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“So do I.” While Ha
Ha
“What if Nolan wakes up, and I scare the hell out of him?”
“He was awake just now, and I told him you’re staying.”
“Thanks again, Ha
“Any time. This is what big sisters are for.”
When she was settled on Ha
For a moment, she couldn’t figure out where she was. But then she remembered coming to Ha
She heard movement in Ha
“What’re you doing here?” Nolan asked.
“Came to see my boy for the holiday. Ain’t that allowed?”
“It’s the middle of the night. Have you been drinking again?”
“You ever get tired of being so high and mighty, boy?”
Feeling as if she were intruding in her brother-in-law’s business, Ella wanted to shrivel up and disappear.
“Are you awake?” Ha
“Yeah.”
“Sorry about the disturbance.”
“What’s going on?”
“Nolan’s father. He comes to visit every now and then.”
“In the middle of the night?”
“Always in the middle of the night.”
Listening to Ha
“Messes him up for days afterward.”
“Should I go? I could sneak out the back door. If you guys need some time alone . . .”
“No, it’s fine. We have to get up soon anyway.”
Nolan came back in a few minutes later, wearing only a pair of sweats that showed off his muscular shoulders, chest and abdomen. He went directly to Ha
“Just checking on you. Is he gone?”
“For now.”
“What did he want this time?”
“What does he always want?” Nolan asked with a weary sigh. “Sorry about that, Ella.”
“Please don’t apologize. I’m grateful for the loan of your sofa.”
“Our sofa is your sofa.” His arm around Ha
“Yes, dear,” Ha
“I’ll be here.”
They went into their room and closed the door, but Ella could hear them whispering. She wanted what Ha
She’d meant what she said earlier to Ha
Ha
CHAPTER 25
Grief can’t be shared. Everyone carries it
alone. His own burden in his own way.
—A
Gavin sat outside Ella’s house all night, but she never came home. He thought about driving around to her siblings’ homes to find her but decided that tracking her down when she didn’t want to be found would do nothing to help his case. And what case did he plan to make? He wasn’t sure exactly. All he knew was he had to try to explain himself to her and beg for yet another chance.
How many chances did one man deserve from a woman before she decided he wasn’t worth the bother? He had to be getting close to wearing out his welcome with Ella. Except he kept hearing her tell him she loved him. She’d loved him as recently as yesterday. Hopefully he hadn’t killed all that love with his ham-handed reaction to her gift.
Gavin was still sitting in his truck in Ella’s driveway when a stretch limo pulled up to the curb. Ella got out and then got right back into the car when she saw his truck.
He jumped out of the truck. “Ella, wait. We need to talk.”
Ha
“Not until I talk to her.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Hunter said, emerging from the limo with Will in tow.
“Come on, you guys. Are you being serious right now? This is me.” He’d been friends with Hunter and Will Abbott for most of his life. Were they really going to pull this shit on him now of all times?
“She doesn’t want to talk to you, Gavin, so it’s not going to happen,” Will said.
Gavin took a step toward the limo.
Will and Hunter took a step toward him.
“Don’t do this, Gav,” Hunter said softly. “If you want to talk to her in the next week, you know where to find her.”
“So that’s the plan? Blackmail me into doing something I don’t want to do?”
“There’s no plan,” Will said. “Or at least there isn’t anymore. You saw to that, didn’t you?”
“Please ask her to give me five minutes.”
“We don’t have five minutes.” Ha
The show of affection didn’t go u
Left alone in the cold early-morning darkness, Gavin knew a moment of pure, unadulterated panic. Ella had reached her limit. She had nothing left to say to him. It was a miracle it hadn’t happened before now. As he got back into his truck and threw it into reverse, he decided it didn’t matter if she had nothing left to say to him. He had stuff to say to her, and somehow he was going to find a way to make her listen.