Page 133 of Body Check

“They caught it early-ish,” he said. “So that’s good.”

“What isit? Did you have a heart attack or what?”

“Oh. Sorry.” Gavin went on to explain what he’d been dealing with and Thad let out a relieved sigh.

“Fuck, I thought it was worse than that,” Thad said. He pressed a hand to his chest, right over his heart. Like he could feel it there too.

“Well, I’m trying to keep it from being worse,” Gavin snapped before he could stop himself. “And with our family history …”

“Yeah. True.”

“So, what happened with dad last year?” Gavin asked, forcing himself to take a deep breath before he made things even more heated.

Thad looked startled. “Oh, right. I forgot you didn’t know about that, did you?”

“All I know is what you told me at the arena,” Gavin said tightly.

Thad rubbed the back of his neck. “Um, so Dad had triple bypass surgery.”

“And no one fucking called me.” Gavin looked up at the ceiling.Fuck!That hurt.

“I’m sorry. I would have. But Mom didn’t want?—”

“Yeah, they’ve both made it abundantly clear they want nothing to do with me anymore,” Gavin said bitterly.

Thad winced. “I should’ve told them the truth.”

Gavin stared at him. “Wait. Theystilldon’t know it was your idea to take the fall for me?”

“No.” Thad looked down at his hands.

“Jesus fuck, Thad!”

“I—I’m fucking sorry. It was hard enough to fix shit after I got out of prison. I didn’t want to stir up even more crap!”

“Oh, but the fact they don’t even want to speak to me is … something I’m supposed to live with?” Gavin asked bitterly. “You got what you wanted and fuck what it did to me.”

“Oh, that’s fucking rich coming from you,” Thad snarled. “Which of us lives in a fucking penthouse condo in downtown Boston and which of us has the arrest record that shows up on every goddamn housing application that gets put in?”

Gavin flinched, deflating. “I hadn’t thought about that.”

“Of course you didn’t.” There was bitterness in Thad’s voice now too. “You never were very good at seeing the consequences of your actions.”

Dakota cleared his throat. “Guys, maybe you could both stand to take a deep breath and remember why you’re here.”

Thad shot him an annoyed glance but when Dakota continued to look at him steadily, his shoulders slumped and he nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry.”

“Hey,” Dakota said softly. “I’m not the one who needs an apology here. And my comment was forbothof you.”

He shot a pointed look at Gavin, and he nodded because Dakota was right. “Thank you,” he mouthed.

Dakota nodded, so Gavin turned to look at his brother. “I’m sorry if I let my temper get the better of me. It hurts that Mom and Dad want nothing to do with me. But Dakota is right. I know I can’t undo the past, but I invited you here because I’d like to at least work on building a new relationship going forward.”

Thad let out the breath he’d been holding and nodded. “I’d like that too.”

“So, I’m sorry my shitty decisions led to so many terrible things for you,” Gavin said. “Honestly. I—I fucked up. I have a lot of regrets for ever getting involved with Dillon and letting myself get swept up with a crowd like that.”

Thad rubbed his head. “Look, I appreciate that, but?—”

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