What You Don't Know (True Hearts Book 6)

by Jaxson Kidman

  Travis closed in even more, his body gently touching mine. Hands at our sides, bodies just barely touching.

  I felt like I was standing up to him, trying to be defiant and wanting to conquer this man.

  He stared down at me. He didn’t touch me.

  This time he used his words to set me on fire.

  “I want to be alone with you, bunny, because you’re the one who makes me feel sane.”

  Cole straddled a chair and at some point turned his hat around. Right about that time Caity came in. I hadn’t seen her in years. We did the normal act surprised and hug thing. Which became the norm as a lot of the old gang showed up. Sid, Cole, Luke, Caity, Amy, Erin, Travis, and me.

  We took up two tables and the pizza kept flowing out from the kitchen.

  Amy touched the front window. “I still can’t believe that time you put someone through this window, Travis.”

  “Looks better now,” Travis said. “Did this place a favor.”

  Everyone laughed.

  Everyone kept looking at Travis. They were obsessed with him. And I sat right next to him, feeling out of place, my face perpetually red. There were moments when I wondered how many of these women had fooled around with Travis. But that didn’t matter. That was a lifetime ago for all of us. But the way they all looked at him…

  “So, tell us about the rockstar life, man,” Sid said.

  “What about it?” Travis asked.

  “Playing drums in a band. Surfing every day. Partying every night. What the hell are you doing up here?”

  “Sid, take it easy,” Sam said.

  “No, no,” Travis said. “It’s fine. Had a problem where the guitarist couldn’t shut his fucking mouth. So, I shut it for him. Because of that, I had to go on the run for a little bit. Hide out. Let the smoke clear. Get it?”

  Sid stiffened in his chair.

  Sam looked at me with worry in his eyes.

  “Sorry, man,” Sid said. “I didn’t mean to offend you. You just… you know, you got out of here and did something. I think the rest of us are just stuck in the past.”

  “Not me,” Caity said. “I like living here.”

  “Yeah, and Willow has a good job,” Cole said. “It’s not all that bad.”

  I felt everyone look at me.

  “Yeah,” I said. “It’s not all that bad.”

  “Well, we’re thinking of you, Travis,” Erin said. “You know, the date and everything…”

  Travis quickly stood up. Everyone looked up at him at the same time.

  I stood up next to him. I had no idea why. Me standing did not have the same threatening impact as Travis.

  “Thanks for thinking of me,” Travis said. “Maybe for you all it’s just one day. But for me it’s a little different.”

  “Of course it is, man,” Sam said. “That’s why we’re all here for you. We always think about you. You’re a damn good friend, Travis.”

  “Cheers, brother,” Cole said, his voice shaky, knowing he was taking a big risk by using the word brother around Travis.

  Travis reached for his mug of beer and lifted it. “Yeah. Same to you all.”

  “How long are you in town for?” Amy asked. “Was wondering what your plans were…”

  She started to play with her hair.

  I felt my lip curl.

  Really? Right in front of me?

  I had to turn my head.

  What did it matter if Amy flirted with Travis? What did it matter if Travis decided to flirt back? What did it matter if Travis walked over to her, lifted her up, and walked her to the back for whatever? It didn’t matter.

  “Why?” Travis asked. “You want surfing lessons, babe?”

  Babe. He called her babe. He called the waitress on the beach babe. But he calls me bunny.

  With each passing second I was near Travis, things were both more interesting and confusing.

  “Yeah, she’s looking to surf between the sheets,” Erin said.

  Everyone burst into laughter.

  Sam clapped his hands together with a thundering smack.

  I looked up at Travis, but he didn’t look down at me. His eyes were forward.

  “Motherfucker,” he whispered.

  I followed his stare and felt my heart sink.

  Brendan - Max’s father - was walking into the pizza place, his arm around a woman.

  Brendan was almost as tall as Travis, but he was always a sloppy mess. I swore he wore the same baggy jeans from high school. He had thick, black curly hair that when cut short didn’t look so bad, but he would let his hair grow for months at a time, always looking like he’d just rolled out of bed.

  I didn’t recognize the woman he was with.

  It pained my heart because I thought about Wren. I wasn’t going to claim my sister to be a saint and that she was saving herself for Brendan to come back to her, but even still, I knew how much she loved him. She truly lived in a world where she believed that one day, Brendan was going to show up and become the father she felt Max deserved, and become the man she desperately needed in her life.

  Travis raced toward Brendan.

  I pulled at his arm, but he shook me away.

  “Brendan,” he said.

  Brendan was putting money on the counter as he looked back.

  “Holy shit. Travis?”

  “What are you doing here?” Travis asked.

  Brendan looked at me. Then to Travis.

  “I’m getting pizza.”

  “Who’s this?” Travis asked and pointed to the woman.

  Brendan put a hand out to protect her.

  “What is this?” Brendan asked. He looked at me again. “What did you do?”

  “Me?” I asked. “I didn’t do anything.”

  Brendan reached for his pizza and surveyed the entire place. He turned and handed the pizza to the woman.

  “Here, sweetie,” he said. “Why don’t you go and sit in the car? I’ll be right out.”

  The woman didn’t say a word.

  I sort of felt bad for her.

  Brendan took his change from the young woman behind the counter and stuck it into his pocket.

  “Didn’t know you were back in town,” Brendan said.

  “Doesn’t matter,” Travis said. “Wren know about her?” He nodded at the door.

  “Please. This isn’t your fight, Travis. Fuck off.” He looked at me. “And you… stay the fuck out of your sister’s life.”

  Brendan moved, and Travis blocked him.

  Laughing, Brendan turned his head. “Really? You want to do this?”

  “Why aren’t you with your kid?”

  “Who are you, huh? You come back and can’t figure out which sister’s pants you want to get into?”

  “That’s your fucking kid, man,” Travis said. “When was the last time you saw him?”

  “None of your damn business,” Brendan said.

  He moved, and Travis blocked his way again.

  “Travis, stop,” I said. “Don’t worry about it. He’s not worth it. He couldn’t be a father, even if he tried.”

  “Oh, look at you, Willow,” Brendan said. “Big fucking mouth when you have someone around.”

  “Don’t talk to her like that,” Travis said. “Be a man. Face to face with me.”

  “Who the fuck are you? Get out of my way, Travis.”

  “Make me,” Travis said.

  I touched Travis’s arm. “Stop it. Believe me, Travis, he’s not worth it.”

  From the corner of my eye I saw that everyone was watching this happen.

  “What are you going to do?” Brendan asked. “Huh? You don’t know a damn thing about this town anymore, man. You took off.”

  “You had a kid with Wren and left her hanging. She’s lost. And it’s all falling on Willow’s shoulders.”

  “Travis,” I growled.

  “That’s the way she likes it,” Brendan said. “Good old Willow to the rescue. Never able to keep her nose out of everyone’s ass.”

  “Say o
ne more thing about her and you won’t be able to kiss your little girlfriend tonight.”

  “Eat shit, Travis,” Brendan said.

  He moved, and this time Travis let him go.

  Which left me feeling relieved.

  “You’re a pussy,” Travis said. “A weak ass man who abandons his own kid.”

  Brendan looked back. “Don’t take your shit out on me, Travis. You were the one who couldn’t save your own sister.”

  It felt like the air had been sucked out of the restaurant. Everyone’s mouths fell open.

  Travis moved, and I wasn’t going to stop him.

  I just hoped to everything that Travis didn’t end up killing Brendan.

  12

  What She Did

  TRAVIS

  I managed to keep myself calm. Calm enough that I simply just slammed Brendan’s face against the glass door once. The door swung open and out he went. He stumbled, holding his face, turning as though he wanted to square off with me. Which I was ready for. I’d drop him faster than he stopped caring about his own kid.

  Instead of challenging me, Brendan held his bloody nose and walked to his car where his woman was waiting with the pizza box on her lap. I could only imagine the bullshit excuse he was going to give her.

  Not that it was my business.

  “You okay?”

  Willow stood next to me.

  “Yeah,” I said. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” she said. “That’s what he does, Travis. He suckers women in and uses them. I don’t even care… but the way Wren feels about him…”

  “Not your problem though,” Travis said. “Want to get out of here?”

  “Please,” she said.

  We stood there for a few more seconds. I moved my fingers and felt her hand. She turned her hand and I moved away.

  “Should we say goodbye?” Willow asked.

  “No,” I said. “Let’s go and find somewhere to get a drink.”

  That somewhere was a bar just outside of town. It was a bar where kids in high school used to brag about being able to get into. I used to get in there all the time. That was one of several benefits of looking like an adult when I was just a teenager. It was a good spot to hangout and hideout. And get a cold beer or a shot of whiskey and flirt with women twice my age.

  “Hope you don’t mind,” I said. “I just can’t take anything else right now in that town. Everyone wants to talk about memories. Everyone wants to talk about the beach and surfing.”

  “What did you think would happen?” Willow asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “Let me buy you a drink.”

  I opened the door and pointed to a table in the corner. Willow went there, and I went to the bar. I got two beers and paused as I walked toward the table. I watched her from a distance, her back toward me. I sort of liked the way she could pull her hair back and leave it messy, but it still looked sexy. I couldn’t believe I was actually taking a few moments to eye hump Willow. I could have just done the real thing if I wanted to. Knowing her life, I’m sure she wasn’t out having one-night things or long-term boyfriends.

  Plus, I was going to head back south sooner or later.

  So, what was wrong with relieving some pressure?

  I put the beers on the table and sat across from Willow.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  “Hey. Sorry about that with Brendan.”

  “Don’t be.”

  “What’s he going to say to Wren?”

  “Probably nothing,” Willow said. “He’s a pussy, like you said. He’ll hide until the marks go away. Or maybe he’ll use it to get something out of her, I don’t know.”

  “If you want me to talk to Wren, I will.”

  “No,” Willow said. She tapped the side of the beer bottle. “But maybe you could tell me why you did that.”

  “Why? Because of what he did to Max.”

  “Travis. I call bullshit.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

  “You did that for another reason.”

  I stretched my neck and took a big gulp of my beer.

  “Fine,” I said. “Max is stuck in my head.”

  “Meaning what?”

  “He was so calm and cool when he asked for milk. And I poured him a glass of milk. I talked to him for a minute, you know? Kid talk. Stupid stuff. And then I was going to get his cartoons turned on when you came downstairs. But that moment… I never had that moment, Willow. And maybe I think that if a kid like Max doesn’t get that moment… it’s unfair. Okay? It’s unfair. Maybe that moment could change his life. Maybe it could have changed my life.”

  “Or Julie’s,” she said.

  My face dropped. “Don’t say that.”

  “It’s the truth.”

  “You think you’re close to me, but you’re not. Don’t bring that up.”

  “Are you going to throw me into a door?” Willow challenged me with a cute smile.

  I suddenly envisioned throwing her into a door. Except it was an open bedroom door. And she was ripping my shirt off. My hands were touching her bare body, feeling those curves for myself.

  “I’m only kidding,” Willow said.

  “I know that,” I snapped.

  “It’s okay, Travis. You have a heart. Who would have thought?”

  “Are you trying to be funny?”

  “Maybe I am,” she said. “Look at everything around us, Travis. It’s so messy. Sometimes you need to laugh.”

  “Tell you what, bunny. You laugh. I’ll drink beer. Then we’re both happy.”

  “I think I can handle that,” she said.

  “Or maybe I can just completely ruin the night and ask you personal questions.”

  “Oh yeah? Like what?”

  “Like why you and Sam haven't gotten together. Or why you’re single. Or the last time you were with a guy.”

  “Why does that matter?” Willow asked. “Feeling jealous?”

  “Maybe I’m just feeling lonely,” I said with a grin.

  “Oh, right, because it’s been, what, a week since you last got laid?” she asked.

  I laughed. “That’s a good one, bunny. I would never let a week go by.”

  I stared right at her and saw her shift in her seat.

  “Well, you had plenty of looks over at Pop’s,” Willow said. “Easy pickings.”

  “Easy pickings?” I asked. I laughed again. Damn, Willow could actually make me laugh and forget about life for a few minutes.

  “What? Isn’t that what you want?”

  “Me? No. Easy pickings isn’t my thing. I like to find the most stubborn woman in the room. The one who pretends not to enjoy it, but secretly can’t stop thinking about it.”

  Willow looked around. “Hmm… who can that be here?”

  “Oh, trust me, bunny, I’m looking right at her.”

  I made an angry look with my face. No idea why. Maybe it was just my attempt at being serious with Willow. Face it, the second I saw her, it threw my heart and memories for a loop. And I should have just kept her down at the beach all to myself for a little while longer. But here we were.

  “Travis…”

  “Willow…”

  She opened her mouth. “I… you know what happened last time…”

  “High school,” I said. “I’m pretty sure we’re different people now.”

  She touched her beer bottle in a way that made me raise an eyebrow.

  Yeah, she was full on getting to me.

  “You know what my life is,” she said. “You’ve seen it.”

  “And I don’t give a shit about that.”

  “Yeah, but…”

  “Anyone else need a drink?” a voice cried out near the bar.

  There I was, sitting across from Willow, trying to forget the night. Forget the town. Forget the fact that I came back for a stupid reason. And then that voice hit my ears and sucked everything away.

  I turned my head and saw her behind the bar.

  Bright blonde hair, obviousl
y fake. A couple of purple strands going through that made her look like an off-colored zebra or something. My eyes locked tightly on her as she reached for empty beer glasses. She smiled, laughed, did what she did best. Lie.

  “Travis? Hey? You here?”

  I turned my head and blinked a few times. I felt myself seething. I had the urge to flip the table and punch a wall.

  “Whoa, Travis,” Willow said. “What’s going on?”

  “There are two bartenders working tonight,” I said. “One gave me our beers. The other one is standing in her place right now. See her?”

  Willow moved her eyes. “Yeah. Do you know her?”

  “Yeah, I do, Willow.”

  “How so?”

  I couldn’t believe the words I was about to say. “That’s my mother.”

  “We should just go,” Willow said.

  I stood there and watched my mother work the bar. She hadn’t had the common sense to realize someone was staring at her. And she definitely didn’t have the parental instinct to know it was her own son.

  Willow pulled at my arm. “Travis…”

  “Yeah, right,” I said.

  “Unless you want to say something to her,” she said. “I’ll wait for you.”

  I turned my head. “Why? Why are you doing this for me?”

  “Because it sucks to feel pain,” she said. “And I always knew that your mother came and went. Julie used to-”

  “I’m walking back to Sam’s,” I said.

  I broke away from Willow and punched the door to the bar. It was a loud thud, but I knew it wouldn’t garner any attention. Not over the sound of everyone talking, laughing, and the muffled thumps of rock music from the jukebox in the one corner of the bar.

  Outside, I stuck my hands into my pockets and walked.

  “Are you insane?” Willow cried out as she caught up to me. “It’ll take you hours to get back to Sam’s.”

  “So fucking what?”

  “Travis, stop,” she said. She clutched my arm and dug her nails in.

  “What?” I snapped.

  “Talk to me.”

  “You’re not going to fucking save me, Willow.”

  “Save you?”

  “That’s what you thought, right? Maybe Brendan was right. You’re in everyone’s business, aren’t you? The second Sam said to go and help me, you were there. And now you’re here…”