AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ginny tilted her head, exposing her neck to him as she spoke. “I liked the idea of having something that wrapped around me, but I didn’t want it around my torso. Mostly because I knew it would hurt more and also because I didn’t want to hide it.” Gavin hummed in understanding as he kissed along her neck, playfully nipping at her skin. “Vines are one of the most determined plants in the world, did you know that? They will fight like hell until they find sun, water and shelter. Stubborn as fuck and resilient too.”
“Like you,” he murmured, smiling when Ginny scoffed. “It’s one of my favorite things about you. Into the tub before the water gets cold,” he said softly and released Ginny.
She glanced back at him briefly and he held a hand out to help as she climbed into the tub. Once she was settled, back against the curved end of the tub, he got in as well. He’d never given much thought to how tubs were designed, but he was grateful that the faucet for this one was in the middle. So he could lean back as well, putting them across from each other.
For a long time, they just sat there, letting the soapy water soak them, but Gavin watched Ginny closely. She seemed to be having a conversation with herself, hands moving under the water enough to cause harsh ripples. But when she realized he was watching her, she looked up and laughed.
“Why are you frowning so hard?”
Rolling her eyes, Ginny splashed him. “Just thinking about the last few weeks. I’ve been struggling through the motions and you’ve been there every step of the way. It’s crazy.”
“What’s crazy is how much I love you.”
“Gavin. Be serious.”
He nodded, scooting forward, without giving a shit about the water spilling over the side. “I am being serious. I’ve loved you since I was thirteen, Nia. I had a crush on you before that, but that’s not important. When you love someone and know they’re your whole world, you show up for them. By helping me with the fundraiser, you did it too. Even if you weren’t sure how you felt about me. Sure, there were moments when things looked a little dicey, but we made it through. Your family is hurting and the least I can do is be there for you to lean on.”
“How long did you have a crush on me for?”
Gavin arched an eyebrow. “Seriously,that’sthe thing you got from everything I said?”
Ginny laughed and closed the gap between them, climbing into his lap. “I love you,” she told him, arms around his neck before she kissed him. “And thank you. Am I allowed to say that? Because you have been way more patient, understanding and loving than you should be.”
“I’ll allow words of appreciation,” he said softly, kissing the corner of her mouth. “And thankyoufor giving us a chance. Especially after the kind of asshole I’ve been.”
“You’re my favorite kind of asshole.”
“Right back atcha, babe.”
Ginny snorted out a laugh and then their lips were attached, arms winding around each other tight. It was the kind of kiss that sealed the conversation, that reconfirmed their relationship and pushed them forward. He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers, Gavin was impressed how despite both of them being naked, nothing about that moment was about sex. It was for the two of them to just be together and nothing else.
Clearing his throat, he ran his thumb over her spine. “Is now a good time to ask how your mom’s doing?”
“I think being here, with your folks, is really helping her. I’m so grateful to them for taking her in without hesitation.” He opened his mouth to respond, but Ginny pressed a finger to his lips. “I know…Iknow, our moms are best friends and would do anything for each other, but still, I appreciate it.
“Apparently this isn’t the first time he’s hurt her. Most of their marriage, he was abusive. She protected us from his wrath and took all the punishments so we wouldn’t struggle with that. And this whole time, nobody told me. I can’t believe he treated her so badly when she gave him everything and loved him even when he was being an absolute asshole.”
Even though she wasn’t looking at him, Gavin read Ginny’s feelings about her father just by the way her body tightened and tensed.
“And to think…I was his biggest fan when I was a kid. I thought there wasn’t a single thing that he could do wrong, that he was some kind of fucking superhero. But he was the opposite. He was the villain in all those stories. Maybe even worse than the villains. Anyway, she’s filing a domestic abuse complaint, using pictures your mom took when she got here.” Gavin nodded, feeling the tension slowly seep out of Ginny as she sighed heavily. “We’ll figure out the rest as we go, but we’re going to talk to my siblings tomorrow first.”
“Good.” He kissed the tip of her nose and Ginny smiled. “I don’t want to ruin thismoment, but I can feel the soap attach itself to my body and it is quite unpleasant.”
Ginny laughed loudly and extracted herself out of their embrace. Gavin pulled the plug out and scrubbed his body as the water drained out of the tub. He pushed to his feet as Ginny turned on the shower and they quickly rinsed themselves off. With towels wrapped around their bodies, both of them collapsed back into bed and within minutes of her head hitting the pillow, Ginny was snoring.
CHAPTER37
JUNE
While she was neededfor more important matters, Ginny was disappointed that they had to cancel their Tybee weekend. She’d been excited about it since the thought popped into her head, but with everything going on with her mother, Tybee could wait. The morning after her mother had arrived at the Rhodes house, Ginny called her siblings and updated them on everything that had happened. The plan was for all of them to fly to Houston and be present for the domestic abuse complaint, after which Elsa would stay with Joey in New York for a bit.
Ginny was also so grateful to the Rhodes family for being there for them, especially when they let Elsa stay in the house while Ginny went back to Wildes to wrap up pending projects. Frankie, as expected, didn’t even hesitate to give her the time off. In fact Frankie was disappointed that Ginny came into office at all—“family emergency takes precedence over everything else, events don’t matter.” While Gavin floated the idea of going with her, and she appreciated the thought, Ginny insisted that Gavin stay at home while she resolved all the issues.
The day they landed in Houston, Ginny and her mother visited the local precinct and reported the abuse. Thanks to Juniper and Elijah, they had a folder full of photographs and apparently her mother had kept a journal in the past that detailed quite a few older incidents. Ginny waited in the bullpen while her mother gave her statement—she later found out that the officers wanted to know every detail she could remember—and when they were done, her siblings were waiting at the hotel David booked them all into. Since they didn’t know if Cyrus was going to be at the house or not, they made the decision to stay far away from him.
After tucking Elsa into bed in her room, the four Thomas siblings went down to the bar to drink and plot murder.
“Did they say how long it would take to arrest him?” Joey asked, slumped in her chair as she swirled her glass around.
