Page 8 of Next to Everything We Wanted

Emma and Adam turned around and gave me a cut-the-BS look.

I huffed, my knitting pace increasing. “Gosh, guys. He’s nineteen, two years older than me. And he’s happily dating Celia.” I wasn’t the type of girl to beat herself up just because she didn’t have a boyfriend, but what Emma had said made me wonder what it was like to have a guy look at methatway. “If I had a boyfriend, I wouldn’t be able to do nights like this.”

“No!” Emma cried, spilling popcorn on the floor. “Forget it, don’t get a boyfriend. We need you.”

Adam stuck popcorn in his nose and snorted it out onto the blanket. “Yeah, boys are gross anyway.”

I laughed, warmth spreading through my chest. “Don’t worry. No matter what happens, I’ll always put you guys first.”

CHAPTER 3

Gavin

Agrin spread across my face as I parked in my family’s driveway the next morning. The tedious drive to Oasis Shores was almost four hours on a good day, but it was worth it.

I got out of my car and took my bags from the trunk. I kept a stash of gifts there, not wanting to clutter my apartment. Smiling, I went to the front door and placed my bags down to unlock the door.

As I reached for the keys, I heard my brother yelp, “He’s here!” before unlocking the door. “Gavin!” Asher beamed and scurried to hug me. “I thought you weren’t coming until the end of the month.”

“I didn’t have any plans, so I thought I’d surprise you guys.” I smiled. “I brought gifts.”

“Yay!” Asher picked up the two gift bags and ran inside. Our Flat-Coated Retriever, Dapper—who was anything but dapper—moved past him, tail wagging in the air.

I smiled and leaned down to rub his light brown fur. “I’ve missed you, buddy. I brought you a gift, too.”

He licked my cheek and nudged me with his nose.

A bittersweet feeling washed over me as I grabbed my luggage and led Dapper inside. The house had changed so much over the years, but I hadn’t been there to experience it in real time. I wanted to see the walls change colors and the furniture move. Though I was happy with my life in Nevada, I hated how much I missed out on.

“Gavin!” Dad extended his arms and gave me a bear hug. “Put that bag down and relax.”

“No, I want to open our gifts,” Asher said, already sitting on the living room floor and searching through one of the bags. For a ten-year-old, he had a lot of energy. I used to be the same way. When I looked at him with his reddish-brown hair, blue eyes, and freckles, I saw a younger version of myself.

“Oh, sothat’s why you’re so excited to see me,” I joked as I set my luggage next to the couch. “Can you wait until Mom comes out?”

“I’ll get her!” Asher got up from the floor and ran down the hallway.

A minute later, Mom came out of the bedroom, rubbing her eyes as if she’d still been sleeping. “What’s going on here?” Her focus trained on me, and a grin took shape on her lips. “Oh, Gavin, I didn’t know you were coming!”

“I wanted to surprise you.” I hugged her small frame, combing through her frizzy red hair. “I brought you all gifts. Asher’s getting a little antsy about it.”

“I’mnotgetting antsy!” Asher said as he appeared from the hallway.

“Sure, you’re not.” I shook my head. “The blue bag’s for you, and the green one’s for Mom and Dad.”

Asher took no time to take his gift out of the bag. “Yes!” He pulled out the blue Somewhere in the Sky shirt and grinned. “It’s perfect.”

“We had a few rejected pieces of merch we needed to give away,” I said. “I thought that it’d be special to give you guys some.”

“Rejected?” Asher scoffed, holding the shirt to his chest to see how it’d fit him. “This looks awesome.” He leaned down and searched the bag for the rest of the shirts.

“Oh, this is so sweet, Gavin,” Mom said as she searched through her own bag. She took out two identical blue shirts and gave the bigger one to Dad. “I love these.”

“Me too.” Dad examined his shirt, his lips curving in a smile.

My family always had my back when it came to my career. They’d supported me when I’d auditioned forA Search for Starsand ended up in Charm Street, the boy band that changed my life forever. They’d supported me when we rose to fame and had hit after hit. They’d supported me when I decided to leave the band, fly off the radar, and move to Nevada for a new start. They’d been the first to know about every career move to cheer me on, even from a whole state away.

“I know it’s been a hard week for you,” Mom said, sympathy shining in her blue eyes. “Thank you for thinking about us and visiting.”