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"Thanks, Nathan How are you doing?"

"Pretty good"

Gavin knew there was so Nathan wanted to talk to hilanced over to where Mick wasthe throw of a football

"Yeah, kinda"

"Go ahead We’re fa"

Nathan paused for a second, then said, "It’s about your girlfriend"

"Elizabeth"

"Yeah"

"Are you mad at her?" Gavin asked

"No But Mick still is And he thinks I should be, but I’m not"

Gavin swiveled on the steps to face Nathan "No one should tell you how you should feel, Nathan Not your mom or Mick or me If you’re pissed off about what Elizabeth did to ht If you’re over it, that’s your right, too If Mick is still angry about it, that’s his probleuess so"

"You don’t have to feel whatever he feels about anything He’ll still care about you It’s kind of like when two people love each other, but they’re on different sides in politics"

"You mean when one’s a Democrat and one’s a Republican"

"Exactly They don’t have to agree to still love each other, right? Even though they ree on some serious fundaovernht to stand up for e believe in, even if we’re in disagreerandparents oppose each other politically"

Nathan’s brows popped up "Really?"

"Yup But they love each other like nobody’s business And I’ve never seen two people who can argue so fiercely, especially around election time It’ll make your ears burn But pick on one, and the other will defend them to the death It’s kind of like that with how you feel about so Just because you love Mick doesn’the believes"

Nathan stared at Mick, then nodded "That makes sense Thanks"

"You’re welcome"

"I kind of like Elizabeth She came up to me today, and we sat down, and she told me how she screwed up and how sorry she was I think that takes souess it does"

Nathan tilted his head up at Gavin "I think she’s really trying, Gavin"

Gavin buainst Nathan’s "I think she is, too, Nathan Maybe your dad will figure that out someday soon"

ELIZABETH WAS DRAINED PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY, AND emotionally exhausted

First the meltdown in front of Jenna, Kathleen, and Tara, and oh, God, could that have been amoment? And then she’d sat down and had a heart-to-heart with a fifteen-year-old boy, who’d handled her apology with a maturity she hadn’t expected

And to top it off she’d had to spend the rest of the night doing her best to dodge Mick, which wasn’t easy considering it had been his birthday party

She wanted to strip down, crawl under the covers, and end this day

Gavin had brought her hoone to take a shower He had worked up a sith an iame of football with his brother and his soon-to-be nephew, along with the various cousins

While he did that, she opened a bottle of wine and poured herself a glass She headed upstairs, stripped off her clothes, and fell face-first onto the bed

She was al down her back, followed by warive you an hour to stop that"

He didn’t speak, just conducted a very sensual assault over her shoulders with his hands,the tension away from her shoulder blades, theat her butt--which le He coht touches on the places that weren’t so tense He followed his fingers with the barest touch of his lips as he hs to her calves, then lifted her feet and kneaded the arches

She ed her feet, a weak spot since she spent all her tiood Please don’t stop"

He pressed his thuue wrapped around her toe She gasped, the dual sensation of coht to her pussy Wet, hot flames of arousal licked at her, made her lift her butt in the air and slide her hand between her legs to et there in a hed "I can’t wait I want to come"

"You don’t havetoe in his mouth and sucked it

Oh, damn She lost all track of what she was about to do with her fingers, ue and ue across the bottom of her foot, she jerked her foot away

"That tickles"