The Bromance Book Club (Bromance Book Club, #1)(19)
A sensation of falling made his vision swim as he watched her—the way her face reacted to every adorable thing Ava and Amelia did, the gentle curve of her jaw, the dimpled cheek that deepened as she laughed, the tiny crescent-shaped scar below her left ear.
Thea’s eyes darted at him in the dark now, and the wariness in her expression brought a chill to his skin.
The show lasted an hour. As soon as the curtain dropped, she whipped her gaze to his. “Stop.”
He decided to play dumb, but oh shit sweat prickled his armpits. “Stop what?”
“Whatever the hell you’re doing,” Thea whispered, her eyes darting around them to make sure no one was listening. “You stared at me the whole time. And that whole purring comment? What are you doing?”
He tried the half-smile thing Mack used. “Just flirting with my wife.”
“Flirting?!” Her hand covered his forehead. “Do you have a fever?”
Heart pounding, Gavin peeled her hand away, turned it over, and pressed his lips to her palm. “As a matter of fact,” he murmured in what he hoped was a seductive tone, “I do.”
Thea yanked her hand away and leaned back, staring at him as if he’d just sprouted horns. “You got in a car accident, didn’t you? Or fell down the stairs or got hit in the head with a line drive.”
Gavin swallowed. “Huh?”
“A head wound. It’s the only explanation. You need to see a doctor.”
“Maybe we could play doctor?” The uncertain whine of his voice belied any attempt at confident seduction.
Thea’s lush, glossy lips parted. But a split-second later, she snapped them shut and ground her molars. Like a soldier called to attention, she shot to her feet. When he failed to follow suit, she glared pointedly at his knees, as if his six-three frame was a deliberate conspiracy against her ability to make a dramatic exit.
He stood, let her brush past him, and then followed her into the slow-moving masses headed for the exit. The staging area outside the auditorium filled up quickly with families waiting for their children. Gavin politely elbowed through, keeping as close to Thea as he could. She walked stiffly, head down, her purse clutched against her side as if it held the nuclear codes.
A few genuine smiles greeted Gavin, and he returned those. But he’d long ago learned how to deftly avoid the other kind of smile—the nervous fan smile that warned someone was one excited go for it from asking for an autograph or a selfie. Fans were the lifeblood of professional sports, and he’d challenge any city in America to find a more loyal fan base than Nashville. But professional athletes were also humans who sometimes just wanted a quiet night with their families or to watch their children perform at school.
Or to woo their wives into not divorcing their sorry asses.
When he reached Thea’s side, he slid his hands into his pockets. “So I was thinking that after this, maybe we could—”
He didn’t get a chance to finish his suggestion that they go out to eat as a family—which was Del’s idea—because a woman in a red suit and high heels called Thea’s name and click-clicked over with a cheery wave.
“Mrs. Martinez,” Thea said in greeting.
“Call me Lydia.” The woman smiled. “I’m so glad I caught you.”
Thea looked at Gavin and blinked. “Oh, um. Gavin, this is Mrs. Martinez, the principal of the elementary school. Lydia, this is Gavin. My husband.”
My husband. Those two words had never sounded more stilted or more promising.
The woman dutifully extended her hand, and Gavin shook it. “Pleasure to meet you.”
The principal turned back to Thea. “I just wanted to let you know that I will have your letter of recommendation done by next week. Is that soon enough?”
Letter of recommendation? Thea glanced at him—nervously, it seemed—and then back at Lydia. “That would be perfect, Lydia. Thank you for doing that.”
Lydia waved away the sentiment. “It’s the least I can do after how much time you have volunteered this year and last.”
Lydia raced off again with a see you next week tossed over her shoulder.
“Letter of recommendation for what?” Gavin asked.
“Vanderbilt,” she said with a forced smile. “I’m going back to school to finish my degree.”
“Wh-when did you decide this?”
A firestorm erupted in her eyes. “I’ve always planned to finish my degree, Gavin.”
“Thea, I’m not saying you can’t—”
Oh, shit. Wrong thing to say. Very much wrong thing to say. Thea’s neck lengthened and flushed red. “Well, thank God for that. Because I definitely wasn’t going to do it without your permission.”
Gavin raked his fingers through his hair. “Babe, that’s not what I meant. Can we just take this down a notch and—”
“Are you seriously telling me to calm down? Because that rarely has the desired effect.”
Dear God in heaven, he was going down in a ball of fire. He could actually feel the flames licking his skin. A whistling sound in his ear told him he was one stupid remark away from crashing and dying.
“Mommy, did you see us?”
“Thank God,” Gavin breathed as Amelia and Ava ran toward them.
Thea’s features transformed. She opened her arms and waited for them to throw themselves against her. “You were amazing!” she said, bending to kiss each one. “The best dancing fawns ever.”