Travis's Gift, page 5
“Yeah, something like that,” Libby answered, offering a hesitant smile. “Where’s Scotty?” she asked.
“He got called into work this afternoon. We could really use the money, so, I’m flying solo. I’m really glad of your help,” Travis said.
“Oh,” Libby answered, looking around herself, glancing anywhere but directly into his eyes.
“So, I’ll drive?” he asked, taking a step toward his truck.
“Yeah, okay,” she answered. Then she made him really grin. “Shotgun!” she called out, getting to the truck before he did.
Once settled in the truck, Travis reached down to his right and started to move his papers and gloves, cell phone, and the things he carried with him from the middle of the bench seat. “Let me get these out of the way,” he said, gathering them up and sliding them into the storage panel on his door. When he was done, he glanced over at Libby with a bright smile, and found her watching him with her eyebrows raised. He realized at that moment, he’d cleared the space beside him for her to sit in just as she used to before he’d enlisted and been sent overseas — before he’d blown their relationship all to hell and back.
He looked down at the space between them, then directly into her eyes. He didn’t say a word, it wasn’t necessary. He simply faced forward and put the truck in gear.
They’d just begun to back out when he spoke again. “I’m really glad you decided to come with me, Libby.”
“I wasn’t sure you’d still be home,” she admitted.
“I waited in case you changed your mind,” he said, giving her a meaningful glance before looking at the road again.
“Good thing I decided to come then. It’s not much fun when you wait for nothing,” she said. The minute she heard her own words she squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m sorry,” she said.
“No, don’t be. It’s the truth. So, where to first? Craft stuff, building supplies, or grocery?” Travis asked, doing his best to make this afternoon as pleasant as he could.
“Building supplies, I think,” Libby answered.
“Building supplies it is,” Travis said.
Chapter 6
Maia stirred the pot of chicken and andouille gumbo. She took out a clean teaspoon and scooped up some of the luscious broth, bringing it to her lips to taste. “Mmm!” she moaned at the flavor of the rich tastes all combined into one. “Mama has made one hell of a gumbo, Bastian,” Maia said. She checked the rice and reduced the heat below the pot to simmer before turning back to Sebastian who was sitting in his infant carrier, watching her with his little eyebrows pulled down low over his eyes.
Maia chuckled at him. He was growling at her each time she tasted something he didn’t get to taste. “You’re not supposed to have it! It’s too rich for you.”
Bastian squirmed, kicking his feet out, and his tiny chest rumbled to let her know he was not happy.
“Here,” she said, “eat a teething biscuit.”
Maia handed Bastian one of his teething biscuits, and he looked at it critically before sticking the end of it into his mouth and beginning to gnaw on it.
“See? It’s a good biscuit, isn't it?” she asked as she spread butter on French bread.
“Unh!” he said, while thrusting his teething biscuit toward her.
“You want some butter on it?” she asked, looking around to be sure no one was watching. Then she pulled her own eyebrows down. “You know what? You’re mine. If I want to put a touch of butter on your teething biscuit, I can put a touch of butter on your biscuit!” she said, taking the hard cookie from Sebastian. She used the butter knife she’d been using and really just put the rest of whatever remained on the dull blade on the end of his biscuit, but it didn’t matter. He’d seen her add some of the food she’d had onto his biscuit, and that was all he needed.
As Maia handed it back to him, he cooed at her and took the finger shaped biscuit from her with his eyes alight like it was the best thing in the whole world, immediately shoving it into his mouth.
He gnawed happily away while Maia smiled at him. “I agree. Butter is life. Just saying.”
“Maia?” Riley called as he walked through the front door.
“In the kitchen,” she answered. Then she looked at Sebastian. “Daddy’s home!”
“Hey, baby,” Riley said, striding right up to Maia and pulling her into his arms for the kind of kiss that just thinking about it makes you breathless. “Missed you,” he said, finally pulling his mouth from hers.
“I missed you, too,” Maia answered.
“Hey, little man!” Riley said, reaching toward the infant carrier and unbuckling Sebastian’s safety strap. He lifted Sebastian from the carrier and into his arms. “How’s my little man?” he asked.
Sebastian, grinning from ear-to-ear with drool dripping from his chin and waving his teething biscuit over his head, launched into a minute long babble of serious sounding baby speak. He finally stopped when he showed his daddy his half-eaten biscuit.
“Really?” Riley asked. “Okay, alright. I see! It looks really delicious.”
The back door opened and Cristie burst through it. “Doddy!” she called out, running toward him with her hands full of leaves.
“Hey, baby girl! What ‘cha doing out there?” Riley asked.
“Mama said I could go collect some leaves for my art project, as long as I don’t go past the back fence,” Cristie explained.
“What are you going to do with them?” Riley asked.
“I’m going to put them between two sheets of paper and color over the top of them to make an imprint, then I’m going to use them to decorate a wreath I’m making.”
“Why don’t you just use the leaves for the project?” Riley asked.
“Because every part of it has to be made by us,” Cristie answered, rolling her eyes.
“Sounds fun,” Riley said, faking enthusiasm.
“It might be later, but it’s not now,” Cristie said, holding up a red leaf for Sebastian to see.
“Baby, put your leaves away, and get washed up for dinner,” Maia said to Cristie, walking over to kiss the girl on the head before she set the bowls she carried on the table.
“Yes, ma’am,” Cristie said. She stopped halfway out of the kitchen and looked back at Riley. “Doddy, Mama called Aunt Avaleigh to learn how to cook her gumbo!”
“You better hurry then. If I eat it all, it’s not my fault,” Riley teased.
“I’m hurrying!” Cristie answered, as she ran from the kitchen.
“How was your day?” Maia asked Riley.
“A good day. Got the rest of that roof finished. All we have to do is add the new gutters tomorrow and we’ll be done.”
“Good!” Maia answered.
“What about you?” he asked, still holding Sebastian on his hip as he peeked into the gumbo pot.
“Not bad. We spent some time on line, picking out a few last minute gifts. Then we decided we needed gumbo so after we picked up Cristie from school, we called Aunt Avaleigh. I taught Sebastian that butter is life. And now, I’m perfectly happy because my mate is home and all is right in my world.”
Riley rumbled as he hooked his free arm around Maia and brought her in close to his side. “Nothing in this world beats coming home to you and the kids. It’s all I’ll ever need.”
“I love you,” Maia said, looking up into his face.
“Love you more,” Riley answered.
“Unh!” Sebastian said, shoving what was left of his teething biscuit at Maia.
“Butter,” Maia said. “He thinks butter is as important as love.”
“He might be right,” Riley said, pretending to take a bite of Bastian’s biscuit.
~~~
Travis walked up beside Libby who was standing at the paint mixing area of the hardware store.
“So, you think a red frame with white snow painted on it like it’s building up in the corners, with green holly sprigs with red berries in each corner would be best?”
“I do. And it would have all the right colors. Just make sure that it’s big enough for a family of four to stand behind so it looks like they’re all framed in,” Scotty said.
“Okay. We can do that,” Libby answered.
“What do you think about painting one with elves peeking in from the sides of the frame, like they’re looking toward the camera, too?” Libby asked.
“Oh, yeah! I love that. The families could choose which they prefer,” Scotty said.
“Or choose both,” Libby answered.
“Yes!” Scotty answered.
“Alright then, we need the paint for all that. Be sure to include a small can of a flesh tone for the elves,” Libby said.
“Done,” Scotty answered as he set about mixing the colors they’d picked out.
“Got the wood for the tables and the archways for the entrance to the Christmas Village?” Libby asked Travis who’d come to a stop beside her.
“Better than that. I bought collapsible tables. We can move them around wherever we want them.”
“Perfect! Much easier,” Libby said, smiling up at Travis. “So, now what?”
“I’m going to go get enough lumber to make the second frame, then, we head over to the department store. We’ll have to find as much craft stuff as we can.”
“You know what? Get a few extra sheets of plywood. You can cut out some circles, stars and peppermint stick shapes with your scroll saw, drill a hole in the top, and the kids could paint them and decorate them for their ornaments. Much better than having to buy far too many supplies that may not get used. All we’ll need to get is hooks to put through the holes of the ornaments, tempera paints, glitter, a few paintbrush sets, and that’s about it. Oh! Get some sand paper, too, for the edges.”
“I knew there was a reason I couldn’t even think of doing this without your input,” Travis said, winking at Libby.
“Oh, I know. You just want me for my organization based brain,” she said, feigning exhaustion as she fanned herself.
Travis reached out toward her face, cupping her cheek in his hand. Slowly he shook his head while making her look him in the eye. “No, I want you for so many reasons it’s impossible to count. You make my heart smile, Libs.” He looked into her stunned eyes for a moment longer before speaking again. “I’ll go get the rest of the wood,” he said, before walking away whistling ‘Jingle Bells’.
“What is with him?” Scotty asked, not even bothering to hide his smile.
Libby shrugged. “I guess he likes your idea,” she answered.
“It’s more than that. He’s changed lately. He’s not as hard or as bitter as he was,” Scotty said.
“Give it time, he will be,” Libby answered, looking down at all the paint samples spread out on the table before her.
“I don’t think so, Libs. Not this time. It’s like all of a sudden, my brother’s back,” Scotty said, smiling as he looked in the direction Travis had gone.
Libby turned around and looked that way, too. She didn’t speak. She thought about his touch on her cheek. The look in his eyes that she still dreamed of every damned night of her life. She felt a little flare of hope deep inside, and quickly squashed it into nothingness. She’d been hurt enough by Travis and his back and forth emotions. She couldn’t risk it again. “That’s good. I’m happy for you,” she finally said to Scotty. “I’m going to see what else I might be able to find to use as decorations on the village entrance.”
“We have some artificial boughs you could hang, but it might be better to use trimmed tree branches. There’s some lights out there, and you might want to think about some folding chairs too, for if somebody needs to sit down while their kids paint the wooden ornaments.”
“Very good ideas,” Libby said.
“We have some blowup stuff, too. Maybe Santa in a sleigh?” Scotty suggested.
“I’ll go take a look,” Libby answered, smiling at him as she turned and moved toward the Christmas decorations.
Scotty watched Libby walk away. He understood what she felt. She was afraid to hope again. Travis had hurt her so many times she was afraid to believe in what she surely saw with her own eyes.
Travis approached from the lumber part of the store.
“Hey! You find everything you needed?” Scotty called out.
“Yeah. Got the extra plywood added to the order. Where’s Libby?” Travis asked, looking around.
“She went to go see what other kinds of decorations we might use to decorate the entrance of the village,” Scotty answered.
“I’ll go find her,” Travis said with a smile on his face.
“Don’t hurt her again,” Scotty said.
Travis turned back to Scotty. He could see the apprehension in his brother’s face. “I’ve hurt both of you, for a long time. And that’s on me. There’s no excuse for it. But I can see who I am now. I can see what I’ve lost all this time. I’m so, so, sorry, Scotty. I can’t take it all back, but if I could I would in a heartbeat. But I will make sure that there is never another instance that causes you to doubt me, or to fear me.”
Scotty tried to brush off Travis’s apology. “I never feared you, you never hurt me…” he said.
“Not physically, but sometimes emotional pain is deeper and longer lasting. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry that I was so bitter, so resentful and so lost that I pushed you both away. You are the only two things in my life that matter, and I shoved you away like you didn’t. Give me a chance to show you that I’m not that male anymore. You won’t be sorry. And neither will Libby — if I can get her to look at me without wanting to slap me, I’m going to marry her, mate her, and love her endlessly until the day I die. No, that’s wrong. Even longer than that. I just have to earn her trust enough to prove it to her,” Travis said.
Scotty smiled at Travis. “I don’t know where you’ve been, but welcome home, brother. I missed you.”
Travis grinned and reached out to hug Scotty over the counter at the paint mixing station. They slapped each other on the back before pulling away from one another. “I missed me, too. Just give me a little time. You’ll see. Libby will be with us forever.”
Scotty nodded and grinned as Travis strolled away with his hands in his pockets, whistling Christmas Carols as he looked for Libby.
Travis walked out into the garden center which was where all the larger outdoor Christmas decorations were. He walked up one aisle, knowing from his sense of smell that Libby was on the one next to it. He paused when he heard her voice speaking to another woman.
“It’s so surprising to see you with Travis again. We hadn’t seen you together since he came back from overseas,” the first woman said.
“Yes, well, he needed some help planning his family’s Christmas Village this year,” Libby said.
“Oh, they’re going to do that again? I can’t wait to see it. And him. He hasn’t been around much.”
“No, he hasn’t,” Libby answered, the strain easily detected in her voice.
“I didn’t mean to offend you,” the woman said. “I mean, he is available again, right? Ben and I divorced last year, and it’s not like you and Travis followed through with the engagement. All’s fair in love and all that,” the woman said far too happily. “Thought I’d throw my hat into the ring and let him know he’s been marked as my target.”
Travis could scent Libby’s anger.
“He’s fully capable of doing whatever he chooses. Always has been,” Libby said.
“Libs?” Travis called out, starting to walk toward her again.
Libby didn’t answer, but the moment he turned the corner of the aisle he realized the woman she was speaking with had once been the crown princess of the mean girls of her graduating high school class. He ignored her and went straight for Libby.
“Couldn’t find you,” he said, barging right into her space and taking her into his arms. He didn’t hesitate, he held her tight while he devoured her mouth, kissing her in a way that should only be done in the bedroom. Then he took the kiss down a notch, moving over her lips more slowly before pulling away just enough to drop a couple of pecks on her lips.
“Well!” the woman said. “I thought you two weren’t an item any longer.”
Travis didn’t look away from Libby. He continued looking into her eyes while he answered the little bitch he’d always hated and resented for looking down on everyone. “Always together, even when we’re not. Never loved anyone but Libby, and never will.”
“You ready, my love?” he asked, slipping an arm around her waist and turning to guide her out of the aisle.
Libby looked up at him, stunned completely speechless.
“I see you got a cart full of lights. Planning to decorate the house, too?” he asked.
Libby nodded, still looking up at him.
“Cool. Let’s see what else we can find,” he said, leaving the former mean girl behind them, not even an afterthought.
Chapter 7
Maia was putting away the leftovers after dinner. They’d eaten right away as soon as Riley got home, thinking no one else would be coming, but a voice calling out to her, let her know they’d thought wrong.
“Riley? Maia?”
“In here, Lucas!” Maia answered, pausing in putting the gumbo pot in the refrigerator to place it back on the stove instead. “Riley is upstairs bathing the kids, and getting them tucked in.”
Lucas walked into the kitchen with a look on his face like someone had kicked his puppy.
“You okay?” Maia asked.
“Yeah,” he said, his voice indicating his solemn state of mind.
“You don’t sound okay,” Maia said.
“I’m alright. I’m just a little down,” Lucas said.
“How about some gumbo?” Maia offered.
“Gumbo? Yeah, I could eat. I can wait ‘til ya’ll have dinner though,” he said.
“We ate early. I didn’t think anybody else was coming,” Maia said, walking over to the cabinet to take out a deep soup bowl.
“I can run over to the diner, or have a sandwich at home,” Lucas said hurriedly, not wanting to impose.
