Page 135 of All The Things: The Last Thing He Needs Omnibus

Ben

Ben ate in silence, and Tina scrolled through web pages on Gavin’s tablet while she picked at her food. Maybe she was still in the morning sickness stage? Anna was a mess with her first, couldn’t keep anything down for months. He was trying to think of something to say to Tina, but she beat him to the punch.

“There’s a lot of stuff you have to do.” She looked up from the tablet, her face flushed red, seeming embarrassed, like she hadn’t meant to say anything out loud. “For babies, I mean. Tests they run and… Mom had a midwife and did home births with Elise and Donny and we weren’t allowed in. I had no idea what all… I mean…”

Ben took a sip from his coffee and tried to ignore the way his shoulders tensed at the casual mention of Gavin’s mother. “Yeah, seemed like my sister was constantly at the doc when she was pregnant.” Hey, an actual whole sentence for her. Who knew he had it in him?

“So… how many kids does she have?”

“Three hellions. Two boys and a little girl.” Ben wondered suddenly—alarmingly—if Anna had kept their baby clothes, thinking she might have some hand-me-downs for Tina. “Pass me that for a sec,” he said, reaching for the tablet. Tina seemed confused, but she handed it over. Ben went into Gavin’s picture file and pulled up the folder with family photos in it. “There they are.”

Tina brightened when Ben gave it back to her. “They’re really cute.” She scrolled through them for a moment and then grinned. She turned it around to show Ben a picture of Gavin in his sister’s backyard with all three of the yard monkeys crawling on him. That had been a great day. “Gavin seems really happy. I mean, you both do.”

“We are, yeah.” Ben took another bite of his breakfast before he went on. “I mean, ya know, it’s not always easy—loving someone, being with them for the long haul—but we do okay.” He hoped.

Tina glanced at Ben and smiled again before looking back at the tablet. While Ben finished his breakfast, she kept herself busy with the pictures. When Tina made a sound, something shocked and a little disturbed, Ben looked up at her. She was crimson again and had closed her eyes. “I…”

Oh, God. Ben reached for the tablet and looked at the screen in horror. She’d stumbled onto Gavin’s porn. Great.

“I didn’t realize… It just said favorites, I…” She’d gone from red to green. Ben couldn’t blame it on morning sickness. He wanted to throw up now too.

“Yeah, he, uh…” Jesus. “He let his friend borrow this. We’re still finding crazy shit on it. Stuff, I mean.” No way in hell was he fielding the porn issue with Gavin’s sister. He shut the tablet down and set it on the table.

She looked slightly relieved but at the same time like she wished she could bleach her brain. Ben was just grateful it hadn’t been anything hardcore. Gavin’s favorites were tasteful black-and-white shots, nudes, sex positions that didn’t show much more than bare asses. Could’ve been worse.

“Maybe drink your milk?” Ben offered, thinking it might help settle her stomach. “I mean, it won’t erase your memory, but…”

He got a weak laugh for the joke.

“It was just surprising is all. I didn’t expect it.”

“Right, I mean, why would you? Family photos and then, bam.” He almost said the word cock, but stopped himself.

“Yeah, exactly. I mean… I’ve seen a naked guy. Obviously. I just…”

“Yeah, obviously.” She was pregnant after all.

“But we don’t have to talk about this.”

“Yeah, like, ever.”

Tina laughed, not shy this time but genuinely amused. “We don’t have to tell Gavin either.”

Oh, he’d be telling Gavin. Right about the time they went through the drawers of DVDs in the living room and the books on the shelves. “He’s probably figured out that you’ve seen a naked guy, but we can leave out the part where I showed you more.”

Another laugh. Things were looking up.

After a moment, though, Tina said, “I thought you hated me.”

“I don’t hate you. The list of people I hate is pretty short, actually.” Two names, really. Pattie and Carter Van Loen.

“But you don’t like me.” And wasn’t that all-too-sharp expression on her face, that understanding of things Ben would never say aloud, all Gavin?

He’d just started to warm up to her. She really needed to read her audience better. “I don’t have a problem with you, exactly. It’s the situation, and your family is kind of…”

Tina pushed her chin out in something close to pride. Ben was familiar with the gesture, because hell if Gavin didn’t do that too. “Gavin’s my family.”

“I know.” When Tina looked down again, looked hurt and defeated, Ben wanted to pound his head on the table. “Look, I just mean… Your parents did a real number on him. On you too, if I’m not mistaken. And I’m trying really hard to… take you at face value and not blame you for being related to them, you know what I mean?” She didn’t respond, and Ben added, “The idea of any of you popping up is a little… unsettling.”

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