Veer (Clayton Falls) (27 page)

“Why? You can’t go around trying to protect everyone.”

“
In what alternative universe are you in the same category as everyone? You’re my girlfriend. A man is supposed to protect his girlfriend.”

She got a wistful expression. “You
still want to call me that
?”

“What?” I pulled her onto my lap. “I keep telling you nothing’s changed. I don’t know how to make you see that.”

“You say it, but do you mean it? If you’re going to dump me or treat me differently
,
just get it over with
.”
She clutched a couch cushion
as if
her life depended on it.

“Okay, how do I show you that I mean it?”

She scrambled off my lap
.
I reluctantly let her go.

She stood up and unbuttoned her jeans, slowly sliding them off. “If not
hing’s changed, prove it
.”

Was she really saying what I thought she was? She wanted me to prove nothing had changed by having sex with her?

“I don’t want you treating me differently
.
I don’t want you to treat me like I’m broken
,
or delicate
,
or anything like that. Either you show me that
nothing’s
changed between us, and you can still be with me in the same way
,
or I leave right now, and I’m not coming back.
You’re right
,
Gavin
.
I am crazy about you, but I only want to be with you if things really are the same. I refuse to just be the girl you feel bad for.
”

I looked at her, taking in the beautiful woman in front
of me.
She was crazy if she thought anything would ever make me want her less—could make me need her less.

“That’s a challenge I more than willingly accept.”
I pulled o
f
f my shirt, wanting her hands on me nearly as bad
ly
as I needed mine on her.
I stood up and kissed her hard on the mouth, pulling away without warning.

“I want you, Becca.” I had her bra off in seconds, running my fingers over the scars I’d so carefully avoided
before
. “
A
ll of
you.”

I lowered my head, letting my mouth run over the same spot. “Every inch of you.”

She moaned, which just turned me on more. “I’m not borrowing you. I’m not returning you. You
’
r
e
min
e
now, and that’s never, ever going to change.
”
I pulled down her panties slowly
.
“Do you understand?”

She nodded before moving to undress me.

***

It was
nine thirty
at night
before we ate dinner. We finally got out of bed long enough to make a frozen
pepperoni
pizza. She sat with her legs curled up under her
,
wearing one of my
t
-shirts. I loved seeing her dressed that way. She looked so right in it
. S
o mine. Sometimes it was hard to believe this amazing woman was actually my girl, and considering how disastrously the evening
had started
, I was feeling very grateful to have her snuggled up next to me.

She ate three slices of pizza
.
T
he only time she ever ate a lot was after sex—as though I needed to find another benefit of sex with Becca.

“Do you have everything you need for work with you?”

“Yeah, I have an outfit.”

“Okay, good. Otherwise
,
we were running by your place to pick something up. I need you tonight.”

“You need me? I think it’s the other way around.”

“No, definitely not.”

“Let’s just say we both need each other tonight…”

“I’ll take that.”

We were just cleaning the dishes when my phone rang.
“It’s my Mom.”

“Get it
,
” Becca insisted.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, before you miss it!”

I went for it
,
but
of course it had
already gone to voicemail.

“Call her back
.
I want to take a shower anyway.”

“Am I invited?”
I wrapped my arm
s around her waist pulling her against
me.

“No, you’re going to call your mom.”

“Fine… but you might be taking two showers tonight.”

“Gavin.”
She moved out of my arms.

“Okay, okay.” Before she could walk away, I pulled her close
again so I could
kiss her. “Have a nice shower.”

“I always do over here.”

“You know what
?
I don’t even care if you’re using me for my bathroom, as long as you keep coming over.”

“Good.” She glanced back to give me a flirtatious look
. And she expected me to call my mom?

I stepped outside on the balcony, letting the fresh air clear my head before I called.

“Gavin? Finally. I haven’t heard from you in
ages
.”
It had only been a few weeks, but
she
was
the kind of mom who
wanted me to call daily
.

“Hi, Ma. Sorry, I’ve been pretty busy.”

“Too busy to call your mother
?
”

“Well, if you knew Becca
,
you’d understand.” I braced myself for
the reaction I knew was coming.

“Becca? You met someone? How long have you been seeing her? How’d you meet? What’s she like?” The questions spilled out.

I laughed. “We’ve been dating for about
two months
.”

“What? You’ve been dating a girl
for
two
month
s
, and I’m only hearing about it now?”

“I wanted to make sure before I told you.”

“Mak
e sure of what?” I could hear the hope in her voice.

“That she’s the one. I didn’t want to get your hopes up for no reason.”

I had to pull the phone away from the screaming. You would have thought I was a bachelor at
fifty
for the way she reacted.
“When are you bringing her home?”

“
I thought about inviting her to your anniversary party
…”

“Perfect
, that’s only a few weeks away
! But continue
.
I want to know everything.”

“Okay, but I don’t have too long.”

“Is she there?”

“She likes my shower better than hers.”

“I am going to pretend I believe that.”

I laughed. “Okay, so what were those other questions again
?
” I leaned my back against the railing.

“How’
d
you meet her? Is she new in town
?
”

“She’s in town working at my friend Matt’s law firm this summer.”

“Is she an attorney?”

“A law student in Boston.”

“What brought her to Clayton Falls?”

“Her best friend’s from here. Remember that girl I liked last summer?”

“Molly, right?”

“Yeah. See, that’s why I didn’t tell you about Becca
right away
. I didn’t want to give you another name for no reason.”

“So, Becca is
Molly’s friend.”

“Yeah.”

“How many more years of school does she have?”

“Just one.”

“That’s wonderful. Then you two are free to move anywhere after she graduates
,
even back home. Although I’m sure her mother will want you to move there.”

“Her mom actually passed away recently. She’s all alone now. But that’s beside the point. You’re getting way ahead of yourself.”

“But you said you think she’s the one. You’ve
never
said that
.
”

I heard some serious squealing in the background. “
Amanda’s
home?”

“We had the kids tonight
. S
he just got in to pick them up.”

“I take it she overheard you.”

“Gavin? Who is she?” My sister
had grabbed the phone and was clearly overjoyed by the news.

“Hey
,
Manda, her name is
Becca, and she’s probably going to start wondering where I am, so I can’t talk long.”

“Oooh, she’s over then?”

“Yes.”

“When are you bringing her home?”

“Hopefully
for Mom and Dad’s party
.”

“Why only hopefully
?
”

“I haven’t actually invited her yet.”

“I’m sure she’ll be excited. I can’t wait to meet her. Go have fun.”

“I will
. T
ell M
om
goodbye for me.”

“Can do.”

I hung up and walked back inside, glad to hear the water running. Becca liked long showers—it looked like I’d get to join her after all.

Chapter Twenty-
Seven

Becca

“You want me to come home with you?” I tried to wrap my head around the words coming out of Gavin’s mouth.
I stopped short about a quarter of the way down the beach.

“Yeah,
it’s their
forty-fifth anniversary
,
and
they
decided it was the year to celebrate.
We can go after work on
Friday
and come back Sunday.”

“Is this because you feel bad leaving me? Because it’s okay. I don’t mind spending the weekend alone. Things are normal with Jake again, so I’m sure we’ll hang out.” Molly and Ben were flying out to see her family in Seattle. I had a feeling they were going to share the baby news.

“And that’s supposed to convince me you should stay?”
H
is expression was serious
, but there was a playfulness to it that let me know he wasn’t really worried.

I laughed.
“
Please don’t start in on Jake again.
”

“I won’t. But you’ll come with me, right?”

“I don’t know, Gavin. Doesn’t it seem a little early for this sort of thing? We haven’t even known each other that long.” Things were moving fast—almost too fast.

“It’s just a weekend. T
wo
nights. I want you to meet my family, and that’s going to be hard to do once you go back to Boston.”

He always talked like it was assumed things would
work with me going back
, but I wasn’t so sure. I had no experience with relationships
,
let alone long distance ones
. I
t wasn’t going to be easy.

“Please.” He stopped walking, and took my hand. “Please.”

That puppy dog face was impossible to say
‘
no
’
to. “If you really want me to…”

“Really? That’s awesome. Everyone’s going to be so excited.” He pulled me against him, kissing me gently.

Talking about meeting his family
made me
a little
tense. “Are you okay?”

I suddenly felt vulnerable
,
and my mother’s words flowed through my head. “
You
can never trust anyone but yourself.
”
I couldn’t do it—I couldn’t take such a big step forward.
“I don’t think I can go with you
. I’m sorry.”

“Nuh uh. No backing out now. It’s going to be fun.”

“You can’t be sure of that.”
I started to panic.

“Yes
,
I can.” He still hadn’t dropped his arms.

“Okay, how about we drive separately
? That
way if your family hates me
,
I can leave.”