Page 168 of Into These Eyes
While he’s distracted, Anika sweeps his feet out from beneath him and crashes him to the grass. She’s on his back in an instant, yanking his arms behind him and securing his wrists. Not once does he take his eyes off me.
“Bro, you’re under arrest!” she shrieks in triumph.
“Fine,” he grumbles, “you got me. Eventually.”
As Anika releases him, he gives me a wink. Unaware she’s won by distraction, my sister performs a victory dance, arms in the air, bouncing on her feet as she spins around.
Taking her completely off guard, Gavin throws her over his shoulder. She squeals and pummels his back as he walks straight to the deep end of the pool and tosses her in.
Giggling, knowing we all needed this release after the tension of the day, I join him at the end of the pool and wait for Anika to surface. She doesn’t.
Gavin grips my shoulder, his smile dropping. “Shit. Is she—”
“Don’t fall for it,” I tell him. “She wants you to jump in and save her. Did it to me all the time when she was a kid.”
A huge gasp sounds at our feet when Anika breaks the surface.
“Arseholes,” she shouts, splashing water at us. “I’m drowning here and you two are making goo-goo eyes at each other? Real nice!”
“Did you hear something?” Gavin asks me, his eyes bright and amused again.
“Nope.”
More water splashes up at us, this time making it to our faces.
Anika grips the side of the pool and stretches her hand out to Gavin. “Help me out, dickwad.”
Chuckling, he glances at me. “Look at that. The sadistic one thinks I’m a fool.” Then he plants a kiss to my forehead and saunters off inside.
“Prick!” Anika yells at his back. Smirking, she holds her hand out to me.
“Ha! I’m not a fool either.” I return to the sunlounge and sip at my cocktail, watching Anika swim to the shallow end and get out. She strides over to me and whips her head back and forth, spraying me with water. “Ahhh,” I sigh, “that’s so refreshing.”
Scoffing, she plonks herself down on the end of my lounger. “I can’t believe tonight’s my last night. I’m gonna miss this.” She reaches for my half-finished cocktail, and I pass it to her. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m looking forward to starting my career. But I want to get to know Gavin more. And Lach.” She sucks down half my cocktail in one long sip. “I just … everything’s changed so fast. I feel like this black cloud that’s followed me around all my life has been blown away. Never having to wonder again why Dad couldn’t stand me, that it didn’t have anything to do with me at all, is weird. But getting a second chance to have a dad, that’s just … wow.”
“I’m happy for you, Ank.” I don’t mention the twinge of jealousy in my heart. She gets to start over with a brand-new father. A father who loved our mother deeply. I can’t deny my envy. She was conceived by soul mates. I was conceived by deceit, my father the man who took our mother from us. But I would never deny Anika the happiness she deserves.
Finishing my cocktail, she hands it back, her gaze intense. “I’m happy for you, too. He really loves you.”
A wonderful warmth settles in my belly. “Yeah, he does.”
“Well, don’t be too certain about it or anything,” she says with a cheeky grin.
“That’s just it, though, Ank. There’re no guessing games with him. He shows me how he feels, and hetellsme. He’s so open about it. About everything. I love that.”
I don’t miss the brief shadow that passes across her face. “Just … be careful thinking like that. Everyone has secrets. Look at Mum and Dad.”
She’s not wrong, but I don’t believe for a minute that Gavin’s keeping anything from me. That’s not who he is.
When I head inside and walk past the guest bedroom, I hear music coming from behind the closed door. I’ve noticed he shuts himself away sometimes, but I haven’t been bold enough to ask what he’s doing in there. As I wash the delicate cocktail glass in the kitchen, Anika’s words ring in my ears.Everyone has secrets.
The thought prickles my skin. I haven’t told Gavin about my two dates with Reid, but really, there’s nothing to tell. I didn’t even let him kiss me. I also haven’t told him about my promise to Pete. By keeping that from him, I’m simply saving him from more negative emotions he doesn’t need. He’s had enough of those to last a lifetime.
But the thought that I’ve held back has me on edge. If I have, it’s possible he has, too.
I catch my bottom lip with my teeth as I dry the glass and set it in the cupboard.
What’s he doing in there when he closes himself off?
