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“Nothing. It’s…complicated.”
Graham had snorted, punching him in the shoulder. “Did you two talk after all that?”
“Yeah. It was unpleasant.”
“Dude, what the fuck?”
“Look, she really did break my heart and moving on from that is not as easy as it sounds. You, of all people, should know that.”
“Idoknow that, but I have moved on and my heartbreak was far more intense than yours. Walk me through what happened.”
So Gavin had. He told Graham how they’d yelled and shouted at each other, how he’d almost kissed her and how she’d invaded every single one of his thoughts since then. Graham had listened, but didn’t offer any advice. And honestly, Gavin was glad for it. He couldn’t think of anything his brother could say that would help him deal with the chaos in his head.
It also helped that he hadn’t seen Ginny since that night at The Sidecar. Something told him that if hedidsee her, he wouldn’t stop at an almost kiss that time. She infiltrated his thoughts at all the perfect moments—when he was in the shower, sliding into bed or taking a break from work—but Gavin was proud of himself for not acting on those thoughts. Sort of.
He had given in that morning, though, while he was lying in bed alone and his boxers tented after another detailed dirty dream that featured Ginny. He’d stroked himself hard and fast, not wanting to romanticize the hand job. And he definitely didn’t want to think about the dream too much. He just needed her out of his system and he would do whatever it took to make that happen.
Except, all plans to avoid her had been foiled with her presence at his parents’ house.Joy.
“You could ask Ginny to help us organize something. She’s an event planner, right?” Bronte said as she filled up the tub with warm water.
Gavin hummed noncommittally because how could he tell his friend that being around Ginny drove him insane, in all the best and worst ways? They’d been at the shelter for two hours already, coaxing a red pit bull to trust them so they could do a quick check to make sure she was okay. The dog wasn’t injured or harmed, there were no old wounds or scars either, but she was malnourished and shaking like a leaf. People often thought that pit bulls were scary and dangerous dogs, but one look at this beautiful girl and they would see that all dogs were sweet and kind until someone did something to them.
“You listening to me?”
“Barely,” Gavin whispered, brushing his hand back and forth over the pit bull’s side as they lay on the floor together. The dog had finally accepted that Gavin wasn’t going to hurt her and she’d curled up with him and fallen asleep. When she woke up, he’d made sure to feed her and now, they were going to attempt to wash her.
“I heard you yelling at each other that day, so I know there’s history.”
Clearly Bronte wasn’t going to let this go, so Gavin sat up slowly and looked at his friend. “I do have a complicated history with her and I don’t want to make things worse by aggravating everything, so I’ll think about it, okay?”
Bronte nodded, eyes narrowed as she turned off the faucet and dipped her hand in the water. Together, they guided the pit bull into the tub and as Bronte cooed and talked to her, Gavin used a soft brush to clean her up. The water was black by the time they finished, so they hosed her down before wrapping her up in a thick towel. The whole time, he thought about Ginny sitting at his parents’ kitchen table, eating lunch with his family. His parents did love her, she’d always been their favorite of the Thomas siblings, and that’s what made all of this harder. She was Spencer’s best friend and someone his mother adored—young Gavin had no hope in not falling in love with her.
Adult Gavin had no hopes of falling out of love with her either.
Bronte offered to stay at the shelter to keep an eye on the pit bull and Gavin knew that when he came in the next day, she’d have named the dog something ridiculous. Despite not wanting to actually see and interact with Ginny, he did want to see his parents and he did need lunch. After a quick change out of his soaked t-shirt and shorts into a light blue t-shirt and jeans, Gavin drove to his parents house.
And still, nothing could have prepared him to see the woman who had lived in his head rent-free for the last twelve years sitting in his usual place, looking good enough to eat.
* * *
Sitting beside her in that infuriatingly sexy dress, Gavin focused on his food. Sunday lunches at the Rhodes house were always different. His parents took turns putting together the food and by the taste and feel of the meat, his father had been in charge of the braised short ribs. Everyone had gone silent when he showed up, but as he inhaled his lunch, conversation picked up around him. Gavin noticed the giddy smile on his mother’s face and the happy glow in his father’s eyes—seeing Ginny again clearly made them happy. He wondered if Spencer had avoided inviting Ginny home to see their folks because of him.
Wiping his mouth with a napkin, Gavin let his eyes properly drink in Ginny. Noah was right, she looked absolutely gorgeous. Despite the cooler temperatures, she was wearing a short cream dress covered in oranges that rode up her thick thighs. Every time she shifted in her chair, the dress shifted up another inch, making him wonder if the stretch marks he used to trace were still there. Her full breasts were tight against the top of the dress and she wore a light orange cardigan over it, hiding her tattoos and making the whole outfit look demure. Not that there was anything demure about Ginny Thomas.
When his mother finally served him a giant slice of her famous chocolate pecan pie, Ginny was on her feet, making excuses about needing to get home. Gavin shoved a spoonful of the dessert into his mouth as his eyes did another sweep—her strong legs were tucked into boots and her ass looked biteable as she adjusted the dress over her hips. The visuals in his head hadn’t done justice to just how delicious her body was. His fingers tingled with the need to touch and map every inch of her warm brown skin.
“Are you sure you can’t stay, sweetheart?” his mother asked, pouting playfully.
Ginny laughed softly and shook her head. “I bet that works on your sons, huh?”
Juniper Rose snorted out a laugh, getting to her feet. “Works better on my husband, but I thought I’d give it a try.”
“If I didn’t have to prep for the week ahead, I would totally stay,” Ginny told his mother, wrapping her up in a hug. “But it was so good to see you and thank you for having me.”
Gavin saw his mother’s eyes well up as she squeezed Ginny back. All these years, his big fat mess had stopped his mother from seeing Ginny and he hated himself for it.
“We hope to see more of you, okay?” his father said as he came around the table to hug Ginny. Spencer and Noah were also on their feet, ready to get their hugs, but Gavin scraped his chair back loudly as he stood.
