“I didn’t think I’d be welcome. I screwed up so badly with Mick.”
“Bah. You made a mistake. Who among us hasn’t? You made up for it. All is forgiven.”
“I’m so sorry, Kathleen. My career gets the best of me sometimes . . .”
Gavin didn’t hear what else Elizabeth said because when they walked into the house the noise level in there was deafening. People were spread out everywhere. And his mother had run off somewhere with Liz, so Gavin went to find Mick or his dad.
They were both in the kitchen, his father with a beer in his hand and Mick with a bottled water. Nathan was there, too, and they were laughing and talking sports, of course.
“Happy birthday, old man,” Gavin said to Mick.
Mick greeted him with a guarded smile. “Hey, thanks.”
They shook hands. Gavin was still irritated after their last meeting.
Their father noticed the lack of familial hugging.
“Hey, Nathan, great to see you again.”
“Hi, Gavin.” Nathan offered up a wide grin.
He seemed to have grown a foot since Gavin had seen him last, and had filled out some muscle, too.
“You look great. Doing some workouts?”
“Yeah. Football keeps me busy. And working with Dad . . . Mick . . . Dad has really helped a lot.”
Gavin shifted his gaze to Mick, whose eyes filled with pride when Nathan called him Dad.
Son of a bitch. His big brother was a father to a teenager now. Things sure had changed a lot. “I’m sure it has. I’ll bet you’re happy your mom and Mick are getting married.”
“I am. I couldn’t ask for a better father. He’s what I always wanted in a dad.”
“And you’re the son I always dreamed about having.”
Gavin’s dad cleared his throat, looking a little teary-eyed, too. “Okay, fellas, before we all break down and start sobbing and end up in a group hug, let’s get back to talking about baseball.”
“I’ll leave you all to talk about me while I’m not here,” Gavin said. “I need to go find Elizabeth. Mom ran off with her.”
“So you actually brought her here.”
Gavin stopped. “Yeah, I did.”
“I can’t believe you, man. You’re still seeing her?”
Gavin’s gaze skirted to Nathan, who cast a frown in their direction. “Let’s not do this now.”
“Why? This affects Nathan, too.”
“Mick. You need to be polite to your brother,” their father said.
“Oh, I need to be courteous to Gavin. What about how he treats me? Where’s the respect?”
Right. Because it had always been about Mick. What was best for Mick. Be careful what you say to Mick. Don’t upset Mick. Mick has a problem, so we need to be extra nice to Mick. Look up to Mick. Be like Mick. Stand in Mick’s shadow.
Shit.
His whole life had been about Mick.
But not anymore.
He turned and walked out of the kitchen.
“Hey, we’re not done.”
“Michael!”
Gavin’s father must have gotten Mick’s attention, because Mick didn’t follow his brother down the hall.
Fine with Gavin, because in his current mood there was no telling what would happen between the two of them. And birthday or not, he’d had just enough of his brother telling him how to live his life. He hadn’t asked for advice on who to choose to date, and he sure as hell wasn’t taking unsolicited advice from Mick.
Now he just had to go find Elizabeth before any more trouble stirred up.
Like her running into Tara.
ELIZABETH LOVED KATHLEEN. SHE WAS THE CLOSEST thing to a mother she had, and Kathleen had always made her feel welcome in the Riley home.
That of course changed when Elizabeth screwed up and Mick fired her.
Losing Kathleen and Jimmy Riley had been harder on her than losing Mick as a client.
She’d missed spending the holidays with the Rileys. Over the past few years it had become habit for her to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas at the Riley home.
Last year had been brutal. She’d spent the holidays alone.
She’d never felt more alone, had never realized how much she’d come to think of Mick and Gavin’s family as her family until she didn’t have them anymore.
Stupid. And what had she gone and done? Started sleeping with Gavin, which would only end up permanently severing her relationship with the Riley family when things ended with Gavin.
Kathleen had pulled her upstairs, away from the crowds, and took her into the master bedroom, sat her in one of the two old chairs nestled into the corner of the crowded room.
“Now that it’s just the two of us, why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”
“You mean what went on with Mick?”
Kathleen waved her hand. “No. I think what happened there is clear. You made a critical business error, and you paid a very dear price for it. You lost Michael’s business. I trust you’re smart enough to have learned something from that.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Kathleen had the ability to say very little and mean a lot when she said it. Elizabeth felt about two inches tall at the moment. “I’m very sorry I hurt Mick, Tara, and Nathan.”
Kathleen took her hand. “I know you are. But you had to suffer the consequences for what you did, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I did. Mick wasn’t only my client. He was my friend. And I lost his friendship, too.”
“Well, I hope not forever. My son is a stubborn mule, but he’ll come around soon.”
“I hope so. I need to make amends with him. And with Tara.”
Kathleen nodded. “That you do. But I mean what’s going on with you and Gavin?”
She swallowed. “Oh. That.”
Kathleen leveled very wise eyes on her. “Yes. That. I never realized you and Gavin had a thing for each other.”
Oh, Lord. “Well, it just sort of happened. We’re casually dating, really. It’s nothing serious, Kathleen.”
“Really.”
“Yes.”
“So you don’t care about him.”
She laid her head in her hands, then turned it to the side. “You’d make a great prosecutor, you know that? You really know how to put a girl on the spot.”
Kathleen laughed and patted her hand. “Come on. You know I’m joking with you. It just took me by surprise is all. You’re like a daughter to me. I was shocked to find out you and Gavin were together.”