Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 115288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 576(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 576(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
“Hey, what are you doing here?” Avery cocks a brow and pops a tiny puff pastry into her mouth.
“My night opened up.” Even though I came from a late lunch only a couple of hours ago, I grab a fig-and-cream-cheese tart and bite into it. I know exactly where this came from, and they have the best appetizer platter known to man. I will avoid dinner altogether and fill a plate with these if I have the opportunity. And tonight I feel like stress eating.
“Peyton not feeling good or something?”
“Or something,” I say through a mouthful of tart. “Why aren’t you two in the dining room, doing dining room things?”
“Because we hired people to do the dining room things three months ago and figured we should probably let them do the dining room things without us constantly interfering and hovering,” London replies. “And I threatened to tie Avery to her chair if she went to check on them before seven. Now, back to why you’re here and not with Gavin. I thought you two were supposed to have some alone time tonight.”
My sisters always have been and always will be my sounding boards, so I fill them in on what happened at the restaurant, the conversation I had with Gavin at my place, and the fact that he took an Uber home because he needs time to think. “Am I in too deep here?” I ask, dragging a hand down my face.
“Probably,” London says.
Avery shoots her a look. “You hit a bump in the road. And when you think about it, it makes sense that he’s struggling, you know?”
“Am I being unreasonable, wanting him to stick up for me?” In the moment my reaction felt justified, but now I’m not so sure.
Avery flips a tiny soccer stress ball between her fingers. “Of course, it’s justifiable that you’d want him to stick up for you, especially when his former mother-in-law is being a super bitch. But I can see where he’s coming from, because if he truly believes he’s the reason his wife died during childbirth, then of course he’s always going to feel like he owes them something. And in this case, that something is his passive acceptance of their criticism.” She sets the ball on the table and reaches for another appetizer. “It really does make a lot of sense on all sides. She feels threatened by your presence in Peyton’s life. They’ve moved back here, and he immediately reconnects with you.”
“It’s not like I sought him out,” I say defensively.
“No, but it doesn’t change the fact that you have history with both Gavin and Peyton. He cares about you and always has. And let’s be really real about this, he probably had feelings for you back when you were taking care of Peyton. Maybe not developed ones, because of the age difference and how glaring it would have been since you started taking care of Peyton when you were nineteen, but they existed all the same. And they would have been completely understandable for both of you. You were literally a stand-in mother for Peyton. There are so many layers to that. And a lot of confusing emotions on all sides. You were probably a threat to Karen back then, and this is bringing up all those old feelings. Likely not just for her, but also for Gavin.”
“You sound like a therapist,” I tell her.
She shrugs. “Declan’s had a lot of therapy. And we’ve had a lot of couples’ counseling.”
“I didn’t realize that. You two seem so solid.” Avery and Declan’s love is the kind that I want for myself. They’re best friends and lovers. They always have each other’s back—at least that’s how it looks from the outside.
Avery raises a hand. “Calm your tits, sis. Everything is fine with me and Deck. And I want to keep it that way. He’s got a lot of baggage when it comes to trust and family issues. He’s super nervous about becoming a father, so we’ve been seeing his therapist together. And honestly, I’ve got baggage too. Between trust issues because of my relationship with Sam, and us losing our parents, Deck and I could use someone to bounce things off of. It helps us keep the lines of communication open.”
“Well, that’s…”
“Smart?” Avery offers. “Declan is my best friend and my partner for life. I don’t want anything to mess that up. Anyway, back to you and Gavin and his monster-in-law, something I can totally relate to, by the way. Give him some time to sort through things. Especially if they’re in town. He might need some space to work through this on his own.”
“How do you keep your mouth shut with Declan’s mom? She’s so much drama.”
“She’s what tabloid gossip columns were made for. And I’ve learned that getting angry about the way his mother manages things isn’t helpful for either of us. Her behavior is a result of her own issues, and I can’t control those, or own her crap. I’ve made it very clear that if she wants to have a relationship with her grandchild, she’s going to have to learn how to keep Declan and me out of her family drama.” She pats her belly. “This kid isn’t going to be used as a pawn in any of their ridiculous games.”