Page 36 of Pinch

“I’m not sure how I’d handle it if my daughter wanted to play.”

“I think I’ll have to support my kids whatever they decide to do.”

More unexpectedness. I study his wistful expression. “You’ve thought about having children?”

“Sure, I always wanted to have kids, although Karen kind of killed that for me.”

“How did she do that?”

His eyes drift to mine before moving around my face. “She told a lot of lies. She damaged my trust… and the trust of others.”

We’re at the house, and I don’t know how to respond. It almost feels like he’s talking aboutmytrust, but I don’t know what his having children would have to do with me.

Either way, if he’s trying to act like he can’t get a girlfriend, I’m not buying that for one second.

Gripping the door handle, I open it before the driver can make his way to me. “I’m sure you’ll find somebody to help you with that.”

The man takes my hand, and I step out, heading to the house without looking back.

“Haddy, wait.” Gav slams his door, but I’m already up the front steps.

I hear him jogging up behind me, and I have to stop to enter the code to unlock the door.

“Why are you mad?”

“I’m not mad.” My fingers tremble, and I enter the code wrong. “Stupid door. Why can’t we just use keys?”

“Stop.” He puts his hand on mine, turning me to face him. “Talk to me.”

“About what, Gavin? I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“I want you to say for once you’ll give me a chance to tell you my side. I know she’s your friend, but is it possible there’s more to the story?”

Crossing my arms, I step away from him. He’s too close and too overpowering.

“Okay.” Exhaling a sigh, I look up at him. “I’m listening. Tell me your side.”

He exhales deeply, looking down and putting his hands on his hips. Then he turns, taking a step away, to the side of our small front porch and shoving both hands in his hair before turning back.

When he faces me again, he’s disheveled and earnest and his eyes are too blue.

His broad shoulders heave, and he speaks as if he’s making his confession. “I realized things weren’t going to work out with Karen the day I met you.”

My eyes blink wide. “But you stayed with her.”

“Because it wouldn’t have made a difference. You were friends, and even if we’d broken up, you wouldn’t have dated me. Would you?”

“Of course not. She was my roommate and my friend.”

His lips tighten. “She wasn’t anybody’s friend. She definitely wasn’t mine, or she decided our relationship was non-exclusive and forgot to tell me.”

“Are you sayingshecheated on you?”

“I walked in on her on her knees in front of my teammate. A few weeks later, my cousin Dex confessed she’d tried to get with him, and he didn’t want to tell me…”

“So it was all Karen, and all those other girls simply made up stories about sleeping with you.”

Reaching up, he scrubs the back of his neck. “No.”