Chapter 36
Scottie
I’M TIRED OF KEEPING US HIDDEN
Iwas invited to Sunday family dinner.
I’ve been before, that’s not the issue. The issue is I’ve never been married to one of the Ledgers while doing so.
Gavin and I talked it over.
The plan is to act normal. Like we’re friends. Which makes complete sense because why wouldn’t we be friends if I’m living in his pool house? It’s a very friendly situation.
So friendly I woke up with him between my legs, eating me for breakfast.
He does that pretty often.
But I can’t think about that now. Not while I’m about to sit across the table from his mother.
We arrive together, keeping a respectable distance as we walk in.
“Hi, sweetie,” Leanne says, and pulls me into a hug, enveloping me in her signature Chanel. “I’m so glad you could make it.”
We ran into each other when I stopped in for coffee at Novel that other day and she was fast to invite me.
The thing about Leanne though, is she doesn’t do anything on a whim. And Gavin’s already told me he suspects she knows something is going on.
So this should be…interesting.
Since dinner isn’t quite ready yet, everyone drifts into the living room, conversations overlapping at once.
I practically grew up here, so I’m accustomed to everyone talking over each other until the volume slowly rises to the point of having to yell.
I loved it.
Not that I didn’t love my own home, and the stability my parents provided, but there was a special kind of chaos here that made me feel included, like I wasn’t just watching from the outside but I was part of it.
That’s who the Ledgers are. Always welcoming, always kind, truly good people.
Making lying to them even harder.
I look across the room, where Gavin is talking with Ethan. They’re laughing about something, which is rare enough to be concerning, because Ethan barely laughs at anything.
His eyes flick to me for a moment, as if he could feel me looking. His mouth curves slightly, like he wants to smile, before he turns back to his brother.
I look away, down at my lap, biting my lip.
Normally, I’d have Elyse to talk to, but Leanne said she and Dominic would be a little late. Instead, I’m sitting with the twins, trying to pay attention to the conversation.
Layla is telling me and Ariana about the cadavers she’s been working with in school, and I’m realizing this family might be a little morbid.
Shane and Leanne are in the kitchen, and Lily has joined them—likely acting as the taste tester.
Marisa is chatting with Jack Ledger, the patriarch of the family and the reason all the Ledger men are over six feet tall and too handsome for their own good.
Gavin looks the most like him, whereas Ethan and Shane have more of Leanne’s features.
My phone chimes, buzzing in my pocket.
Gavin
Stop checking out my dad.
I almost laugh, but catch myself, not wanting to draw any attention.
I wasn’t checking him out, just merely admiring what you might look like in a few decades.
Gavin
So you were checking him out. Tsk tsk.
I press my lips together, fighting a smile.
I only have eyes for you.
Gavin
Right answer.
I can still taste you from this morning, in case you were wondering.
My face flames, going instantly red I’m sure. Rather than reply, I put my phone face down on my thigh before I make it worse.
“Are you feeling okay?” Layla asks, eyes wide, already going into nurse mode. “You just got so red.”
“Yep.” I stand. “I got hot for some weird reason. I’ll be right back.”
I dart out of the living room and down the hall to the guest bathroom. I’m only inside for a second when the door whips open, and Gavin pushes his way inside.
He doesn’t speak.
He doesn’t even make a sound.
He just pins me to the wall, grabbing under my thighs, lifting me, before he crashes his mouth to mine.
His lips are hungry as they devour me, his tongue tangling with mine, his large hands digging into my flesh.
My arms cross around his neck tighter and I shamelessly roll my body against his.
He lets out a groan, breaking our kiss.
“Gavin,” I whisper, though I don’t know if I’m telling him to stop or begging him not to.
He kisses me again instead—slower this time, sweeter. His forehead rests against mine, both of us breathing hard.
“This is torture,” he murmurs, voice rough in a way that makes me dizzy.
“I know,” I whisper back.
“Maybe it’s time for this to stop being a secret.”
I pull my forehead back from his, meeting his gaze. “Like tell them we’re married?”
We stare at each other for a beat, a smile tugging on his lips.
“Tell them something. I’m tired of keeping us hidden—keeping you hidden.”
My heart thunders in my chest, exhilarated, terrified, and maybe a little giddy.
“So what exactly is this?”
Putting a label on us feels like a bigger step than getting married.
Because that was about paperwork and legalities.
This is about feelings, and acknowledging that what’s been building between us isn’t some trial run. Not just an exploration with a safety net. It’s real.
“I don’t care what we call it, as long as I get to scream it from the rooftops.”
“Okay,” I say quietly, because it’s all I can manage.
“We’ll talk about it when we get home.”
“Okay,” I repeat, smiling as I try to contain the swarm of butterflies taking flight in my chest.
We hover there—just holding, breathing—until voices filter down the hallway. Excited voices. Loud voices. Something like cheering.
Gavin and I exchange a look.
“We should probably go back out there and find out what’s going on,” I tell him.
He nods, like it pains him, but slowly releases me, sliding me down his body.
We straighten our clothes quietly.
I smooth my hair. He tugs his shirt straight.
After I’ve cleaned up around my mouth, he cups my jaw and presses a soft kiss to my forehead, and I feel it everywhere, like a ripple from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.
The makeout was hot, but the forehead kiss is devastating.
“Ready?” he asks.
A deep breath. “I guess so.”
He huffs a laughs, grabbing my hand and leading me out.
We separate in the hallway, keeping distance between us as we reenter the living room.
Everyone is standing and Elyse and Dominic are at the center.
They clearly got married recently, based on the conversations floating about the room.
Her smile is wide and beautiful, genuinely happy.
I move to go congratulate her but her smile drops the moment her gaze lands on me.
She goes rigid, like maybe she wasn’t expecting to see me.
I didn’t get a chance to mention I’d be here, but I didn’t think it’d be a big deal.
Ignoring the little drop in my stomach, I start to speak but only get as far as my mouth opening before I’m cut off.
“What is she doing here?” Elyse hisses.
The room goes still—every voice dying at once, a palpable silence hitting like a wave.
“Elyse,” Leanne chastises. “That’s no way to speak to Scottie.”
She crosses her arms, face set hard, but there’s hurt in her eyes as she looks between me and Gavin.
“When were you two planning to share that you’re married?”