“I do, although I doubt it’ll be needed. Forecast is only calling for some clouds with early evening rain. We should be back before it hits.”
I watch as Gavin’s mother nods while his father grins, wrapping an arm around his wife. “The quintessential mom.”
“You can never be too prepared,” Eliza says, beaming proudly.
“Okay, we’re off.” Gavin kisses his mother on the cheek and slaps a hand on his father’s shoulder. “We’ll see you this evening.”
“Enjoy and be safe,” Eliza says again, causing her husband to chuckle. “Always her parting words,” he says.
I grab my pack before Gavin leads me through the living room where he grabs a bigger one that’d been by the couch. Onceoutside, we load up in his SUV and head out as I wave to his parents.
“They’re delightful,” I say.
“Yeah, they’re not too bad,” he says, grinning, and I know there’s plenty of love there. “Still blissfully in love after forty-five years of marriage.”
“Che meraviglia!”
Gavin glances at me. “Can I assume that means something good?”
“It means, how marvelous. My parents have been married forty-years, and it still seems like a business arrangement. I’m sure there’s love between then, definitely respect, but they don’t display their affection. Which I always found odd, considering my father is Italian, and they’re known for their romance.”
“I’ve never known anything different. And yeah, when you’re little, you go through periods of thinking it’s funny then embarrassing then inspiring. I’m sure they’ve had uneasy times, but we’d never know. They’ve always been affectionate and silly and hopelessly in love.”
“That’s sweet. So, do you have siblings? Other family in the area?”
Gavin concentrates on the road while answering my questions. Meanwhile, I put all my concentration on him, watching his hands gripping the wheel, strong and sure. Since he isn’t in his coat yet, I can watch his forearms flex when in motion, suddenly imagining then wrapping around my body. I shift in my seat as my sex pulses.Che cavolo!I chastise myself, saying, what the hell.
“I have a younger brother by five years, Jace. He’s a fixed-wing mechanic at Miramar and will be home for Christmas. Makes Mom happy having everyone together. This’ll be the first year in three that Jace hasn’t been overseas. Mom has a sister west of here in Lakeside, and Dad’s two brothers are in theSpring Valley area. We’re all homegrown Californians. Mom’s hosting Christmas this year, so yeah, she’s going all-out.”
“I love that. Any cousins, children that will be present?”
“Well, no children from me or Jace; much to Mom’s disappointment. I keep telling her there’s time. She says she’d like to be able to run around with them before she’s decrepit.” Gavin laughs. “Dad’s brothers married later in life, in their late-30s, and have kids. I’m forty and Jace is thirty-five, so, yeah, there’s time.” He looks at me and winks. “What about you? Siblings? Nieces or nephews? Other family in Cali?
“Single child. No other family; they’re back in Italy where my father was born, and Algeria where my mother was born. We’ve visited a few times over the years, and I have loose contact with a few relatives.”
“Will you be spending the holidays in San Diego then? Because if you want a dose of family exuberance, you are more than welcome to spend it with us.”
“Gavin Driscoll, are you inviting me to Christmas with you and your family?”
He glances at me and smiles. “I am.”
“You are too sweet.”
“Nah, I’mjustright.”
I snort, thinking he’s not wrong. We fall silent as Gavin turns off-road, following a path not many would consider negotiable. But I have faith in him as I stare out the windows, taking in the beautiful greenery. The sky is laced with a blanket of wispy clouds, a little blue is seen. Birds perform acrobatics in the distance, and a small creature darts across the road, causing Gavin to slow down.
“What was that?”
“Either a weasel or squirrel. It ran too fast for me to be sure.”
“Should I be concerned about wildlife encounters on this hike?”
He parks in a wide spot marked with a sign indicating the trailhead. Ours is the only vehicle. “Nah, just little mammals and birds. Maybe a snake, but it’s too cool for them right now, so those chances are small.”
“But still a chance. What about bear or mountain lion?”
“Again, always a chance, but slim. I brought a collapsable baton along with a firearm.”
