Page 136 of Body Check

“Yes.” Thad twisted his hands together, though his gaze never left Gavin’s. “I thought it was my fault you got in so deep with them. I thought it was the only way I could make things right between us.”

“No,” Gavin rasped, horrified. “I never wanted?—”

“I know.” Thad’s eyes were swimming. “I know that. I know neither of us wanted any of this to go the way we did. We both made terrible decisions, and we should have talked and?—”

“Yeah, we should have,” Gavin agreed. “But what’s done is done.”

“Is it?”

Gavin shrugged. “We can’t take back what happened. We can’t take backanyof it. But I think now we both have a better idea of why we did what we did.”

“And can you forgive me?” The sincere hope in Thad’s eyes made Gavin’s chest ache.

“Of course.” Because yes, it hurt. It fuckinghurtthat his brother had gone behind his back and spoken to GMs about not getting drafted together. But what was the point of holding onto that anger? “Of courseI forgive you. Can you forgive me?”

“Yes. You’re my brother.”

Gavin surged to his feet and Thad rose too, a little more slowly. They stared at each other for a few moments before Gavin heldout his arms. Thad walked into them and then they were clinging to each other.

Gavin’s eyes pricked with tears once again and he could feel the shuddering of Thad’s chest against his own. He never thought he’d have this moment. He never thought they’d find a way to reconcile again.

“I’m so sorry,” Gavin whispered. “I’m so fucking sorry I let anything come between us. You have no idea how much I missed you all these years.”

“I missed you too.” Thad’s voice was filled with emotion. “And I’m sorry for my part in all this.”

“I forgive you. Do you forgive me?”

“Of course,” Gavin choked out.

Thad held him tighter.

“No matter what, we won’t let it happen again,” Gavin vowed.

“No matter what,” Thad echoed.

They stood there for a long time in silence, both of them sniffling a little, both of them reluctant to let go.

“Hey, have you ever noticed we make really terrible life decisions when we aren’t there for each other?” Gavin finally muttered against the side of Thad’s head.

Thad laughed wetly. “Yeah, I have.”

Gavin drew back, but only far enough to look his brother in the eye, hands still clasped around his upper arms. “So what if we started supporting each other again?”

Thad’s eyes were red-rimmed but his gaze was steady. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

THIRTY-ONE

Shortly after Gavin and Thad apologized and hugged it out, Thad left.

Gavin seemed a little shell-shocked as he shut the door behind him, and Dakota took his hand, threading their fingers together before tugging Gavin toward the living room.

He tossed a back cushion onto the floor, then manhandled Gavin onto the sectional, curling up in his arms. Gavin lay stretched out on his back, Dakota on his side, head pressed to Gavin’s shoulder.

With a sigh, Gavin wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close, pressing a kiss to Dakota’s hair.

“How are you feeling?” Dakota asked.

“A little overwhelmed. Relieved, but overwhelmed.”

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