Page 47 of Agony of Our Regret

But he didn’t say he was going back to Idaho either.

More emotional warfare.

“Ave?” Gavin came to stand in front of me now. “You okay?”

I looked past him to Vince, who frowned as he watched me.

This was his olive branch. Did I accept or snap it in half?

Shit.

I drew in a slow breath. I was freaking out, but this was Vince. He wasn’t a stranger, even if it felt like it at times. He’d been mine. I loved him.

Still did, if I was completely honest. It wasn’t possible to stop the feelings I had for all five of my guys. I’d love them until my dying day and beyond.

I put a hand over where our baby grew. Nothing about them coming back had been according to plan, but they were here now. Even though it took an outside force to get them here, they were trying now that they were.

Should I keep punishing them just because it wasn’t the way I wanted things to happen?

Proceed with caution. That was the safest option. I didn’t need to kick him out, but I didn’t need to let him back in either.

“What did you bring?” I glanced over, not moving.

“Oh.” Vince paused, fumbling with the bags, then turned and started pulling things out. “My mom said most women feel better with crackers and either Sprite or Ginger Ale, but I figured you already knew that. She recommended ginger.” He waved a small container. “And she found these lollipops. Whatever’s in them helps with nausea, and you can keep a few on you.”

I walked over and read the back of the package. They were citrus-flavored but had ginger listed as an ingredient.He pulled out a box of squeezable pouches that reminded me of baby food.

“She said applesauce is easy to keep down, too, so I grabbed some. And the last thing was staying hydrated, so I got this.” He pulled out a purple water bottle with markings along the side. “It has times listed, so you know how much you should drink throughout the day.”

I had something similar but didn’t tell him. This was about him making an effort and finding solutions for me. He not only asked, but followed through and brought them over himself.

I put my hand on his forearm. “Thank you.”

A small smile tugged at his lips, a fraction of the wide, goofy one I adored. “I hope it helps. At least a little.”

I nodded. “I’m sure something will.”

I didn’t tell him I hated applesauce or that I tried ginger at the beginning. Luca and Gavin had done more research than I had, and bringing these over might make it seem like he didn’t think they had. That wasn’t his intent, but they might take it that way.

Gavin maintained his guarded expression on the other side of the kitchen. I smiled at him, hoping he’d go easy on Vince. It wasn’t like all was forgiven, but we had to start somewhere.

I still didn’t know how Vince felt about the guys, especially Gavin, but now wasn’t the time to ask. We needed to rebuild a foundation before I took a sledgehammer to it.

“How are you feeling right now?” Vince asked. “Do you need anything?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m usually okay around this time of day.”

“But last night,” he pointed out.

“The weekends are a little weird. The routine of the workweek makes it easier.” Maybe it was as simple as keeping my mind busy. He nodded.“That makes sense.”

It didn’t, but nothing about pregnancy seemed to.It could all change in a few days.

“Have you guys moved into the house?” Gavin asked. I appreciated that he didn’t call it mine or ours.

“Yeah, this morning before Sky and Noah came in.” He turned to me. “Thanks again for letting us stay there. I think it will be good for the three of us to reconnect and have some space away from our parents.”

“Of course.” I smiled and moved to the couch. They followed, Gavin sitting next to me and Vince taking the armchair.

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