The rope ladder twists in my wet hands as I haul myself up and land on the second level with a huge splat. My knee bangs on the wood floor, but I barely register the pain.
I scramble to a more dignified sitting position, backing myself into a corner. “Exactly what are you waiting for?”
His lips press into a thin line. “I’m waiting for you. Have you seen the weather forecast?”
“Um, no. Not today.”
“Calls for severe thunderstorms and hail the size of golf balls.”
I run a hand over my damp hair. “Really? I missed that.”
The corner of his mouth tilts up a fraction. “Want to know the worst possible place to hide out during a thunderstorm?”
I hug my knees to my chest, considering. “A treehouse?”
“You got it.”
We lapse into silence.
“So, Travis, why are you here?”
He heaves a sigh. “Because I knocked on your door, like any normal person would do when they want to talk to someone during an extreme weather event. I was told you’d gone for a walk. Then I called your phone. You didn’t pick up. I circled the woods twice. I figured you’d probably end up here.”
Our silence continues. Raindrops pelt the sloped roof.
My teeth begin to chatter but Travis doesn’t appear to be in a hurry to leave. “Did you want to talk about something in particular?” I ask.
He lifts his chin and aims a pointed stare my way. “When are you leaving?”
“In three days. I—I knocked on your door to say good-bye. You didn’t answer.”
“We must have missed each other.” He gestures to the empty space beside him. “Do you want to sit on the blanket?”
I attempt to gracefully scoot closer, just as a roll of thunder booms.
“Awesome,” he says, scrubbing his face with his hand. “I should have expected this.”
“Expected what?” I position myself on the edge of the blanket, leaving a sizable gap between us.
“Bad karma. I deserve all the bad karma in the world right now.”
I feel like he’s talking to someone else. “I’m sorry, but I don’t follow you.”
He squeezes his eyes shut and presses his hands to his temples. “Becca…do you know the one thing in this world I’ve always wanted?”
“Um, a Ferrari?”
“No.”
My forehead crumples as I rack my brain. “A beach house?”
“Wrong. Keep guessing.”
I raise my hands, palms up. “If we’re playing some kind of game, can you at least give me a hint?”
He moves quickly, erasing the space between us and wrapping his arms around me. Then he kisses me full on the lips.
After taking a few seconds to enjoy the heat of his mouth on mine, I place my hand on his chest and shove him away. “What are you doing? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
Okay, he’s hands down a better kisser than Will. The lightning streaking through the sky isn’t the only reasons my pulse rate is soaring.
He backs off. “No, but I’m trying to explain something to you and I don’t know how to say it.”
I raise one hand to my lips. “What about Chelsea? I saw you together.”
“She wanted to try again, but … she’s not you.”
A shiver rolls down my spine. “But you don’t want me. So, what does all this mean?”
“It means … Becca, I can’t do this anymore.” Travis reaches for my hand and twists his fingers through mine. “Do you remember when your parents were home over the holidays, how they threatened to take you with them to Africa?”
My throat tightens. I nod.
“When I stopped by to see you on New Year’s Day, you weren’t home. Your mom took you shopping. But your father was waiting for me. He said if I ended things with you, he would let you stay with your sister and your grandmother.” Travis tightens his grip on my hand, as if he fears I’ll pull away. “His point being that you should be with someone else. Someone who could give you everything you deserve. At the time, part of me agreed with him.”
Tears sting my eyes. “Why would you think that?”
“Because we come from different circumstances. And to me, those differences counted more than our similarities.” He reaches for my other hand. “You need to understand … I didn’t grow up with your family’s bank account. I watched you, dreamed about you, while I worked in the backyard with my dad. I figured what I didn’t have would drive us apart eventually, so I chose to give up without a fight.”
My mouth goes dry. Travis waits, still holding both of my hands in his.
“Wasn’t I worth fighting for?” I whisper.
“You were,” he says, with a break in his voice. “You still are. But, I couldn’t figure out a way to win. You can do anything you want, but my life has limitations—I picked my college based on financial aid. Medical school—I’ll move anywhere, depending on where I’m accepted. When I’m not in school, I need to work, to pay for room and board.”
I shake free of his grasp and run my hands through my damp hair. “Travis…I don’t care. None of that matters to me.”
He reaches out and traces his fingers down the side of my face, stopping below my chin. “Becca, it might be a long time before I can give you what you deserve in a boyfriend. Maybe you belong with someone like Will Gamen.”
I grab Travis by the wrist and yank his hand away. “Do you really believe I should be with Will?”
He shakes his head. “No. You belong with me. I belong to you. I’ve always belonged to you.”
“So you decided to end everything? Because my father threatened you?”
“I made a promise. I said you weren’t moving. You were so upset when they threatened to take you away.” He hitches in a sharp breath. “I couldn’t let your parents ship you off to another continent. At the time, breaking up with you was the only way I could think of to keep you here.”
A bitter laugh escapes me. “And now I’m leaving for Africa in three days.”
He nods. “The last time I was home, when you said you were leaving … I thought you were just trying to hurt me because I hurt you. I asked my dad to find out if it was true. Your Gran told him you’d agreed to go away for the summer.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. “Why didn’t you tell me about my dad being a jerk?”
He circles his thumb over the back of my hand. “What would you have done? Argued with your parents? Stuck up for me? That would have bought you a next-day plane ticket.”
My eyes pop open. I straighten my spine, facing him head on. “What I would have done was lied, Travis. Or withheld the truth. Whatever we needed to do to stay together in the long run. Remember all the sneaking around in the garage? That was fun.” I pause to catch my breath. “But instead of talking to me about all of this, you let my parents interfere in our relationship. I blamed myself for months—convinced myself that I did something wrong.”
I want to be angry, but when I look at Travis, the months of pain I suffered are reflected in his face.
“I screwed up, Becca. I regretted it the minute I left you on New Year’s Day. But, how could you ever trust me if I came crawling back to you an hour later? I never expected to get over you, but I thought you’d get over me.”
“I didn’t. I thought maybe I could, but I was lying to myself.”
He slides his arms around my waist and touches his forehead to mine. “I can’t lie to you anymore. I love you. I always have and I always will. I can wait until you’re ready to be with me—no matter how long it takes. Someday—”
A crack of lightning splits the sky. The rain picks up, pouring through the open roof. In a flash, we’re both drenched. We scramble to the most protected corner of the treehouse, where I bunch his loose shirt in my hand and pull him toward me, stopping when our faces are inches apart. “Please stop saying someday. I don’t want someday.”
His blue eyes turn to ice. “It’s too late. I understand.”
&n
bsp; “No, you definitely do not understand.” The treehouse is now swaying like a rocking cradle left in a tree top during a hurricane. “Forget this storm for a minute. We’re getting wet. Accept that.” I kneel in front of him and grip his shoulders, raising my voice to make sure he hears me loud and clear. “Travis Brennen. I don’t want someday, because I want you now and forever. If my parents are cruel and mean enough to drag me away from you, Avery, and Gran, let them do it. Because the day I turn eighteen, I’m coming back to you. Do you understand?”
His expression seems to brighten even as the treehouse darkens. “I think I’ve got it.”
“No, I don’t think you do. If you understood my situation, you would’ve known that there’s no way Gran would’ve let anyone take me away. If I asked her for help, she’d stand up for me. She’s my true parent. Avery is my sister. And you, Travis, you, are the love of my life.”
His eyebrows inch higher. “What about Will? Didn’t he take you to the prom?”
“Yes. Because you turned me down.” I shake Travis’s shoulders, letting loose five and half months of frustration. “Will’s fun and smart and nice … but he’s not you. I want the boy who picks me up when I fall, the boy who holds me when I cry. I want the boy who knows me better than I know myself. Or at least, I thought he did.”
Travis kisses my forehead. “I love you, Becca. I’m sorry I hurt you.” He kisses me again, on the lips this time. “If you want me, I’m yours.” He smiles and the tension lines in his forehead disappear. “Am I really the love of your life?”
“That’s what I was trying to say when you broke up with me. How could you let my father talk you into backing out of our deal?”
“I only wanted the best for you. And I made you a promise, remember?”
I scoff. “Travis, from now on, please ask me before you let my dad make decisions affecting my love life.”
His eyes turn serious. “When you get to Africa, will you tell your parents about us?”
“Trip’s cancelled. I’ll tell them I forgot to book an appointment at the vaccination clinic. Or my passport got lost in the mail. Something like that.” I touch my lips to his, finally allowing myself to believe this is real.
While we take a minute to get reacquainted, the rain magically eases. I chalk it up to good karma.
“I’ll wait for you, if you still want to go. It’s your choice,” he says.
I smile into his damp shirt. “I know you’ll wait for me. That’s why I’m not going. So, was this enough talking for you?”
“Way too much talking,” he says. “For the rest of the summer, there’s going to be a lot less talking. I hate talking.”
Straightening up, I shake my head. “Not yet. We’ll get to the non-talking stuff. But, first, prepare yourself. You’re going to listen to a whole of lot of talking after what you put me through the last five and a half months.”
“I can’t wait.” He presses his mouth to mine, trying to be gentle, but I deepen the kiss, refusing to let him go, even when I hear Avery snickering.
“Ooh, the lovebirds are back together.”
“We have company,” I inform him, with a sigh. He hoists me off the floor and we climb down the ladder.
“Thought we’d find you here,” Avery says.
“What’s taking so long?” Gran asks. “Thanks to both of you, I’m soaking wet. I should have just sent Avery to check on you.”
“Aw, you wouldn’t miss this for the world, Gran,” my sister says.
“You know, you two have a very complicated relationship,” Gran continues. “It took a broken-down car to get you together and now a thunderstorm to bring you back to each other. I think someone’s trying to send you a message.”
“Yes, and can you please pay attention this time, Travis? I cannot put up with Becca if she’s miserable for another six months,” Avery says.
Travis grins and tugs on one of her curls. “I’m here for as long as your sister wants me around.” He lifts my hand to his lips, setting off a chorus of oohs and ahhs from Avery and Gran.
After spending months apart, Travis and I are back together. He’s part of my future, no matter where life takes me. Someday, maybe isn’t worth waiting for. Because sometimes, listening to your heart is the best way to turn the possibility of love into a reality.
JENNIFER DIGIOVANNI
Jennifer DiGiovanni is the author of the School Dayz Series. When she’s not writing or reading, she likes to try new sports and activities from archery to ballroom dancing, with varying degrees of success.
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Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
About the Author
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My Clueless Broken Heart (School Dayz Book 3) Page 16
