Page 15 of The Awakening
Rob cleared his throat. “But what about the baby? Once your baby gets here and everyone is attached to the idea of you as a family, there will be no way anyone will let her go.”
I hung my head before I admitted the truth. “The baby isn’t mine.” I didn’t look at either brother, but I could imagine the shock on their faces.
“Gavin?” They said at the same time.
My old chair creaked as Tyler shifted his weight in it. “You’re really risking everything, aren’t you?”
Sitting up, I looked at Tyler, then Rob. “Look, I don’t know what the plan is. Does there have to be one? This is me. This is who I am. I’m the brother who doesn’t think about the consequences. Who doesn’t care what will happen at the end of the day? Did you expect anything less? Judging by your relentless questioning of the entire situation, you didn’t.Congratulations, you’ve sussed me out. Happy now?” I waited for a comeback, but none came.
Tyler stood and moved closer. “Sounds like you’ve thought of everything and nothing all at the same time.” He patted my shoulder. “We only want what’s best for you, and maybe you might not see it yet, but Ellie could be exactly who you need.” He left the room.
“This isn’t just some further crisis as a result of the past year, is it?” Rob asked, looking at the floor.
It was the question on everyone’s mind, I’m sure. Had losing everything I’d built caused me to cling to Ellie in some pathetic attempt to add value to my shattered life? “No Rob, it’s really not. I’m over what happened. Am I happy my business went down in flames because of my business partner? No, but it’s given me some time to reevaluate my goals and what I want to do from here.”
“Care to share?”
“Not right now, but soon. It might involve me coming back here. Hope that’s all right with everyone.”
“I don’t think anyone will mind.” Rob patted my leg and got up to leave. “You may want to rescue your bride. She’s been with the girls for a while.”
Smiling, I stood and followed him out. “I’m sure she’s had quite the education on this family.”
But there was more to it than that. Even though we’d only been separated for a short while, I missed my wife.
Chapter Nine
Ellie
Gavin stepped into the den and headed straight for me. “I hope you haven’t told my wife all the family dirt just yet.” He was followed by his brother, Rob.
They were both strong, handsome men, but Gavin’s beard had grown scruffy over the past couple of days, and he had hair—dark and shiny and just a little too long—that any woman would want to run her hands through. Would I ever get to experience that firsthand? Although I wanted to deny it, I secretly hoped so. He was nothing like Ray, thank God, and asking for anything more seemed out of the realm of possibility, but it couldn’t stop it from crossing my mind every now and again.
Gavin was tall and broad. He made me feel safe. Ray was shorter than me, and though the two men were probably around the same age, he wasn’t as well maintained as Gavin was. His balding head and beady eyes didn’t illicit any response in me. But the man I was looking up at now? That was a different story?
“Can I steal my bride away?” Gavin rested his hand on my shoulder and ran his thumb along my neck, eliciting a shiver from me.
It’s all a show, Ellie.
Ellie? He even had me calling myself by the nickname now.
Regardless, he was putting on a performance for his family and when we were alone, he would, no doubt, drop the act and go back to his regular self. Not that he was a bad guy at all, but we would fall back into our reality when we didn’t have an audience.
He’d married me to get me away from my family, except maybe that wasn’t the only reason. But why hadn’t he told me he needed to be married by forty? It seemed like an important detail to leave out. But if anything, it only confirmed that this was temporary. I’d told him my secrets, and he hadn’t let me in at all.
“We should get unpacked before supper, and I could use a quick shower.” I stood and set my plate on the table. “Thank you all for the wonderful welcome. I truly appreciated it.” Sliding my hand into Gavin’s, I let him lead me out of the room.
Thankfully, the stairs were just outside the den entrance, so we were able to escape any other prying eyes quickly.
Gavin closed the door behind us, and I flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling fan.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous in my life—no, that’s not true. The night my father showed up is right up there with this.” When he didn’t respond, I turned my head and found him staring out the window into the damp, gray day.
Something felt different between us in that moment. Even if I was his wife on paper only, he’d done so much for me in such a short amount of time. In return, I hoped I could keep him happy.
“Penny for your thoughts?” I murmured. He probably wouldn’t open up, but I had to try.
“I don’t even know what I’m thinking.” He turned from the window and looked at me, his brow furrowed, and his nose scrunched. “My father asked if you had any skeletons, so I told everyone about the baby.”
