The Bromance Book Club (Bromance Book Club, #1)(42)

“That,” Thea said, setting down her plate, “was the kind of bullshit I’ve had to put up with from Rachel and her friends the entire time we’ve been married. I just decided to stand up to her for a change.”

“She always treats you like that?”

Thea snorted. “Um, yeah. From day one.”

His eyes pinched at the corners. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Why didn’t you know?”

Gavin shook his head, opened his mouth to say something, and then apparently thought better of it. He swallowed instead.

“Don’t worry about it,” Thea snapped. “It won’t be a problem much longer, anyway.”

She spun on her heels and left him standing there. And she spent the rest of the day with the kids, carefully avoiding his every attempt to get her alone.

Ava started complaining about a stomachache around six o’clock, so Gavin made their excuses. Nessa dished up some leftovers into a tower of plastic containers and carried them out to the car while Gavin got the girls ready to leave.

“It will get better,” Nessa said quietly, loading containers in the back of the car.

Thea sighed. “Thanks, but I don’t think Rachel is ever going to like me.”

“I’m talking about you and Gavin.”

Thea looked up.

“Give it a chance to get better, Thea,” Nessa said.

The front door opened, and Gavin walked out carrying Ava. Amelia scampered ahead of them. Nessa squeezed Thea’s arm and lowered her voice. “Call me anytime.”

Thea shut the door to the trunk as Nessa walked up the sidewalk. She paused to kiss the girls goodbye and give a one-armed hug to Gavin. Thea opened the door to Ava’s side and took her from Gavin without meeting his eyes.

“I’ll buckle Amelia in,” he said.

The drive home was as silent as the trip there. Gavin clenched the steering wheel. Thea stared out her window, watching other families in other cars. Smiling, laughing families. Did those husbands and wives start their holiday arguing about masturbation? The thought brought an absurd burst of hysterical laughter from her mouth, which quickly became a frustrated sigh. She felt more than saw Gavin’s head turn in her direction, but she kept her eyes locked on the passing scenery. The lifeless, gray sky matched her mood.

By the time they got home, Thea practically threw herself from the car. She unbuckled Ava and carried her to the porch, fumbling at the door with the key. Butter greeted them in the foyer with excited barks.

“Mommy, I don’t feel good,” Ava whined.

“I know, honey. Let’s get your coat off—”

Vomit covered the floor before she could finish her sentence. Ava began to cry. Butter began to sniff.

“Butter, no!” Thea grabbed the dog’s collar just as Ava heaved again. Another round of what-the-hell-did-she-eat splashed onto the floor. Behind her at the door, Gavin let out a quiet curse, and Amelia yelled, “Gross!”

Gavin rushed in and took Butter’s collar.

“I’ll clean this up,” Thea said. “Can you take her up and start a bath?”

“No!” Ava cried. “I want Mommy.”

“I’ll clean it up,” Gavin said. “Amelia, honey, just stay back for a second.”

Too late. Ava turned and heaved all over her sister. Amelia shrieked. Gavin cussed out loud this time. Butter barked like he’d found his own particular heaven and tried to start licking Amelia clean.

“Butter! Stop it! Girls, come on. Let’s get upstairs,” Thea soothed. “Ava, hold it if you can until we get to the bathroom.”

Both girls crying, Thea followed them upstairs and into their bathroom. Kneeling, she told them to put their arms up and then peeled their shirts from their bodies. She’d be lucky if she could salvage either garment. She told them to finish getting undressed as she started the bath. Downstairs, Gavin said something particularly unkind to Butter before presumably putting the dog out back.

“Mommy, I don’t feel good,” Amelia hiccupped, her face pale.

Oh, no. Thea took Amelia by the shoulders and steered her toward the toilet—a split second too late. And now there were two floors to be cleaned.

“It’s OK, sweetie,” Thea said, rubbing a circle on Amelia’s back. She turned around to check on Ava, who now stood naked and shivering. Balancing on one foot, Thea leaned over and checked the temperature of the water. “Go ahead and get in the bath, Ava.”

Turning back to Amelia, she gently moved her to the side of the toilet and told her to lean over in case there was more. And yep, there was. Amelia shivered with a pitiful whimper. Thea smoothed her hair back. “It’s OK, honey. It’ll be over soon.”

She finally got Amelia into the tub a few minutes later. Gavin appeared in the doorway as she lathered Ava’s hair. He looked at the floor, grimaced, and used a leg to block Butter from coming in.

“Amelia’s sick too,” Thea said. “Can you grab some clean towels from the closet?”

“Which closet?”

Resentment pounded at her temples. “The same closet they’ve always been in,” she said in a clipped voice as she dumped water over Ava’s head.

“Which one is that?” he snapped.

“Seriously? How long have we lived here?”