The Bromance Book Club (Bromance Book Club, #1)(60)

Gavin rubbed his thumb across her lower lip. “You feel like reading tonight?”

Thea’s head nodded up and down on its own.

An hour later, she fell asleep to the soft cadence of his voice and the confused beating of her heart.





CHAPTER SIXTEEN




“Did you kids have fun last night?”

The next morning, Gavin swung the fridge shut to find that Liv had materialized in the kitchen as if she’d teleported. He jumped and swore.

“Yes.”

“Bummer,” Liv said. “I was hoping to get out of the basement.”

Gavin set down the milk for the girls’ cereal. Thea was upstairs getting the girls dressed. He hadn’t actually seen her yet this morning; he’d only heard her movements. “You know, Liv, this little thing we d-d-do is amusing and all,” Gavin grumbled, “but I don’t have the patience for you this morning.”

“Just watching out for my sister. Didn’t I warn you about hurting her?”

Gavin opened a pantry and withdrew the Cheerios. “Did it ever occur to you that this is none of your business?”

“She’s my sister.”

“And my wife.”

“I live here.”

“Feel free to move out.”

“You first.” She snapped her fingers. “Wait. You already tried that once.”

“And I don’t plan to do it again.”

Thea shuffled into the kitchen, and Gavin fumbled the cereal.

“Hey,” he breathed.

“Morning,” Liv chirped.

Thea stopped short, her eyes darting back and forth between them. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Gavin said.

“Just telling my brother-in-law how much I think of him.”

Thea sighed and reached with both hands to twist her hair atop her head. The girls stumbled into the kitchen in matching pink T-shirts and purple leggings. Gavin scooped them both up and poured their cereal.

Thea’s shoulders were stiff as she filled a cup of coffee. Had she slept any better than him? Because he’d slept like shit. Crawling out of her bed last night to return to the guest room had taken Herculean strength. He didn’t possess it this morning. He had to touch her.

He walked up behind her, slipped his arms around her waist, and nuzzled her cheek.

She turned her face up to his with a surprised, wide-eyed glance. He dropped a kiss on her lips. “Good morning,” he murmured.

“Morning,” she whispered.

“I had fun last night.”

Liv made a gagging noise.

Gavin looked over his shoulder and curled his lip. Liv narrowed her eyes. He bared his teeth. She waggled her fingers and hummed P!nk’s “U + UR Hand.”

Thea turned around with another sigh. “You two need to get over this.”

“She started it.”

Thea tilted her head. “I don’t even let the girls get away with that excuse.”

The twins, who’d been silently poking dribbly spoonfuls of Cheerios into their mouths, must have picked up on the weird tension in the room, because they started griping about who got more cereal. Gavin tore his gaze from Thea and intervened. “You each got the same amount, girls.”

“I’m done,” Ava said, pushing her bowl away, pouting for no good reason.

“Wait for your sister, and then we’ll go get you dressed,” Thea said, walking to where the girls sat. She started wiping mouths but paused when her cell phone buzzed in her pocket. She made an annoyed noise but pulled it out.

She froze.

“What’s wrong?” Gavin asked.

“It’s an email from Vanderbilt.”

Liv set down her coffee. “Shit.”

“Open it,” he said.

With a deep swallow, Thea swiped the screen a couple of times. Gavin held his breath as her eyes skimmed the screen.

A smile broke out on her face as she turned the screen around.

“Holy shit,” he breathed. “You got in?”

“I got in.” She raised her arms and let out a victory whoop. Liv did a dance around the island as the girls laughed at the hijinks. Gavin wanted to join in the celebratory melee. He wanted to wrap his arms around Thea and congratulate her with a kiss, but he chose restraint.

“That’s amazing, Thea,” he said from a safe distance. “Congratulations.”

“When do you start classes?” Liv asked.

Thea looked at the email again. “January 18.”

“We are sooo going to celebrate tonight,” Liv said, hugging Thea from behind.

Gavin bristled but fought it down. She and Liv already had plans together tonight to help Liv’s friend with the café. He’d save his celebration for another night, when they could be alone.

She looked up, and her cheeks flushed under his gaze. He must not have been very good at hiding his thoughts. “I have to get dressed,” she said.

Gavin cleaned up the girls’ cereal and helped them down from their chairs. Then he walked to the whiteboard, dug out a dry erase marker, and circled January 18 on the calendar.

“I wouldn’t plan too far out, Gavin,” Liv said, coming up behind him. “Your calendar ends at Christmas.”