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“Do you want to meet her?”

Talia looked up at him. “Only if you’re sure.”

“I’m not sure about any of this.” Dom pushed to his feet. “But you came to see her.”

Her eyes filled again. “Thank you.”

He went upstairs before she could say anything else. He’d finally said what he’d been carrying for months. Talia had listened, apologized, and offered to give him the certainty he’d wanted since the night she left. Lucia was safe, and Gavin would be there soon, and for the first time in months, Dom felt like he could breathe without fear.

19

GAVIN

Gavin spent the afternoon waiting for his phone to ring. It sat heavy in his pocket while his clients discussed renovating a second bathroom after he’d finished measuring the first, but the screen stayed stubbornly dark. He forced himself to listen, asked the questions he needed to ask, and tried to remember to write down their answers. But he could still hear the tremor in Dom’s voice.

She asked to see Lucia.

Dom had sounded scared, and Gavin hadn’t been able to do a damn thing about it from the other end of the phone. He’d offered to come over but had understood when Dom said he needed to face Talia alone. That hadn’t made it easier to spend the afternoon wondering whether he was all right. By the time he packed up his things, the estimate had run longer than expected. He checked his phone once more on the way to his truck, then headed for the restaurant they liked in Little Italy.

Whatever had happened, Dom would need to eat. Gavin couldn’t do anything about the conversation taking place in Dom’s living room, but he could show up with the dinner he’d promised and make sure Dom was taken care of.

At the last minute, he added an extra order of pasta in case Talia was still there.

An unfamiliar car was parked at the curb when he pulled into the driveway, and Gavin eyed it as he shifted into park. He shut off the engine and reached for the bags. He’d hoped she would be gone by now. Whatever she’d come to say, he knew Dom would have spent the afternoon working through the worst-case scenarios and bracing for a hit. All Gavin wanted to do was get him fed and find out how it had gone. Maybe sit with Lucia for a while so Dom could have a minute to himself if he wanted one.

The front door was unlocked, the way it always was when Dom knew he was coming over. He heard Lucia squeal, and Gavin smiled as he stepped into the entryway. He looked toward the living room and stopped, his smile faltering. Lucia was sitting on the rug in front of Dom, reaching toward a pile of colorful rings while Dom’s hands rested on her sides for support. Talia sat next to Dom, smiling as Lucia grabbed a ring and brought it to her mouth. Dom guided Lucia’s hand toward the plastic post and helped her push the ring down. Talia applauded, and Lucia babbled between them as she reached for another ring.

Gavin paused. He’d known she would likely be there. Hell, he’d bought her dinner. He just hadn’t expected to feel like he was interrupting something. Dom leaned forward to move another ring closer, his shoulder brushing Talia’s arm, and Gavin couldn’t stop looking at that small point of contact. Talia said something he couldn’t hear, and Dom’s mouth curved into a smile when he turned to look at her.

He knew that smile. He’d spent the last few months figuring out all the little things that brought it to Dom’s face. Sometimes all it took was getting Lucia to sleep or showing up with coffee when Dom had been awake since too early in the morning. But his favorite was when Dom gave him one for no reason Gavin could figure out. He’d started letting himself believe that maybe a reason wasn’t necessary.

“There you are.”

Gavin looked up. Dom was smiling at him now, his whole face relaxed and open in a way that should have made him feel better. Instead, Gavin’s grip tightened on the bags.

“Hey,” he managed.

Lucia turned her head at the sound of his voice and her mouth opened in a delighted little circle. She dropped the ring to reach toward him, and Dom caught her as she pitched forward.

“Easy, Lucky.” He laughed softly. “Let Gavin put the food down.”

Gavin looked at the bags in his hand. “Right.” He crossed to the coffee table to set the bags down. One of the containers shifted, and he steadied it through the paper, glad for something to do with his hands.

“This is Talia,” Dom said. “Talia, this is my boyfriend Gavin.”

“Hi.” She gave him a small, uncertain smile.

“Hi.”

He should say something else. He knew that. He’d walked in prepared to tell a joke about dinner, and now he couldn’t think of a single ordinary thing to say.

“How’d the estimate go?” Dom tilted his head, and his gaze dropped to Gavin’s clenched hands before returning to his face. A crease had formed between his brows, and Gavin wanted to smooth it with his thumb the way he always did.

“Fine.”

Dom’s smile slipped, and Gavin looked away. Lucia made an impatient sound and reached for him again. Usually, he would have already crouched in front of her and held out his hands for Dom to pass her over so he could press a kiss to her soft hair while she grabbed at his collar. He wanted to do it so badly his chest hurt. But Talia was right there, sitting beside Dom, and Gavin couldn’t remember how he’d gotten comfortable assuming there would always be a place for him.

“Gavin?” Dom’s smile had faded completely. “You okay?”