My heart bursts with happiness as I lean forward and brush my lips against his. Holding his gaze, I say, “Love is a scary thing, isn’t it? The last thing I expected to find in Everton when I first visited was you. Although, Harris will tell you how much he’d tease me about finding a real and healthy relationship someday soon. I wanted that. I wanted the love I wrote in songs to be mine,” I confess. “But I didn’t want it simply because I was looking for a relationship. I wanted the real kind, like this.” I place my hand over his heart and feel it’s pounding force beneath my palm.
“I didn’t expect to meet someone who was already a father, but then I saw you walking toward us on Labor Day, and I couldn’t unsee it. I know you’ve been hurt. You’ve lived through marriage, fatherhood, loss, all things I haven’t lived through yet. But, damn it, I love you, and I don’t care that I wasn’t first so long as I have you now.”
A slow smile creeps on his face, and he whips my body so that I’m lying on top of his. I’m aware of his cock so close to my core and the friction it would cause if I rub my body against his.
Gavin holds my face firmly. “My whole young adult life, I never envisioned my life without Hadley, and then I had to live that reality whether I could have imagined it or not. I swore I’d never put myself in a position to feel that kinda pain again, much less allow Penny to feel that kinda loss because it was no longer just me. I had her feelings to consider.
“Yes, I fought against getting to know you. You had this charm that reminded me of who I was before. You reminded me of the fun in life, what it felt like to have goals and want more out of living.”
“And that scared you,” I comment, bringing my hands to frame his face, both of us holding the other.
Gavin nods. “How could it not?”
“I understand.”
“That’s exactly the point, you do understand. Without needing to, you were aware of my feelings. Without even knowing me, you got me,” he shrugs. “You didn’t turn your nose up at Penny when she’d call you Famous Singer or talk to you. You embraced her, and for me, that means more than you’ll ever know. She’s never known what it’s like to have a mom, and I know you aren’t hers, but you gave her a piece of that unconditional love.”
“She’s lovable, and so are you.” I stare into his eyes and make sure that my words seep into his soul. I never want him to feel as if he isn’t capable of being loved because of his past experience.
A deep growl vibrates in the back of his throat, and his hands move down the sides of my body, causing my skin to prickle. When his hands grip my ass, I moan into him, my nipples brushing against his chest.
“Gavin…” I whisper on the end of my moan.
“I love you,” he tells me without any further explanations or comments—just the simplicity of his honest words coating my body and tattooing themselves on my heart.
“I could get used to this.” My lips burn a kiss onto the base of his throat.
“Me too,” his voice is gruff, full of desire.
Then, reality snaps me back, and I frown.
“What’s wrong?” Gavin’s eyebrows furrow, and his eyes cloud with worry.
“I leave on tour next month. I’ll be gone most of the summer.” My heart drops to the dark pit of my stomach.
“I know,” Gavin nods, bringing his hands back up my body and tangling in my hair. “It’s part of who you are, and I can’t imagine you doing anything but sharing your love of music with the world.” He kisses my forehead. “We’ll make it work.”
I nod against him. “I’ll miss you,” I murmur against his skin, and he trembles.
“I’ll miss you, too, but we’ll have phone calls and text messages. Hell, we can even video chat.”
My eyebrows rise. “You’d video chat with me?” A smile turns my lips up.
“Of course. Let’s be honest, Penny might try to monopolize the phone call, but we’ll get our alone time when she goes to bed.” My body tingles at the thought of that, although I know we won’t be able to get too intimate in a crowded bus. However, hearing him make plans and be confident in them brings a different sense of peace. His confidence fills me, and suddenly, our relationship looks strong enough to withstand hundreds of miles, screaming fans, and curious media.
“Would you be okay if I talk about you on Instagram? I figured if I give the fans updates on my personal life, connect with them in that way, it will deter so much gossip from all these websites. If I’m the one in control of giving it to them, we can have more privacy.”
“Yes,” he breathes out.
“And you know,” I trail a finger down the smattering of chest hair. “We’ll be back for a day or two in between shows, so it won’t be two full months without me,” I wink.
“I’ll make sure Abbie keeps Penny that night,” he groans, thrusting his growing erection against me. I toss my head back on a moan.
“But wait…” I catch my breath and look at him. I can’t think straight if he’s teasing me. “I’ll want to see Penny, too.”
“The next morning for breakfast,” Gavin says against my jaw, where he’s scraping his teeth against my skin.
“Cupcakes, Gavin,” I grit out. “We were going to eat cupcakes.” My body tenses over his as his lips leave searing trails down my neck and along my shoulder.
“First,” he brings his head back to look at my eyes, “I need to see your cowgirl skills for myself.” He winks as a conspiratorial smile
