Hitched (Promise Harbor Wedding) - By Erin Nicholas Page 0,85
the things Josh took care of. But she never really asked him. She didn’t need to, and she’d always chalked that up to proof of what a good match they were—he knew how to help her without her asking.
But…she wasn’t sure she would have asked him. Leaning wasn’t easy for her. She would have worried about what he’d think if she couldn’t handle something.
With Gavin she didn’t. Gavin would like her—love her—even if she broke down sobbing for no apparent reason. Or stayed in bed for three days straight.
She sighed. No, she didn’t need to worry about seeming weak or Gavin seeing her at her worst.
Been there, done that.
Gavin pulled the car up to the curb in front of a big old house at the end of the dead-end street next to the lake.
It wasn’t his parents’ place.
“Who lives here?”
“Hayley. This was her grandfather’s place. She owns it now.”
Allie was so grateful he had somewhere to go. “Does she know you’re coming?”
“Nah, but it won’t matter.” Gavin put the car into park and turned to look back at Lydia. “Lyd. We’re here.”
As Lydia was yawning and stretching, Gavin turned his attention fully on Allie.
“You will call me,” he said firmly. “I might suck at this at first, but you will call me and give me a chance. And I’ll get better at it.”
Something warm spread through her chest, and she felt the vise that had been squeezing her heart loosen. She smiled. “A chance at what?” she teased lightly. She actually really appreciated his honesty about not knowing what he was doing exactly.
The bumbling attempt outside his comfort zone meant more than all the perfect words and actions from everyone else in the past two years.
“The chance to be there,” he said with a little grimace.
“And ‘there’ is…?” she prompted.
“Hell if I know.” He gave her a half smile. “We might both need to work up to the big stuff. You don’t ask for help well and I don’t give it well.”
She smiled. “I’ll try.”
“Like changing a lightbulb, or something,” he said. “Or running to the grocery store for something you forgot.”
Her smile grew and she nodded. “Okay. When a lightbulb goes out or I run out of milk, you’re my guy.”
He leaned in and rested his forehead against hers. “I’m your guy anyway, Al,” he said huskily. “Any time for anything. Promise.”
“I promise,” she said softly. “But you have to promise not to get all upset or offended if I don’t call too. I have…stuff to figure out.”
“You need to talk to Josh,” he interpreted. With a sigh, he leaned back.
She nodded. “I do. I need to figure out what’s going on. And I just think maybe it would be best if you weren’t there. At least at first.”
He just looked at her for three heartbeats. Then he leaned in and kissed her sweetly.
Lydia slamming the door as she got out pulled them apart.
“I will see you,” he said, firmly.
She nodded.
Allie watched them lug their suitcases up to the door and Gavin pound on the door. Then wait. Then pound again. It was just barely six a.m., so it was understandable that it might take Hayley some time to wake up and get to the door.
Allie just hoped Hayley was a morning person and didn’t Taser people who showed up uninvited.
Finally the big door swung open. There was a moment when Allie couldn’t see anyone else before suddenly Gavin caught Hayley in his arms in a tight hug. Allie swallowed hard and put the car in drive. Thank god for Hayley. She’d take care of Gavin until Allie could.
She turned the car toward the Promise Harbor fire station and speed-dialed the sixth number in her cell phone, hoping Josh was at work. She’d be less likely to use expletives if there were other people around.
He wasn’t there. And no one—predictably—answered at Sophie’s or at Allie’s dad’s house.
Five minutes later, Allie pulled the rental up in front of the house that would have been her address if Gavin had been ten minutes later in getting to the church.
She shivered at that thought—how close she’d come to making such a huge mistake. Then she put that in the maybe-I’ll-think-about-that-later box—which was getting damned full of stuff, frankly.
Instead, she got out and headed for Josh’s front door, hoping he was home. It was Wednesday, so if he wasn’t at work, typically he’d be at his mom’s for breakfast. But his mom wasn’t in Promise Harbor.