Then I Met You: A single dad romance (Love in Everton Book 6)
Page 20
“Stay,” Gavin demands.
“I don’t want to intrude.” I look from him to Alicia.
“We’d love to have you.” Her smile grows wider.
“We can have the ice cream Daddy and I made for dessert.”
“Penny, I think we should have something else for dessert.” Gavin purses his lips.
“It was gooood,” she draws out.
“Yes, but I don’t think there’s enough for all of us. You can have it.” He winks at her, and she whoops.
“Are you sure it’s okay?” I lean in and ask Gavin.
“Positive.” He squeezes my hand and looks at me softly.
Penny bounces into the kitchen when Alicia calls her, leaving Gavin and me alone.
“What do you say? Are you willing to give me another chance?”
“I should be asking you that.” Ever since I met him, all I’ve wanted was a chance to get to know him. Gavin is a man that I wouldn’t be able to turn away from even if I tried. He swept me away the moment I saw a genuine smile mark his face. I wanted to know what it would take to keep that smile on his face and soothe his pain.
“Are you sure you’re okay with the media talking about us? Possibly taking our picture?” I roll my lips into my mouth and bite down, my furrow deepening. I’m not sure if he’ll truly be okay with that aspect of my life. I know Gavin wouldn’t ask me to give up my dream, but would he be willing to live it alongside me as my popularity grows and people become curious about my personal life?
I think back to my favorite artists. I usually hear about them when something major happens in their lives, but eventually, the news dies down. Country music isn’t exactly Hollywood. I think it also helps when those musicians show a bit more of their life on social media. Maybe if I give fans updates myself, there won’t be much to surprise them with. It wouldn’t give the media much to share since I’ve already done it.
“I want you.” His hands cradle my face. “I’ll protect Penny’s privacy as much as I can and trust that eventually they’ll move on from the newness of our relationship.”
“I think my chat with the photographer helped.” I giggle, remembering how I threatened him to harass his family the way he was doing to me.
“What’s so funny?” Gavin looks at me in confusion as his hands curl around my jaw.
“I was just thinking about the photographer’s face when I told him I was going to take pictures of his family and make them public.”
Gavin smiles and presses his forehead to mine. “Thank you for defending us.” His breath tickles my nose.
“It was the least I could do.” My hands fall on his lap. He stares at me with the intensity I’ve become familiar with. His rough beard presses against my skin as his lips touch mine.
One of my hands moves to Gavin’s chest, and I feel the thumping beat of his heart against my palm. I lean forward and place a kiss over his heart, and a low rumble sounds in his chest. I want to possess that heart and the man it gives life to.
Leaning back and looking at Gavin’s eyes, I smile. “You make me happy.”
He nods with his own smile. “Help me set the table.” He stands with my hand in his. I eye the pictures on the table one last time. I never expected Gavin to not have a past. I won’t be his first love, but I hope that one day I could win his trust and heart in a different way.
…
After dinner, Gavin and I sit on the porch swing with a cup of coffee. He reaches for me and settles me on his lap instead of next to him.
“I’m glad you stayed for dinner.” His lips touch the back of my neck, and I shiver at the contact. My body flushes and heats despite the cool temperature.
I was sure we were done, that he wouldn’t choose me over protecting Penny and himself, as if we couldn’t have both things in life.
“I am, too. I liked getting to know your parents.” I lean my head on his shoulder and sigh. Alicia and Luke were welcoming and kind. It didn’t feel awkward to sit at the dinner table with them. It felt as if it weren’t the first time I had dinner with Gavin’s family. Like we had done this on numerous occasions, and it had become part of our normal. Our. I sigh happily.
“They like you.” Gavin tightens his arms around me and kisses my temple.
I smile at his comment. I can imagine having dinner with his family, living with him in our own house one day.
“I took a shower, Daddy,” Penny jumps out of the door, interrupting the moment, in rainbow pajama pants and a matching long sleeve shirt.
I giggle at the surprise of her coming outside and slide off Gavin’s lap. He chuckles beside me before looking at Penny. I know being with Gavin throws us into a different kind of relationship. We won’t always have privacy like couples that don’t have children, yet I’m not bothered by that reality. I can’t imagine being with someone else simply because he doesn’t have a child.
“Good. Come here.” He waves her over, and she walks toward us with the chick I gave her in her hand. I smile when I see it.
Penny settles between Gavin and me, her small hand on my thigh. “Singy missed you, so I brought him outside with me.” She looks at me with wide eyes.
“I missed him, too, but do you know who I missed more?” I lift my eyebrows.
“Who?” Penny asks, captivated by my answer.
“You.” I poke her belly, and she laughs.
“We didn’t see you for a long time.” Her eyebrows dip in the middle, and a small crease makes an appearance between her thin eyebrows. Although it had only been a week, I forget how children tell time. For Penny, it must have felt like weeks after getting accustomed to seeing me often.
“I’ll be around more.” I bump into her.
“Does this mean you’re still Daddy’s girlfriend?” Her eyes pop open, and she bites her lip. Hope is swimming in her eyes.
I cough, surprised by her bluntness. I look at Gavin over Penny’s head.
“Yeah, sweetheart, Sutton is my girlfriend,” Gavin says with confidence. I melt into the swing with an easy smile. My chest fills with joy.
Penny cheers, waving Singy in the air and bouncing in her seat. I’m tempted to cheer with her, but I control myself. It’s one thing for a five-year-old to act that way and another for a grown woman to squeal like a child.
“Careful,” Gavin warns as we wobble on the swing.
Then, Penny goes into a full-blown conversation, telling me about her mom. She shares what Gavin told her earlier, happiness glowing around her like a bright aura upon learning she does have a mother like all the other children. I smile as I listen to her. I can’t imagine what it would be like to suddenly learn you have a mom that isn’t in your life, but Penny speaks about her with pride.
“She doesn’t live here anymore, but Daddy said that if he marries someone again, she would be a different kind of mom.”
My breath catches in my throat as I make eye-contact with Gavin. His gaze is pinned on me like a bull facing a red, waving flag. Curiosity fills me as I wonder if he was talking about me.
“The person would be like a different mom, and I’m sure that she would love you very much and be proud to be in your life.” I squeeze Penny’s hand and feel a soft tickle on my shoulder. I look at Gavin again, who smiles at me with tenderness.
“It would be cool,” Penny sighs and leans back on the swing. I can’t help but giggle at her nonchalant comment, unaware of the weight of what she said.
I look out at the star-kissed sky and smile. I think back to my picnic date with Gavin and lying on the bed of his truck as we looked at the stars. This moment feels just as perfect.
Gavin
I never thought that I’d find someone who I’d want to spend my life with after Hadley left. The pain of losing her, of her leaving us, was monumental that it controlled me. It created a barrier made of fear that would repel anyone who attempted to get close to me. Even my family would tiptoe around me, careful about what they’d say.
For so long, Penny has been my only reason to
live. She’s the reason I fight for a better life, so I can give her a healthy home and all the love she deserves.
Then, a sassy woman crashed into my life and reminded me of everything I had hidden from for all those years. I fought against her because I knew that she would leave, even if temporarily. The funny thing is, someone traveling isn’t the same when you know they’re coming back to you. And Sutton, I’m positive she’ll always come back to me.
I look at her, walking beside me, my hand linked with hers. Abbie called this morning and told me she would keep Penny overnight if I wanted to spend the day with Sutton, hinting at her demand to reach out to Sutton and make things right. What Abbie didn’t know when she called was that Sutton and I had already made things right.
When I saw Sutton on the other side of the door yesterday, my heart leaped in my chest like a wild horse that is caged in a tiny pen. Her apology was unnecessary. She stood up for us, she took her life into her hands and tried to make it better. I can’t be mad at her for that. It was admirable to watch. And if I hadn’t gotten the call from Penny’s school, maybe we would’ve talked sooner.
“What are you thinking about?” Sutton’s megawatt smile looks over at me.
“How we should spend the day.”
“I’m singing at Cocktails, Dreams, and Mischief tomorrow. Today, I’m all yours.” She extends the arm I’m holding as she moves further away from me. I smirk and pull her to me, wrapping my other arm around her waist and spinning her around. Her giggles make my smile grow wider.
“We’re dancing in the middle of the street, in plain daylight.” She looks up at me with those hazel eyes, green and golden specs swirling together.
“Who’s going to stop us?” This entire town witnessed the broken man that was left when his wife abandoned him with an infant. They helped me in any way they could. Now, they’ll watch me romance this woman off her feet.
“No one,” Sutton rests her head on my shoulder.
Holding her like this, not caring what people think or if photographers are taking our picture, feels right.
“How about we have breakfast first? Then, we can decide what to do.” I whisper into her ear and smile when she shivers.
“Beehive?” she asks about one of the local diners in town.
“Sounds perfect to me.” We walk toward Beehive, keeping my hand in hers and her body close to mine.
When we walk into the diner, we take our seats, and the waitress tells us their specials for the weekend. I look at Sutton over the top of the menu, smiling as I watch her intensely study the food choices.
I bite down my smile and lean back in my chair as I watch the way her eyebrows furrow the teeniest bit, and her nose scrunches up—the woman who opened my heart again and made me believe in more than painful pasts.
When Sutton places the menu on the table, she looks at me. “Are you staring?” She lifts an eyebrow, and one side of her mouth lifts in a crooked smile.
“Yes,” I don’t deny it. “What are you going to have?”
“The French toast. I don’t know why I bother looking for another option when French toast is my jam. How about you?”
“I’m having their banana pancakes and homestyle fries.” Sutton’s eyes widen as I respond, and I chuckle. “Do you want to share the fries?”
She nods eagerly. “Of course. Carb it up.”
I laugh deeply and reach for her hand across the table. Sutton laces her fingers with mine and holds our connected hands up. “I’m glad we were able to talk things through. It sounds silly saying it out loud, but knowing I had lost you hurt. I know we still have to learn how to navigate this relationship between you being a dad and my career being…well, chaotic at times. I want to learn that with you, though.”
I squeeze her fingers and bring her hand to my lips, skimming them over her knuckles. “I want that, too. We’ll learn to work through this.” The idea of not having Sutton in my life chokes the air out of me. She’s brought so much joy to my life, bright days, and hope.
We eat in silence for a few minutes when our food arrives, each of us engrossed in our thoughts.
“I think it’s great you told Penny about Hadley,” Sutton surprises me when she leans forward a bit and whispers this to me.
I stare into her eyes, trying to read her. I noticed her discomfort when she saw the pictures on the coffee table yesterday. The resignation in her body as she tensed and shrank back.
“I couldn’t stand the pain in her voice when she told me how the students made fun of her. I didn’t plan to tell her about Hadley so young, not feeling like she’d fully understand, but then again, is there ever a right time to tell your daughter that her mother left?” I shrug, pursing my lips.
No time would’ve ever felt right to tell Penny, but I know it’s not something I could hide from her forever. Eventually, she would’ve confronted me with questions about her mother. I always knew that would happen, and whether I was prepared to tell her or not, I’d have to.
“I think you did a great job of talking to her.” Sutton squeezes my hand and smiles that smile that brings me to my knees. The one that made it impossible to turn away from her.
“Thanks. Are you done?” I signal to her plate.
“Yes,” she nods. “Where to next?” Her eyes crinkle around the edges with her smile.
I look out the window press my lips together. “Looks like somewhere indoors. The rain started up.”
Sutton whips her head around toward the window. When she looks back at me, her lips are pinched together in a small smile. “I’ve got an idea.” A mischievous gleam lights her eyes.
“How do you feel about making a run to The Mad Batter for cupcakes? I’ve got beer in my fridge and a deck of cards. When was the last time you played Go Fish?”
I laugh and nod. “I like that plan. I haven’t played Go Fish recently, but Penny and I love it.”
We pay for our meal and run to The Mad Batter a few doors down from Beehive, the cold water pelting down on us. Sutton wildly laughs as she steps into the shop, water dripping down her face. She wipes her feet on the rug as if it would make a difference, and the few people sitting at tables and standing in line stare at us.
I run a hand through my hair, drops of water falling off the ends, and down to my clothes. I shiver and reach for Sutton’s hand, walking further into the shop and taking our place in line.
Sutton giggles into my shoulder, and I peer down at her with a confused expression.
“What’s so funny?”
“We’re soaking wet, standing here with everyone staring at us, and all I can think about is if we can get more than one cupcake each.” She snorts, which causes me to laugh. “I don’t know why I think that’s funny.” She covers her mouth with her other hand, but it does nothing to hide the humor shaking her body.
“We’ll get however many cupcakes you want.”
“Really?” She looks up at me, her eyebrows dancing on her forehead.
“Really,” I say as I lean down and touch my lips to hers. Sutton sighs into me, hugging my arm.
“I really think two is my max.”
I kiss the tip of her nose when she scrunches it up and step forward to place our order when it is our turn. Mrs. Engle gives me a bright smile and a wink as she hands me the bag with our dessert.
“Ready to make a run for the truck?” I look at Sutton as we stand by the door watching the rain fall. I squeeze her hand and smile.
“Yup.” She pulls the door open and drags me out with her.
We dash through the sidewalk toward my truck, careful not to run into anybody trying to find shelter from the rain.
As soon as I sit in my truck, I turn on the heater.
“If the rain wasn't so cold, I’d say we should dance in it.” Sutton shivers as she finishes talking as if to prove her point.
“Let’s stick to Go Fish, cupcakes, and beers,” I suggest.
“As long as I’m with you, I don’t care what we do.” She slides closer to me on the
bench seat and places her head on my shoulder. A sense of peace washes over me like the cool rain that falls outside.
When Sutton places her hand on my thigh, that sensation turns to hot desire. The memory of her dropping to her knees and taking me in her mouth is one that will forever be burned in my mind. My dick notices too, hardening at the near attention it’s receiving.
Sutton doesn’t move her hand, just leaves it on my leg while it singes me. Suddenly, the rain isn’t cold enough. I’ve been patient, calculating, careful, but right now, I want to move our relationship forward.
My eyes flicker to the side, and I see her serene face staring at the rain. It’s as if she doesn’t even realize how she’s affecting me at the moment.
As soon as I park my truck on the side of the bed and breakfast where her house sits, I turn and grab her face. I don’t wait for a reaction. I press my lips to hers, kissing her urgently. My tongue swipes along the seam of her lips, and she opens for me. Our tongues move together as I angle her head to deepen the kiss.
Her skin feels soft against my rough hands, and I brush my thumbs across her cheeks as I take her bottom lip between my teeth. Sutton groans and opens her eyes to stare at me. Gone is the calm green that fills her orbs; in its place is fiery, liquid gold burning with desire.
“Gavin,” she moans, gripping my soaked shirt. “Let’s go inside,” her voice is thick with need. “But don’t forget the cupcakes.”
I chuckle, but Sutton leans into me and swallows my laugh as she takes my mouth in hers. My hands move to her hips, and right when I’m going to bring her over my lap, she breaks away.
“Inside. Now.” My thundering heart threatens to jump out of my mouth, so I close my eyes for a few seconds and take a couple of deep breaths.
“Okay.” My voice is hoarse, and I clear my throat.
I open my door and grab Sutton’s hand along with the bag of cupcakes. She slides out behind me, and we hurry to her house. With the door shut behind us, Sutton turns to me and pushes her body against mine. The bag full of cupcakes drops on the floor with a thud as my hands come around her waist, keeping her flush to me.