Page 29 of This Memory
“Cherry pie and milk?”
“Yeah, I’ve got a weird craving for cherry pie.”
“Have the cravings kicked in already?”
She laughed nervously. “I don’t think so. I was just in the mood for cherry pie.”
“And milk.”
Her gaze lifted and met mine. “And milk.”
When she smiled, I felt that familiar gut punch and had to look away.
“Um, Gavin, I wanted to apologize for what I said to you about the amount of women you…you, um…”
I looked back at her and finished, “Have fucked?”
She flinched, and I knew it was a dick thing to do.
“For lack of better words.”
I shrugged. “That’s all it ever is. You can’t say you’ve made love to someone if you don’t love them.”
Her head tilted slightly to one side. “You’ve never been in love?”
“No.”
I answered her question way too fast.
“Never?” she asked again, this time in a quiet voice I could barely hear.
Drawing in a breath, I slowly let it out. “Once, but I was young and stupid.”
“Oh.”
“What about you?”
“Me?” she asked.
Nodding, I replied, “Yeah, have you ever been in love?”
Her eyes bounced all over my face before she finally looked away…then her eyes rounded. “Oh no. My aunt Judith is heading our way.” Aunt Judith was Brystol’s mother’s sister and married to Liam’s father, Mitchel Turner.
I groaned and closed my eyes. “Please God, no, no, no.” Brystol kicked me under the table, and my eyes flew open. “Ow! What the fuck was that for?”
Plastering on a fake-ass smile, Brystol said, “Aunt Judith, how’re you doing?”
Judith stopped at the table and looked between us. “Brystol, Gavin. I didn’t realize you two were dating.”
“We’re not,” Brystol and I said in unison.
Judith’s perfectly arched brow rose. “If you say so. Brystol, I understand that Aurora is planning a meal train for Hope and my son, Liam.”
“Yes, I believe she is, after talking to her brother about Hope’s decline.”
My head snapped over to look at Brystol. I wasn’t aware that Hope had declined. I made a mental note to stop by Liam and Hope’s place to check on them.
Judith cleared her throat. “I know Nathan and Liam are close friends, and I’m not sure what Nathan is passing along to his sister, but I’m very capable of handling things.”
