“All right.” Jeff pushed away from the table. “I’ve said my piece. Your mom is probably up to her eyeballs in cleanup, and I’m gonna hunt her down and give her a hand. Good night.”
“Good night,” Charlotte squeezed out.
Silence hung awkwardly between them for a long moment. Charlotte wanted Gavin in her life more than she could say. But it wasn’t her call.
He shifted. “I probably overreacted the other day. I do that sometimes.”
“It must’ve been quite a shock to find out you have another sister.”
“It was. But Dad is right—about all of it, actually. He usually is. It’s pretty annoying.”
She breathed a laugh. “Is this where we find common ground by complaining about family?”
Gavin sobered. “No. This is where I apologize. I was tough on you. All I could think of was my mom and the hurt this would cause. I should’ve tried to see where you were coming from. I’m sorry for that.”
She melted at his gentle tone and remorseful expression. “And I’m sorry I waited so long, didn’t tell you months ago. I’m sorry for hurting you and your family.” Her eyes filled with tears again.
He held his arms open, tilted his head. “Come on, bring it in.”
She stepped into his embrace and his arms came around her. Big, protective-brother arms. It was a feeling she’d never quite had before.
“Another sister,” Gavin mumbled a moment later. “You and Avery are gonna gang up on us, aren’t you?”
“I’ve always wanted a big brother to annoy.”
He gave a wry laugh. “Great.”
Her grin widened as she drew away from him, and a movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Her smile wilted and adrenaline flooded her system, leaving her rigid and trembling.
Forty-Three
Charlotte’s grip tightened reflexively on Gavin’s arm. She blinked just to make sure it was really Gunner standing under the fair lights in his T-shirt and jeans, looking tense and tired and tempting. The image didn’t go away. She homed in on his rigid shoulders and the uncertainty in the planes of his face.
Gavin stepped in front of her. “What are you doing here? I thought you left.”
“I need to speak with Charlotte.”
Hope kindled inside her, but fear doused the flames. Her pulse kicked into a higher gear as the two emotions warred with each other.
Gavin turned to her. “Is that what you want? ’Cause I can toss this guy out of here if you want me to.”
“Hey.” Gunner frowned. “I thought we were friends.”
“She’s my sister.”
His words warmed her through. “It’s okay, Gavin. You can go.”
He studied her features. “You sure?”
She had to know what was going on. What Gunner wanted to tell her. But she was afraid to know. Afraid to hope. Afraid to believe. But she had to push through the fear. “I’m sure.”
A long, scowly moment ensued between the men. Finally Gavin looked at her. “Text me if you need me.”
“Thanks.”
The sound of his footsteps faded away, but she saw only Gunner. He approached with that lazy stride she’d become so familiar with, then stopped. His gaze roved over her face as if he was trying to read her thoughts.
Good luck with that. Her brain was a jumbled mess. And the rest of her was even worse. “Wes said you’d left.”
