Veer (Clayton Falls) (31 page)

“Really, we are so not even close to that point yet.” I needed to get out of this conversation. “Shouldn’t we head back? We need to get ready.”

“Sure. I’m glad we talked. I can definitely see why my brother is so crazy about you.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled
and
quicken
ed
my pace.

I went right upstairs when we got back, glad Gavin was roughhousing with his nephews in the yard and didn’t see me.
I was positive he hadn’t told his
sister anything about us getting married
,
but I didn’t like them getting the wrong impression.

I
laid out my
dress
. I
t was strapless and
royal blue
. I’d noticed that Gavin always seemed to like when I wore that color. I
t
ied my hair up before taking a
rinse-
of
f
shower. I was just stepping into my dress
when
Gavin
came in.

“Need some help with that?” He pulled up the zipper, kissing the back of my neck.

“Thanks.” I paused for a moment to put
on a
smile before turning around.

“I’ve missed you
.
I feel like I’ve barely seen you today.”
He looked cute in his red and green striped rugby shirt.
I was used to the
t-shirts
he wore
most of the time.

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” I slipped away from him and went into the bathroom. I brushed out my hair before pulling it up into a twist. I put on some minimal makeup while he watched from the doorway.

“Are you doing okay?” He
wore
a worried expression.

“Yeah, of course.” I moved to slip past him
,
but he caught my waist and turned me toward him.

“Tell me the truth
. W
hat’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“What are you hiding from me? Something feels off.”

I smiled. “Nothing’s wrong except that you’re going to be late if you don’t get dressed.”

“All right, all right. I’ll take a quick shower.”

“Good. I’ll see you downstairs.”

“You aren’t going to wait?”

“Somehow
,
I think you’ll manage.”

He kissed me lightly before releasing his hold on me. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

***

The Powells had a lot of friends
,
or at least a lot of people who wanted to celebrate their anniversary.
They all knew Gavin and seemed excited to see he’d brought a girl home with him.

The most popular conversation topic was Gavin’s baseball career. I lost track of how many people asked him about it. He didn’t seem to mind until an old coach came over to talk to him.

“Hey
,
Gavin, how are you doing? You still in North Carolina?”
He had a full head of gray hair and a weathered face that I guessed came from years of coaching under the hot Georgia sun.

“Yeah, I’m still there.”

“And who’s this?”

“This is my girlfriend Becca. Becca, this i
s my high school coach
,
Ned Walla
ce.”

“Hi
. N
ice to meet you.”
I offered him my hand
,
and he accepted with a firm handshake.

“It’s nice to meet you too.
”
He turned his attention back to Gavin.
“
You’ve done well for yourself, huh?” He nodded toward me.

Gavin smiled. “Yes, I definitely have.”

“
H
ave you been playing at all?”

Gavin stiffened, so I put a hand on his arm.

“No, nothing since the injury.”

“That’s too bad. I always hoped you’d be able to work through it.”
The coach shifted his weight from foot to foot.

“It just wasn’t meant to be.”

“
I guess not, bu
t you look good, and it’s nice to see
you again.” He walked off.

Gavin didn’t relax again for a
while. It was obvious running into his coach bothered him, but I decided not to ask him about it. I figured he’d bring it up later if he felt like talking.

Gavin got into a conversation with some of his parents’ friends
,
and I let his nieces pull me off to dance.

I looked around the yard
,
marveling at the
decor
.
T
ea lights
were everywhere,
and a dance floor had been set up.
There was even a DJ.
I’d have expected it to have been a wedding, not an anniversary party. Evidently
,
Gavin’s family liked to celebrate big.

Gavin joined us, so I decided to ask him about it. “Is this typical for an anniversary party around her
e
?”

“It’s all Amanda. She likes to make everything big.”

I smiled.
“It’s nice, just surprising.”

“A good kind of surprising?”

“Yeah, a good kind.”

He took my hand and led me toward the
center of the
dance floor. “I’ve been waiting to dance with you all night.”
Gavin could dance. He held me closer than necessary, but I
loved
the feeling of his strong arms around me as we moved to the music.

Over the course of the evening
,
I
relaxed a lot more. I decided it was silly to worry too much about what
Amanda
said
. S
he probably just read into things to find what she wanted to see. Gavin had told me he felt pressure from his family to settle down.

We danced for
hours
, only stopping to get drinks and to chat with a few people. Things were starting to wind down when his brother David said he needed
Gavin
for something.

“Do you mind?”
Gavin
asked.

“Nope, go ahead.” I decided to nab a piece of the chocolate cake I’d been eyeing all night. I stood off to the side watching the crowd dance.

“
A bit overwhelming
,
isn’t it?”
Gavin’s mother
came up to stand next to me, eating a piece of cake herself.

“Not in a bad way.” I smiled. “It’s a lovely party.”

“Thank you.
The kids outdid themselves this time.
”

“Gavin said this is typical of Amanda.”

“Yeah,
she
loves
to throw big parties
.” Annie smiled thinking about her daughter.
“Maybe Gavin can show you around a little. You haven’t had a chance to see Augusta, have you?”

“
Not yet
.”

“From what you have seen, would you consider moving here after you graduate?”
Her tone was nonchalant, but her expression was intense. She was definitely looking for a particular answer.

What? Why would I do that? Gavin didn’t even live there. “I haven’t really thought about it. It really depends on where I get a job.”

“Don’t you mean where you both get jobs?” she looked at
me
pointedly. “Don’t get me wrong
.
I think it’s wonderful how career oriented you are, but Gavin’s going to need a job too.
”

“He has a job…”

“In Clayton
Falls, but you just said you weren’t sure where you wanted to live.”
Her expression softened. I wondered if I’d imagined the intensity from a moment earlier.

I didn’t even know what to say. I could ignore Amanda, but now Gavin’s mother i
mpl
ied
we were getting married, or at least seriously planning on something long term.

“Not to push you, but with you working
,
you are going to need childcare. That’s something I’d be more than happy to take on if you two decide to settle back here.” She smiled warmly
,
and I wanted to disappear.

“Childcare?”

She laughed. “Don’t look
so
shocked
. Y
ou two aren’t babies
.
I’m sure you won’t wait too long.”

“Can you excuse me?” I needed air. I might have been outside
,
but if I didn’t get away from
Gavin’s
mom
,
I might say something really stupid.

I put down my cake plate and walked away from the main part of the yard. I’d noticed a gazebo further out and decided to head there. Unfortunately
,
it wasn’t empty.

“Hey. Needed a break too?” Brody greeted me, scooting over on the small bench to give me a place to sit.

I took a seat. “I did, but I’m guessing
you’re not here
for the same reason as me.”

He chuckled. “Not unless you’re tired of being grilled by everyone about what you’re doing with your life.”

“Not in the same way you are.”
But
it wasn’t far off.

He turned to me. “Explain that comment.”

“First
,
answer a question for me. What do you think it means that Gavin asked me to come home for this party?”

“That he likes you an
d wanted to introduce you to us…
”
He looked at me
as if
he thought it was a trick question.

“Okay, good. That’s exactly what I think.
”

“Did someone else suggest something different?”

“Amanda and your mom seem to think Gavin’s thinking marriage.”

“Does that scare you?” He studied me, but
not
in a judgmental way.

“Yes.”

“Honest. I like that. Any particular reason why? Is it just in general or the thought of it with Gavin?”
We were far enough from the music that I could hear crickets chirping
.

“In general,
” I answered quickly. “It’s not something even on my mind yet. I need to finish school, find a job, get established. There’s so much to do before getting married and of course having kids.”
I wasn’t even sure if I’d ever have kids, so talking about it
as if
it was inevitable and happening soon was
way
too much
to handle
.

“Oh no. Mom went in on kids
,
didn’t she?”

I smiled. “She offered her services for childcare.”

He shook his head. “Ignore her. You’d think five grandchildren would be enough to hold her over.”

“
It doesn’t seem
like it
.”

“I wouldn’t let it get to you. Is Gavin serious about you? Yes. But he’ll let you set the pace. Just talk to him if it’s an issue.”

“I don’t want to bring it up if your family is wrong. I don’t want
him to think I’m pushing for it.
”

“Well either way
,
I think you’ll be fine.”
He stopped suddenly, looking past me into the dark. “I’ll see you around.”

It didn’t take me long to see what sent him on his way. Gavin nodded to his brother
before immediately
taking his spot on the bench. “There you are
.
I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

“Oh
,
sorry
.
I just needed a break.”

“Were you and Brody talking about anything interesting?”

“Nothing major.” If he only knew.

“But you’re all right? You seemed fine when we were dancing, but now you seem weird again.”

“Please stop worrying
.
I’m fine. Just a little tired.” I smiled.

“Oh. Okay. The party’s winding down.”

He took my hand and led me back to the house.

Chapter
Thirty

Gavin

Something
was wrong with Becca
.
I was sure of it. Saturday night after the party
,
she went right up to bed and was already
a
sleep by the time I got there. She didn’t respond to me at all when I pulled her into my arms.