Normally, he liked playing for a packed house. All musicians dreamed of being well received. But his mind hadn’t been on his music tonight. He’d been thinking about his new neighbor—about how pretty she was and about the fact that she’d been married to a rapist. How did something like that happen to a woman like her? And how had it affected her and her children?
He’d also been making a mental list of all the things she would need over the next few weeks in order to make her house a home, and he was so preoccupied with what he could do to help that he didn’t notice until he was ready to pull into his own drive that there was a Toyota Pathfinder in the way.
He recognized that SUV instantly. It belonged to Heather Fox, his on-again, off-again girlfriend for the past few years, who was now with Scott Mullins, a guy Gavin had known almost since he moved to Silver Springs at fourteen.
“There you are,” she said as he got out. “Your gig must’ve gone late.”
Her statement struck him as odd. “You knew I had a gig?”
“Yeah, I saw it on your website. I like what you’ve done there, by the way—how people can book online.”
He’d forgotten about the website. “It’s been convenient. I still go over all requests to make sure they’re not too far away and negotiate if they want longer hours or more than one show, but it handles a lot of the initial inquiries, since people can see my rates and whether I’m off on certain days or already booked.”
“It’s cool that your music career is taking off. You deserve it. You’re so talented.”
She’d always encouraged him when it came to his music. She’d been flattering in other ways, too. That was probably why he fell back into a relationship with her every once in a while even though he wasn’t in love. “Thank you.”
“So you were in Santa Barbara tonight?”
She must’ve gotten that from the website, too, because he hadn’t talked to her since seeing her at the Blue Suede Shoe three weeks ago, when she’d been with Scott. “Yeah. No Good Pete’s.”
“Oh. I’ve never seen you play there. I’ll have to go next time.”
With or without her current boyfriend? he wondered, but didn’t ask. “They’re having me come back next Saturday.”
“Perfect. Santa Barbara’s not that far. But...why are you home so late? Don’t most bars close at two?”
He could hear the jealousy in her voice. She suspected he’d been with someone. She hadn’t been happy the last time he—yet again—broke it off. “This bar did, too, but it took me a while to pack up.” He grabbed his guitar from the back seat. “What are you doing here? Did I miss a text?”
“No.” She gave him an enticing smile as she came toward him. “I thought I’d surprise you.”
Why? “It’s late. Really late.”
“Is that a problem? I figured you might be lonely all the way out here. The last time we were together, you were still in your apartment, remember?”
This was generally how things started with Heather. She’d hit him up and he’d succumb simply because he was a little lonely, she was comfortable, he missed the physical intimacy and it was hard to tell her no. He didn’t like disappointing her, and after he’d had some space, he tended to remember only the good things about her, which then made him wonder if he shouldn’t give the relationship another shot. She’d been fixated on him for so long he wished he could return her love. But wishing never seemed to make it possible.
He stopped before she could walk into his arms. “Does Scott know you’re here, Heather? Because the last I remember, you two were seeing each other.” And Scott wouldn’t be happy to learn she’d shown up at her old boyfriend’s place. He was threatened by Gavin—as evidenced by the dirty looks Gavin received whenever they happened across each other in town.
A sheepish expression claimed her face. “It’s none of his business.”
“Because...”
“We broke up tonight.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I thought it might be serious for you two.”
“Oh, come on,” she said. “You know my heart has never really belonged to him. You’re the only man I’ve ever truly loved.”
Gavin began to feel a little uncomfortable. He didn’t want this to go the way it usually did, where he wound up in a relationship he was eager to get out of. “Heather, I hope I’m not the reason you broke up.”
“Of course you’re the reason! I don’t know what to say. I can’t get over you.”
Shit. She’d seemed happy. Having Scott in the picture had taken so much pressure off him. “I care about you,” he said. “I hope you know that. But...I don’t want to get back together.”
He hated having to be so blunt, but he didn’t want her to ruin her relationship with Scott, with whom he’d thought she finally had something, because of false hope.
Instead of the hurt and anger he expected, a tentative smile curved her lips. “Come on. I treat you right, don’t I? Have I ever said no to you?”
She hadn’t. That was part of the problem. He lived in a small town, which meant as a single person he went long stretches without sex. By the time she cycled back to hit him up, the physical intimacy she offered usually tempted him beyond his ability to refuse.
But he wasn’t going to succumb tonight. He’d met someone else, someone he thought he might really be interested in. He knew getting to know Savanna, in order to make sure, wouldn’t be easy. She’d been through a lot, and it was all so recent. But he’d felt an honest attraction when he was with her—one he didn’t have to force—and he wasn’t going to ruin his chances by sleeping with an old flame he couldn’t seem to get rid of. “I’ve never said you didn’t treat me right.”
“Good! Because after what you experienced as a child—”
He lifted a hand to stop her. He didn’t want to go into that. But she waved him off.
“I know you won’t talk about the past. You’ve told me next to nothing. But the whole town knows you were left at a park when you were a kid. It isn’t a secret. I’m only saying that you’ve been on your own for a long time. Aren’t you ready to have someone to love?”
He raked his fingers through his hair. He was ready. But he had to find the right person, and he knew it wasn’t Heather. He’d tried with her—several times. “It’ll happen when it happens.”
She grabbed his arm. “How do you know that? Maybe you have to act.”
“Heather—”
“Wait. Before you say anything else, I—I need to tell you something.”
He didn’t see how he could refuse to listen. She had tears in her eyes. “Go on...”
“I’m pregnant, Gavin.”
His heart began to pound against his chest.
“I found out a week ago,” she added.
He swallowed against a tight, dry throat. “You’re not saying... I mean, we haven’t been together in...in a while. Two months at least. So...this must be Scott’s child, right?”
She wiped away the tears that were starting to fall.
“Right?” he repeated when she didn’t answer.
“I don’t know.” Her words came out a frightened whisper.
Gavin closed his eyes. This couldn’t be happening. “Is that why you and Scott broke up?” he asked when he looked at her again. “You told him about the baby, and he thinks you might be pregnant with my child?”
“Yes. I