AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s no biggie. Now why don’t we get all this stuff out to your car, and you take Gizmo home,” Jasper suggests.
Thank fuck.
“Oh, I’ve already got everything you need for him in our truck,” Milo adds in. “When we get outside, I’ll grab it and put it in the trunk of your car.”
“What about my workout?” Nevaeh asks, brows drawing up.
“It’s your birthday. There’s no way we’re about to let you work yourself to exhaustion,” Jasper informs her. “You go get your Gizmo settled at home. We’ll get back to it tomorrow.”
Oh no, they fucking won’t. But I’m not about to say that right now. I’ll talk to Nevaeh when we get to the house. Explain that I want her to go with me to the coast, then I’ll ask her why she didn’t tell anyone it was her birthday.
I also intend to fix her a birthday dinner. One that I know she’ll enjoy.
Pulling my phone out, I shoot a text to one of the prospects ordering him to go to the store and pick up a list of things, including cookies and cream ice cream, hot fudge, cookie dough, whipped cream, caramel, and cherries. Oh and a pack of candles. I might not be making her a cake, but I’m doing the next best thing.
I help Jasper and Milo get all the gifts out to Nevaeh’s car while she stays close. Milo keeps looking between Nevaeh and me, which is starting to piss me off, but for the sake of Nevaeh, I keep my mouth shut. In a normal circumstance, I’d have demanded to know what he keeps looking at me for.
Damn, where this woman is concerned I’m going soft.
Milo walks over to Nevaeh, and the two of them make their way to the truck parked not far. It’s then Jasper opens his mouth.
“You know she’s in love with you, don’t you?”
I whirl around to face him, surprising the fuck out of me. “The fuck you just say.”
“You heard me. We don’t have a lot of time, so I’m just gonna go ahead and say it,” Jasper states, moving closer. “Vaeh, you know she’s been through hell. Milo and I know what you guys did for her. She didn’t outright say it, we’re not stupid and put it together with what she did say. She fears what she feels for you and thinks herself dirty. From the way you look at her, I’m sure you’d disagree. Now, what I’m going to say real quick is, if you don’t want to be with her, then find a way to tell her so she can find a way to finish healing.”
“You want to explain that?” I demand tersely.
“No time.” Jasper shakes his head and steps back. “But just know that if you decide to go for it, you’re stuck with me and Milo. We ain’t going nowhere.”
Fan-fuckin-tastic.
“I’m heading to the house,” Nevaeh announces, coming up behind me.
I twist and look at her. “I’ll meet you there. Help you get everything inside.”
“Okay.” She nods, smiling, but not like the one she gave these two men when she thanked them for that damn cat cuddled between her tits.
I give both Jasper and Milo a two-finger salute and head to my bike, straddling the back of her while watching Nevaeh get in behind the wheel. It’s going to be a short right home, but it’s going to feel like an hour. Mostly because I know Jasper’s right. I need to decide whether I should let her go completely, walk away, and let her move on. Or do I want to be the one to help her finally finish healing and be the man she needs?
I know I’ve got a past of my own, only my brothers know about it, but it’s nothing compared to what she’s endured. Fuck, it’s not even on the same Spector scale.
CHAPTERFIVE
NEVAEH
The moment I step over the threshold into the house, I’m far more nervous than I should be. Why? Because Maverick is right behind me. Because he knows it’s my birthday. Because he was pissed about not knowing what today was. And last, because something in his eyes confuses me.
I’m still conflicted about him showing up at the gym, having followed me. I mean, what did he have to talk to me about? If he was going to wait until I got home, why follow me there anyway?
The whole ordeal confounds me, and I don’t know how to handle it.
To top it off, Jasper and Milo did something special for me. I feel like I’m teetering . . . completely unbalanced right now. They’d given me something so special I’ll never forget it. Not only because it was the best cake ever, but the gifts were all thoughtful. I didn’t even realize I’d made so many friends at the gym, but they’ve been there and gifted me with all my favorite things.
The best of all, though, is Gizmo. Jasper and Milo, I can’t believe they’d gone out of their way to get me a Maine coon kitten. I had one years ago I named Stormy, all gray and black coloring, he was beautiful. I told them I wanted to look at getting another one because they make the best companions.
I take a deep breath and step farther into the house, kneel down, and set Gizmo down for the first time in his new home. When I straighten, I can all but feel the heat of Maverick . . . right there . . . standing so close to me. He surprises me more when his hands grip my waist.
