The Day He Came Back

When he leaned in and kissed Julia’s forehead, there was the explosion.

“You’re so good with her, Gav,” Marni said. “She normally cries when a stranger holds her.”

As if on cue, Julia started to cry.

“Well, I guess my time is up,” Gavin joked as he handed her back.

Marni took the baby around to greet the other guests, once again leaving me alone with Gavin.

“Do you feel ready to head back to London?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Yes and no. I definitely feel like I’m leaving a part of myself here. I don’t like the idea of being so far from my father. My brother’s a mess, too. I feel like I need two of me—one to run my company and another to be here for my family.”

“I get it. A part of you must be eager to get back to your routine, though?”

“Work is so busy. I hardly have a chance to breathe. In that sense, this has been a nice break.”

“I know you always loved London. It was no surprise to hear you’d settled there.”

“I live in a warehouse flat right on the Thames. It’s beautiful. You’d love it.”

That burned a little. “I bet I would.” I took a breath. “Does Paige live with you?”

“She hasn’t officially moved in, but she stays there most nights. I work long days, but try to at least take Sundays off. There’s never a lack of things to do where we live—things to see, museums…beautiful architecture.”

“You used to say you loved how opposite it was from Palm Beach.”

“Yeah. That’s still true. But you know, now that I’ve been away from Florida for so long, I do miss it here. I appreciate the beauty more now.” He took a sip of his beer. “Do you see yourself staying here forever? I mean, aside from your job with Dad?”

“I think even without the job situation, I’d probably still be here. I feel closest to my mother here. And then there’s Marni. She’s family, you know?”

“Oh, I do. I’m glad you guys have stayed close friends. It’s important to have someone who has your back no matter what. She’s always been that person for you.”

“Yeah. I agree.” I looked over at her and smiled. “I hope your brother and you can repair your relationship. He’s not all bad. He just needs help.”

“He needs to want to help himself, too.”

“I know.”

“I wish he hadn’t opted to move so far away, although it was partly intentional.”

“California seems to suit his lifestyle.”

“Yeah. It’s conducive to being a beach bum.” He rolled his eyes and grinned. “He speaks very highly of you, by the way. You made quite the impression on him during your date.”

“It wasn’t a date.”

“I know. I’m kidding. After all, it would be a little much to have my father and brother in love with you.” He winked.

Feeling my cheeks heat, I looked down at my phone. “Do you need to get back?”

“No. Not unless you want to go home.”

Marni came up behind us and said, “You’d better not be leaving. We’re just about to light a fire. “Can you help me, Gavin?”

“Of course.”

He helped Marni carry wood over to a fire pit.

Once it was ready, everyone gathered around the small, controlled blaze.

Gavin sat across from me. From time to time, I’d catch him looking at me through the flames.

That lit a fire inside of me.CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR* * *GAVINI looked up at the night sky, though I knew she’d caught me staring at her. It had been an emotionally draining day. Sneaking glances at her through the fire was all I really wanted to do now. Raven was as easy on the eyes as they came. It was everything else that was a struggle: reading her, figuring out what she was really thinking.

Something was missing—and not just related to what happened with us. I got the sense there was something else about her life she’d neglected to tell me. I’d had that inkling since our dinner on my first night here. She seemed more guarded and carried herself differently. I’d been trying to figure it out to no avail.

She’d asked me tonight if I was ready to go back to London. While a part of me wanted to escape back to my life as usual, that feeling of urgency, of unfinished business, remained.

It was getting late, and the weather had cooled significantly. I walked out to my rental car and grabbed a hoodie from the trunk.

When I returned, I handed it to her. “Here. You look cold.”

“Thanks,” she said as she put it on and zipped it up.

Soon after that, Marni’s guests started to leave.

“We should probably get going, too,” Raven said after a bit. “We’re the last ones here.”

I didn’t want to go. Well, I didn’t want to leave her. I knew tonight was likely it. And I still didn’t have the closure I needed.