“They look nice with the bra,” her mom said, giving her a pointed look before going to the closet.
And that was the Valentine’s Day splurge. Black and lacy, it brought a lot more sexy than it did support, but it got the job done. Gavin had never complained about the plain but comfortable underwear she usually wore—in the mere moments between the clothes coming off and being naked—but she thought she’d spice it up a little.
The red dress was simple and the kind of dress that was never cutting-edge stylish, but was never really out of style, either. It had slim three-quarter sleeves and a V-neck that dipped toward the waist. Then it flared out over her hips and fell almost to mid-shin.
Cait had to admit it looked good on her, even if she wished the vee weren’t quite so deep. And it was longer than the tops of the boots, so she didn’t have to lose the tights.
“You’re wearing that,” her mom said, and it wasn’t a question.
“Yes. Thanks, Mom.” She looked at the outfit her mother had chosen. A sheath dress with a matching jacket in a pale blue, which matched her mother’s eyes. They had the same hair coloring and skin tone, but Cait had gotten her dad’s dark eyes. “You look beautiful, by the way. Very elegant.”
“Let’s go see if Carter managed to tuck his shirt in.”
They found him in the living room, fussing with the buttons on his sleeves. He was wearing khaki pants and a blue button shirt that complemented their mother’s dress. The top two buttons were left undone, but he’d tucked it in and was wearing a belt, so Cait considered it a win.
The sound of a vehicle pulling into the drive caught Cait’s attention and she frowned as she walked to the window. It didn’t sound like Gavin’s truck.
It wasn’t. She watched Gavin get out of the driver’s seat of a freshly washed red four-door sedan and went to open the door for him.
“Happy Valen—” The words stopped coming out of his mouth as his jaw dropped. His gaze followed the vee of the dress, skimming all the way down her body before returning to her face. “Wow. You look stunning.”
“Thank you.” His expression made the awkwardness she felt wearing the dress totally worth it.
He had flowers in his hand and he separated a small bouquet of wildflowers from the roses and held them out to her. “These are for you. As I was saying before I got waylaid by what a lucky bastard I am, happy Valentine’s Day.”
She took the flowers and pulled him close for a kiss. “Thank you. And you look pretty hot yourself.”
He was wearing khaki pants, too, but with a black button shirt and a leather jacket. They suited him and she realized that, like her, outside of his formal uniform, his suit was probably fit for funerals, too.
“Where’s your truck?”
“I swapped with my brother-in-law for the night. The truck has the back seat, but it’s pretty full and I thought it would be awkward for two women dressed up for a night out.” He shrugged. “And I don’t have to worry about my truck because my brother-in-law can’t back it up for shit and just takes my sister’s car if he has to go anywhere.”
Cait laughed and then stepped back inside. “Come in and meet my mom.”
It felt as if butterflies were having a rave in her stomach as she led him into the living room, where her mom and Carter were waiting. They stood when he walked in, and her mom smiled.
“Mom, this is Gavin,” she said. “And this is my mom, Diane Hill. You know Carter, of course.”
Gavin walked to her mom and shook her hand before handing her the roses. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Hill. Happy Valentine’s Day.”
For a second, her mom’s eyes got shimmery and Cait tensed, but then she smiled. “Thank you. It’s nice to finally meet you, too, and you can call me Diane.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Cait laughed when her mom shook her head. “He can’t help it. Hema’amseverybody.”
Once the flowers had been put in vases and they’d inhaled the scent of the luscious roses, her mom poked her in the side with her elbow and whispered, “He’s very handsome.”
“Yes, he is.”
“And it was nice of him to bring me roses. Obviously he was brought up well.”
Cait smiled and nodded, glancing over at Gavin who was deep in conversation with Carter, before leaning in to smell her flowers. They weren’t as fragrant as her mother’s roses, but they were pretty and far more her style.
When they were ready to leave, she wasn’t surprised when Gavin offered his arm to her mom. Or that he led her to the front passenger side before opening the door for her. Her mom was definitely right about his upbringing, she thought as he closed that door and then opened the back door for her. She climbed into the back seat with Carter, wondering if she’d like Gavin’s mom or if she’d be too nervous about her own manners.
Gavin had chosen a small Italian restaurant that was nice enough so they didn’t stick out in their dresses, but not so fancy or popular that there was a Valentine’s Day crowd at the door. Once they were seated, and after consulting with her mom, Gavin ordered a bottle of wine and a soda for Carter.
