Page 64 of Hot Response
He judged relationships against others in his life—like his parents’ and his sister’s—and he didn’t believe love was something that hit you like a wrecking ball. It was built over time, through good times and bad, and so far he and Cait had had a lot of good times.
And if he wanted to find out if what they had was love, he’d have to stick through the bad times, too.
He looked at his mom. “But she’s lived there for months. Don’t you think there’s a possibility that having Cait there is keeping Diane from having to manage her grief? Or that Diane is manipulating her to keep her around?”
“That’s not for you to judge, son,” his dad said firmly.
“I know, but...it can be frustrating. That’s all.”
“You said that it was okay that Cait didn’t go home with you because you spend a lot of time together. That’s what you need to focus on,” his mom said. “Sometimes we need you or the guys you work with need you and you’re there. You’d expect her to understand. Like when you were leaving for a date but had to fix your sister’s toilet first.”
Gavin braced himself for what was coming next and sure enough...
“And don’t think I’m not aware that Jill has met Cait and I haven’t.”
“I know. You will soon. I’m hoping she’ll go to Kincaid’s with me Saturday night and I’ll bring it up.”
“You’re bringing her to meet your firefighter buddies before your own mother?”
Cornered, Gavin gave his mother his best grin as he picked up the box of mauled chocolates and held them out to her. “Soon. I promise.”
* * *
It wasn’t until Friday’s shift, when Rick gave him a questioning look he couldn’t miss—and included a shooting-pool motion that looked obscene out of context—that Gavin made his decision. Before he could second-guess himself—or however many guesses it would be after days of overthinking it—he pulled out his phone and shot Cait a text.
The guys are planning to hang at Kincaid’s tomorrow night. Wanna go shoot some pool with me?
It was almost an hour before he got a response, which was normal for the two of them. Sometimes it was immediate and sometimes it was hours, depending on what was happening. He liked that, because he’d dated some women who expected him to respond right away and couldn’t seem to grasp that if he was at a scene, whether it was a fire or an MVA or a false alarm, he couldn’t call a time-out to talk to his girlfriend.
Time to introduce me to the other guys?
He should have guessed she’d see the invite for what it was. She was too smart not to and, even though he hadn’t been gifted with the heart emoji again, she had to be as aware as he was that they had turned the corner into a real, presumably long-term relationship.
Yeah. Also, I’d like to see more of that black lace bra.
It has matching panties, too.
Gavin actually groaned out loud.We’ll have one beer and leave.
That would be rude.
So would banging you in the storage room.
She sent back a laughing emoji and then a final text.I’ll see you tomorrow.
* * *
“You can’t see through my shirt, Gavin, no matter how much you stare at my boobs.”
“I have a vivid imagination.”
“Your truck’s going to run out of gas if we sit here much longer.” She knew him—and herself—well enough to know if she’d gone upstairs to his apartment, they’d never make it to Kincaid’s Pub.
Being introduced to the guys as his girlfriend was a big deal and she didn’t intend to miss it. She knew some of them in passing and knewofmost of them, but this was different.
So she’d sent him a text message that she was on her way and he should meet her outside. He’d tried to get her upstairs, but she’d been firm about it. And when he walked out the door and his gaze went immediately to her chest, as though he could see through her coat and shirt to the black lace below, she knew she’d been right.
He’d kept glancing over as they walked to his truck and now they’d been sitting in the idling vehicle for almost two minutes.
