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“Thanks for the save,Graham,” the brunette purred and flicked her hair back. “Do you fuck like you kiss? Because I might be interested. I’m Delilah and that was the best kind of action I’ve had in a while.”
Then she was gone, leaving Graham staring after her like a dumbstruck puppy. When he turned back to look at him, Gavin burst out laughing. Whoever the hell Delilah was, she’d just earned herself a fan for life in Graham Rhodes.
CHAPTER34
It had beenone of the most tiring weeks of her life. After her trip to Houston, Ginny buried herself in work. It was the only way she could be distracted from all the chaos swirling around in her head. And she certainly didn’t want to lean on Gavin too much, even though he was the perfect leaning buddy. The way he took care of her, helped her through the hard stuff and just showed up whenever she needed him blew Ginny away. He was way too good for the world and definitely for her. But Ginny was going to hold on tight.
Ginny thought she’d run out of tears until Spencer showed up at her house one evening, then Ginny found herself falling apart all over again. She might have moved to Wildes for her best friend, but she also moved for herself. While their friendship wasn’t one that required constant contact or seeing each other regularly, when they were around each other, it was like no time had passed. So when he pulled her into a hug, Ginny collapsed in his arms and cried for most of the evening.
She was also so grateful to Gavin for knowingexactlywhat she needed that evening by bringing her best friend to her.
“This crying seriously needs to stop,” Ginny grumbled, angrily wiping at her tears. “It’s a miracle Gavin hasn’t peeled out my tear ducts yet.”
“He would do that for you, if that’s what you wanted. You know that, right?”
Ginny stared at her best friend, brows dipped at his words. “What do you mean?”
“Gavin would give up the entire fucking world for you, Gin. He would have done it when he was a teenager and he’ll do it now too.”
Of course she knew that. The way he loved her had been surprising at first. It was intense but honest and he wasn’t afraid to let her know just how much he did love her. How he would burn down the universe for her if it would make her happy. Ginnyknewthat, but hearing it from someone else was startling. Even if that someone was his brother.
Nodding, Ginny used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe her face. “When all of this happened with my mom, I felt like maybe I didn’t deserve him. That he would be better off without me. What ifIfuck up like Cyrus did? What if I hurt Gavin the way my mom is hurt?”
“What if you love him so intensely, it’s the best thing you’ve ever done with your life?” Spencer asked, holding Ginny’s shoulders to make her focus on him. “I’m not saying that all relationships are perfect or that what you and Gavin have is going to be fantastic all the time. Just answer me this…do you love him?”
“So fucking much. It scares me sometimes.”
“The good kind of scaries, obviously. Otherwise you’d be halfway to somewhere else right now.”
Ginny laughed, sniffling at the image of her running away. She’d been tempted to do it so many times. Not because she didn’t love Gavin, but because that inherent fear she would becomeCyrushad lingered in her psyche for so long. Ginny had so many of his personality traits and whenever she looked back on her promiscuous past, she felt like she’d taken a page out of Cyrus’ book. But Anastasia, her therapist, insisted that that wasn’t the case.
“Look, I’m no expert on relationships or romance. But I’ve seen a change in both of you. Let’s not even forget that you’ve posted a couple of pictures of him on Instagram already.”
Ah, the pictures. After the first few in her stories, Ginny had taken Gavin’s suggestion to heart and posted the unedited photographs from their bouquet shirt photoshoot. At the end of the carousel, she posted the one of her and Gavin smiling at each other with their animals and that’s the picture that got shared the most. It also sent her comments and DMs through the roof, which was expected.
“I am happy, there’s no doubt about that. And I love him, Spence. I really fucking do. The niggling thoughts that he deserves better are not going to fade away just because of that.”
“I don’t think we ever fully believe we’re worthy of the people we love,” Spencer admitted softly and Ginny tilted her head at his tone.
“You know…we talk about literally everything, you don’t have to be cryptic with me anymore.”
“Piecing shit together, but I’ll be fine.”
“But you’ll come to me when you’re ready, right?”
“Always,” he said, smiling. He gave her arm a squeeze before getting up from the couch to get another bottle of wine.
Ginny wasn’t pushy—like Frankie or Spencer—but when it came to her best friend, she was always a little more worried. After learning about his depression and how it changed the course of his life, Ginny did everything she could to be there for Spencer; no matter what. Plus, she knew that there wasdefinitelysomething going on between him and Bronte. And maybe that was the thing weighing on him now. She’d get to the bottom of it eventually.
The rest of the evening was spent drinking their weight in wine, until Gavin got home close to midnight. Spencer was put in a cab and sent home, while she and Gavin washed up and collapsed into bed together. And despite all her worries and concerns, her conversation with Spencer reminded her that she was who Gavin wanted, no matter what.
* * *
“Been a while since we saw each other,” Anastasia, her therapist, said as Ginny made herself comfortable on the sage green couch in her office.
“My answer will definitely make you roll your eyes, so I’ll spare you.”
Stasia—as she insisted Ginny call her when they first started sessions years ago—laughed as she flipped open her notebook. “Speaking of which, how is work?”
