“I’ve been on my own for almost fifteen years, Mom. Believe it or not, I’ve actually learned how to make something other than mac-and-cheese.”

Her eyes welled and her voice wobbled. “Still, you’ve always been able to come home for my cooking when you had a hankering.”

“I’ll still be doing that. Houston’s only three hours away.”

“Not to your place. I looked it up. It’s more like four.”

Enfolding her in a big bear hug, he lifted her clear off her feet. “I’ll be back for a visit soon. And when I do, I’ll be expecting a table spread with all my favorites.”

She wrapped her skinny, wrinkly arms around his neck. “And don’t you forget it. Meanwhile, if you get homesick, you warm up one of my frozen meals, okay?”

“Will do.” After he kissed her and set her down, Dad opened his mouth to speak, swallowed several times, and then grabbed him for a brief man-hug.

“Bye, Dad,” Gavin said. “I’ll let you know when I get there tomorrow.”

Dad gave a decisive nod, then stepped back. “You do that.”

The goodbyes having been said, all stayed inside except for Ben who walked him to his truck. Only eleven months apart in age, the two of them had always been tight. Out of everybody, he’d miss Ben the most.

His brother was several inches taller than the rest and received plenty of ribbing because of it. One would think a big fellow like him would be tough as nails, and maybe he was physically, but Gavin had seen a different side of him. One Ben did a good job of hiding from everyone else.

“It’s gonna suck not having you in Honky Tonk.” Ben’s boots scuffed the driveway as they walked.

“I know,” Gavin sighed. “At least you’ll have everybody else here. I’ll have nobody down there with me.”

“You’ll meet plenty of folks and I’ll be sure to visit as soon as I can. At least, once you’ve had time to check out the women so we can blow off some steam.”

Gavin opened his truck door. “Don’t even think about coming down right now, not with that big renovation contract you and Trey just landed. Y’all need to focus on that first. I’ll be fine, besides I’ve sworn off of women for a while.”

Whatever objection Ben was about to make died a quick death with that last statement. “Sworn off women? What the heck are you talking about?”

“Just what I said. There’s going to be a huge learning curve and plenty of late hours with this new position. The last thing I need are female complications.”

“Who said anything about complications?” Ben asked. “I wasn’t suggesting you find a wife, just a woman every now and then to take the edge off.”

Climbing into the truck, Gavin left the door open, but started the engine and buzzed down the window. “Like I said, I’m not needing any complications. Temporary ones included.”

“Well, that’s just crazy talk.” Ben squeezed Gavin’s shoulder. “God speed, brother.”

“Thanks. I’ll come home as soon as I can.”

Ben closed the truck’s door. “Not too soon. You remember what Mom made us do in college—no coming home for at least six weeks. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have found us a group of friends. I’m figuring this isn’t all that different.”

Gavin pressed the brake pedal and shifted into drive. “Understood. ’Til next time, then.”

Ben patted the roof two times, then stepped back as Gavin headed toward the big arched gate and approach road which would eventually lead to a highway.