Travis

by Rebecca Elise

  Gracie sticks her tongue out, gliding it along the edge of the s’more. Her eyes close as she leans in to take one small sensual bite of the gooey treat in my hand.

  “Mmm,” she moans softly. “This is so good.”

  “That’s it,” I growl.

  I toss the rest of the s’more aside, not caring if it attracts bears or raccoons or any other wild animal. I can’t wait until she finishes. I won’t last if I do.

  “I was eating that!” Gracie cries. I slide one hand underneath her knees and place the other one on her back as I scoop her up.

  “Don’t worry, baby, I’ve got something else that will keep you more than satisfied.”

  I carry her into the tent, ducking slightly as I walk through the doorway. I set her down gently on top of the sleeping bag before turning to zip up the door. When I turn back around, she is already struggling to get out of her millions of layers of clothes. She is yanking off her shirts like she can’t get out of them quick enough. Like we have to get this done as quickly as possible, when really, we have all of the time in the world.

  Grabbing a hold of her waist, I pull her as close to me as I possibly can. “I love you, Gracie,” I tell her before she yanks down my pants and I slam inside of her.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Gracie

  Spending the night sleeping on the cold, hard ground isn’t so bad when I get to wake up wrapped in Travis’s strong arms. Shifting slightly, I glance over at him. His eyes are still closed and his mouth is open slightly, causing him to snore softly. I consider lying here, enjoying the quiet of the campsite, but I have to use the bathroom in the worst possible way. I slip out from beneath his arm, careful not to wake him. He stirs slightly, but doesn’t open his eyes.

  I move over to where our bags are, thankful that the tent is big enough that I can get dressed without worrying about tripping over Travis. I pull on a pair of baggy jeans, a long sleeved thermal shirt and a black and white plaid flannel. Then, I layer a black puffy vest and a charcoal knit infinity scarf before shoving my feet into my sneakers.

  I unzip the tent as quietly as I can and climb out, taking a moment to reach my arms over my head and give my body a good stretch. The air is cool and crisp, colder than I would normally like, but the fact that there is no wind makes it tolerable. I follow the trail marked with a sign for the bathrooms.

  I never went camping growing up. Actually, the only vacations I did have as a child were the ones where we visited my grandmother. After we stopped visiting her, we stopped taking vacations.

  I had no idea really what to expect for our little weekend getaway. I knew we would be sleeping in a tent, but I pictured us peeing in tin cans behind a big tree and washing up in a lake - something Travis found hilarious when I told him. I didn’t expect this place to have a full service bathroom, which was a pleasant surprise despite the crappy water pressure and the fact that the water temperature only got to be lukewarm at best.

  I quickly use the bathroom before washing my hands and splashing cold water on my face. I glance up in the dirt-speckled mirror and cringe at my reflection. I have the worst case of morning after sex hair that I have ever seen in my life. It’s a good thing Travis was still asleep when I left. The sight of my current appearance might scare him off for good. Gathering my knotty blond hair into one hand, I pull a hair tie out of my pocket and loop my hair through, securing it as tightly as I can in a pony tail.

  Turning away from the mirror, I begin humming to myself as I walk out of the bathroom. I am heading down the trail back towards our campsite when a hand covers my mouth and an arm circles around my waist. I bring my foot back and am about to kick my attacker in the balls when a voice whispers in my ear.

  “Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to walk around in the woods by yourself?”

  The hands release their hold on me and I spin around, shoving Travis as hard as I can. “You scared the crap out of me!”

  “Sorry,” he laughs.

  “You are not, you jerk!”

  “You’re right, I’m not. Do you want to go for a walk with me anyway?”

  “I suppose I have nothing better to do at the moment.”

  Travis leans down and kisses the top of my head as he threads his fingers with mine. “Good, cause there’s a spot I want to show you. It’s actually one of the reasons I brought you here.”

  As we walk along the path, Travis regales me with stories about how his father used to bring him and his brothers camping here when they were younger - before they decided they were too cool to hang out with their dad.

  “I didn’t appreciate this place or its beauty until shortly after I got out of rehab,” Travis explains. “I wanted to get away for a while, I guess much like I did this weekend, so I came up here, with Remy of course, because my family refused to let me go anywhere alone.”

  Travis leads me a little ways off of the dirt path. There is a spot where the trees part slightly and there is an almost balcony like ledge that you can walk out on. Travis leads me out onto it and we take a seat close to the ledge. Across from us are tons of trees colored in beautiful fall oranges, reds and yellows. Below us is a lake that mirrors the colors of the leaves almost like an oil painting. I can see why Travis loves this spot so much. It’s absolutely breathtaking.

  “When I came here with Rem, I sat in this spot for hours just staring out across the lake at the trees. Oddly enough, it was about this time of the year, maybe a little bit earlier. I think that the leaves were just starting to change, so there was still a little bit of green mixed in there too. But I remember sitting here thinking that this is life. It’s amazing to be able to sit somewhere surrounded by so much beauty and not have to care about anything else for a little while. I came back shortly after that with a canvas and some paints.”

  “That’s the picture hanging in your living room?”

  “It is.” Travis pauses, staring out at the world around us. He shakes his head as he waves his arm through the air in front of him. “I spent so much time fucked up on drugs and wishing I didn’t exist anymore that I almost missed out on this.”

  “It is beautiful here,” I murmur.

  I sigh happily as I lie back, not caring that I am on a dirty cliff ledge. The sun feels surprisingly warm on my face despite the chilly November air. Something brushes up against my arm. I turn my head and crack my eyes open to see Travis lying down next to me. He closes his eyes as he clasps his hands behind his head. His shirt rides up slightly, showing off a hint of his toned abs. I’ve never seen him look as peaceful as he does right now. It gives me hope that he really is fine, that he has gotten past everything that has happened to him in the past few weeks. I wasn’t so sure he would be able to move on and forgive himself, but I guess he can. He must have finally realized what we have been telling him all along. That he is a better person, and a stronger person, than he gives himself credit for.

  “Why are you staring at me?” Travis asks without opening his eyes.

  “Wow, Travis, that’s a pretty conceited thing to say. I’m just lying here taking in the view.”

  “The view being me.”

  “No, you just got in my way.”

  Travis moves swiftly, turning over so that he is lying on top of me. I erupt into a fit of giggles as he peppers my neck with soft kisses. Holding himself up on his forearms, he stares down at me, giving me the scowl that seemed to be reserved for me when we first met.

  “You don’t intimidate me, Travis,” I laugh.

  His eyes smolder a little bit more, as if he is trying as hard as he possibly can to look brooding and intimidating. The truth is, Travis can easily appear intimidating. He doesn’t even have to try, he just has to frown and it’s there. The furrowed, downturned eyebrows, the scowling quiver that plays at his lips, the dark, piercing gray eyes. He’s never scared me though, and I don’t think he ever could. I know his sweet side too well for that.

  Travis dips his head back down, his lips pressing hard against mine before h
is tongue slips into my eagerly awaiting mouth. His hands roam along the side of my body, causing me to shiver ever so slightly. I could kiss him like this, right here in the middle of the woods, forever, but he breaks away all too quickly.

  “Come on,” he says, groaning as he rolls off of me and stands up.

  He reaches his hand out to me. I slip my hand in his, allowing him to pull me to my feet. Reaching behind me, I brush the dirt off of my backside the best that I can, though I am sure I am covered head to toe in dirt, debris and God knows what else.

  “Mmmm, I’m not sure I want to go,” I whine, staring out at the scenery again. “I like it here.”

  That’s something I never thought I would say. I’m not exactly high maintenance but drinking crap beer out on the back porch while someone barbecued is about as outdoorsy as I get. This isn’t so bad though. I can see myself doing this again, just packing up and getting away from the rest of the world with Travis. Maybe I am a little outdoorsy after all.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Travis

  Getting away for the weekend turned out to be exactly what I needed. Spending a few days off the grid, just me and my Grace, left me feeling so renewed that it almost seemed as though the prior week was some sort of a nightmare, which, I guess it was in a way. I returned back from our trip feeling more like myself, like that person that I wanted to be. I’m ready to put everything behind me and move on with my life.

  Pulling my Jeep into an empty spot in front of the diner, I throw it into park, kill the ignition and climb out, grabbing a canvas from the back seat. Gracie glances up from the table she is tending to, flashing me a smile as I walk in the doors. I give her a quick wave, not wanting to distract her.

  “Mornin’ Travis,” Molly calls out.

  “Hey, Mol,” I say as I walk behind the counter, heading towards Aidan’s office.

  He’s sitting at his desk, tapping away at his computer when I walk inside. Pushing his keyboard away, Aidan stands up and walks around the desk to greet me with a smack on the shoulder.

  “How are you doing after your time away?” he asks, moving to partially sit on the edge of his desk.

  “Really…good,” I say. “Better than I have felt in a long time, actually.”

  “That’s good, Travis. I’m glad what happened was only a minor setback.” He points to the canvas in my hands. “That for me?”

  “The final piece I owe you.” I nod as I hand it to him.

  He pulls the sheet back and smiles at the painting of the diner with our grandparents standing out in front of it. “This is perfect, Travis, thank you so much. I’ve been getting a lot of compliments from the others you did. Seems people really prefer it to Mom’s country kettle motif.”

  “Anything is better than that shit.”

  We both start laughing as the door opens and Mom breezes in. “Oh good, you’re in here,” she says to Aidan.

  “Where else would I be?” he asks.

  She gives him a look, one we have gotten to know very well. It’s the same look we get whenever the wheels in her head start turning as she tries to think of any respectable girl she can set one of us up with. She opens her mouth to speak, just as her gaze lands on the canvas in Aidan’s hands. She gasps, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth.

  “Oh Travis,” she says. She glances up at me, her hazel eyes clouded with tears. She presses her trembling lips together in a smile. Grabbing a hold of my arms, she pulls me to her into a tight hug. She hasn’t hugged me this hard since the day I agreed to go to rehab.

  “I’m so proud of you,” she says into my ear. “That is the most beautiful painting I have ever seen in my life.”

  “Thanks Mom,” I say, squeezing her back just as tightly.

  “Okay,” she sniffles, wiping her eyes, “When you’re done, come find me. We’ll have lunch and charge it to the owner’s account.”

  She hurries out of the room, most likely to see if any of her friends are here yet. I think she might spend just as much time here as Aidan does, just socializing with people. The diner is great and all, but I don’t think I could spend every waking moment here the way she does.

  Aidan lets out a deep sigh of relief. “Thanks man, I think your painting just saved me from one of Mom’s hookups.”

  Just then, the door swings back open and Mom comes hurrying back in. “You boys almost made me forget why I came in here. Aidan, there’s someone out here I want to introduce you to. She says she’s passing through town, not really sure where she’s going. Poor thing is pregnant and needs a job. I told her surely you would have something for her.”

  Just as quickly as she came in, she turns around and scurries back out. Aidan groans. I’m not sure why he is so surprised. This is what my mom does. She’s been doing this for years now. If meddling were a full-time job, she’d be a millionaire. One day we will all be married, and she will probably find some other poor sap in town to set her matchmaking sights on.

  We’ll all be married…huh…funny how the idea of that is starting to sound like such a normal thing to me. Gracie Foster…that doesn’t sound half bad. My wife, Gracie Foster. Hi, have you met my wife -

  Aidan throws his head back, laughing hysterically, pulling me out of my thoughts.

  “What the hell is so funny?” I demand.

  “Dude, did you not just hear yourself?” he sputters out between laughs.

  “Hear what?” I growl.

  “Gracie Foster…my wife, Gracie Foster.” Aidan mimics the words that I thought I had said in the confines of my own mind.

  “Shut the fuck up.” I spin around on my heel, storming off towards the door. I can’t believe I said all that sappy shit out loud. I grab the door knob, flinging it open with a loud crash as it smacks against the wall. I’m halfway down the hall when Aidan yells out, “Hi, have you met my wife, Gracie?”

  Turning on my heel, I march back to his office, stop inside the doorway and raise my hand to flip him off. Aidan laughs loudly.

  “You’re a dick,” I tell him, turning to walk away.

  “I know,” he calls after me.

  “Your face is a little flushed there, Travis,” Molly says, studying my face intently as I walk back into the dining area. She narrows her dark eyes. “What exactly were you doing back there?”

  I open my mouth to give her some sort of automatic, dirty response, but Gracie walks up, and I quickly shut it.

  “Hey,” she says, lifting on her feet to brush her lips against my cheek.

  My arms circle around her waist before she has the chance to move away. She giggles as she crashes against me. I press my lips against her temple before whispering into her ear, “I love you.”

  “I love you too,” she says.

  “Ugh, get a room,” Molly says, making a gagging noise before grabbing an empty tray and walking away from us.

  “Are you staying for lunch?” she asks, already grabbing me a menu.

  “Apparently I am joining my mom, who has some girl she wants to introduce to Aidan.”

  Rubbing one of my hands over Gracie’s back, I scan the room looking for my mother. She’s easy to spot, though I hear her twenty seconds before I actually see her. She is sitting in a booth with a brunette I have never seen before. Mom glances over at me, her eyes sparkling mischievously.

  “She’s plotting,” Gracie tells me.

  “I can see that.”

  “Might as well get this over with,” Aidan says, appearing next to us.

  I clap my hand on his shoulder, giving him a hearty push towards where my mom is sitting. She jumps up from her seat and introduces Aidan to her new friend before hurrying over to me.

  “Come on, let’s go eat over here and give them a little bit of time to get acquainted with one another.”

  “You know,” I say, pointing to the empty booth behind them. “If we eat there, you can listen in on their conversation and find out how your effort is going to hook those two up.”

  Mom’s mouth drops open and for a m
oment I think she is going to act all offended about what it is I am accusing her of. Instead, she shakes her head and says, “You’re right, let’s go.”

  Grabbing my arm, she pulls me away from Gracie and drags me over to the empty booth. She sits down on the side that is the closest to Aidan and the mystery girl. Aidan glances up, shaking his head at me. He’d probably roll his eyes too if he didn’t think that would be rude. That’s one of the biggest differences between me and Aidan. He genuinely tries hard to not hurt people’s feelings, where I typically don’t care.

  Gracie walks over to our booth, carrying a glass of water in each hand. She sets them down on the table and pulls out a note pad. “Any idea what you two want to eat?”

  “I just want a cup of pepper jack tomato soup,” I say. Mom opens her mouth to object to my light lunch, but I hold my hands up to stop her. “I can’t stay long, Ma, I have something I need to take care of.”

  “Something more important than having a nice lunch with your mother?” She raises one eyebrow, daring me to say yes.

  “Don’t make me answer that question. Just tell Gracie what you want,” I tell her.

  “I think I’ll have a strawberry and spinach salad with extra pecans and the homemade strawberry vinaigrette dressing.”

  Gracie shakes her head and I purse my lips together to keep from laughing.

  “That’s not on the menu, Connie,” Gracie says.

  “Does he have strawberries back there?” mom asks.

  “Yes,” Gracie nods.

  “Does he have spinach?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does he have pecans?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does he have olive oil, vinegar and honey?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good, tell him to make my salad. It can be a new addition to the menu. He can name it after me or something, after all, I was in labor with that boy for nineteen hours. It’s the least he can do.”