“You were staying at Gavin’s place during all this, but then I meet him today and he looked like he could murder anyone who looked at him sideways. Then I find you returning home even though there haven’t been any suspects found, looking so exhausted that I know something’s up.” Grace paused. “Of course, you don’t have to tell me anything, but I’m worried about you. About the both of you.”
Those tears that Kat had held back threatened again. She took a deep breath. “If there was anything between us, it’s over now.”
“Oh, Kat.” Grace rubbed her arm.
“The thing is, I knew he wasn’t ready. But I pushed him anyway, and now I’m here, about to cry again over the stupid man.” Kat sniffled, wiping at her eyes underneath her glasses. “I have half a mind to run him over with a tractor.”
“I’m sure he deserves it.” Grace made soothing noises, rather like a mother hen, and Kat let herself be taken care of for once. In a halting voice, Grace then asked, “Did he tell you anything about him and Teagan?”
Kat nodded. “I had no idea that she tried to commit suicide. I knew she wasn’t well, but to go that far…”
“He took it really hard, and so did Emma. I know he blames himself for everything Teagan went through, but especially for her overdosing.”
“How can he blame himself? He did all he could.”
Grace shrugged, her face sad. “We know that, but he’s always been the one who feels like he has to save people. Sometimes I wonder if he didn’t fall in love with Teagan because he sensed she needed saving. She wasn’t always sick, but there were signs, even when they were younger.” She sighed. “I was too young to really notice, plus Adam’s wife Carolyn was in the accident, and it all kind of merged together. Now that I think about it, though, it makes a twisted kind of sense.”
All the food Kat had just eaten now sat like a rock in her stomach. She could’ve laughed at everything Grace was saying: how was it that two people who were so similar like she and Gavin would’ve found each other? Taking on the world’s burdens while forgetting about taking care of themselves. It was a selfish kind of selflessness, Kat reflected, her head starting to pound.
“Do you love him?”
Kat stared at Grace. The young woman just waited, her gaze neither judging nor pitying. When Kat couldn’t find the words to respond, she knew the answer immediately: she loved him. She did. She didn’t know when it had happened, but despite everything, she’d fallen in love with Gavin.
Grace smiled sadly, as if she could sense Kat’s inner thoughts. “I hope you fight for him, Kat,” she said quietly. “He’s been so lonely, and I’ve never seen him as happy as he has been lately. I know that’s because of you. And I bet you everything he loves you, too.”
Kat gulped back a sob, but she couldn’t stop the tears. Not this time. Unlike the tears she’d shed at Gavin’s, these tears were silent. She sat and let the tears flow down her cheeks, dripping from her chin, and she didn’t try to stop them. Grace sat with her and let her cry, handing her a tissue here and there, murmuring words that Kat didn’t register but appreciated nonetheless.
I love him, she kept repeating to herself, and her heart cracked for the thousandth time. I love him, and he’s too stubborn to let me.
“For what it’s worth,” Grace said, “he’s an idiot. A giant, blithering idiot. He and Adam could form a club for stupid brothers. I’m tempted to call Joy just to have her tell you all the stupid things Adam did before he figured things out.”
Kat sniffled, laughing a little. “It must be genetic.”
“My dad is just as stubborn. He could give both Adam and Gavin a run for their money.” Grace rolled her eyes.
“I don’t know what to do.” Kat hated to admit that, but it was true. The stubborn part of her wanted to get Gavin to see sense, while the scared part of her wanted to hide underground until things returned to normal.
“Yes, you do. Or, you will. If there’s anyone who can figure this out, it’s you.” Grace smiled. “You’re way too smart not to find a way to get Gavin to take his head out of his ass.”
The evening wound down after that, and Kat knew she needed to go home and be by herself for a while. Although Grace said she could stay with them, Kat was tired of not sleeping in her own bed.
“I’ll be fine,” she reassured them. “The police are watching the house.”
Grace made a face, but she didn’t argue. Jaime pressed a kiss to her temple before murmuring something in her ear.
When Kat arrived back at the house, she could almost imagine nothing had happened in the last few weeks. She couldn’t see the boarded-up window in the darkness, and although she knew one of the police officers was nearby, she liked to imagine it was just any other car parked instead.
Right before she got into bed, her phone sounded with a text. Everything okay? the message read, and her heart clenched when she saw that it was from Gavin.
She was half-tempted not to respond, but then he’d just worry himself to death. She sent off a quick reply—Everything’s fine—before turning off her lamp and trying to go to sleep.
But a few minutes later, Gavin sent her one last message: I’m sorry, Kat.
She didn’t respond. She turned her phone on silent and closed her eyes, but all she could see was Gavin’s face and his voice saying those very words, and it was all she could think about for some hours to come.
Chapter Fourteen
Gavin had been in a bad mood for days. The worst part of it was that he was well aware
