The Bromance Book Club (Bromance Book Club, #1)(28)

Well, not all of it. She left out the things Gavin said that sent her heart into overdrive. You and the girls are my home.

Liv was unmoved. “You know the girls are too young to understand any of this.”

“They’re old enough to understand our traditions and to be sad when they change. At least now they don’t have to have a shitty Thanksgiving or Christmas.”

“So they have a shitty Thanksgiving and Christmas next year?”

“Hopefully by next year, they will be used to the situation and it won’t bother them as much.”

Liv started to protest further, so Thea held up her hand. “You weren’t there. You didn’t hear them cry or see their faces.”

“But I can see yours.”

Thea ignored the observation, mostly because she didn’t want to know what it meant. “I made an impulsive decision. I thought you liked that side of me.”

“Sure, when it leads to something fun. This is a disaster.”

“Only if you refuse to support me.”

Liv took another drink of her juice. “What exactly does he plan to do to win you back?”

“I have no idea.”

“You didn’t ask?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“How could it not matter?”

“Because I’ve learned my lesson, Liv.”

“But what if—”

“I don’t know! Okay? I don’t know! I have a thousand voices in my head telling me what to do. Yours. His. Gran Gran’s. The girls’. I have no idea which voice is mine. All I know is that when he dared me to accept the deal, something snapped in me. So don’t judge me.”

“I’m not judging you,” Liv said, a hint of apology creeping into her voice. “I’m worried about you.”

Thea wanted to ignore that observation too, but found herself asking, “Why?”

“You disappeared, Thea,” Liv said. “I feel like I just got you back. I can’t stand to see you get lost again.”

Thea pulled her sister in for a tight hug. “I won’t get lost again,” she promised. “It’s only for a month.”

“That’s all it took the last time for him to lure you in.”

“The last time, I was a willing participant.”

“And you’re not now?”

“I agreed to let him move home,” Thea said, pulling away. “I didn’t agree to spend any time with him.”

“Something tells me that’s going to be harder to avoid than you think.”

“Not when he’s sleeping in the guest room.”

Liv made a whiny noise. “Where am I sleeping?”

“Basement.”

“Great. First, he steals my sister. Now he gets to steal my bed?”

Thea walked purposefully to the whiteboard and studied the calendar. Christmas was barely five weeks away.

Five short weeks.

She could do it.

All she had to do was fake it.



* * *



? ? ?

The guys—Del, Mack, Yan, and Malcolm—were already eating when Gavin walked into the downtown Nashville diner wearing a morning beard and a scowl. Not a good day to ask for an autograph, he conveyed in body language alone as he ignored the too-big smiles from people who recognized him. The place wasn’t exactly along the tourist thoroughfare, but it was still busy enough and country enough to be annoying.

He sank into a chair at the table. Del took one look at his haggard appearance and let out a breath. “Fuck. She said no?”

“Worse. She said yes.”

“How is that worse?”

“She has conditions.”

Mack bit into some egg whites and spoke with his mouth full. “What, like, asthma and diabetes?”

Gavin flipped him off and launched into the recitation of what happened last night. While he talked, Del nodded at a waitress, presumably to let her know their fifth person had finally arrived. Gavin ordered something called the Big Buckle Breakfast because, fuck it, it was the off-season and his wife didn’t trust that he loved her.

Mack grimaced when the waitress walked away. “Dude. That shit’ll kill you and make you fat.”

Gavin lifted up his T-shirt and looked down. Things were flat and tight, just like his trainers and coaches demanded. “I’ll risk it.”

Mack lifted his own shirt and waved at a washboard that put Gavin’s to shame. “Clean livin’.” Mack smirked, returning to his heart-happy omelet. “Try it.”

“Fuck off, ’Roid Rage. You ate an entire pizza by yourself Saturday night.”

Malcolm looked at Del. “Are they always like this?”

Del sighed. “Always.”

Yan looked at Gavin. “What are her conditions?”

Gavin let out a long breath and launched into the list. When he finished, even Mack was sympathetic. “Damn, dude. She really won’t let you say I love you? That’s harsh.”

“How the hell am I supposed to win her back if I’m sleeping in another room and can’t tell her how I feel?”

“Yeah, and if there’s no . . .” Mack made the universal sign for sex—he poked his finger in and out of a circle he made with his other hand.