Текст книги "Collide"

Автор книги: Gail McHugh

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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 23 страниц) [доступный отрывок для чтения: 9 страниц]

He shifted his body to face hers. “I’m very sorry about what you had to go through, losing her,” he finally stated softly.

Drawing her knees up under her chin, she looked to him. “Thank you.”

His voice was low and cautious as he gazed into her eyes. “If you don’t mind, I’d love to hear about the memories you have of her on the beach.”

A faint smile tugged at her lips. “Really?”

He nodded and smiled back. “I’d be honored.”

She took a minute to compose her thoughts. “Well, when I was a kid, she’d save all year long, so we could visit Santa Cruz, California. She’d rent a little condo right on the beach, and we’d literally spend the entire day outside. We’d fly kites for hours on end and ride our bikes on the boardwalk.” She paused and smiled. “She used to love making sand angels, like the ones you make in the snow when you lie on your back.” She let out a light laugh at the memory and wiped a tear from her eye.

“Emily, I…” Gavin whispered. She looked at him. “My intentions weren’t meant to upset you. Please…I apologize.”

“They’re…good tears, Gavin. I haven’t talked about her in a while. Really, you didn’t upset me.”

Her words left Gavin awestruck. He searched her eyes and found traces of happiness mixed with incalculable loss. It melted his heart. He longed to run his fingers through her hair and console her; he wanted to hold her in his arms and rid her of the pain. “They sound like wonderful memories,” he whispered.

“Yeah, they are,” she replied, staring straight ahead. “It was hard seeing her sick for so many months, but to tell you the truth, when she took her last breath, a wave of relief washed over me. She was finally at peace.” Wiping another tear away from her eye, Emily looked at him and then averted her gaze out to the ocean. “There was a point I’d actually hoped that I would wake up and find out she was gone and not in pain. It still makes me feel guilty that I’d felt that way, but I couldn’t bear watching her suffer anymore.”

With her last few words, Gavin’s emotions soared to a place he hadn’t dared to revisit in a while. Again, he found himself struggling for the right thing to say. His voice was but a whisper. “I know we may seem worlds apart to you, but we share something in common.” He hesitated, not knowing if he should bring it up. Emily looked at him confused. “My family almost lost my mother to breast cancer when I was twelve.”

Emily breathed out, not having a clue what to say. His statement shook her from her own self-pity.

Gavin then did something impetuous. He simply felt the need to touch her, so he leaned over and wiped the tears from her cheek. Emily didn’t move. “I remember what it felt like seeing her sick and in pain. The fear of not knowing what life would be like without her is something I’ll never forget, but I know one day I’ll have to face it. I also remember feeling exactly the way you said you had felt. I wanted it to end—for her to either just die so she could be at peace or get better. I wasn’t able to see her like that anymore. I used to actually crucify myself for feeling like that. Emily, just know that what you felt—what we felt—is very real and a very normal human reaction.”

Sniffling, she glanced up to him, noticing the sensual perfection of his face now touched with grief. Behind those blue eyes was the soul of a man that had gone through his own share of pain, and Emily couldn’t decipher what was worse—her losing her mother to cancer or him living in fear that his mother’s cancer could come back.

With concern in his eyes, Gavin leaned forward and studied her face. A weak smile crept over his lips. With his voice low, he said, “Now that I’ve managed to fuck up a pretty decent evening by making you cry, why don’t we play a game to lighten the mood?”

Emily let out a gut-belly laugh due to the wide range of emotions flying through her head. “You didn’t fuck up the evening.” She then rose to her feet, wiped the last few tears from her eyes, and stretched her arms over her head. “I needed that, believe me.”

He stood up with her and smiled. “Okay, good. So you’ll play a game with me then?”

She smirked, eyeing him suspiciously. “What type of game would Gavin Blake suggest we play? And no wisecracks either.”

“Mmm, that’s a tough request.”

He flashed an impish grin, and without saying another word, he slid the bottle-cap-filled terracotta pot to the middle of the balcony. He then playfully commanded her to sit Indian style on the floor ten feet away from it. With her expression showing her curiosity, she did as he instructed. He opened the doors to his bedroom and disappeared briefly. Emily sat for a few moments, wondering what he was doing. When he reappeared, he had a sweatshirt in his hand and a freezer bag holding additional bottle caps.

Walking over, he tossed the sweatshirt on top of her head and laughed, “You look cold; put that on.”

He sat Indian style on the floor next to her with their knees barely touching.

Smiling, she yanked the sweatshirt off her head and slipped it on. For a brief second, she tried to burn the smell of it into her memory. It reminded her of when they were in the elevator. She couldn’t quite pin what the smell was—a mixture of cologne, body wash, and aftershave came to mind.

“So what’s the name of this game we’re about to play?”

Gavin looked into her green eyes. Under the light of the moon, they looked angelic. “It’s kind of hard to pronounce,” he slowly replied, staring at her lips as he tried to shake the fascination he had of her from his body.

“Try me.”

He dropped his voice to a whisper and purposely hesitated between each word. “It’s…called…toss…the…bottle…cap…into…the…pot…right…there….” He pointed to the pot.

Trying to ignore how sexy his voice sounded when he whispered, Emily playfully nudged his arm. “Wow, you’re truly a wiseass, huh?”

“Yes, in every possible way,” he laughed and handed her a couple of caps. “You go first.”

Barely being able to see, Emily crinkled her nose as she tried to focus on the pot. She tossed the first one and missed by at least five feet. They both laughed. When it was Gavin’s turn, he closed his eyes and sank it right in.

“I’m just assuming here, so I apologize if I’m wrong, but I’m thinking you’ve played this game more than once,” she remarked.

“Why, I’ve only played it twice, of course,” he laughed.

Emily threw another and missed by only a foot this time. “Twice, my ass. There has to be five-hundred bottle caps in that thing.”

Gavin shot her a wry smile. “Close but no cigar. It’s actually over a thousand.”

“Drink much?”

“Many summers, many parties, many friends equals a huge bottle-cap collection, Miss.”

She shook her head and laughed. “Speaking of collections, I noticed the many vehicles you have parked in your driveway.” She took a swig of her beer. “A motorcycle, a BMW, a Bentley, and I don’t know the name of the other.”

He smiled. “It’s a Nissan GT-R.”

“Yes, a Nissan GT-R,” she laughed. “Boys and their many toys.”

Rubbing at his chin, he gazed deep into her eyes for a second. “Don’t we all have to fill voids in our lives with something?”

Taken aback, Emily searched his face, not knowing how to answer.

He flashed a smile and casually tossed another cap into the pot.

She could tell there was more behind his question than she could possibly understand. The first thing that popped into her mind was an onion. Gavin Blake had many layers to him that needed to be peeled. Some that were there were true to their form, but others were simply a cast-iron veneer she felt he wore around himself.

After several hit and missed thrown caps and much-needed laughter, Gavin looked at his watch and noticed it was past three in the morning. Standing up, he offered Emily his hand, and she accepted.

His voice slid through the air like the finest cashmere. “Even though our evening started off a little…sad, I had a great time with you, Emily,” he stated softly, focusing his intense eyes on hers.

She could feel the stroke of his heated gaze on her, warming her inside and out. She slowly pulled her hand from his and cupped the back of her neck as she stared up into his eyes. “I did, too, Gavin.”

He smiled, walked away, and opened the French doors that led to his bedroom, but not before he turned to look at her one last time.

Nervously biting her lip, she followed suit and made her way into the room where Dillon lay sleeping.

Still snoring.

As she closed the doors behind her, Emily leaned herself against them, panicky and once again breathless. Sliding her fingers down her neck, she tried to rationalize the visceral pull that Gavin had over her, but she was too tired at that point to even begin to understand it.

Chapter Six

Fireworks

A knock against the door and a low groan from Dillon registered somewhere in the back of Emily’s sleeping brain. Forcing one eye open, she was able to make out Trevor poking his head into the room.

“Fuck,” Dillon shouted gruffly. “What the hell time is it?”

“It’s time to get our fishing on,” Trevor answered a little too cheerfully.

Dillon ran a palm over his face, shot Trevor a hard look, and lifted his head gingerly in Emily’s direction. “Are you getting up?”

Peering at the clock through hooded lids to see it was only seven, Emily curled the duvet cover tightly around her body. “No…I’m not,” she moaned out and rolled over. “Just get in the shower, and I’ll get up in a while.”

Cursing in frustration from the early morning wake up, Dillon slid from the bed and reluctantly padded to the bathroom.

Emily heard the door snap shut with Trevor’s departure. Sunlight filtering into the room in stages threatened to wake her further as she nuzzled herself cozily into the crook of her arm. With a deep breath, her nose inhaled the heavenly intoxicating, mind-numbing smell that was Gavin as she tried to fall back to sleep.

Gavin? What the?

Realizing she was still wearing his sweatshirt, she shot straight up in a sitting position. In half a heartbeat, she yanked it off, jumped from the bed, and haphazardly shoved it into a nightstand drawer.

With trembling fingers, she rubbed her eyes and tried to rid her mind of what Dillon’s reaction would’ve been had he caught her packaged neatly in his friend’s sweatshirt. After a few minutes, the unexpected anxiety that made her heart race began to ebb, and with a sigh, she settled into the bed, but found she was unable to fall back to sleep.

Still groaning in agonized distress, Dillon came out of the bathroom. Emily could see he looked tired, pale, and haggard. After she tried to soothe him with a massage, she dropped a kiss on his cheek and decided to jump in the shower, too. When she re-emerged, she found him sprawled out on the bed in a T-shirt and cargo shorts with the crease of his elbow shading his eyes.

“What are your plans while I’m fishing?” he asked, his voice low and garbled.

“I’m going to hang with Liv and Tina until they leave,” she replied, plugging her hair dryer into an outlet. “They’re heading back to the city later to spend the day at Tina’s family’s house.”

Letting out a grumble from the back of his throat, he stood up on shaky legs and sauntered out of the room. By the time Emily treaded downstairs, it was a quarter past eight. Dillon was sitting at the kitchen island with his head hidden between his folded arms as he mumbled to himself.

Gavin smiled at Emily over his newspaper. As it did every time she walked into a room, his whole body went on alert. He felt his blood begin to pump faster as she made her way to the kitchen island. The silky white material of her sundress gliding along her thighs and contrasting against her perfectly olive-toned skin made him nearly speechless.

Gavin cleared his throat. “He’s making promises of never allowing whiskey into his system again if the drinking gods help him get through the day,” he laughed and took a sip of his coffee. “He was never one to handle his liquor that well.”

Although muffled from his arms, the words were clear and to the point. “Fuck off, Gavin,” Dillon hissed.

Gavin chuckled and looked over to Emily. “Want some coffee?”

“Yeah, that sounds awesome. Thank you,” she laughed and took a seat next to Dillon.

“You’re very welcome.” Gavin stood up, pulled a mug from a cabinet, poured some coffee in it, and made his way to the refrigerator. Peering at Emily over his shoulder, his smile was soft and curled with knowledge. “Just a guess, of course, but you look like a girl who takes cream and sugar in your coffee.”

Her mouth fell open and then snapped shut. Shaking her head, she smiled at him.

Gavin quirked a mischievous brow and walked back over with the mug. As she went to take it from him, he reached out for her hand and gently slipped something into it.

Her eyes flicked over to Dillon where he was still hiding from the light of day.

Gavin set the coffee in front of her and took his seat.

Opening the palm of her hand, Emily glanced down to what she was holding—a bottle cap. Her gaze slid over to Gavin where he sat casually sipping his coffee, newspaper in hand, with a faint smile on his lips.

She shook her head and smiled back.

Dillon straightened and quickly turned around at the sound of the doorbell chiming. He groaned out as Gavin made his way over to answer it. When he opened it, Emily watched him greet two men, both appearing to be Gavin’s relatives. The younger of the two was good looking with the same sharp-chiseled features and hair color but had a body slightly heavier than Gavin. The senior, however, was Gavin’s twin—fast-forward twenty years—with a hint of silver hues sprinkled throughout his hair. His wide grin flashed with practiced ease as they all walked into the kitchen.

The older man’s brows arched over his blue eyes as he patted Dillon’s back. “You’re looking a little rough around the edges, son,” he chuckled.

“Good morning, Mr. Blake,” Dillon stood up to shake his hand. “Yeah, I drank a little too much last night.”

“Well, prepare to drink a little more today, youngling,” he quipped, holding up a bottle of Grand Marnier and a couple of fishing poles.

Shaking his head with a smile on his face, Dillon looked to Gavin. “Your old man’s going to kill me today with the drinking, isn’t he?”

“I’m pretty sure those are his intentions,” he laughed and settled back into his seat. “Right, Pop?”

“Absolutely,” he laughed. He then glanced in Emily’s direction, a charming grin touching his lips. “So who do we have here?”

Dillon curled his arm around her waist. “This is my girlfriend, Emily. Emily, this is Gavin’s brother, Colton, and his father, Chad.”

“It’s very nice to meet you both.” She smiled and shook their hands.

“Emily, do you have any sisters for my brother?” Colton motioned with his thumb in Gavin’s direction. Gavin rolled his eyes as he downed the last of his coffee. “My mother wants him married off soon.”

“Unfortunately, the only one I have is married,” Emily laughed.

Colton tossed his arm around Gavin’s neck. “Oh well, little man, the search shall continue.”

With his arms crossed, Gavin let out a sigh and once again rolled his eyes at his brother’s “non-mission” of finding him a woman.

Eventually, Trevor, Joe, and Chris made their way downstairs to join the group.

“What the hell do you have on?” Gavin laughed, his eyes wide on Trevor’s attire.

Wearing his finest fishing hat and vest scattered with hooks and little plastic worms, Trevor sniffed haughtily. “Whatever, dude.” He poured some coffee into a Styrofoam cup and turned back to Gavin. “At least I get on the damn boat.”

Each of the men—except Gavin—broke out into laughter. He just shook his head with an amused grin on his face and let the partial insult slide.

Trevor slapped him on his back. “Is the Gavin Blake speechless?”

Standing up to refill his coffee, Gavin smiled. “Go ahead, lay it on me, assholes. But, in my defense, it comes from my mother’s side of the family.”

Emily drew up a confused brow. “You don’t go on boats?”

Gavin’s smile was slow, making his blue eyes sparkle. “Technically, I can, but not when the water’s choppy like this morning.” He took a sip of his coffee. “I get slightly seasick.”

Dillon stood up, walked over to him, and slapped him on his shoulder. “Slightly? You wind up praying to the sea gods to get you through the trip without puking.”

Shaking his head, Gavin tossed his boat keys to his father. “Okay, each and every single one of you need to get the hell out of my house now,” he laughed. “And that’s including you, too, Pop,” he quickly added.

Chuckling, Chad walked over to his son and patted him on his back.

The conversation and laughter flowed while the men took a few more minutes preparing for a day out on the water. Making sure they had enough ice, food, liquor, and night crawlers to last until the afternoon, they felt they were good to go. Emily trailed behind, following Dillon to the door to kiss him goodbye and let him know to take it easy on the drinking. She watched the group make their way into the dewy morning air and down to the boat.

After closing the door, Emily turned and found Gavin sitting at the island where he resumed his position—coffee in one hand and his eyes intent on his morning paper. She went to walk upstairs, figuring now would be a good time to wake Olivia and Tina, but before she could, Gavin called out to her and asked her to take a seat with him.

As she moved toward him, she gave herself a fierce mental talk. She enjoyed hanging out with him a little too much last night, and because of that, she had more than just a physical attraction now. Tingles of something she had never experienced raced through her, and a strange anxiety permeated her bones by his close proximity—more so than before.

And that…that wasn’t good.

As she took a seat next to him, Emily tried to ignore the way his just-fucked-looking black hair went in every direction. It made him look…well…even hotter.

Tossing a hand through that just-fucked-looking black hair, he placed the newspaper down and smiled. “I wanted to give you fair warning that within a few hours the house is going to become a little…chaotic.”

“Oh, how so?” she asked, fidgeting with the hem of her dress. “I thought your guests wouldn’t be here until after three.”

Gavin’s eyes flicked down to her thighs and then back to her face. He tried to swallow. “Well, the caterers and the company that sets up the tents will be here soon. If you like, we can go down by the beach or get in the pool together.”

Emily shifted nervously, her gaze holding steady on his.

“I mean, you…you can go down by the beach or in the pool,” he corrected quickly. Jesus Christ. He slowly dragged his teeth over his bottom lip.

Watching his lips a little too intently had her pushing her seat away from the counter to stand up. “Yeah, I’ll see.” She walked over to the stairs. “I’m just going to…uh…go wake up Olivia and Tina now.”

He nodded, and she trotted up the stairs.

Emily gave a quick knock at the door, and Olivia yelled out for her to come in. When she entered, both women were already in the midst of getting ready to leave.

“Why are you packing now?” Emily asked. “I thought you two weren’t leaving until after three.”

Olivia tossed the last of her items into her backpack. “Tina’s mom is sick, so she called asking if we could get out there earlier to help cook.” She stretched her body out. “Ugh, I’m really not looking forward to this drive back either.”

Emily pressed her lips into a tight line and sank down onto the bed. Letting out a sigh, she leaned against a pillow, noticeably flustered.

Olivia looked at her. “Why do you look so freaked out about us leaving? You knew I wasn’t staying the whole weekend.”

“Because he didn’t go fishing with everyone else, and I’ll be stuck here alone—with him.”

“That’s right—the whole seasick thing. I forgot.” A mischievous grin slid across Olivia’s mouth. “Why would you be upset about being here alone with him? I say it’s the perfect opportunity to get a little taste of something…yummy,” she laughed.

“Damn it, Olivia!” Emily spat. “I’m not kidding anymore! Stop with your bullshit!”

Olivia stood aghast, like a deer in headlights, as Emily pushed to her feet and tore past her. Stalking down the hallway, Emily entered her room, tossed her suitcase on the bed, and started packing her things.

Olivia cautiously entered the room. “What the hell are you doing, Em?”

“I’m leaving with you guys,” she hastily answered. “I’m not staying here alone with him.”

Olivia walked over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Friend, calm the fuck down, okay?” Emily pulled away and continued to pack. “Em, his mother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew should be here soon. It’s not like it’s just going to be the two of you.”

Emily abruptly stopped packing. She flopped herself onto the bed, placing her fingers on her temples in an attempt to relax her racing thoughts.

Olivia sat next to her. “What’s going through your mind?”

Emily shook her head, her voice barely a whisper. “I hate that I actually like the way he stares at me, Liv. I hate the way I can’t stop myself from staring back. I hate that he’s Dillon’s friend and that we’re all here this weekend.” She looked into Olivia’s eyes and paused a moment. “And I hate that I have any of these thoughts to begin with. I owe so much to Dillon. I shouldn’t be thinking anything about his friend.”

Placing her hand on Emily’s shoulder, Olivia’s face softened. “First, you need to stop feeling like you’re completely indebted to Dumbass, Emily. He did what any good boyfriend would’ve done. Nothing special.” Emily closed her eyes and swallowed, feeling that Dillon went beyond her expectations. However, she wasn’t going to argue the issue, so the point was moot. “But really, Gavin’s family will be here soon. Also, how would you explain to Dick that you just left out of nowhere?”

Emily contemplated her question. She was right. When Dillon returned, even if she were to use the playing-sick card, she knew it would just cause him to miss a great day because he’d drive back to the city to be with her.

Emily nodded, seeming to calm down. Drawing in a much-needed deep breath, she rose to her feet and pulled a book from her belongings. “Well, I’m just going to stay in here and read this until I hear them arrive.”

Olivia smiled and stood up. “Okay, you do what you have to do then.” She walked over to the door after hugging Emily. “I love you.”

Emily curled up on the bed, flipped open the book, and tried to relax. “I love you, too, Liv.”

And that’s exactly what Emily did. She read that book. Hell, she finished it and started reading it again, but eventually dozed off during her second attempt of keeping her mind off the threat that was behind the door. It was just past noon when she heard car doors closing. From a corner window, she peered down and saw two women walking toward the home with two young children following behind them.

Recovering from her earlier state of panic, Emily made her way downstairs. Gavin was correct. The house was buzzing with caterers dressed in black and white, preparing a smorgasbord of food. When she couldn’t find him among the frenzied scene, she strolled out to the backyard. Under a dozen large white tents, workers draped red, white, and blue linens onto tables while hollering out song requests to a DJ that was setting up in the corner. Huge festive centerpieces consisting of silver stars anchored a patriotic array of balloons at each table.

Emily scanned the crowd and locked eyes with Gavin from across the yard. He immediately smiled and motioned for her to join him.

As she approached, he looked concerned and leaned into her ear. “Are you alright?” he whispered. “Olivia said you didn’t feel well when she left.”

“Yeah, I felt a little ill earlier, but I’m better now.”

He cocked a disbelieving brow. “Are you sure?”

With an answering smile, she nodded.

“Well, let me know if you need anything, okay?”

“I will, thank you.”

“Not a problem.” He smiled and turned in the direction of one of the women Emily saw pull up to the house. “Mom, I’d like to introduce you to Dillon’s girlfriend, Emily. Emily, this is my mother, Lillian.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Mrs. Blake.” Emily offered to shake her hand but felt pleasantly surprised when the woman leaned in to hug her.

“Call me Lillian, kiddo,” she exclaimed, her large green eyes twinkling when she released her hold on Emily. “Mrs. Blake makes me feel old, and I’m far from it.”

“Alright, it’s very nice to meet you, Lillian,” she laughed.

“Atta girl.”

Emily smiled and studied her striking features. She would’ve never guessed she had two older children or that she was ever sick with cancer no less. Her chestnut hair, twisted up in a flattering way, glistened against the sun. Her sweeping cheekbones and flawlessly golden skin had not a hint of age touching it.

“My sister-in-law, Melanie, is around here somewhere,” Gavin stated as his gaze roamed over the backyard. Before he could ask his mother where she was, from out of nowhere, his niece and nephew jumped on his back.

Playfully rolling to the ground with them, Gavin looked up to Emily and laughed. “Well, here are her offspring.”

“Uncle Gaffin! Stop tickling me!” The little girl squealed, her golden locks of blonde hair spilling over her face as she thrashed her head from side to side under his comical assault.

“I help you, Teesa!” The little boy cried out like a certified hero saving a damsel in distress, beginning his own tickling attack on Gavin.

Emily and Lillian laughed and watched the three of them roll around in the grass. Ultimately, the two children won the tickling battle, ganging up on their uncle. Gavin succumbed to the fact that he was outnumbered and pleaded for help as he laughed in hysterics.

Standing up from the ground, Gavin wiped tiny blades of grass from his swimming trunks and looked at Emily. “These two little nuts are my niece and nephew, Theresa and Timothy.” He then quickly dodged at them as though he was going to restart the tickling match.

They both jumped back and laughed.

Gavin hunched over and slung an arm over each of their shoulders. “This is Molly…I mean, Emily.” Emily shook her head and laughed. “You two better be nice to her. I don’t think she feels like getting attacked today from either one of you.”

The little girl looked up to Emily and tugged on her sundress. “I like your dress, Emm-mi-me.”

Emily kneeled down and smiled at the little freckled-faced beauty. “Well, I really like your dress, too, Theresa.”

“Did you haf a dress like dis when you was three?”

“Not as pretty as the one you’re wearing.”

Theresa threw her arms around Emily’s neck, almost knocking her off balance. Emily laughed and hugged the child back.

Like a mini-gentleman, Timothy offered his hand to shake Emily’s. “Are you Uncle Gaffin’s girfend?”

Emily smiled up to Gavin and then looked at the little boy as she shook his hand. “No, but I’m his friend’s girlfriend.”

“We’re twins,” Timothy said with a proud smile on his face.

“I thought you were.” Emily smiled. “Well, you two are the cutest little twins I’ve ever met.”

“Will you come swimmy with us, Emm-mi-me?” Timothy asked, his hazel eyes sparkling as he wiped a sweaty strand of blonde hair away from his forehead.

“Hmm.” The little boy smiled and eagerly awaited her answer. She gave his nose a quick gentle pinch. “I think I will. Just let me go inside to put on my bathing suit, and I’ll be right back.”

Both children jumped up and down, clapping their hands in obvious delight.

Emily made her way through the throng of workers and headed upstairs to slip into her bathing suit. Taking careful measure not to piss off Dillon, she threw on a scarlet-and-gray Ohio State University T-shirt over her bikini. After removing the makeup from her face, she breezed back outside.

The two children—already in the pool with Gavin—gleefully splashed at him as he made a fine attempt at acting like a shark. Submerging himself under the water, he tented his hands over his head as he plunged toward them.

“Emm-mi-me is here!” Theresa hooted out.

Gavin looked to Emily and laughed. “Like my Jaws impersonation?”

“It was decent,” she replied as she got into the water. She smiled. “But I’m pretty sure I could do a better one.”

He smirked and cocked an incredulous brow. “Oh, you think so?”

“No,” she smiled. “Just kidding.”

He laughed and reached for a large multicolored beach ball. “Okay, so how’s about a friendly game of pool volleyball?” He flashed a smile. “Girls against boys, of course.”

Emily raised her chin in playful defiance. “Bring it, Blake.”

With both teams positioned on either side of the net, the game began. The kids screeched into a loud burst of laughter when Emily jumped up, spiked the ball onto Gavin’s head, and knocked his sunglasses clear off his face. After Gavin resurfaced from retrieving the sunken shades, his eyes trained on Emily as he smiled with a guaranteed promise of retaliation. She gave a quick high-five to Theresa and shot Gavin a smirk—quite pleased with herself by the point gained for the girls.

Tossing his arm around Timothy’s shoulder, Gavin whispered something into his ear. He chucked his sunglasses onto a beach chair and eyed Emily with a devious smile. She knew he was up to no good. She shook her head and laughed. Before she could warn Theresa of her uncle’s mischievous intentions, a tidal wave of water splashed into her face—courtesy of Gavin.

Emily let out a gasp, spitting water from her mouth. She shot Gavin a smirk and splashed him back. With all his little might, Timothy tossed the beach ball over the net, scoring a wicked point for the boys. Startled by the sudden attack, Theresa began to cry out in hysterics. Without hesitation, Gavin swam over to her and scooped her into his arms.

Perched on the pool stairs, Gavin cradled her. “Theresa, Uncle Gavin’s sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Uncle Gaffin, you hurt Emm-mi-me,” she sniffed.

“No, Theresa, he didn’t hurt me.” Emily held out her arms, coaxing her to sit by her. Theresa sat herself in Emily’s lap. “He just splashed me, that’s all.”