Chapter 11
Gavin had one hell of a nightmare, as he’d suspected he might. Zoe, the ice cream, and her lush garden had helped. He’d meditated at home before going to bed. He’d been nearly asleep, calmed down, and had just closed his eyes. Everything faded to a gentle black.
Theo must have made a noise coming home, because his bang and curse had turned into shots fired, Dan losing a leg, and Gavin shooting through a sniper’s eye just as the guy got a bead on him. He shot up in bed, his heart threatening to burst from his chest, breathing hard, and yelled for cover fire.
“Shit. Gavin, it’s me. It’s Theo.” Theo tripped over a pair of Gavin’s shoes and fell hard on his stomach. “Fuck. That hurt!”
“Whatthe hellis going on?” Landon roared as he stomped down the stairs. The hallway light flickered on. He soon appeared in the doorway and flipped on the bedroom light, then stared at Theo on the floor. “Theo?” He leaned down. “You smell like a cheap six-pack. Or is that Boone’s I smell?”
Gavin was still trembling, his heart still racing, so he lay back and took even breaths. “Shit. I can smell it from over here. What the hell were you drinking? And hey, aren’t you underage?” he taunted, calming down.It’s okay. You’re home. Think about family. About Leon. Violet.
Zoe.
This time his heart did a strange leap of delight, imagining the sexy witch with the smart mouth and ice-blue eyes.No sex, my ass.She totally owed him more than a hot fudge sundae. Focusing on the mundane, on his breathing, on Zoe and his family, he slowly but surely came back to himself while Landon ragged on their brother.
Unfortunately now awake, Gavin had to move. He wouldn’t fall back to sleep easily, he knew from experience. He rose to a sitting position and stared down at his baby brother, ignoring Landon’s less-than-subtle look of concern directedhisway. “Theo, you don’t look so good.”
Theo glared, or tried to. Because in the next breath, he turned and puked all over the floor.
Landon grimaced. “Oh man. It’s pink. Whatever he drank is gonna stain.”
“Hey, Major Clean, go grab the carpet cleaner while I haul Little Boozer into the bathroom.”
“Up…yours,” Theo managed before vomiting again.
“Hell, Bro.” Gavin tried not to gag. “It stinks like sugared vomit and cheap alcohol. Just tell me you didn’t sleep with anyone too. Trust me. Bad booze makes for worse bed companions.”
Theo tried to flip him off and groaned instead.
“Let’s go.” Gavin hauled him off the floor and into the bathroom, sticking Theo’s head in the toilet just in time while the kid upchucked even more. Gavin hurried back to the doorway to get away from that awful smell.
More retching ensued, but at least he was standing upwind from it. “That’s just gross.”
“So are you.” More moaning.
“Do you even have anything else in your stomach to get rid of? How much did you drink, anyway?”
“I only had three shots. Maybe a cocktail or two. It was the clams beforehand, I think.” Theo spat into the toilet.
“Wait. Cheap drinksandbad seafood? You’re a moron.” Gavin yelled the facts to Landon, who laughed. No sympathy from that corner. Gavin turned back to Theo. “Stain must have come out, because Major Clean is amused. You’re lucky.”
Another finger. It was like his brothers lost all creativity when insulting him. No challenge there. He left Theo after figuring the boy could handle himself and his porcelain savior.
Joining Landon in the kitchen, he watched his older brother boil water for hot cocoa. They’d never done tea, and left to Gavin, they never would. It was too…unmanly.
“Where’s the hot chick?” Gavin asked. “And I don’t mean blow-up Ava. I mean the real one.”
Landon shot him a scowl. “Asshole.”
Apparently still not over the blow-up doll incident. A stroke of genius on Theo’s part, that. “She’s hanging with Sadie and Elliot this weekend. Cousins only. I’m not invited.”
“Ouch.”
“But neither is Joe, Rose’s husband.” Rose—Ava’s younger, married cousin. “So I’m fairly okay with the exclusion.”
“Hurray. More Landon time for the family.”
Landon smiled through his teeth. “Lucky, lucky you.” He leaned back against the counter, clad in only a pair of shorts. “So what happened? Another nightmare?”
