Page 52 of View With Your Heart

“Actually, I am. Emily invited me to a girls’ night out tomorrow.”

Gavin smiles. “That’s great. I’ve got a thing with the guys, which I’m certain means crashing wherever the girls go. I was going to skate out early so I could see you, but now I might just push for us to find you ladies sooner.” Gavin wiggles his brows.

“You don’t need to change your plans,” I tell him. “I don’t need special treatment.” I’d like to snap, don’t do me any favors, but I’m not really angry with Gavin. He’s spoken the truth. We aren’t in love. We don’t know one another, and there’s a weight between us. I’ve told myself I just need to make it through the wedding, and then I’ll tell him everything. I don’t want to be the source of drama before these families celebrate such an important moment together. After, I promise myself.

“What does that mean?” Gavin mutters, tipping up the rest of his beer as he side-eyes me for an answer.

“I just mean you don’t need to feel like you have to hang out with me. You’re leaving soon enough, and you should spend the time with your family and friends.”

Gavin lowers his beer and sets the empty bottle on a table nearby. “I’m not feeling like I have to hang out with you. I’ve been telling you practically from the moment I got here, I want to spend time with you. If I had my way, I’d be spending every second with you.”

“Like when we were teens?” I remind him.

“Exactly,” he states, his voice rising.

“But we aren’t those kids anymore, Gavin, and we’ll never go back to who they were.”

“Because of Patrick?” He slurs my husband’s name, and I sense a fight coming. Not one for public arguments, I lean toward him.

“I think it’s time I go.” Gavin swipes a hand through his hair, and I turn away, stepping over to Emily and offering my appreciation for the night as well as the invitation to the next night’s get-together.

“You’re still coming, right?” Her eyes move to Gavin and back to me, brows creasing a moment as she senses the tension between us.

“I’ll meet you there,” I tell her, not wanting to miss out on the possibility of friendship with people who have more longevity in my life than Gavin. Gavin thanks Jess beside me for the party before he leans in to kiss Emily’s cheek.

We round their house together, and I call out to Gee.

“Be good tonight,” I say to him as he steps in for a hug. I shouldn’t be sad that he’s spending the night at someone’s house. It’s silly, really. He deserves his fun.

“See ya, buddy,” Gavin says to him, and I close my eyes, holding my son. This is so hard as my thoughts fill with dreams that will never come true. Of Gavin knowing the truth, and us being a couple, perhaps leaving a party just like this together.

Releasing Gee, I take several steps closer to the edge of the property. I’m between two parked cars when Gavin stops me with a hand on my upper arm.

“Brit, don’t leave like this. What did I say?”

“Do you have an issue with Patrick?” I turn on him.

“It’s not Patrick. I just . . . why weren’t you married when you were pregnant? Why wasn’t he taking care of you?”

My body vibrates, fighting back the words wanting to explode at him. Curling my fingers into a fist, I speak. “Don’t assume you know anything about Patrick and me.”

“I wouldn’t have to assume if you’d just tell me about him. I want to understand.”

“It isn’t your place to understand our relationship.”

“If he loved you, he should have been by your side.” Gavin’s words are a slap.

“That’s rich, coming from you,” I snap and turn back for the street, stepping into it without looking. Immediately, I hear my name, and I look left to see headlights feet away. Suddenly, I’m tugged backward, bound to Gavin by his arm around my middle. A blaring horn goes off as the vehicle passes us.

“Mom,” I hear Gee cry from somewhere behind me.

“Jesus,” Gavin mutters at my back, his arms locked around me, as we breathe heavily. The situation hits me a moment later, and I begin to shake.

“Didn’t you see him?” Gavin mumbles over my shoulder. I hadn’t been paying attention, and reality settles in. I was almost hit by a car.

Gee appears at our side, eyes wide with fear. “Mom, are you okay?”

My body begins to tremble, and I stare at my son.