Chapter Nineteen
The bar at the inn was crowded for a weeknight, and all eyes were on Gunnar as soon as he walked in. Gianna felt bad for him. She knew he didn’t want to draw attention to himself, but he couldn’t help it. Wherever he went, people stared. At least in Vista Falls most people respected his privacy.
They approached Gabby’s table and Gianna introduced him to the inn’s owner, Rush; his new bride, Taylor; Gabby’s husband, Colt; and his business partner, Wes; along with Wes’s wife and Gabby’s best friend, Sage.
It wasn’t until Levi jumped up to pull Gunnar into a back-slapping hug that Gianna realized how easy it had been for him to make a new friend here. She was glad. She knew how close he’d been with his bandmates, but now that they’d split, she didn’t know if they’d be able to maintain their friendship.
“Glad you guys could make it,” Rush said, grabbing two chairs from an adjoining table. “What can we get you to drink?”
“Uh, I’ll have a glass of Chardonnay, please,” Gianna said, snuggling in next to her man.
“You got it,” Rush said, jumping up. “How ’bout you, Gunnar?”
“A Bud sounds good to me. Thanks.”
“No problem.” He pointed to the bar. “We’re short-staffed tonight, so it’d probably be faster if I grabbed it myself. Be right back, guys.” He leaned over to kiss his wife before he walked away, which earned him a hard shove from his older brother, Wes.
Gunnar smiled at their antics before leaning in to hear something, Levi, who was seated on his other side, had to say.
“I can’t believe he’s really here,” Sage whispered, grabbing Gianna’s hand. “When I heard your ex was none other thantheGunnar Williams, I couldn’t believe it. How could you hold out on us like that?”
“It’s not that I was holding out on you,” Gianna said, feeling a twinge of guilt when she thought of how welcoming everyone had been since she arrived in town. “I just wanted to get to know everyone before I dropped a bombshell like that.”
“I can’t believe your kids were able to keep it a secret,” Taylor said, smiling. “Kudos to them. I mean seriously, what teenager wouldn’t want to brag that her dad and his band have pretty much dominated the Billboard charts for how many years now?”
“It’s been a long time.” Gianna didn’t follow Gunnar’s career as closely as she used to, but she knew all of his albums had gone platinum, sometimes several times, with one or two hit singles thrown in for good measure.
He winked at her as he pulled his chair in so he could chat with the rest of the guys while she filled the ladies in on their relationship.
“So, where do things stand with you two now?” Gabby asked, leaning over the table so her face was just a few inches from Gianna’s. “You guys looked pretty cozy when you came in. Does that mean you’ve worked everything out?”
“We’re still working on some things,” she said, thanking Rush when he handed her a glass of wine. “We don’t want to rush into anything. We want to get it right this time.”
“I heard through the grapevine that he bought a cottage on the lake,” Sage said. “Is that true?”
Gianna laughed. “That’s what I love about small towns. Nothing stays a secret for long.”
“Ha!” Gabby said, pointing at her. “Then it is true.” She frowned, letting her hand fall. “But what does that mean? Why isn’t he moving in with you and the girls?”
“Like I said, we’re taking it slow.” She wasn’t surprised her friends would have a hard time understanding. Most women would put the pedal to the metal with a guy like Gunnar, no questions asked. “We want it to be for keeps this time.” She took a sip of her wine. “It has to be. I couldn’t put the girls through that again.”
“They must be excited you guys are getting back together,” Sage said, smiling.
“They are, I think.” She thought about their blow-up the last time Gunnar left. As painful as it been for all of them, she thought it helped Gunnar to understand his daughters better, so it was worth it.
“Speaking of kids,” Sage said, grinning. “I hear ours have been spending a lot of time together.”
“They have?” Gianna liked to think she had a close relationship with her daughters, but when it came to boys, they often kept her out of the loop.
“Not that he’s come right out and told us they’re seeing each other or anything,” Sage said, rolling her eyes. “Because apparently kids don’t do that anymore.”
Gianna had heard the same thing from Keegan and Ramsey. Kids dated, hung out, went out together in groups, and undoubtedly had sex, but apparently, committed relationships among teens weren’t as common as they used to be. For which she was grateful. She wanted their daughters to explore the world, have fun, and find themselves before they found a partner.
“She has mentioned Nick,” Gianna said, thinking about her circle of friends. “And she’s brought him by the house a time or two with some of the other kids from school. But I didn’t realize they were…” She circled her hand in the air. “Uh, what are they anyway?”
Sage laughed. “Damned if I know. If I dare to ask him about girls, Nick just shuts me down.”
Gabby told Gianna that Sage and Wes put their son up for adoption when she got pregnant right after high school. Apparently, they’d all gone their separate ways and just reconnected within the past couple of years.
