Page 15 of This Memory (Moose Village #3)

Brystol

I loved trick-or-treating on Main Street—I always have, and I always will.

I adored seeing the kids come in all dressed up.

Most years, you couldn’t see what the kiddos were wearing because it was so cold that they had to wear coats over their costumes.

But it was unseasonably warm tonight, and most of them only wore light jackets, so I could see their creative getups.

A little girl in a Belle costume walked up to me and held out her bag.

“Why, you look beautiful, Belle.”

She giggled. “I got a book from the bookstore lady. And candy, but she said I needed a book too.”

“Of course you do!”

“I’m going to put it with my other books, and Mommy and Daddy said maybe someday I’ll have enough to have my own library.”

“How wonderful would that be?” I said, as I held out a bowl of candy.

She carefully looked in the bowl, reached in and took a Reese’s Cup, then smiled up at me. I wanted to bend down and hug her. And I had to fight back the sudden urge to cry .

Ugh. What in the hell is wrong with me?

“Thank you, toy store lady!”

Turning, she quickly skipped back to her mother and father, who took her hand to usher her to the next store. I watched them until the door closed. Someone tugged my sweater, and I glanced down to see a little boy dressed as a firefighter.

He waved, and I bent down with the bowl. “Why, you’re a hero, do you know that?” He grinned, and I almost laughed when I noticed his two front teeth were missing. “Take what you like.”

Reaching in, he took two pieces of candy, dropped them into his bag, and rushed back to his parents. It was then that I noticed Evelyn and Denny entering the store.

“Hey, guys,” I said, as they walked over to me.

Evelyn reached for the bowl. “Let me give you a break.”

“I’m okay.”

She took the bowl out of my hands anyway.

I tried not to sigh and roll my eyes. For the last few weeks, Evelyn had been treating me like a priceless piece of art.

And like I’d feared, she’d already started hinting at me not working for the remainder of my pregnancy.

She and I were going to have to have a come-to-Jesus moment, and it was going to be really soon.

Jerking her head to the side of the store, Evelyn said, “Someone would like to speak with you in private.”

I glanced in the direction she’d indicated but didn’t see anyone. That was, until I saw movement. Someone was hiding behind one of the shelves.

“For goodness’ sake, Gavin. Get the hell out here, now !” Evelyn called, causing a few people to turn and look at her .

“Evelyn,” I hissed. “There are customers and trick-or-treaters in here.”

Her cheeks turned red. “Right. Sorry.”

Gavin appeared and walked toward us as a few women in the store openly stared at him. He had cut his hair—and holy hell, if he didn’t look hot. It was buzzed on the sides and longer on top, where it was sticking up, as if he’d run his hand through it numerous times.

I instantly remembered his mouth on my clit, and the pull in my stomach had me placing my hand there to calm myself.

“Are you feeling okay?” Evelyn said. “Do you need to sit down? Get something to drink? Have you eaten today?”

Turning, I stared at my best friend. She was going to drive me mad. What I really wanted to say was, “I’m horny, Evelyn.”

Instead, I rested a hand on her arm. “I’m fine. All is fine.”

Gavin stopped in front of me. “Um, can we talk in private?”

I glanced around the room and noticed a small group of mothers in a corner, all basically drooling over Gavin—and I instantly felt possessive. Before I could even respond to his question, one of them approached.

“Gavin? Gavin Quinn?”

He glanced at her. Clearly confused, he said, “Um, yeah.”

“Do you not remember me? It’s Lacy Darington.”

Ugh. Lacy Darington from high school. She was the captain of the cheerleaders, and she was constantly hanging all over Gavin. From what I could tell, he’d never gone out with her, but I wasn’t sure .

“Oh, yeah…hey, Lacy.”

She gave him a seductive smile and placed a hand on his arm. “Are you married? Dating anyone? I’ve just moved back to Moose Village after divorcing my husband, and I’d love to reconnect.”

How bad would it be if I slapped her here and now?

Gavin didn’t give his usual flirty smile or wink. He stared at her briefly, then said, “Reconnect? I’m not sure we’ve ever connected in any way.”

Her smile slipped for a half second, but she recovered quickly. “Well, I mean, it would be nice to get to know you if you’re available.”

I realized I was holding my breath while waiting for him to reply.

“Sorry, Lacy, I’m not available.” Turning back to me, he asked, “Is anyone upstairs?”

Of course, he was talking about the apartment I normally rented out. The last person who’d lived there was Declan, but he’d moved in with Harper, and I’d decided not to rent the place out again just yet.

All I could do was shake my head. He placed his hand on my lower back and guided us away from Lacy, and everyone else, to the back of the store.

You could only get to the apartment from the staircase accessed outside the building.

We walked through the back storage area, past my office, and outside.

I punched in the code to get to the stairwell that led to the apartment.

Once upstairs, Gavin shut the door, and I walked over to the window and looked down at Main Street. It was still light out, since they held the trick-or-treating on Main earlier in the afternoon .

I could feel Gavin’s eyes on me, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. I’d been trying to avoid him for the last few weeks because I knew the moment I saw him again, the memory of the best orgasm of my life would instantly rush back.

Clearing his throat, he said, “I want to explain why I left the way I did that night.”

I kept quiet because if I spoke, my voice would crack.

The last three weeks had been a mix of emotions.

One minute, I found myself so mad at Gavin that I wanted to scream.

The next, I was having dreams of passionate sex with him.

And the next…I was on my sofa, crying as I watched some stupid romantic movie.

He let out a long breath before he spoke. “I’ve never experienced anything like that before.”

Confused, I turned to look at him. “You’ve never given anyone oral sex?”

His cheeks turned a bright red. “No, I have…but it’s never been like that .”

I frowned. “Like what?”

His hand pushed through his shorter hair, and I had to keep myself from grinning. I was right, his hair was standing up because of that nervous action. God, that stupid hair was so hot. I wanted nothing more than to rip his clothes off and make love to him right here and now.

Gavin started to pace. “With other women, it was just about sex. There wasn’t any emotion in it for me. But with you, knowing it was you …Bry…it did something to me. I’ve dreamed of doing that to you for years.”

I took in a sharp breath.

“I was so fucking into it, that when you came, I did too. ”

I blinked rapidly as I tried to wrap my head around his last words. “What do you mean?”

He stopped pacing and looked right at me. “I came in my pants when you orgasmed. I was that fucking turned on. That’s what you do to me, Bry. You drive me crazy! I don’t know if I want to hate you or…”

His words trailed off.

“Or what?” I asked softly.

Gavin shook his head. “I don’t know. You make me twisted, and I can’t think straight.”

My heart felt like it was skipping every other beat. “Why did you leave like that?”

He closed his eyes briefly before he met my gaze. “I was embarrassed. I was feeling vulnerable and confused, but I didn’t realize it at the time because no one’s ever made me feel that way. It was easier for me to walk away than try to figure out what in the hell I was feeling.”

I nodded. “That’s fair.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you. Well, I mean, I did that night out of sheer embarrassment. But I won’t ever do that again, and I need you to know that. I swear to you.”

His words felt like a soothing blanket around my heart. “I know you wouldn’t.”

“Do you? Because sometimes I feel like you hate me.”

I bit my lower lip and turned away from him. I heard him unzip and remove his jacket, and when I faced him again, my breath caught in my throat. He wore a cream-colored shirt that hugged his muscles in the most delicious ways. The man was built; there was no doubt about it.

My hand came up to my throat as I tried to remember how to breathe. His eyes landed on my fingers .

“Is it safe to paint your nails?”

Confused, I held out my hand. I had painted my nails black last night, when I thought I’d dress like a witch. This morning I didn’t feel so great, so I passed on dressing up and wore leggings and a light-blue sweater dress.

“Why wouldn’t it be safe?” I asked.

He looked down at my stomach. “The baby.”

At that moment, right there in the apartment above my toy shop, I fell in love with Gavin Quinn. Again. Of course, I would never admit it to anyone.

Smiling, I nodded. “Yeah, it’s okay. Safe, I mean.”

He nodded and walked closer, taking my hand in his. “What is the L for that you have tattooed on your finger?”

I swallowed hard. “I got it one night in college, with Harper. We both got one.”

“What does it mean?”

Shrugging, I said, “It symbolizes love. Or the love I wished to have someday. I was drunk…”

His eyes met mine. “Who were you thinking of when you got it?”

“My parents. How I wanted a love like theirs.” I left out a minor detail. I had also been thinking of Gavin.

Smiling, he brought it up to his mouth and placed a gentle kiss on the tattoo. I drew in a breath, and for a moment, I was pretty sure the world stopped.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling…”

My words trailed off as a sudden wave of nausea hit me. Hard. My hand came up to my mouth, and I froze.

“What’s wrong?” Gavin asked, his brows drawn down in concern .

“Oh God,” I moaned. “I’m going to throw up.”