Page 95 of View With Your Heart

“Let me guess, it was week?” Gavin says, and Gee cracks up.

“How did you know that one?”

“Lucky guess,” Gavin says. “Now, go play ball and have fun.”

Gavin slips his arm around me and tugs me into his side as Gee runs away from us. Without words, he turns and presses a kiss to my forehead.

“I’m glad I made it,” he mutters to me.

“So am I.”

+ + +

That night, the boys head back to the barracks while the families stay elsewhere. We have a few full-family events planned between the games like meals and a visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame, but today, the boys go back to their sleeping arrangements after a long day of heat and ball games. This leaves Gavin and me heading to the hotel.

“There’s no chance of getting a room within a hundred miles of here, so I’ve made the assumption I could share with you.” He looks up at me sheepishly as I drive us to the place where I’m staying.

“Of course,” I tell him, nervous while excited. I’ve missed him even though it’s only been a few nights.

As soon as we enter the room, Gavin says he’d like to take a shower, and I point at the bathroom. I fold down to the bed, listening as the water runs, imagining him naked in there. I’d love to join him, but we need to talk first.

When he enters the bedroom wearing only a towel, I decide he’s done it on purpose. I’m seated on the bed, propped up by the pillows with my legs stretched forward, and I rub my thighs together to ward off the buzz between them.

Gavin swipes his hand through his wet hair, shaking out droplets that land on his wet chest and drip down to the loose wrap he has hanging low on his hips.

“Need a second?” he teases.

“I need you,” I admit, and he stills, hand still in his hair. “I need you to love me and be here for me.” It’s a lot to admit, and my lips tremble. He could reject me, reject my desires, but I want him to know the truth. No holding back. No more secrets.

“What are you saying?” he asks, his voice equally shaking as his hand lowers.

“I love you. I always have. It’s never gone away or disappeared, just been in my heart, waiting, hoping I’d see you again someday, and you wouldn’t hate me when you learned about Gee.”

Gavin rushes to the end of the bed, lowering to sit on it.

“I don’t hate you.” He sighs, looking up at me. “I love you, too, Brit, and the other day . . . it nearly killed me. I don’t want to live without you or Gee. You’ve given me the greatest gift, and I don’t want to miss another day without him or you. I want us all together.”

He reaches out for my hair, brushing it over my ear and holding his hand on the side of my neck.

“I’m sorry I left the other day, but I’m not running away. I talked to Joe, and I’m set to stay in Michigan. I’ll need to commute at times and work out travel for the filming next spring, but I have time, and Joe agrees it’s all workable. I want to be wherever you and Gee are.” His thumb strokes at my neck as he speaks.

“I’m sorry, too. I’m not trying to keep you out. I’m just protecting myself and Gee. When you walked away that other day, I really thought that was it. We’d never see you again, and my heart . . . God, my heart felt like it had drowned in that lake with that stupid boat.” I chuckle, but tears choke my throat. “But most of all, Gavin, I need you to forgive me for not telling you sooner.”

“I do forgive you,” he says in a rush. “It’s hard to accept all the time lost, but I don’t want to waste more time wallowing in what I didn’t have. I only want to focus on what’s to come. I want us.”

“I want us, too.” Tears fall in more earnest as us is the only thing I’ve wanted for so long.

“You’re the dancer, Candy. Take the leap and know I’m here to catch you.”

I giggle at his analogy and nod. I’m not certain who moves first, but we meet in the middle, mouths crashing together. He kisses me like all the times he did in the past, and I look forward to every time in the future. Quickly, we tumble down to the bed.

“We’re alone in a hotel room again,” he teases me, working at removing my shirt.

“We need to be careful this time,” I flirt before sitting up and slipping my shirt over my head. I need a shower myself, but I’ll take one later.

“We’ve already gone more than a week without protection,” he reminds me, reaching behind me to undo my bra.

“Oh, you noticed.” He hasn’t mentioned it, but neither have I.