It's Only Love(25)

Around the time Homer died, Gavin had found out that Hannah and Nolan were dating. He’d reacted badly to that news and still regretted the way he’d treated two people he loved. After all they’d been through, Hannah was like a sister to him, and Nolan had been a close friend to him and Caleb since they first landed in Butler in middle school. Hannah and Nolan had deserved better than what they’d gotten from him, and he considered himself extremely fortunate that they’d both accepted his apologies.

Their wedding day, however, had been far more difficult than Gavin had expected it to be. Seeing Caleb’s Hannah marry someone else, even a man he and his brother loved and respected, had been excruciating for him. He’d kissed Ella that day, and then totally screwed it up by pushing her away. The downward spiral that followed had come upon him fast and furious, erasing years of progress.

Yeah, he’d been batting a thousand lately. And now, despite all the reasons why she shouldn’t, Ella had given him this amazing opportunity to spend time with her, to see if what had been simmering between them for years might now turn into something lasting.

He had the worst fear that if he screwed things up with her, any chance he had to be truly happy would be lost forever. Not to mention the toll it would take on her if their fledgling relationship turned into another disaster. He couldn’t let that happen.

With his backpack on his shoulder, he locked up his house and headed across the yard to the big steel building where he kept the trucks and equipment for his logging company. He punched in the code that deactivated the alarm system and opened one of the big doors. Inside, he walked past the trucks with the Guthrie Logging name on the doors to the back corner of the big building.

Gavin pulled the tarp off his vintage Harley and wheeled it outside, closing the door behind him and resetting the alarm. Sitting astride the powerful bike, Gavin strapped on the helmet he wouldn’t have bothered with before his brother was killed and his parents were left with only him. Now he didn’t take chances with his safety the way he had before.

Before. And after. His life was divided neatly into two halves.

He fired up the bike and headed back to town, eager to be with Ella, to experience the sense of calm that came over him whenever she was close by. Navigating the winding roads between his home on the northern end of Butler and hers closer to town, Gavin knew a rare moment of excitement and anticipation.

He thought about what she’d told him earlier about wanting a big family. In the last few years, he’d been so focused on building his business that he hadn’t spent much time thinking about getting married or having a family. But now that he’d decided to take this chance with her, neither of those things seemed out of reach.

They were a long way from big decisions, but the fact that those things were even possible filled him with another emotion that had been in short supply recently—hope. He had something to look forward to. He had a reason to get up in the morning that didn’t revolve around his work. He had someone who cared about him—probably more than she should, not that he was complaining. He had someone counting on him for more than a paycheck in the case of his employees and an occasional visit in the case of his parents.

He pulled into Ella’s driveway and parked the bike in front of her car where it couldn’t be easily seen from the street. Bringing his helmet with him, he went up the stairs to her apartment and knocked on the door.

When the door opened, his mind went blank and his mouth went dry at the sight of her in a slinky sexy robe, her long dark hair shining like always. Behind her, the apartment was aglow with light from candles and the fireplace.

She reached for his free hand. “Come in.”

Struck dumb by the sight of her, he followed her inside, dropping his helmet and backpack inside the door.

“Are you okay?” she asked, gazing up at him with her heart in her eyes. She always looked at him that way, and he hoped she always would. He hoped he never gave her a reason to look at him any other way but with love and affection in her gaze.

“You look . . . God, Ella, you’re beautiful.”

“You should see yourself in that leather jacket with the bike helmet tucked under your arm. H-O-T. I didn’t even know you had a motorcycle.”

“I didn’t want to leave the truck with the Guthrie Logging logo on the side in your driveway overnight. We don’t need everyone talking about us until we’re ready for them to talk.”

She unzipped his coat and slid her arms around his waist inside the coat. “Thank you for thinking of that.”

Gavin returned her embrace, the sense of relief at being back in her arms profound. He was further relieved that whatever seemed to be bothering her earlier had apparently passed. “No problem.”

“Will you take me for a ride on the bike sometime?”

“Any time you want. It looks nice in here.”

“I was afraid it was too much. I blew out all the candles, and then I relit them. I was about to blow them out again when I heard you coming up the stairs.”

Unable to resist for another minute, he leaned in to kiss her. “It’s not too much. It’s just right.”

Ella tugged on his jacket. “Take this off. Come get comfortable.”

Gavin did as directed and then followed her to the sofa. “You build a good fire.”

“We were trained at an early age.”

“That was one of the first things we learned how to do when we moved here.”