Besides, her parents needed time to themselves. For the last six months, they’d focused solely on her health. It was wearing on them; though, they fought to hide it from her. She hadn’t realized just how hard it all was for them until she overheard her mother crying a couple weeks earlier. So, when her dad mentioned the client dinner, Lila insisted they take the rest of the night to themselves.
She climbed the stairs to her bedroom and immediately went to her bathroom. She smelled like goat and had dried mud all over her legs. Yanking her hair tie out, she quickly stripped and showered. The warm water always soothed her head, and she took her time rubbing her temples while shampooing her hair.
As soon as she was done, she dressed and ran back to the house next door. She didn’t want to be alone with her thoughts. The words from Paula’s son floated through her head, clogging her throat. She didn’t know if she’d remember the farm, but she had a plan forming as she burst into the Millers’ home. She moved up the stairs, not hesitating when she reached Gavin’s door.
Except, she probably should have.
She ran straight into Gavin, who caught her around the waist but failed to keep them upright. They tumbled to the floor.
Her laughter abruptly cut off as she took in his appearance. He’d apparently had the same idea to shower but hadn’t dressed yet. Only a towel was wrapped low around his hips. She gulped, feeling the heat creep up her cheeks as she realized how close they lay.
“Gavin,” she whispered, barely able to get the words out. “I know you’re scared but—”
His lips cut her off, and she was grateful. She hadn’t known exactly how that sentence was going to end, but that was the result she’d hoped for. Her hands trailed up his chest, and he pulled her on top of him with both hands gripping her hips.
She sat up, breaking the kiss, still straddling his waist. Breathing heavy, she looked down and nearly laughed. How had they gone from constantly fighting a week earlier to making out on his floor?
He raised a hand to her cheek. When she didn’t lower back down to him, he sat up to meet her. The kiss was slower, deeper, but cut off too soon.
“We should stop,” he whispered. As she nodded and made to get off of him, he grabbed her. “Not because I don’t want to.”
Lila let out a quiet chuckle. She could tell how much he wanted it. He didn’t need to say it. Leaning forward, she kissed his cheek. “I know.”
“I just…”
He didn’t need to explain that either. She knew he worried about the surgery. Taking things further would only complicate it and hurt him more if she forgot. With a smile, she pulled away and got to her feet before reaching down to help him up. He held the towel in place with one hand as he accepted.
It took all her willpower to look away from his muscled torso. “I’ll wait downstairs while you get dressed.”
She didn’t wait for a response. As she headed down the hall to the stairs, she heard him groan and curse before hitting something. She wanted to laugh at his response—she never thought about having that kind of effect on anyone, and it surprised her—but her smile quickly faded as she moved downstairs. She wasn’t sure if the frustration in that groan was about simply having to stop or if it was because of the reason to stop. And that made her heart ache.
When Gavin joined her in the living room, he was fully dressed, and the smile was back in place. He sat beside her on the couch and quickly pulled her in close. She happily leaned into him while he turned the TV on. They argued back and forth on what to watch before picking a show to binge, and before long, she was drifting to sleep in his arms as he laughed at the old reruns.
“Gavin Thomas Miller!”
His eyes snapped open at the sound of his mother’s voice. He looked from her to the sleeping girl in his arms. Lila had napped on and off as they’d watched Parks and Recreation all afternoon, only stopping to make dinner. At some point, they’d shifted to lie down, and both fell asleep. The TV in the background asked if they were still watching, and Gavin could see the dark night sky out the window.
“What time is it?” he asked, rubbing his eyes. His other arm was trapped beneath Lila, who still hadn’t stirred.
“After eleven.” His mom crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one hip.
He placed a hand on Lila’s shoulder and shook gently. “Lila, wake up.”
She mumbled something about five more minutes while rolling over to bury her face against his chest. He couldn’t help but laugh, and he brushed his fingers through her hair.
“Her parents were worried sick when they showed up to an empty house. They came over, but no one answered the door, and with the car in the garage and lights turned off, they assumed no one was here.”
That woke Lila up. She turned and nearly fell off the narrow couch. Gavin quickly wrapped an arm around her waist as she said, “What?”
“I told them you were probably at Dylan’s,” his mom said. Gavin and Lila sat up while she continued, “Then he showed up at the Scoop, and you wouldn’t answer your phones. So, I had Kaley close up while he brought me home to look for any signs of you.”
“I’m sorry,” Lila whispered.
Gavin put an arm around her shoulders and kissed the side of her head. “It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not,” his mother nearly shouted. He hadn’t seen her
