Page 80 of Pretty Relentless

“All right, so our two expecting mamas are going to sit in the rockers up front,” Ellie states. “The future grandmas get the table right up front.”

“And games?” Blair asks, giving a look toward Hallie.

“No games,” I confirm.

“Thank you, Jesus! I hate playing games at showers. They’re so awkward,” Hallie says.

“Agreed. That’s why we decided not to do them. We’ll just snack on lots of delicious food and watch you ladies open gifts.”

Blair gives me a grateful grin. “That sounds perfect, thank you.”

The next two hours pass by in a blur of eating food and watching the two mommies-to-be open their gifts. I wrote the gift list for Hallie, while Ellie took care of Blair’s stuff. They received some amazing necessities for their babies, and by the end of the shower, they were both on the verge of tears with gratitude and appreciation. Logan and Gabe hung in there too, helping open gifts by holding the contents up for the guests to see.

Of course, they really enjoyed the food too.

Now, there’s only a handful of us left, cleaning up after the party. The guys, including TD, are loading up the gifts into trucks, while Ellie and I finish dividing up the leftover food into to-go containers. She had the forethought to bring several along, knowing there would most likely be extras.

The first few we packaged up went home with the moms, or the grandmas-to-be, as a thank you for helping us set up and clean afterward. Next, we’re making sure Blair and Gabe and Logan and Hallie have goodies to take home. They’ll have plenty to snack on while they’re setting up the baby rooms with their new goodies. And if there’s any left, which it appears there will be, Ellie and I will take those.

Since Gavin doesn’t have Annabelle this week, I’m thinking about calling him to see if he wants to share some later. I snacked enough throughout the day I won’t need to eat a big meal this evening, so leftover meat, cheese, fruit, and veggies might be just what the doctor ordered. Then, there’ll be some of the sweet treats left for afterward. You know, dessert.

Gavin and cherry cheesecake bombs sound like an amazing way to end the evening.

Well, maybe topping it off with sex before heading home to my lonely bed.

“Earth to Ava.”

I blink at Ellie, surprised I was spacing out enough not to hear her speaking to me. “What? I’m sorry, I was zoned out.”

She gives me a slow, knowing grin. “I remember that feeling.”

“What feeling?” I ask, keeping my hands busy by loading up the rest of the cheese cubes into the final two to-go containers.

“Being in love when it was still so new. It’s a mixture of terrifying and exhilarating.”

I stand here, wide-eyed, staring at my friend. “I’m not…I mean, I don’t know…” I swallow over the massive lump formed in my throat and watch her. She has the softest grin on her beautiful face, and her eyes are filled with truth and wisdom. It wasn’t too long ago she realized how much she truly loved her best friend. TD was always there for her and her teenage son, Brody, silently pining over her since we were in high school. When he finally decided to make his move, they realized his feelings weren’t one-sided, and they’ve been together ever since. Of course, like any real relationship, it hasn’t come without bumps in the road, but they came out stronger on the other side because of them.

“It’s okay if you’re not ready to admit it yet. Being in love is a huge step,” she replies, closing the lids on the final two containers.

I open my mouth to argue, but nothing comes out. I can’t deny it, because she’s one-hundred-percent correct. I’m in love with Gavin. Somewhere between our non-date date and stealing nights together, I fell madly in love with him.

But it’s too soon, isn’t it?

I know it’s been a little more than seven weeks, but that doesn’t seem long enough to get to know someone, finding out all the things that make them tick, and falling for them, good and bad. Yet, I feel like I know Gavin better than I know anyone else. He’s kind, caring, supportive, and a tad bit on the bossy side. He’s excellent at his job and worships his daughter. He’s also a little crabby when his back hurts and he gets annoyed quickly in higher traffic cities like St. Paul. But he’s still one of the best men I’ve ever met, and I’m so grateful he’s willing to do this whole dating in private thing with me, because life has been a whole lot better with him in it.

Glancing over my shoulder to make sure we’re still alone, I whisper, “I wasn’t planning on falling for him.”

Ellie flashes me a cheeky grin. “We never plan on it. Love just sort of swoops in and smacks ya upside the head. It comes out of nowhere, even when the person you fall for is right there all along.”

I nod, understanding exactly what she’s saying. Gavin has always been here. We’ve found ourselves at the same place at the same time throughout the years. I had parent-teacher conferences with him and his ex-wife last fall. We grew up in this town together, attending the same schools. Sure, we weren’t ever in any classes together, but we did share the same halls. Isn’t that where he said he saw me for the first time? In the hallway between classes?

My heart skips a beat just thinking about him.

“Go for it.”

I turn my attention to her. “Go for what?”

Gavin.

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