Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 277(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 277(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
“Yes?”
“Dr. Suzie Wright?”
I frowned and nodded. “That’s me.”
“Special delivery, ma’am. I just need a quick signature.” He flashed a toothy white smile while I signed the clipboard, then handed me a box that was too small to be flowers or food yet too big to be jewelry. I knew, without a doubt, the sender was Gavin. The man seemed to be addicted to giving gifts, whether or not I wanted or needed them. He was good at it, but I would rather have him here with me, the sound of his laughter wreaking havoc on my body and hormones.
Intrigued, I opened the box and gasped at what was inside. It was old school, but the fact of the matter was that I’d have found a way to listen to Gavin’s new album even if it was sent to me on vinyl. Thankfully, I hadn’t updated my stereo system in more than a decade, which meant I could still play CDs without trouble.
I popped the disc into the slot and curled up on the sofa, the way I always did when a new Gavin Ross album hit the shelves. Quickly, it became clear that I was too emotional, too hormonal to listen objectively to his latest work.
“The Girl with the Glasses” was a gritty yet soulful bluesy rock song about a girl the singer was crushing on. She had a rainbow collection of eyeglasses and each day he played a game with himself, guessing which color she would wear. Some might consider it egotistical to see myself in that song, but I couldn’t help it. The song brought tears to my eyes as I listened to it three for four times before moving on to the next track.
I listened to “Hot & Sweaty” with an embarrassed smile, not totally sure it was about our night together but fairly certain. Each song felt like a love letter of sorts, from Gavin to me. Whether the song was about sex or love, or a special moment between us captured in time, by the time I got to the last song, I was a soggy, bawling mess.
“Better For You” was the song that broke me. It was all about Gavin’s fear of fatherhood, of repeating his own father’s mistakes even while he hoped and wished that he would be better. I knew him well enough to read between the lines and my heart was thoroughly touched that I meant so much to him, that our child meant so much to him, he’d captured it for posterity in song. “I promise to be better for you. To be everything you need in a mentor, a fighter, a protector, a man.” It was exactly the wish I would make for the child growing inside me, and somehow, Gavin had captured it perfectly.
The entire album was perfect. It was heartfelt and the lyrics were undeniably fantastic. It was his best work to date, and I couldn’t stop crying, not even as I sent Persy a quick text to come over.
She knocked and stepped inside with a concerned look. “Suzie, what’s wrong?” She was at my side in a flash, brows dipped in concern as she gripped my shoulders.
“It’s Gavin,” I said around a few hiccups. “He sent me his new album today. It’s magnificent, Persy.”
“But it doesn’t release until next week,” she said with a frown. “Can I listen?”
I nodded and reclaimed my seat on the sofa. “That’s why I called you. I need some perspective.”
Persy nodded and dropped down beside me, one hand on top of mine as she closed her eyes and motioned for me to play the album.
I let the whole album play, tears streaming down my face as I tried to force the lyrics, the music, the themes, to bounce off the barrier I tried to erect around my heart. My soul. There was no way the words meant what they seemed to mean; it just wasn’t believable. It flew in the face of logic, in the face of the way things worked in the real world. No matter the chemistry between us, Gavin and I lived far different lives, and his was on the road, with gorgeous groupies willing to satisfy his every sexual fantasy. My life was here, in Jackson’s Ridge. With my baby.
That was just the way things were. The way the universe had arranged them and trying to fight that was like trying to stop a hurricane.
“Holy shit.” Persy’s shock cut through my thoughts quickly and I turned to her, a question in my eyes. “Gavin Ross is totally in love with you. Madly and deeply and with his whole heart in love with you.”
I shook my head against her words because I could not let them take root, could not start to believe that. “We’re friends, Persy. Friends who are having a baby together.”