Ties That Bind (12 page)

“Don’t mention it. I’m enjoying it,” he
shrugged sheepishly. Kate liked him, probably because he reminded
her the most of Gavin.

Since she’d come all this way to see him, and
since she liked the way “she’s my girlfriend” had rolled off his
tongue, she saw no reason to try to maintain the distance between
them. At least for now. She’d figure the rest out later. Now, she
was going to curl up next to him and be incredibly content with his
arm wrapped around her. It was so right there in his embrace, so
deliciously comfortable, she dozed off. She vaguely recalled
discussing the magazine with Darrin but she didn’t remember the
conversation ending. Her next hazy moments of awareness were of
being the topic of conversation.

“Liz said she left day before yesterday – she
got hung up in New York,” Gavin was telling them. When had he
talked to Liz? Had she been that out of it? Lord help her if she’d
snored or drooled.

“Poor thing. She’s been up for two days,”
Kate thought it was Jill who murmured that.

“She loves you Gavin. Don’t you mess this
up,” Sarah ordered. Really? Did she love him? Wasn’t it a little
soon for that?

“Really? You think she loves me?” Gavin
seemed to read her thoughts.

“Oh come on, brother. A girl spends nearly
two days on a plane to sit in a hospital with you? What do you
think?” Gabriel had a point. Kate now had two problems. One, it was
going to be really hard to keep Gavin at bay after this. Any hope
of walking away from this unscathed now seemed to be gone. Second,
she couldn’t open her eyes now or they’d wonder how much she’d
heard. There would be an awkward moment all around.

Someone’s phone chirped softly and it gave
Kate the excuse she needed to “wake up.” She purposely yawned and
sat up slowly, doing her best to look groggy. When her eyes met
Gavin’s, she couldn’t help the momentary blush that crept across
her cheeks. She ducked her head into his shoulder but it wasn’t
fast enough. The corner of his lip was twitching again and she knew
he realized she’d been awake for that conversation.

“Even if they’re right, that doesn’t mean I’m
any less neurotic, you know,” she whispered against his ear. “I’m
still perfectly capable of flipping out again.”

“I’ll take my chances,” he turned his head to
look at her. The expression on his face made her heart trip that
funny little beat it had the first time she’d seen him.

“Ellen Nichols family?” A man who Kate
assumed to be the doctor stepped into the waiting room.

“Yes?” Everyone sat up straighter in their
seat.

“She came through the surgery just fine. We
feel confident we were able to remove the cancerous tissue. We’ll
of course want to follow up with treatment…” Kate didn’t hear much
more after that. Her heart soared for Gavin. This was good news.
Maybe he could be spared the pain. She watched his face as he took
in the rest of what was being said. He seemed so serious, but the
joy was still evident.

After the doctor had assured them that they
could see her after she was out of recovery and left, there was a
collective sigh of relief. There were hugs all around.

“All right, you kids go get some food. I’ll
wait here,” Garrett ordered them all.

“No way Da,” Gabriel shook his head. “Sarah
and I will wait here; you go with the others to get some food. We
can eat later and I’m sure you won’t leave to.”

He looked ready to protest but conceded at
Sarah’s firm command of “Go.”

Kate was happy to stretch her legs, and even
happier at the prospect of food. She’d been too keyed up on the
plane to eat. That fact was apparent now as her stomach grumbled
loudly.

“When was the last time you ate?” Gavin eyed
her speculatively.

“I had pizza with the girls the night before
I left,” she frowned defensively.

“Come on then,” he held her elbow as if she
needed assistance. “Let’s get some food in you.”

“I can wait here while you guys go eat. I
promise to call if they come for you,” she shook her head in
protest.

“We had breakfast this morning Kate. And
dinner last night. And lunch yesterday. And breakfast yesterday…”
Gavin pulled her along behind him.

“You don’t have to be snarfy about it,” Kate
grumbled, following obediently.

“Kate?” Gavin stopped suddenly, halfway down
the hall.

“Yes?” She bumped into him, not expecting his
change of pace.

“I love you,” his arms caught her waist and
he leaned in closer to her.

“I love you, too,” she admitted. And then he
stole a quick kiss. Something in his expression said the kiss would
have been much different had they been standing just about anywhere
else. Kate didn’t pay much attention to the rest of the trip down
to the restaurant. Had she really just told a man she loved
him?

Kate felt almost human again with some food
in her belly. She marveled a little at this new creature she had
become – a woman who could fall head over heels in love with a man
after only six weeks. Truth be told, maybe it had really taken six
minutes and then six weeks to admit it. That sounded more like her.
Where that left them would have to wait until Gavin’s mom was
better, until Kate knew where she stood with her father.

When Gavin’s phone vibrated to signal that
they were cleared to see Ellen, Kate’s nerves went haywire again.
He seemed pretty intent on her meeting his mother now. Kate was
sure that was one of those things that should wait for a more
suitable time and place. Gavin insisted nothing would make his
mother happier.

He didn’t even give her time to put on makeup
or brush her hair. He just tugged her right on into the room and
right up to Ellen’s bed. He did release her hand long enough to
lean over his mother to kiss her tenderly.

“How are you feeling, Mum?” he smiled
tenderly. His touch was so gentle it was as if he was afraid to
break her.

“I’ve felt better,” she admitted, weariness
and pain etched in her blue eyes. “But that’s not important now. I
want you to introduce me to this American beauty by your side.”

Kate nearly looked around to see who else was
standing beside Gavin. She smiled nervously at Ellen, reaching out
to take the hand that had been extended to her. Gavin had
straightened and now stood at Kate’s side, his hand reassuringly on
the small of her back.

“It’s so nice to meet you, ma’am and I’m glad
your surgery went well.” Kate felt bolstered by his touch.

“Oh dearest, we are so happy to meet you,”
Ellen beamed up at her. There was a certain warmth and vibrancy
that emanated from her even in her weakened state. Even fresh out
of surgery, Kate could see that she was the type of woman with a
natural beauty, someone at ease in her own skin. Kate liked her.
She was still a little terrified of her, but she liked her.

“You have a wonderful family.”

“I think so, too,” she patted Kate’s hand.
“And I hope to get to visit with you more before you leave. Will
you be staying long?”

“A few days, then I have to get back to
work.”

“Good. Good,” Ellen’s eyelashes fluttered,
reminding them all she needed her rest. One by one, the boys filed
back by to kiss their mother’s cheek before being shooed out by
their father.

“My bag’s in the waiting room still,” Kate
realized with a start after they’d reached the parking lot.

“No, it’s in my dad’s car,” he reassured her.
“Darrin took it down for you earlier.”

“Oh. That was sweet of him.”

“What can I say, we’re good people.”

“I don’t have a hotel. I wasn’t sure where I
should stay,” Kate told him. “I didn’t know where you’d be and I
wanted to be with you.”

“You’re making me dizzy with the sudden
turnaround,” he crooked his arm around her neck and kissed the top
of her head, the gesture softening the words. “Dare I ask what
caused this change of attitude?”

“A few things,” she answered thoughtfully,
pausing long enough for them to get into the car. “First, when you
left I realized it was already too late to keep myself from getting
hurt. I already cared too much.”

“Who says I’ll hurt you?” He asked softly,
his eyes grazing hers before returning to the road ahead.

“Precedent.”

“In general or me specifically?”

“In general.”

“And I can’t reassure you that I’m different?
How can you really love me if you think I’m like that Peter
idiot?”

“Sometimes people don’t leave by choice,” she
stared intently at her hands. “Either way, I don’t feel strong
enough to lose someone else I love.”

“What about Jessica and Liz? You love them, I
can tell.”

“True, but that didn’t smack me right between
the eyes the way you did.”

“I smacked you between the eyes? I don’t know
if I like the sound of that,” he teased.

“You know what I mean. Being around you is
like being sucked under by a riptide. Maybe it is better to swim
with the current, but instinct tells you to fight it.”

“Have a lot of riptides in Albuquerque, do
you?” The side of his mouth ticked up a little.

“You’re impossible, sometimes, you know
that?”

“But you love me.”

“Do you want to hear the other reasons or
not?” She crossed her arms and gave him an irritated look.

“I would,” he assured her.

“The second reason was Ty,” she began.

“Ty?”

“Yes I call him Ty. I refuse to acknowledge
you using my dog’s name to poke fun at me.”

“Did I do that?”

“Tyler. Steven Tyler of Aerosmith? Somehow I
don’t think that’s a coincidence.”

“I just wondered – if I were a child of the
70s, what would I name my dog?”

“Impossible,” Kate reiterated.

“You were saying…” he reminded her of the
original conversation.

“Well it might sound silly, but dogs
die.”

“True.”

“A lot more often than people do.”

“Also true,” he tried to follow her
logic.

“But we love them anyway. And the time we
have with them outweighs the grief of their loss.”

“It’s better to have loved and lost and all
that,” he surmised.

“Something like that,” she murmured,
repositioning herself so she could study him better.

“So are those your reasons? Or are there
more?”

“One more. When I heard about your mother,
all that mattered was that you were in pain. The need to be with
you completely overshadowed anything else. ”

“I’m glad you came,” he reached out to stroke
her cheek.

“Me too,” she tilted her face into his hand.
She hoped his touch would always have this same electrifying yet
calming effect on her.

“We’re here,” he announced. “This is my
parent’s house.”

“It’s very pretty.” Kate took in the tall,
narrow white home sandwiched in between two more just like it.

“I grew up here.” He slid out from behind the
wheel and came around to open her door but she’d beat him to
it.

“You make it very difficult to be a
gentleman,” he accused.

“Sorry,” she shrugged. “It feels weird just
sitting there waiting for someone to open a door when I’m perfectly
capable of it.”

“When you put it that way,” he frowned at
her.

“Don’t pout. I still appreciate the gesture,”
she assured him. “And I’ll let you carry my bag for me.”

“Thank you,” he accepted the concession. “And
you might want to brace yourself.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kate eyed him
warily.

“Just don’t be nervous and you’ll be
fine.”

“You’re making me nervous.”

Kate heard the deep rumble that she assumed
was a bark, followed by another. Ah. His parents had dogs. She
wasn’t afraid of dogs, why would she be nervous?

And then the door opened and she watched two
of the largest canines she’d ever seen greet Gavin enthusiastically
before turning to greet her warily.

“The blue one is Samson. The gold one is
Delilah. They’re Neapolitan Mastiffs,” he introduced her to the
great brutes that made Ty look like a Chihuahua.

“Wrinkly little guys, aren’t they?” She held
her hand out to allow them to smell her.

“Very. And watch the drool.”

“Lovely.” Kate wrinkled her nose.

“They have towels by their dishes in the
kitchen. If it gets too bad, you can wipe them off.”

“Good to know.”

“Come on,” he grinned at her reaction. “Let’s
get you set up in the guest room.”

“Do you still have a room here?” She asked,
blushing when she realized what he was probably thinking. “I’d like
to see it, I mean. Not to stay in or anything.”

“Of course not.” She could tell he was biting
the inside of his lip to keep from laughing. How rude. “And my room
is this first one on the right.”

They’d climbed a flight of stairs and he
opened the door to a small room that was what Kate would consider a
disaster area.

“How do you function?” She marveled as she
stepped through the door. “I’d be completely claustrophobic in
this.”

He ignored the question, choosing to instead
study her in silence while she took in the mementos scattered
around the room. He seemed to be almost trying to get inside her
head to gauge her reaction as she soaked in pieces of his past.

“You live a very full life,” her eyes flicked
across his and she gave him a little smile. “And you have a very
happy family.”

“That’s a good description,” he agreed. “Now
can I feed you some dinner or do you just want to go to sleep?”

“Sleep,” she answered instantly. “Actually,
shower then sleep.”

“I can arrange that,” he held his hand out
for her. “Come on, then.”

The shower felt delicious, better than any
shower Kate had ever experienced. Her cotton pajamas felt even
better. The cool sheets furthered her bliss.

“You get some rest,” he went to kiss her on
the forehead. “We’ll go back to the hospital tomorrow after
breakfast.”