Chapter Nineteen
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“HOW COME I can’t come?”
Travis finished buttoning his shirt and ruffled his son’s hair. “Because I need some time alone with your mom.”
“I thought you wanted to spend time with me,” Charlie said, a definite pout in his voice.
Travis sat down next to him with a sigh. “I do, Charlie. We spent all day hiking in Hagerman, and we’re going to spend tomorrow together, too. I just want to have a date with your mom, because if we can’t make our marriage work, we can’t be together.”
Charlie hesitated, and seemed to be weighing his answer before he finally said, “Okay.”
The one-word answer said he still wasn’t happy about being left behind, but that was tough. Travis loved his boy, but right now he wanted to get Gemma alone, without all the secrets between them, and see what happened.
“Come on, let’s go see if your mom is ready.”
Annie pushed past both of them, leading the way out to the living room, and sat by the stairs? staring up at them forlornly. Travis had to smile at the dog’s obvious affection for her master’s standoffish mother.
“Gemma, are you about ready?”
“Be down in a minute!”
The doorbell rang, and Travis went to answer it, only instead of just one babysitter, there were five teenage girls with wide eyes and dopey grins staring back at him.
“Hi there,” he said, confused, “can I help you ladies?”
The one in the middle, a slim blonde with a red face, muttered, “I’m so sorry, Mr. Bowers, but my friends were wondering if you would sign a few things for them.”
Gemma had told him the sitter was the Andrews’ youngest daughter, Jenny, and although he was irritated, he tried not to show it. “All right, I can do that. Are they all staying to help you watch Charlie?”
“No, sir.”
He took pity on the poor girl, who obviously hadn’t meant for her friends to come over, and said, “Why don’t you go on inside while I take care of this?”
Jenny walked around him while Travis stepped out, his arms crossed over his chest, and for the first time, the girls looked uncertain.
“I don’t mind signing autographs and meeting you girls, and I appreciate the enthusiasm, but under no circumstances do I condone showing up uninvited at my wife’s house when we’re getting ready to head out for the night.”
The girls’ countenances showed regret, and the chorus of I’m-sorrys was contrite enough that Travis took a short brunette’s pen and signed their CDs. When he finally made it back inside, Gemma was coming down the stairs in a floral summer dress, her brown hair in loose curls around her shoulders and a pair of brown cowboy boots on her feet.
She was hot as hell.
She stopped on the second step up so they were at eye level, and he blamed it on the gold flecks in her eyes, but he couldn’t help leaning over to give her a soft kiss.
It was so fast, Charlie barely had time to offer a yuck before Travis opened the door again. “Shall we go?”
GEMMA LET TRAVIS help her into the truck, trying not to feel guilty for leaving Charlie home, but as much as she wanted to make her son happy, she needed to be alone with Travis.
He jumped inside, and she couldn’t help admiring his smiling face in the dim light. It looked like he’d even had his hair cut for the occasion.
“So, where are we headed?”
He shut the door of his truck and put the keys in the ignition with a grin. “I’d say Vegas, but we’ve already been there.”
Her cheeks burned. “I’m serious.”
“It’s a surprise.”
THE MOVIE THEATER looked deserted as they pulled up. Gemma let Travis get her door, still confused as to what was so surprising about a movie.
It wasn’t until they reached the door that Gemma saw the sign:
CLOSED FOR A PRIVATE EVENT.
“You rented out a movie theater?”
Her voice sounded a little high-pitched, but really, the amount of money that it must have cost!
“I talked with the manager and got a great price. I figured you’d rather have a night alone without people and their camera phones. Besides, if I’m going to try to keep us under wraps, we have to have privacy.”
Gemma shook her head in disbelief as an older man opened the door for them, looking like he was about to keel over.
“Mr. Bowers, welcome.”
Travis and the manager exchanged pleasantries as her husband slipped his arm around her waist. “Are you hungry?”
She’d eaten a wrap for dinner, but the smell of popcorn and hotdogs reached her nose, making her stomach grumble. “I could probably go for some popcorn.”
GEMMA HAD NEVER laughed so hard in her entire life.
She’d sat down with Travis for the first movie, an action adventure, and cuddled into his side when he slipped his arm behind her seat. Twenty minutes in, she had been so done with all the shoot-’em-up-bang-bang, she was fidgeting in her seat.
“Wanna see something else?”
She’d looked at Travis in the darkened theater and whispered back, “Can we do that?”
He’d grabbed her hand and laughed. “For the amount of money I’m paying, we can do whatever you want for the next,” he looked at his phone, “three hours and twenty-four minutes.”
“In that case, I’ve always wanted to movie hop,” she said, grinning.
And that’s exactly what they’d done, hopping from theater to theater until they’d settled on a romantic comedy she’d been planning to see with Gracie. Between the food, the running around like a couple of kids, and the movie, Gemma’s face and stomach hurt from all the laughter.
Of course, cuddling with Travis had been a bonus. A major one.
The credits rolled on the movie, and Gemma yawned as she sat up, stretching. “That was fun.”
She caught Travis’s smile and asked, “What? Do I have nacho cheese on my face?”
“I was just thinking that this is something I could get used to,” he said softly.
“What, paying whole theaters to close down to everyone but you?” she teased.
He leaned over and took her mouth with his, playing across her lips until she was melting in her seat.
“I meant being with you, for real. Nothing between us. No lies. No secrets.” His mouth moved along her neck, and her nipples tightened and tingled. “Just us having fun and being happy.”
“Uh-hmmm.”
They turned to face the manager, who looked very uncomfortable. “I’m sorry to disturb you, Mr. Bowers, but I’m afraid it’s time.”
Travis sighed loudly but helped her stand, keeping hold of her hand as they passed the manager. Gemma tugged Travis to a stop and with her other hand squeezed the man’s arm. “Thank you so much for doing this.”
The man’s cheeks reddened. “It was no trouble, ma’am. Your husband was more than generous.”
They walked out of the theater and into the cool summer air. When Travis dropped her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulders, she snuggled in closer, enjoying the warmth and comfort Travis’s arms had always held for her. From the moment they’d met, she’d felt connected to him, like they were kindred spirits. She’d never felt that way about anyone else, ever.
He’d been the first man to ever accept her for the way she was, flaws and all. He’d held her when she’d been hurt and embarrassed, teased her sadness away with his charm. She had never even been tempted by another man, because no one could take the place in her heart that Travis had stolen.
He helped her into the truck, and without a word, she lifted the console, slid over to the middle seat, and buckled herself in. When he hopped behind the wheel, she cuddled into his side and laid her head on his chest.
“So, as far as first dates go, what do you think?”
I think I still love you.
“It was all right.”
His chest shook under her cheek. “How could I have done better?”
She smiled into his shirt. “Ice cream.”
“I’ll remember that.”
TRAVIS PARKED THE truck in the driveway and looked down at Gemma, fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. Her lips were softly parted and deep breaths warmed the front of his shirt as she slept.
Kissing her forehead, he whispered, “Gem, we’re home.”
“Hmmm.” She stirred against him and squinted, a sleepy smile on her face. “You are so hot.”
Chuckling in surprise, he slid his arm down and squeezed her against him. “You’re pretty damn sexy yourself.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls.”
He couldn’t tell if she was kidding by her tone and asked quietly, “Is that what you think? That I’m lying to you?” Will she never trust me?
She pushed herself up to look at him. “No, that’s not what I meant. I was just kidding.”
He tried to relax, to believe her, but he couldn’t help wondering whether, if they reconciled and he went back on the road, she would always wonder and have doubts. Would she always worry about him cheating?
Someone knocked on the window, and Travis looked past Gemma to see Jenny Andrews, the babysitter, shivering outside the truck.
Gemma pulled away from him completely and opened the door. “Jenny, is everything okay?”
“Yeah, sorry, Gemma, it’s just . . . I really need to get home. If I’m out past twelve, my mom has a fit, you know?”
Travis got out and pulled his wallet from his pants. As he came around the front of the truck, he handed Jenny a stack of bills. “Thanks, Jenny.”
Jenny looked at the cash and him with wide eyes. “Mr. Bowers, I only charge four dollars an hour.”
“Put it toward college.” He walked away, leaving Gemma to say good-bye, and headed for the house, a cloud of darkness hanging over his head. Maybe he had reacted so quickly to Gemma’s joke because of her lack of trust ten years ago, but he needed to get a grip. He had been the one to suggest they let go and start over. If that was the case, he couldn’t read something into every little remark or they would never heal.