“Fine.” Gabe felt the simmering anger below the surface. Whatever her reasons, he couldn’t pass the fact that Ivy didn’t go to him first. Thinking back to their argument the other night, she brought up everything his brothers said to him here. They had been hasty, and maybe he had jumped to conclusions, letting his grief and paranoia cloud his rational thought.
“Dammit,” Gabe said.
“I’ll go with you, okay? I don’t have wheels,” Nick said.
“I don’t need a babysitter,” Gabe growled.
“I haven’t heard the story from her. I would like to hear it,” Nick said.
“Fuck you all, you bastards.”
“But you love us,” Logan said.
As he walked out with Nick, Gabe gave them the finger behind his back.
“You were on a job?”
“Yeah. I just got back, and Quinn said we were having a meeting.”
Gabe grunted.
“I know you like to work because you feel you’re good at it.”
“I am good at it,” Gabe said, opening the doors to his SUV.
“Yes, you are a good medic and great in the field. But you’re not bad to hang out with. You’re okay with dogs. You know how to do stuff. There’s more to you than the army, Gabe.”
“Doesn’t fucking feel like it,” Gabe muttered.
“It’s because you’ve always wanted your dad’s approval.”
“It would be nice if he looked at me for longer than a moment without comparing me to Cole. Your parents are so much better.”
Nick snorted. “My asshole father, who still thinks I am going to join the company? He’s on wife number four. And my mother, who I can barely have a conversation with without her going off on some cause? Yeah, I won the parent lottery.”
“Your parents don’t compare you to your sister.”
“Sure, but they still think I am wasting my life. Not as bad as yours, okay? But not a cakewalk, either.”
Gabe looked over at this friend as he turned out the window. Ever since they met on an army training exercise, Nick had always been there for him. He knows Nick would love to have a girl of his own to care about.
“Seeing anyone?”
“No. Playing a few times with the subs at Club Bandit, but no one serious.” Nick shrugged. “Relationships aren’t for me.”
“Yeah. I don’t think they are for me either.”
“Yes, they are. You’re just being stubborn. You are better with Ivy than without, that is for sure. She’s still not answering?”
“No. I want to blaze her ass red and buy her dinner.”
“Then do both.” Nick grinned.
He laughed, and some of the tension eased from his shoulders. Quinn was right. Ivy had balls.
He parked, they got out, and as Gabe unlocked, the front door to the lobby almost got run over by his neighbour’s husky.
“Sorry,” the woman said.
