“Son of a bitch,” Ben curses, kicking the desk he’s standing beside—his hurt suddenly turning to anger. I jump back, not expecting that from him. I know he thinks that I cheated on him with Gavin, he didn’t give me time to correct him.
“I don’t mean like that—”
“Take the fucking cuffs off, Davis. You’re in charge, I need a damn break,” Ben growls, not bothering to talk to me or listen to me. He stomps out without another word.
I watch him go, not sure of what to do next, just knowing that the entire situation went from bad to worse, and I’m stuck in the middle of it.
Gavin
After Kingston leaves and I’m uncuffed, the others mill about avoiding eye contact. I rub my wrists and walk toward Luna. She takes one look at me and then walks out. I don’t know if I should, but I follow after her. If I’m honest, I don’t have a choice. Hell, it seems my life revolves around Luna—even when I thought she was in the past.
“Wait up.”
She’s already heading down the sidewalk as I make it outside. I have to semi-jog to catch up with her.
“I need to get back to work,” she mumbles, not slowing down and not looking at me.
“Luna, we need to talk,” I call out, finally catching up to her. I reach out and wrap my hand around her upper arm, forcing her to finally look at me.
“No, Gavin, we don’t. Not right now. I need to sort through too much.”
“We can’t ignore this,” I argue. “This stuff between us, it’s not going to go away.”
“Stuff? You mean the anger, the hurt, the proverbial water that is not only under the bridge, it flooded and took the damn bridge out? That stuff?”
“Do you honestly think all of that wouldn’t be between us if there weren’t feelings between us, Luna? We can’t just ignore it. I don’t want to. It’s been thirteen years and you’re still the only woman I’ve ever wanted. Surely that has to count for something.”
“I hate you. How is that for feelings, Gavin? I fucking hate you for almost destroying me thirteen years ago and then, once I finally got my life sorted and was on a good path, showing back up just to fuck with me all over again!”
“Luna—”
“And you just made me say fuck in the middle of the street, where people who vote for me can hear. Shit! I just did it again.” I stomp.
“I think they know you’re an adult. Pretty sure most of them say fuck often, Moonbeam,” I respond, fighting a smile.
“I don’t care if they say fuck. I’m supposed to be professional, and I’m not supposed to say fuck at the drop of a hat. The fact that I’ve said fuck all morning and I’m standing here shouting it to you, because you’re an asshole, is just proof that you’re no good for me. The last thing I need is for you to be in my life,” she growls, barely taking a breath.
“Feel better?” I ask her, knowing I shouldn’t be amused, but for some reason feeling better than I have in a long time—probably because I know for a fact that Luna didn’t fall into Kingston’s arms once I left the other day. I don’t know what happened, but Kingston wouldn’t be so worked up if it was that.
“Not really,” she sighs. “I need you to leave, Gavin. You’re making everything just too complicated.”
“That’s not going to happen, Luna. I’m not leaving. I should have never left before. I’ve regretted it every day. I’m not leaving now.”
“Our time has passed, Gavin,” she says, sounding more than a little hopeless.
“I don’t think it has, but if you feel that way, then I’ll accept it. I’m still not leaving. I want to get to know Joshua. I want to be a part of his life. I don’t want to be on the West Coast when my son might need me here—when you might need me here.”
“This is not all about you, Gavin. It’s not even about me and you. Other people matter, the choices I make affect more than just you.”
“I understand that, Luna, I do. I just happen to think that all those other people can’t be happy if you’re miserable.”
“You think you can make me happy, Gavin? Because, right now? Right now, I think you’re making me completely miserable,” she whispers and almost against my will, I reach out and slowly drag the pad of my thumb down her cheek.
“I’m sorry about that, Moonbeam, sorrier than you will ever know. I’m just asking for a chance. If you give me a chance, I’ll prove to you that taking another chance on me is not a mistake.”
“I can’t give you an answer on that right now, Gavin.”
“Luna—”
“I’m not sure when I can or that when I do have an answer that it will even be what you want to hear. You’re part of my past, a past that I put behind me years ago. I’m a different person than I was back then.”