Right Where We Belong (Silver Springs #4)(56)

“Tell her we’re having fun. She should’ve come,” Savanna heard Branson say.

“Tell him I’ll come next time,” she said. “Hopefully, you’ll give me that chance before you leave.”

She thought he’d readily agree. What was an ice cream date? So it surprised her when he didn’t commit. He just said they’d be home soon, that they were going to feed the ducks, and then he was gone.

*

Alia was overwhelmed and frightened by the ducks, especially when they began to congregate around Branson to get the food. She immediately lifted her arms for Gavin to hold her so that she could feel safe while she looked down at them, and he was happy to oblige. She had to be the cutest little girl he’d ever seen. Branson, on the other hand, loved every minute of being right in the midst of the flock. He fed them as much as Gavin would allow. Gavin didn’t want to overdo it; he didn’t know if it was possible to make ducks sick on bread, but he couldn’t imagine it was healthy to overfeed anything. Then they played tag in the park among the trees until the kids were too exhausted to keep running.

“Can we get more ice cream?” Alia asked as Gavin put her down and started to guide them over to his truck.

“More?” Gavin echoed. “Already? What about lunch?”

“I don’t care about lunch,” she responded.

He pinched her soft, round cheek. “Sorry, Blondie. But the party’s over. I have to get to work.”

She grinned up at him and put her little hand in his. “I like you.”

Branson didn’t say anything, but he took Gavin’s other hand.

Savanna’s kids were good kids. Gavin hated that once they were old enough to understand exactly what Gordon had done, they’d have to live with the stigma of their father’s crimes.

Gavin was just wondering if they’d ever have the desire to visit Gordon in prison when he heard his name and turned to see Scott, wearing overalls, a construction hat and boots, and carrying a soda and lunch sack, striding toward him. “What are you doing here?” he asked as he pushed the children behind him.

“I work across the street.” He pointed to a building—a church—that’d just been framed. “Eat lunch in this park almost every day.”

Gavin had known Scott did construction, but he’d never paid much attention when it came to his particular jobs. “Good for you.” He started to turn away, but Scott kept talking.

“What are you doing here? That’s a better question.”

“We came to feed the ducks,” Gavin replied.

Scott eyed Branson and Alia. “They relatives of yours?”

Gavin could feel Savanna’s kids leaning around him to be able to see Scott. “They’re my neighbor’s kids. And they don’t need to be a party to what’s going on between us. So let’s let whatever this is go for now and talk later.”

Scott’s eyes narrowed. “Wait a sec. You don’t have any neighbors.”

“I do now. They moved in last Saturday.”

“And you’re already babysitting?” he said with a demeaning laugh.

“This morning I am. Their mother needed a little help, so I stepped up. You have a problem with that?”

“Their mother...”

“That’s what I said.”

Scott crumpled his sack and soda can and tossed both into the garbage receptacle nearby. “What about their father?”

“He’s no longer in the picture.”

“Interesting...”

“Not particularly,” Gavin responded with a shrug. “A lot of people are divorced these days.”

Scott picked something out of his teeth. “That’s not the interesting part. What I find interesting is that you’re not at work. You’re taking care of some woman’s kids even though you got my girlfriend pregnant with your own.”

Gavin twisted around to point his key fob at his truck. He was farther away than usual, but the lights flashed, telling him the button had worked. “Go get in,” he said to Branson and Alia. “I’ll be over in a minute.”

Although they did as he asked, they kept looking back as if they were worried about what might happen to him. “You’re really starting to piss me off, you know that?” he said to Scott. “Heather is no longer your girlfriend. I had no say in that. And I won’t have you giving me shit every time you see me.”

Scott spread his arms wide. “Oh, yeah? What are you going to do about it?”

Gavin shook his head. He wasn’t going to get in a fight in front of Savanna’s kids. “Heather told me you threatened to beat the shit out of her last night. She stayed at my place, was too afraid to go home.”

“Oh, brother!” he said. “She knows I’d never hurt her.”

Gavin stepped closer. “Did you threaten her?”

“I might have yelled a few things I shouldn’t have. I’ll admit that. But she’s not upset that she’s pregnant, like you think. She’s glad, happy to finally have some way of forcing you back to her.”

Their raised voices were attracting the attention of others in the park. Gavin didn’t feel like having this argument in public. “Just leave her alone,” he said, and stalked off to make sure Branson and Alia were buckled up.