Page 122 of Bottle Shock
Every night since she’s been gone, they talk on the phone at least once. He tries to sound upbeat and excited for her,but I can see the sadness in his eyes. He wants her home. And so do I. But there’s a little ache sitting between my ribs, knowing our special week is ending. Knowing I’ll be back in the pool house. Gavin didn’t say I have to go back, but I can’t imagine he’d risk Lily overhearing us or—God forbid—walking in on something when we’re not even supposed to be together.
He hasn’t said Ihaveto go back.
But he hasn’t said I don’t, either.
We don’t talk about it as we pack the car to go pick her up.
We still don’t talk about it on the drive to Seattle either.
When we pull up to Wayne and Shannon’s house, Lily is already outside. She’s sitting on the porch swing with Shannon, a pink suitcase beside her, her legs kicking back and forth in that excited-little-kid way.
The moment she catches sight of the car, she springs up.“DADDY!”
We hear her through the windows, the excitement vibrating in her voice.
And Gavin is a total goner. His whole face opens up with a joy so real it steals the air right out of me.
“She hasn’t called me ‘daddy’ in a while,” he says quietly under his breath.
And my heart constricts hearing the wonder and sadness wrapped together in his voice. A father longing for the little girl who’s growing up too fast for him.
I swallow and blink rapidly, clearing my throat a few times. It’s that, or I’ll cry.
Gavin barely has time to open his door before she’s sprinting down the walkway. He meets her halfway, scooping her up and spinning her once—like he’s been waiting days just to do exactly that.
She clings to him, tiny arms locking behind him. Gavin folds around her, chin tucked over her hair. Her eyes are shuttightin that way little kids do, like she’s afraid he might disappear.
I have no defenses for that. And neither do my ovaries, which explode like confetti.
Eventually they pull apart, and Lily spots me over his shoulder—she waves so hard her whole little torso wiggles with it.
“Scottie! You came too!”
“I promised you I would,” I tell her, smiling so wide my cheeks ache.
She lights up, then suddenly her arms are around my waist, her head tucked against my stomach.My hands move on instinct, wrapping around her, fingers threading through the ends of her hair.
Wayne and Shannon join us on the walkway with warm smiles, but very tired eyes. They look like they could use a vacation to recover from their vacation.
As Wayne helps Lily with her suitcase, Shannon steps close and gives Gavin’s arm a quiet squeeze.
“Congratulations on the house,” she whispers, keeping her voice low so Lily won’t overhear.
He’d been waiting until everything was finalized before telling her.
Once Lily’s buckled in and her suitcase is tucked away, we don’t linger. We exchange a few quick goodbyes, and then we’re back on the road, pulling away from the curb.
Lily is full of energy, telling us all about her trip, the rides, how she ate a giant turkey leg all by herself. About her cousins and the games they played. Lengthy descriptions about her outfits and swimming in the hotel pool. She’s so excited, she trips over some of her words, stuttering adorably.
I can’t remember the last time I was ever as excited as her about anything. Makes me ache for the past, for the kind of unguarded joy only felt in childhood.
Gavin listens to all of it like it’s the most fascinating thing he’s ever heard.
He tells her about the house. Once she understood it didn’t mean she’d actually be moving, she seemed excited about it, though I don’t think she’ll fully understand until Gavin shows it to her in person.
And I listen to both of them as my heart is does something new and alarming behind my ribs.
We don’t break into song this time, Lily having worn herself out and falling fast asleep half-way through the drive.
