The Bromance Book Club (Bromance Book Club, #1)(32)

“I guess you should’ve asked me first, huh?” Gavin said.

“Asked you first?” Her voice came out an incredulous squeak as Gavin left her standing in the driveway to carry the girls inside.

Thea whipped around and stormed to the hatchback. Did he really think it was a good idea to spend Thanksgiving with other people this year? And not just other people, but other Legends players and their wives? Right. That’s exactly what she needed.

Thea grabbed two grocery bags and carried them inside. She hoisted the heavy bags onto the kitchen island, wincing as the glass jars inside clunked against the granite countertop. Her eyes focused on a bouquet of fresh daisies that hadn’t been there when she left the house earlier, and she bit back a growl.

She started unloading the bags, pulling out more Thanksgiving ingredients that wouldn’t get used tomorrow, when she heard the door open. Gavin returned a few moments later and set the two other bags on the island.

“Hey,” he said.

Her hands froze inside the bag, fingers wrapped around a bag of fresh cranberries.

“Hey,” she said, resuming her unpacking, nonchalantly sliding sideways to get away from his heat.

“I put up a tarp.”

She looked at him. He pointed at the wall, now covered by a blue plastic sheet.

“Oh.”

“We’ll have to talk at some point about what we’re going to do about that.”

“I am going to finish tearing it down.”

Gavin cleared his throat. “About tomorrow.”

“What about it?”

“I’m confused. You’re the one who said you wanted the girls to have a good holiday. They like going to Del’s, and that’s what we did last year, so I didn’t think it would be a big deal.”

“It’s a big deal.”

“Why?”

“With everything that’s going on with us, do you really think I want to spend tomorrow with a bunch of people who are going to be watching our every move?”

“They’re our friends, Thea.”

“They’re your friends, Gavin.”

“What does that mean?”

“Except for Nessa, I can’t stand most of those women. Or, more to the point, they can’t stand me.”

Gavin shook his head as if her words made no sense. “What are you talking about, Thea? Since when?”

“Since forever.” Thea filled her arms with canned goods and walked to the butler’s pantry.

“Is there more to that answer?” Gavin asked behind her. He stood in the doorway, arms braced against the frame and blocking them both in.

“It doesn’t matter,” she snapped. “We’ll go to Del’s tomorrow, and then I never have to hang out with those women again.”

She plowed past him and searched out the girls in the living room. They were sitting on the floor and watching a cartoon on PBS. Thea crouched down and kissed them both. She was doing this for them. She had to remember that.

Which she was able to do through much of the evening—during pizza, the girls’ bath, and bedtime. After getting both girls to sleep, she went to her own bedroom without a word to Gavin and shut the door. If she could make this her nightly routine, she just might survive this.

She had just stripped down to her bra and panties when the door opened.



* * *



? ? ?

Thea whipped around as Gavin strode in. “What are you doing?”

He closed the door and leaned against it, swallowing against his dry throat at the sight of her bare skin. “You established your conditions, Thea. Now it’s my turn.”

Thea’s eyes did a you have to be joking bug out before she shook her head with an angry exhale. “No. You don’t get to set any conditions.”

“First,” he said, peeling away from the door. “We attend the team Christmas party.”

Every year, the Legends hosted a black tie post-season bash at the ballpark for players, families, and other staff.

“No.” Thea shook her head. “Absolutely not.”

He sauntered closer. “Second, we go on a date every single week. Just the two of us.”

She laughed openly. “No.”

Gavin took another step. “A real date, Thea. Not grocery shopping or some other mundane activity you can think of to avoid being alone with me.”

“Sorry. Next?”

He closed what remained of the distance between them. “We kiss good-night. Every night. Starting tonight.”

“You can’t be serious,” Thea said, her jaw clenching. “No. No way.”

Gavin stepped back. Time to play his card. “OK, fine,” he said, raising his hands in a wide shrug. “Then let’s call this off right now. Let’s go get the girls, tell them we’re getting a divorce, and we’ll let the lawyers figure out who gets them on Christmas and which one of us keeps the house.”

The first chink in her armor was a rapid blink of her eyes. She wouldn’t do that to the girls, and Gavin knew it. Still, he found no joy in watching her eyes flicker with a pain that told him how right the guys were yesterday morning. There were things he needed to find out about his wife.

Thea clenched her jaw. “I can’t believe you would use the girls against me like this,” she seethed, shaking.