Page 35 of Say Yes

Jeez, there were a lot of them.

A dozen sets of eyes were trained on her. She lifted her chin and said a very proper, “Excuse me,” then strolled down the hall to disappear into her bedroom. A minute later, Gavin joined her.

She stood with her back facing the door, staring out a window, but she knew it was him. He didn’t say anything, and finally she turned to look at him. He leaned against the closed door, his arms crossed over his chest, a pair of her panties dangling from his right hand.

Without a word, Gavin held them out to her.

Sara closed her eyes. “Why am I always being humiliated around you?”

He didn’t answer. Sara supposed that was because there wasn’t an answer. When she opened her eyes, Gavin was still watching her, and still holding the panties out. She walked toward him, but when she would have taken them from his hand, he caught her wrist instead and pulled her close.

“I’m sorry.”

Struggling against him for a mere instant, then giving up, Sara said, “There’s no reason to apologize. It wasn’t your fault.”

“I started things this morning, when I knew my family was coming. And I’m the one who invited them here in the first place.”

“No, I started things.” Then she peered up at him, giving him a weak smile. “And we both forgot they were coming.”

“True enough.” He tugged her closer and bent to kiss her neck. “You make me forget everything.”

“I can’t face them, Gavin.”

“Of course you can.” He framed her head with his palms and forced her to meet his gaze. “My family loves me, and that means they’ll love you, too. No matter what. You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Pressing her forehead to his chest, she groaned. She didn’t understand him, or his reasoning. Surely his family wouldn’t care about her just by association. “What did they think when you got my underwear?”

“I explained. It was no big deal.”

“But they’re all still laughing, right?”

“Naw. If I know my sisters, they’re probably figuring some way to blame me entirely, while working up a good dose of sympathy for you.”

“Why would they blame you?”

“Because I’m the baby brother, remember? They’ve always blamed me for everything.”

Sara knew he was only distracting her, but she appreciated his efforts. “Even when you were innocent, I suppose.”

“Of course. I got blamed the time Pam’s bra ended up in the pool when she had her first boy-girl party. And Gina blamed me for scaring her boyfriend away one Halloween night.” He said in an aside, “The guy was a real wimp.”

“And what about your other sister?”

“Carol and I are closest in age. She just blames me for stealing all her girlfriends away.”

“And did you?”

He shrugged. “I let them steal me away a couple of times.” Then he chuckled. “But I never let any of them keep me for long.”

“Maybe that’s what Carol objected to.”

“Yeah. They wouldn’t come around her again after that.”

“They were embarrassed. I can understand how they felt.”

Gavin kissed her ear this time. “I’m letting you keep me, remember?” Then he added in a rush, “Besides, you’re made of sterner stuff than they were. You’re an iron woman. Shoot, I still remember the way you swung that rake…”

“Stop it, Gavin.” But she was grinning. “All right. I suppose I can face them. But it won’t be easy.”

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