God. What had he been thinking? She deserved so much better than him.
When he walked back into Lee’s office, ready to grab the phone he’d left behind and leave, he found Lee waiting for him on the couch. “Come on, Gavin. Let’s talk.”
“My time is up, I think.”
Lee smiled. So much understanding in that gaze that Gavin looked away, ashamed. “Nah. My four thirty canceled. It’s just you and me for a bit longer. Just us talking, off the books. No charge. Okay?”
Gavin shrugged. “I guess.”
When he left an hour later, he felt drained but cleansed, ready to get back to pretending to have a life, at least. Lee had talked some sense into him. And now that he’d actually talked to Nicole, she wouldn’t call him again. So one good thing had happened today at least.
He went home, changed into exercise clothes, then went on a ten-mile run. Because he had to. He called in sick for work, in no condition to socialize. He texted Zoe the same excuse as a reason not to talk to her until Saturday, then used the crappy weight bench in the garage because going to the gym was out.
He pumped iron until his arms felt limp. Exhausted and past the point of any hint of anxiety, he took a quick shower, then went upstairs to Landon’s bed. Landon would be sleeping over at Ava’s. And tonight, Gavin didn’t want to deal with Theo. He just wanted to be left alone.
Tucking into Landon’s freshly laundered sheets, he lay there, ignoring the still-bright evening and remembered the last time he’d laughed with Mick and the guys…and felt unwelcome tears pour down his cheeks.
* * *
Hope snuck into her brother’s home with a furtiveness she’d developed in her adolescent years and perfected in her late teens. She stopped still, heard nothing, and continued to look around, making sure the coast was clear. With Landon firmly ensconced at Ava’s and Theo taken care of by Maya—great girl—that left only Gavin.
Rumor had it he was staying over at Zoe’s most nights, though Hope hadn’t been able to get through to the woman she had yet to meet. But Gavin should have been working at the gym ’til closing anyway, so she should be good to trick out the house. She tiptoed around the downstairs, heard nothing, and made magic. Some horseradish in the mayonnaise. Hot peppers in the ketchup. Replacing Theo’s underwear with Colin-size drawers. Okay, that one she could credit Mike’s boy with.
Man, talk about devious. He’d even planned Theo’s downfall using Liam’s—his new grandpa’s—phone, so as not to be traced. As if anyone would trace a seven-year-old. She grinned. Apparently the McCauleys had been suffering from the prank wars as well, with no idea who to blame.Someonehad been messing with her cousin Cameron’s things. Since she worked for Cam, she had eyes and ears on all her cousins.
Gosh, the things little Colin had been doing made her so proud. Where did that kid get his ideas?
She laughed to herself as she did nothing to Gavin’s side of the room, because the anticipation would be its own form of punishment. She’d think of something worse to do to him later. Then she started up the stairs to Landon’s room.
She heard something and froze. Then nothing. Moving all the way up and turning to his door, she found it closed.Oh God. Please don’t tell me he’s sexing up Ava.Wouldn’t he do that in the privacy of her place though, and not at home where his brothers could hear?
A soft moan. Not one of pleasure, but of pain.
She quietly twisted the nob and peeked her head in. The sun had finally set, and only faint moonlight came through the open blinds of the window. On the bed, Gavin lay on his side, his back to her, covered to his waist.
“Gavin?” she whispered, concerned. Sleeping in Landon’s room? That was weird.
Then she goose-stepped around the bed to see more than his broad back. The sight of his tear-stained face in sleep made her own eyes water. Poor Gavin. He teased and joked, but her brother had some serious hurt buried inside.
He moaned again, tears tracking down his face, and curled into himself.
She wanted to help him, to make the bad go away, but she knew better than to touch him right now. Landon had warned her and Theo to leave Gavin alone when he was resting. They never knew if touching him when he was out would startle him to waking violently or not. Not that he’d ever intend to hurt them or that he’d been aggressive at all with family.
“It’s okay, Gavin,” she whispered instead. “We love you. It’s okay,” she repeated, several times.
Sometime later, he blinked his eyes open, though he didn’t seem fully awake, and looked at her. “Hope?”
“Shh. Go back to sleep. This is a dream. I’m not messing with Landon’s stuff.”
He gave a tired smile and closed his eyes. She wiped her tears away. But this time she felt safe to move in close and sit on the bed with him, stroking his hair. “I love you, Gavin. And I always will.”
