Page 137 of All The Things: The Last Thing He Needs Omnibus

“Then what happened?”

“I asked him if he didn’t like me and… he said it wasn’t me, just that it looked kind of crummy for me to show up now, when I needed help, not a year or two ago.”

Hm. Ben had a point, maybe. Maybe Gavin should’ve thought of that too, should’ve felt hurt or suspicious or something. But, really, when he saw Tina in the living room, it had felt like a dream come true. Gavin had tried to fill the hole in his heart where his family—Tina especially—had been, but it had never worked very well. He loved Nora and Anna, but it wasn’t the same. He tried to tell himself that Ben was just more cynical, but Gavin quickly realized Ben’s cynicism was why Gavin could afford to be so trusting. Ben was cautious enough for both of them. Damn him again. “He actually used the word crummy?”

“Not exactly.” He hadn’t thought so, but it got a small laugh out of Tina. “But he was right, Gav. I wanted to, honest. Wanted to since the day you left, the day they made you leave. But… I just didn’t know where to start until it really mattered, ya know?”

Gavin pulled her into a hug, squeezed her tight. “I know, sweets. Ben might not get it, but I do.” He kissed the top of her head. “I told you he was protective, right?”

She nodded against his chest before she pulled back. “You weren’t kidding. He’s kind of scary even when he’s trying to be nice.”

Gavin couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, he kinda is, but… once he loves you, he won’t let anything bad ever happen to you again.” Well, unless you count that whole kicking Gavin out for his own good thing, but hey, he was trying to let that go. Really. And Tina didn’t need every detail, right?

Just then, he heard Ben’s voice boom through the door. “Look, Gav—Tina—I’m sorry.” He didn’t say anything else for a long moment, and then he added, “I’m gonna head out for a while, okay? You don’t have to hide in the bathroom anymore.”

Yeah, even when he was trying to be friendly, it came off rude. Gavin knew that about him; he just never thought his baby sister would be on the receiving end of it. Gavin could hear some shuffling in the apartment, and then, after a few beats, he heard the front door close.

“I didn’t mean to chase him out of his own home,” Tina said quietly, guilt in her tone.

Gavin smiled at her. “I chase him out of here all the time,” he said, getting her to smile at him. “Don’t worry about it, okay?”

She only nodded in response.

“Let’s get you ready for your appointment, okay? Getcha dressed? Maybe we’ll go get some new clothes or something after.”

Tina shook her head. “You don’t need to do that. I don’t want you to spend a bunch of money on me or anything.”

Why couldn’t Ben hear things like that? “You’re gonna need some stuff at least. Maternity clothes and whatever.” He looked at the simple little flats on her feet. They were in decent shape, but they didn’t seem very comfortable, didn’t seem like they’d give much support.

“I need to get a job,” Tina said thoughtfully as she wiped her nose one more time. “And figure out where I’m gonna live.”

Gavin didn’t even hesitate. “You’re gonna live with us,” he said firmly. “For as long as you want.” Then, hearing Ben’s voice in his head, he added, “And you’re gonna finish school before you even think about getting a job.”

Tina looked like she might argue, but instead she jumped up from her spot, flipped the lid back on the toilet, and threw up.

Chapter Fifteen

Ben

Ben had only been able to make out a few muffled words through the bathroom door. Not that he had been listening. But the longer he’d stood there, the longer he’d wanted to leave. He needed to apologize to Tina, needed to apologize to Gavin, but his feet had felt itchy standing there.

He didn’t know if his hasty exit would be appreciated or not, but it had been necessary. He only knew he needed to get on the road, needed to feel the wind on him, needed the rumble of an engine under him. Ben jumped on his bike and headed out without a destination in mind.

The only problem? February was cold as fuck. Rain slashed at his fingers around his handlebars—he’d been in such a rush, he’d forgotten his gloves. The wind he’d looked forward to cut through his leather jacket and layers of fabric under it, and the farther north he went, the slicker the roads were. Rain turned to sleet, and the drivers out there with him got more and more erratic.

After a few more miles, Ben pulled off into a strip mall. He parked his bike in front of Fred Meyer and went inside. He didn’t exactly warm up instantly, but he did find a pair of gloves on sale that would do as a decent backup set until he got home.

He wandered aimlessly for a few minutes, stopped at the coffee bar and got an overpriced, overly sweet latte, and then pushed his unnecessary cart through the aisles. When he came to the toy section, he stopped to take a look. The holidays were over, but Anna’s kids had birthdays coming up soon enough. What caught his eye, though, was a little stuffed animal—a fluffy white lamb, the softest thing Ben had ever touched. It had a yellow satin ribbon, almost the same shade as Tina’s hair, around its neck. He tossed it into the cart without thinking.

After a few minutes, he found himself in the video department. He grabbed the first universal remote that would work with his entertainment center, and then he walked through the new movies, the boxed sets of TV series he had never watched. He found himself in the workout Blu-rays and he pulled out his phone. Anna answered on the second ring.

“You and Gavin still fighting?” she asked without saying hello.

That question would take too long to answer. “Not exactly.” He thought about how things were when he left and amended his statement. “Well, he’s not here, so we’re not fighting right now.”

Anna’s laugh sounded like a song, bright and high, clean. He needed to call his sister more often. “You just need to let Gavin be Gavin and you two would get along a lot better.”

She was probably right about that, but that wasn’t why he’d called. “Listen, what was the yoga thing you did when you were pregnant with Melissa?”

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