Love & Redemption (10 page)

“I do have some talents,” she agreed. “It’d be easier if you just slept in the bed with me, though. We’re both adults. We can handle it.” Her hands took on a lighter touch, and she stroked down the front of his chest, pressing herself against his back. “Besides, I’ve been deprived of cuddling with a body this firm for a while now.” She laughed into his ear.

Gavin groaned and brushed her hands away. Much more of that, and it would be impossible to hide how much his body responded to her. It wasn’t very gentlemanly to pop a boner. “I’m fine on the floor.”

“Whatever you say.” She kissed his cheek and then crawled beside him to sit on the edge of the bed. “Why don’t you sleep on the soft mattress for a while this morning to keep those knots away? I need a shower before helping Mom make breakfast.”

“Janet’s cooking an actual breakfast? She shouldn’t go to that trouble. We could just have cereal or something.”

“Oh, it’s
not
because of us.” Shelley rolled her eyes and stood. “Rick demands it. He has strict ideas on what the womanly roles are, and Mom obeys them. I guess it works for her.” She crossed the room and then bent to unzip their bag, grabbing clothes from inside.

Gavin stared at her swaying hips, knowing he couldn’t lie down flat until she left the room or she’d see the effect she had on him. He would not embarrass himself by saying something about how sexy she looked in her underwear, but her makeshift pajamas were far sexier than any lingerie.

She turned around and caught him watching. A grin ghosted across her lips, and Gavin got the feeling she’d wanted him to check out her curves.

“Do you want me to wake you in time to shower before we eat?” she asked.

He nodded. “After the show you just gave, I need a cold one.”

***

Shelley turned the bacon and checked the sausage, not remembering the last time she cooked food that didn’t go in the microwave. It was rather heartbreaking, remembering the happier times in this very kitchen. Tony would always insist on making pancakes, even if Dad said men shouldn’t cook. While Tony had been a teenager and did what he wanted, Shelley was too young to help out in the kitchen. That didn’t stop him. He always found a way to include her.

“What are you thinking about over there?” Janet asked. “You’re smiling.”

“Tony’s cooking.”

Her mom sucked in a loud breath. “Don’t let your dad catch you talking about him.”

“Because he still blames me for Tony’s death?” Shelley snorted and pulled crispy bacon onto the waiting paper towel. “I was seven years old, Mom. How could I stop him from taking us on the boat?
He
was watching
me
.”

Janet flipped the hash browns and shook her head, staring at the doorway. “Please don’t cause a fight, Felicia. I know it wasn’t your fault, but why bring it up?”

“Maybe because I have happy memories of cooking breakfast with my big brother, and I want to share them!” Shelley blinked back tears. She didn’t cry, and she wasn’t about to start now. Not over these people who were her so-called parents. “Never mind. Can’t upset Dear Old Dad, can we?”

Janet smiled, apparently not picking up on Shelley’s sarcasm. “No, we can’t. Thanks for understanding, honey.” She walked to the freezer and grabbed a container of concentrated orange juice. “The important thing is you’re finally home for a visit. That’s all that matters.”

While her mom said she prayed for Shelley’s return, obviously Rick didn’t share that sentiment. Even sitting around to eat apple pie before going to bed last night had been a chore. Rick had all kinds of questions about Shelley and Gavin’s life, belittling her every chance he got.

And the way he ordered Janet around was nearly more than Shelley could stomach. How Grandma Haddy raised such a weak, needy woman as Janet, Shelley couldn’t guess. Haddy was strong and independent. She didn’t need a man in her life after Grandpa died. She liked the freedom.

Then again, Shelley’s lifelong search for a man to love her proved she wasn’t all that different from her mother.

She squashed that thought before she had to examine it too closely.

“The food’s ready, Mom,” she said. “Do you still carry everything to the table?”

“Yes. Serving platters are in that cupboard over there.”

Shelley should have guessed. The house might have updated paint, new carpets, new furniture, and a large garage, but nothing had really changed. Even Tony’s bedroom looked exactly as he left it that day before they headed to the lake, other than the walls and floor.

Gavin walked into the kitchen just as Shelley finished transferring food to the platters. His damp hair curled slightly at the ends and yesterday’s stubble covered his chin. Compared to the man who barged into her box at the opera, he was extremely unkempt, but somehow that made him even more attractive.

“How was your shower, honey?” she asked, winking at him. “Warm enough for you.”

He grinned, though a charming blush crept up his neck. Shelley knew she shouldn’t tease him, but she always pushed limits. Especially with men.

“It was fine.” Gavin placed a whisper of a kiss against her cheek before turning to her mother. “Good morning, Janet. Sure smells delicious in here.”

“I hope you have an appetite,” Janet replied, beaming. “We made enough to feed an army.”

“What can I do to help?” he asked.

Janet waved that aside. “You get out to the table. Felicia and I have this.”

Gavin raised an eyebrow at Shelley before taking the meat platter off the counter. “No sense going empty handed.”

“Hmmm...” Janet looked out the doorway, watching Gavin leave. “Does he often help out, dear? You should take better care of your man.”

Shelley sighed and picked up the pancakes. “Some men are truly partners, Mom, not dictators.”

If only she could have found one to spend her life with instead of wasting the last several years. Maybe having Gavin around wasn’t such a great thing. Not only did it make her want more than she’d had in the past, it showed her it was possible.

Why did he have to seem so damn perfect?

***

Breakfast tasted good enough, but Gavin could barely stomach the company. It was no wonder Shelley had been nervous about coming home. He sure hoped Nick got them out of here soon. Biting his tongue at Rick’s treatment of his wife and daughter became more difficult with every passing second.

Poor Janet hadn’t had much to eat. Rick kept her on the run, constantly getting up from the table to get him something he needed. Things he could get for himself. Gavin desperately wanted to ask if his legs were painted on.

Janet finally settled in and began eating her cold food, but Rick ruined that too.

“Are you sure you should eat that bacon?” he asked. “You’ve been packing on the pounds lately.”

Gavin glowered at his plate, demolishing a pancake beneath his fork to keep from opening his mouth. Rick hadn’t allowed Janet to eat ice cream the night before, even though he’d had a heaping bowl of it atop two slices of pie.

Although Rick stood a few inches taller than Gavin, the man had to weigh over three hundred pounds. Gavin didn’t know where he got off telling his wife she had a weight problem.

“I think you look great, Mom.” Shelley reached for another slice of bacon from the platter in the center of the table. “Eat all you want. Dad certainly does.”

Gavin didn’t bother hiding his smile, since she said exactly what he’d wanted to.

“You’re one to talk,” Rick said. “You could stand to slow down on the bacon yourself. Is that what forced you to quit whoring around? None of the modeling agency guys wanted to screw you once you got so fat?”

Janet let out a horrified sob. “Rick, please don’t.”

Shelley dropped the bacon onto her plate, hanging her head. “I put on weight the last few months after an injury.” She blinked rapidly. “You didn’t expect me to look fifteen still, did you?”

Gavin pushed his plate away, unable to handle it any longer. “Personally, I don’t want my woman to look fifteen. I love your curves, sweetheart.” He grabbed the meat platter and dumped three more slices of bacon onto Shelley’s plate, plus a sausage for good measure. “You should eat quickly, though. You promised to show me around town after breakfast, remember?”

He had to get out of this house, and he was sure Shelley did too.

She looked up at him, and although tears glittered in her blue eyes, she smiled and nodded. She picked up the bacon and took a large bite. “You know, I’d forgotten about that. Let’s polish off this meat, and then I’ll show you the places of my youth.”

Looking across the table, Gavin glared at Rick for a moment before turning his attention to Janet. “Bacon is doing your body good, ma’am, don’t let anyone tell you different.”

Janet blushed, but she began eating again. Her food might be cold, but Gavin intended to make sure she ate it.

Rick apparently decided to ignore that and focus on a new subject. “If you’re so successful, Gavin, why doesn’t my baby girl have a wedding ring?”

He certainly didn’t care at all about his ‘baby girl,’ Gavin was sure about that. Money seemed to drive this man, however. Every good thief knew a great cover story was essential to all jobs. Gavin tried to think of this as an extended job. And he had no qualms about lying to a jerk like Rick.

“I told you, I’ve been interested in diamonds lately.” He shrugged as though it was no big deal. “When we were first married, Felicia wore my late mother’s ring, but the stone wasn’t what either of us wanted.” He took a small sip of orange juice. “The jeweler’s putting in the new diamond now. When he’s finished, it’ll be worth more than our Central Park apartment.”

Chapter Eleven

“Our Central Park apartment!” Shelley giggled again and threaded her arm through Gavin’s as they walked down the road. She’d barely been able to contain her mirth when that popped out of his mouth. It got funnier every time she said it. “He must be shitting himself right now over how much money he thinks you have.”

A grin twitched Gavin’s lips, and he winked. “I spare no expense when it comes to keeping my beautiful bride happy.”

“Well, right now she’s deliriously happy.” Shelley laughed again.

With the way things had been, Shelley hadn’t thought anything could seem funny in the depressing situation of being stuck at her parents’ house. She was so grateful to have Gavin’s support. If she had to confront them, at least Gavin was a good sport about it.

“I really do appreciate this, you know?” She glanced at him. “Dad’s not the most pleasant man to be around, but you’re handling him rather nicely
and
keeping me sane.”

Gavin shrugged. “I don’t know why your mom puts up with him, but at least after a few days I’ll never have to see him again.”

That was true. As nice as Gavin was to her—saying how she wasn’t too fat and that she was perfect for him—it was all an act. Even though he’d proven himself different from every man she knew, that didn’t mean anything he said around her parents was true. He played the part she’d thrust on him. She was thankful for that. At least landing a rich, handsome husband was one thing Rick thought she’d done right with her life.

“As far as Mom putting up with Dad...” Shelley sighed. “She’s very traditional, Gavin. I try not to get angry, because that’s the way things are and always have been. She’s happy with her life. It’s not my place to interfere.”

“Even though it drives you crazy.”

For a man, he was very observant. Shelley would expect Carlie to notice that, but never a boyfriend—not that Gavin
was
her boyfriend. That line of thinking would get her nowhere. It would be better to focus on her mother and father’s relationship, not her lack of a love life.

“You’d never guess Mom and I were both raised by her mother, would you?” she asked. “We’re so very different. I think it’s because once Grandpa died, Grandma Haddy loved her newfound freedom. She taught me to be more independent than she taught Mom.”

“Wait.” Gavin stopped walking, forcing her to stop too. “Your grandmother raised you, not your parents?”

She nodded. “I went to live with her shortly after turning seven.”

“I don’t understand.” Gavin looked over his shoulder in the direction of the house, as though it could somehow supply answers. “Rick talked about you being a teenager several times and said you were...”

“Whoring around?” she supplied in a level tone, as Gavin stared intently at the ground, face turning red.

“Well, not to be rude, but yes.” His green eyes met hers. “If you weren’t even raised by him, what could you have possibly done to earn that level of animosity from the ass...uh, man?” He raked his free hand through his hair. “Sorry. No matter what my opinion is, he’s still your dad. I don’t like the way he treats you, though.”

“But he’s right. I am what he says.” Shelley disentangled her arm from Gavin’s and turned away. It shamed her to admit it, but maybe it would help Gavin get through the next few days without losing his temper if he knew Rick wasn’t entirely in the wrong. “Grandma died when I was fifteen, and I had to come back and live with my parents.” She looked across the street, realizing they stood near the entry of the cemetery. “I only stayed seven months before I couldn’t handle it anymore.”

“How did you get out?” Gavin’s tone didn’t betray any of his feelings about her admission of being a whore.

She didn’t know why she cared so much about his opinion. He would leave soon anyway, right? It wasn’t like he’d follow her back to Sayle and be the man she’d searched her entire life for. Besides, when she thought of the résumé of her dream guy, it didn’t include jewel thief in the job experience column.

Might as well tell him everything.

“Grandma Haddy had set up meetings for me with modeling agencies before her death, said I had a promising career ahead of me. Some of the agencies were good, some not so good.” She shrugged. “When Dad found out Grandma left me a bigger portion of her fortune than she left Mom, he put all his energy into making me look incompetent and convincing the judge he needed to control my money, even though Grandma specifically put provisions against that. To further control me, he also said no to every reputable agency that offered me work.”