's after I drive Mary home, alright?" Rian grinned as he held Mary's hands and walked away from the shop.

---

It was Shane's nap time so Alex let the kid slept inside his room while the gang was reuniting, the six of them were finally all gather in a same room after a long time. There was definitely an awkward silent before Alex broke the ice by started telling everything the band had achieved during the past five years. Felt like she was missing an amazing journey, Savannah couldn't do anything but to smile at every word that came out of the lead singer's lip.

"Enough with our story, Alex." Jack said. "She owe us an explanation." He added firmly.

"I'm sorry if I ruined your happy life, Jack. If I had a choice, I wouldn't even show up in front of you." Savannah stuttered.

"Why, Savannah?" Jack asked.

"Guys, we'll leave you two alone to settle things straight, okay?" Rian said as Jack glanced at him.

"I'm not the only one she owes an explanation. We all do. She's going to explain everything in front of us."

"I had to come back be..." Before Savannah could even finished her sentence, Jack had already cut her off.

"I don't care about that, I need to know why you left!" Jack sighed. "What did I do wrong? Or what did you do?" He begged for an answer, but Savannah wouldn't say anything.

There was an awkward silent that was filled with Savannah's silent sob. She was covering her face with her hands, not even brave enough to take them off. She was scared she would spill the truth toward Jack, and she knew that it would be the last thing Jack wanted to know.

"I can't..." Savannah stuttered inbetween her sobbing.

"You left us, Savannah. I was crazy about you when you decided to disappear, I almost went crazy because of it." Jack sighed in desperation.

Trying to calm Jack down, Alex put a drink in front of Jack as he quickly took the glass and empty it in a blink of an eye. Jack wouldn't stop staring at Savannah who was now crying on Riley's shoulder. He was curious, he was longing for the answer he couldn't wait to get.

"Jack, take it easy. She'll tell us everything, she's just still in shock." Zack whispered, in hopes Jack would understand the circumstances.

Jack wanted to play cold and firm, but seeing Savannah crying uncontrollably like that, he didn't have enough heart to do. Slowly standing up of the chair he was sitting on, he approached Savannah. Every fiber on his cells told him to hug her tight, but the other voice in his head told him to get mad. But he went on with what his heart told him to do, to comfort her.

Poking her shoulder playfully, Jack put on his most ridiculous face on when Savannah looked up to him. Gently, he wiped the tears off Savannah's chubby cheek and gave her a warm, comforting smile. With a cool mind, Jack asked some time with Savannah alone, and Jack decided to talk to Savannah inside Alex's room, where Shane was still sleeping.

"He's adorable when he tried to defend you from me." Jack said out of the blunt.

"Why are we talking here, Jack?" Savannah spoke up.

"Are you married to anyone, right now?" Jack gulped as his voice cracked with eyes fixed on Shane.

Savannah didn't say any word but she shook her head slowly, it was too slow to be noticed, but Jack could tell that it means a no. With a relieve feeling he sat on the edge of the bed as he slowly rubbed Shane's hair. Just looking at the little boy, Jack could put on a huge smile. A smile Savannah had missed for years, a smile that made up an entire bad day within just one second.

"He called you mom, Van." Jack said, turning his eyes on Savannah.

"He is my son, Jack." Savannah chuckled in sadness.

"Did you get married and divorced? Who was the man? Did he look like me? Because I know Shane here does." Jack tried to joke but he soon realized his lame joke didn't help. "Sorry, I'm asking too much." Jack added immediately while Savannah just froze on where she stood.

"No, I was never married to anyone." Savannah answered bluntly.

Jack was anxious. Something inside, somewhere there hidden, he knew what he had to ask, but he was not that brave. Jack took a very deep breath as he stood up and walked slowly toward Savannah, ready to make the girl felt like he was intimidating her.

"How old is he? When is his birthday?" Jack asked in a very slow tone. "Answer me, Van." He added in a more intimidating way.

"He's four. Just just turned four a few days ago, March 10th." Savannah answered, but Jack could notice how she sounded somehow scared.

"Tell me everything you're hiding, baby." Jack whispered as he slowly pulled Savannah into his cuddle.

Not wanting to spill the truth, Savannah tried to stop her tongue from saying anything, but couldn't. One by one words escaped her lip and in a blink, she started to spill every truth she had kept hidden inside her mind for years. The secrets were no longer secrets and the truth was revealed. Savannah tried to stop, but Jack insisted her to go on. Started from the prom after party, until the very day she stood inside his cuddle. Savannah was helpless.

"So you're saying he's mine?" Jack asked in disbelief.

"I didn't come back so you can hear this, Jack. I'm sorry." Savannah cried harder than before.

Jack embraced her to cry even harder as he rubbed Savannah's hair, keeping her closer than before to his body. They shared each other's warmth, like the time stopped ticking right there in that moment. Jack definitely missed the feeling of holding someone that tight with such amount of feeling he has inside. He had been somewhat soulless and careless about life.

"You messed me up, but you bring me back." Jack whispered.

"I'm so sorry Jack. But I didn't have the guts to make him go away, and I couldn't risk your career." Savannah said in between her hiccups.

"Van, all these years, I wish something would lead you back to me, or maybe something will lead me straight to you. We can start over!" Jack cupped her face.

"But you're dating that girl..." Savannah stopped to catch a breath. "You've moved on."

Jack didn't say any word, but he cupped Savannah's face even tighter as he led the girl's face toward his until there was no more space left. Jack's lip pursued Savannah's as they shared a same breath. Savannah felt something was coming and she didn't want to think, she just let it be. Not even trying to get off Jack's tight grip on her face.

“I’ve never loved her, Maddie was…” Jack took a deep breath. “I was never serious with her, Van. I dated her because I thought I could get over you.” Jack looked down to his toes.

“I’m so sorry to put you through the hardest time of your life.” Savannah sobbed as she touched Jack’s face.

“Look, Riley never liked her either, she said, I was never meant to be for someone else other than you.” Jack smiled. “I guess she’s right.”

Listening to what Jack said, Savannah couldn’t help but to cry even harder. Just when her cry became uncontrolled, Jack decided to pull her close to him as he leaned down and placed his lip on hers once again, only this time, the kiss didn’t take that long, because apparently Shane was awake.

Seeing his mother cried, Shane was pissed. He got off the bed as he ran toward his mother and hugged her tight. Turning his back to see the same guy who was shouting at his mother didn’t really help him. He wanted to protect his mother so he pushed Jack away from Savannah. But Jack didn’t do anything but to smile. Slowly he approached his son with a huge smile on his face. Before even saying a word, Savannah got to Shane’s side.

“He made you cry twice, mommy!” Shane frowned as Savannah smiled.

“I’m sorry little buddy, I never meant to make her cry.” Jack said slowly as Shane’s frown slowly fade away.

“Look, Shane. He’s my best friend, and…” Savannah stopped, not knowing what to say.

Savannah wanted to tell Shane that Jack was his father, but Shane was not ready for it yet. Meanwhile Jack wanted to spill the truth, but noticing the doubt on Savannah’s face, he knew he couldn’t just walk in to Shane’s life, introducing himself as his father.