AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 3
Gavin put his feet on the deck railing and took a sip of cold beer as the crisp night air nipped at his face. The nostalgia filling his belly was almost as satisfying as the brew.
He couldn’t count the evenings that he and his brothers had spent out here on their back deck, staring out into the vast expanse of the Pacific. It was awesome at night—the dark water stretching out to the horizon, moonlight glinting on the waves… It reminded Gavin of himself—calm and impenetrable on the surface, an unknowable world underneath.
Hell, maybe even unknowable to himself. He never would’ve predicted having any feelings about Genevieve, for one thing. Except maybe horny. It’s not that he hadn’t gone there in the past, but she’d always made it clear it wasn’t in the cards, and he’d accepted it.
But now that he knew he was going to be around for a while, thoughts about her kept popping into his head. All the time, in fact. He needed to get that shit under control.
“Been a long time since all three of us were together here,” Troy pointed out.
Donovan took a swig. “True. If Jet were here, we’d be a complete set.”
“Not likely,” Gavin chuckled. “I hear he gets home even less than I do.”
“True.”
The fourth Valentine brother, Jet, was the lead singer of a rock band, and pretty much constantly doing two things: touring, and causing trouble. Not necessarily in that order.
“So, how long do we have you for this time, brother? When are you heading out?”
Troy’s voice interrupted his reverie, and the words echoed Genevieve’s from earlier in the day, reminding him of the way her eyes had widened when he’d answered the question, the way her sexy lips had pursed.
God damn, if even something as common as his brother’s voice asking a question could send him down a rabbit trail that ended up reminding him of Genevieve, then that was a real problem.
Gavin took a slug of his beer to cover up the pause, then said, “I’m not.”
The three brothers were silent as they sipped their beer. Finally Donovan said, “Troy, I think he drops mysterious bombs like that to get us to ask questions. Well, I’m not giving him the satisfaction.”
“Same here.” Troy reached his beer can across Gavin to connect with Donovan’s, as if they were toasting their mutual agreement to ignore him.
He couldn’t help but grin. “I see I’m related to a couple of wise-asses.”
Donovan laughed. “You’re just figuring that out now?”
“Nah. I’ve known it all along. This is just solidifying it.”
Troy said, “All right, now, Mysterioso. Tell the whole story, and don’t make us drag it out of you. I would’ve been a dentist if I liked pulling teeth.”
“I’m leaving the military. Moving home. Effective immediately.”
Donovan let out a low whistle. “Hell. Eight words, and two of those were ‘effective immediately.’ Spoken like someone who’s been reading and writing government memos for over a decade, that’s for damn sure. Now why don’t you tell us the real reason why you’re moving home?”
His stomach twisted, but he was saved from diving deeper into it by the shrill scream of his sister as she barreled through the screen door that led out to the deck and threw her arms around his neck. “You’re coming home? For real? To stay?”
He smiled and ruffled her hair. “Yes to all three.”
“You have to stay with us, then. Like, until you find your own place. Hotels are for visiting. Houses are for living in.”
Gavin glanced at Troy. “I don’t know if—”
“Yeah, of course,” Troy cut him off. “This is your house, too. It’s the family’s house. Besides, a wise woman once said that hotels are for visiting and houses are for living in, and I agree.”
Gavin shrugged. “I’ll bring my stuff over tomorrow.”
Mila clapped her hands together in front of her. “Yes! This is going to be awesome!”
“It is going to be awesome,” Donovan teased quietly. “And it will give us that much more opportunity to interrogate you.”
