Page 75 of Hot Response
Carter rolled his eyes, but disappeared after his mother. Gavin turned to Cait, who was watching him with a bemused look on her face. He grinned and after shaking her head, she did, too.
“I think charming mothers is your superpower,” she said quietly.
“Just one of them.” He raised his eyebrows at her. “I have a few.”
He caught her hand and tugged her forward for another kiss. Since he’d been waiting all day for it, he let his mouth linger on hers, but not for too long. If it was time for Carter to put drinks on the table, one of them would pop out of the kitchen any second to tell them it was time to eat.
“It sounds like you and Carter had a good time this morning,” she said, taking his coat to the closet near the front door to hang it up.
“He fits in well with the other guys. I like having him there.”
“And he likes being there.” She smiled. “It’s good for him, too. He’s always in a good mood when he gets home.”
Gavin nodded, even though he didn’t want to talk about Carter. Or onions or anything but the question burning in his mind.
It had been a week since the day he’d brought up the subject of moving in together and, other than catching Cait looking at him thoughtfully sometimes, it felt to Gavin as if the conversation had never happened.
Not that he’d expected an instant answer, especially since he’d brought it up while they were naked in his tub, but he’d thought they’d talk about it a little. It wasn’t just a matter of them both being on the same page as far as their relationship went. If she was considering it, there would be details to work out. Financial discussions. Closet space. Which brand of toothpaste they’d finally compromise on because having two separate tubes sitting side by side on the vanity was dumb.
The fact she’d said nothing at all made him wonder if she was as invested in making a future together as he was. And rather than rock the boat, he was keeping his mouth shut. Until she was ready to be his full-time, having her part-time was better than not having her in his life at all.
But as they sat down for dinner, Gavin felt restless and the vibe was slightly off. He wasn’t sure what, if anything, had happened while they finished putting supper on the table, but Diane and Carter were going out of their way to avoid speaking to each other all of a sudden. And it wasn’t his imagination because Cait’s gaze kept bouncing back and forth between the two.
And Gavin was a little put out by how much like “company” he still felt. He knew it had nothing to do with the hospitality and everything to do with his frustration at not knowing where he stood with Cait, but he couldn’t help it.
They made it almost all the way through dinner before things started going sideways. Carter’s mood had been going downhill and the more sullen he got, the more upset Diane got. Her cheerful tone was obviously forced and Cait was doing a lot more moving food around with her fork than eating.
“The carrots are mushy,” Carter mumbled, and Diane set her glass down with such a thump they all jumped.
“Feel free to leave them on the plate, then,” she said. “Don’t be rude in front of guests.”
So much for almost being part of the family, Gavin thought, taking another bite of his dinner. The carrots were softer than his mom usually made them, but they were far from mushy. And her seasoning was perfect, though he recognized now wasn’t the time to tell her so if he ever wanted Carter to speak to him again. He kept his mouth shut and chewed.
“Whatever,” Carter mumbled and, judging by the way his body jerked, one of the women kicked him under the table. He’d bet on it being Cait.
“They’re planning the company picnic for next month,” Diane said when the next few minutes drew out in uncomfortable silence. “I told them you’d both be there.”
“Great.” How Carter packed so much unpleasant tone into one word was beyond Gavin, but he had a knack for it.
Luckily, it looked as if everybody had eaten all they had appetites for and Gavin could start counting the minutes until he and Cait could get out of there.
Diane ignored Carter and smiled at her daughter. “Unless you have a date planned with Gavin for that weekend, of course.”
It was the worddatethat finally did it. To his mind, it implied a casual relationship and it felt as if Diane was trying to maintain a distance or disconnect between him and Cait. He was tired of it.
And before Cait could say anything, he opened his mouth. “Hopefully she doesn’t have a date planned with anybodyelse, since I asked Cait to move in with me.”
He’d intended for the words to sound light, almost joking, but they didn’t come out of his mouth that way, and he knew when he heard Cait’s sharp intake of breath that he’d made a critical mistake.
“You’re moving out?” Carter asked his sister, his fork frozen halfway between his plate and his mouth.
“I...I had no idea,” Diane said, and her expression when she looked at her daughter didn’t bode well for the rest of the night.
“We’re just talking about it, Mom.”
That wasn’t really true, Gavin thought. He’d been talking about it. Cait had been silent on the issue since he brought it up, and she was carefully avoiding looking at him right now.
“I didn’t realize it was that serious,” Diane said in a trembling voice. Tears shimmered in her eyes and Gavin felt a strong pang of regret and guilt. “I... That’s wonderful.”
