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“I quit that toxic place and moved with Frankie when she started her own company,” Ginny said with a smile. Then for the next twenty minutes, she told Stasia about everything that was happening in her life. For the sake of time, she kept it brief, but she made sure to cover everything—reconnecting with Gavin, falling in love with him and the trauma of her parents’ life choices.
“Sounds like you’re worried about your feelings for Gavin because of what happened with your parents.”
Ginny made a face, looking away for a moment. “In a way, sure. I love him, he loves me and I know what we have is more than I ever expected. Except, the doubts are still there.”
“Tell me about these doubts.”
“What if I’m like Cyrus? What if I take so much from him, then get bored and walk away? What if I fuck this up completely and hurt him?” Ginny remembered what Spencer said after she expressed these thoughts and shook her head. “My best friend saidwhat if he loves you enough for the both of youand I don’t want that to be the case. I never want to be in a relationship where one person loves the other more. And while Gavin might have had feelings for me for years, my love for him isn’t any less fierce. Right?”
Stasia smiled and nodded, but she didn’t say anything for a long time. Ginny just watched her scribble in her notebook and when she stopped, she said, “You’ve been in a relationship for a few months now. In that time, have you wanted anyone or anything else?”
“No!” she protested, fingers clenching tight. “Sorry, that was aggressive.”
“Thatreaction says a lot, really. From everything you’ve told me, Gavin makes you happy and you love him. You want to be with him and you haven’t thought of a single other person in that time. You’re nothing like Cyrus, Ginny. You’ve had both feet planted in this relationship from the minute you decided to give it a shot. Whathedid to your mother, and in the process to you, might haunt you forever. But you have to believe that you’re not the same. You made thechoiceto be with Gavin and from what I understand, that’s far more than Cyrus did in any relationship.”
Swallowing hard, Ginny felt a tear roll down her cheek and wiped it away quickly. She nodded at Stasia and blew out a shaky breath. “I made the choice to be with him,” she repeated softly, smiling as she looked at Stasia.
“Doubts and fears are normal, but remember to always check in with yourself. And also understand that the actions of someone who caused you trauma doesn’t reflect on you. Trust in yourself and in Gavin.”
“Because he is who I want.”
Stasia nodded and then they talked about work and @GinLife, making sure that Ginny was finding the right balance in everything she was doing. Between this stress of her parents and struggling to see herself clearly in the relationship, she was working herself to the bone. Even if she was very organized, Ginny sometimes took on more than she could handle. So Stasia helped her stabilize her processes, to ensure that she was making enough time for herself in the middle of it all.
When she got home, Gavin was playing in the backyard with Cedar and Copper. Ginny left her sneakers and purse by the front door and watched from the kitchen window while she drank water. Hewaseverything she never knew she wanted. More than being the complete opposite of Cyrus or every person she’d ever hooked up with, Gavin was the only person who’d ever made her smile so hard, it felt like her heart might explode. Besides, he loved her in a way she’d onlyheardabout.
Stepping out onto the back porch, Ginny chuckled when Cedar abandoned the ball to greet her instead. Gavin smiled when he turned to face her, hands on his hips. After giving Cedar and Copper lots of nuzzling and love, she stepped past them as Gavin’s hand hooked into the front of her jeans and tugged her towards him.
“Hi,” he mumbled and then pressed his mouth against hers. Ginny sighed into the kiss, one hand wrapped around his neck as Gavin pulled her flush against him. A soft groan slipped from his mouth and Gavin broke away to rest his forehead against hers.
“Hi yourself.” She stole another kiss, rubbing her cheek against his scruff as she said, “How do you feel about a hot shower and some cuddling?”
“As long as it’s with you, I’m up with anything.” His hands slid down to her ass and Ginny yelped when he squeezed, making him laugh. “Did you have a good session?”
Nodding, Ginny stepped out of his grasp and held the screen door open for Gavin and their animals. “She gave me grief for not showing up before, but I caught her up on everything and it was a lot. It was good, though.” And it was. Even if the drama with her mother and Cyrus was hovering in the middle of her mind, Ginny was able to put her full focus on Gavin. Which is what Stasia reminded her to do, because her mother had made her choice.
Ginny picked Gavin.
She followed him up the stairs to the bedroom and stripped out of her clothes as Gavin worked on getting the shower to the right temperature. Stretching her tired muscles, Ginny walked into the bathroom and found Gavin waiting for her. Smiling, she pulled her hair in a bun on top of her head and stepped under the water, the shower doing the thing to relax her. Her shoulders dropped and she closed her eyes, letting all of her worries and concerns float down the drain. Gavin wrapped his arms around her and Ginny sighed as she leaned back against him.
“I was thinking we should go away for a few days, maybe Memorial Day weekend?”
“Hell yes. I was going to suggest it, but I know you’ve been really swamped with work.”
Ginny sighed, turning to face him. “Iamswamped with work and taking on more than I should. But we both deserve a break. And a little weekend escape might just be it.”
“Where do you wanna go?”
“Tybee.”
His eyes widened, but Gavin smiled as he stared at her. “For real?”
“Absolutely. Let’s go back to where it all started. Not necessarily a nostalgia trip, but be in the place where we met and do it differently.”
“You had me at Tybee, Nia.”
She grinned and pulled his mouth to hers, letting herself get lost in the kiss. There was no planning involved in the thought, it popped into her head and sheknewthat it was exactly what they needed. They weren’t escaping Wildes, just the things that were weighing them down. While Tybee had some hard memories, she wanted them to make new ones.
* * *
