“Aren’t you being just a little overly dramatic?”
“No, I’m being realistic. They all hate me.”
Gavin rolled his eyes and got out of the car. They’d been sitting in the driveway for fifteen minutes. He was hungry. He came around to Elizabeth’s side and opened the door. “Get out now. If you don’t, I’ll throw you over my shoulder and carry you inside.”
She leveled him with a mutinous glare. “You wouldn’t.”
“Are you challenging me? Because you know I will.”
“Damn you, Gavin Riley.” She got out of the car and stood there. “I can’t believe I agreed to this.”
He took her hand and dragged her stiff body to the front door. “At least try to smile and pretend to be pleasant.”
The front door opened, and his mother greeted them. “I thought you two would never get here.” She folded Elizabeth in her arms. “Lizzie. It’s been way too long.”
Elizabeth’s stiff stance melted when Gavin’s mother hugged her. She put her arms around Gavin’s mother like a life preserver on a sinking ship. “I’ve missed you, Kathleen.”
Gavin never got over how cute the two redheads looked whenever they embraced. They could be mother and daughter, which is probably why his mom had always gravitated toward Liz. Of course Liz was so sweet whenever she was around his mother, something Gavin never could fathom. Her entire personality changed when she was with his family. She loved his father equally as well.
Of course now that he knew her history, he realized maybe she just liked having a warm family to come home to since she’d lacked one of her own.
His mother held on to Elizabeth’s hand as they walked toward the house. “Shame on you for staying away so long. We missed you at the holidays.”
“I didn’t think I’d be welcome. I screwed up so badly with Mick.”
“Bah. You made a mistake. Who among us hasn’t? You made up for it. All is forgiven.”
“I’m so sorry, Kathleen. My career gets the best of me sometimes . . .”
Gavin didn’t hear what else Elizabeth said because when they walked into the house the noise level in there was deafening. People were spread out everywhere. And his mother had run off somewhere with Liz, so Gavin went to find Mick or his dad.
They were both in the kitchen, his father with a beer in his hand and Mick with a bottled water. Nathan was there, too, and they were laughing and talking sports, of course.
“Happy birthday, old man,” Gavin said to Mick.
Mick greeted him with a guarded smile. “Hey, thanks.”
They shook hands. Gavin was still irritated after their last meeting.
Their father noticed the lack of familial hugging.
“Hey, Nathan, great to see you again.”
“Hi, Gavin.” Nathan offered up a wide grin.
He seemed to have grown a foot since Gavin had seen him last, and had filled out some muscle, too.
“You look great. Doing some workouts?”
“Yeah. Football keeps me busy. And working with Dad . . . Mick . . . Dad has really helped a lot.”
Gavin shifted his gaze to Mick, whose eyes filled with pride when Nathan called him Dad.
Son of a bitch. His big brother was a father to a teenager now. Things sure had changed a lot. “I’m sure it has. I’ll bet you’re happy your mom and Mick are getting married.”
“I am. I couldn’t ask for a better father. He’s what I always wanted in a dad.”
“And you’re the son I always dreamed about having.”
Gavin’s dad cleared his throat, looking a little teary-eyed, too. “Okay, fellas, before we all break down and start sobbing and end up in a group hug, let’s get back to talking about baseball.”
“I’ll leave you all to talk about me while I’m not here,” Gavin said. “I need to go find Elizabeth. Mom ran off with her.”
“So you actually brought her here.”
Gavin stopped. “Yeah, I did.”
“I can’t believe you, man. You’re still seeing her?”
Gavin’s gaze skirted to Nathan, who cast a frown in their direction. “Let’s not do this now.”
“Why? This affects Nathan, too.”
“Mick. You need to be polite to your brother,” their father said.
“Oh, I need to be courteous to Gavin. What about how he treats me? Where’s the respect?”
Right. Because it had always been about Mick. What was best for Mick. Be careful what you say to Mick. Don’t upset Mick. Mick has a problem, so we need to be extra nice to Mick. Look up to Mick. Be like Mick. Stand in Mick’s shadow.
Shit.
His whole life had been about Mick.
But not anymore.
He turned and walked out of the kitchen.
“Hey, we’re not done.”
“Michael!”
Gavin’s father must have gotten Mick’s attention, because Mick didn’t follow his brother down the hall.