Chapter Twenty-Two
* * *
TRAVIS WAS SLIPPING on his boots on Saturday afternoon when his cell phone rang, Big George’s grinning face flashing across the screen.
He tapped the answer and speakerphone buttons. “What’s up, George?”
“We got a problem, Travis. Someone knows who Gemma is.”
Travis paused as he tucked his boots under his jeans. “How the hell did that happen?”
“Hell if I know, but I just got off the phone with Carol at Country Weekly, who said she was calling out of courtesy. Someone knows who Gemma is and is making a buttload of money passing on the information.”
“F*ck.” He wasn’t ready to go on record about them, especially with Gemma being so gun shy about the press. “Can you see if Carol will hold the story until next week, and I’ll give her an exclusive?”
“I can do that, but Travis, if other people know who Gemma is, then they know where you are, and it won’t be long until they start heading up there to get their own stories.”
Travis pinched the bridge of his nose and cursed, trying to wrack his brain for a way to tell Gemma, but nothing came to mind. “I just need the weekend, George. I just need a little more time.”
“I hope Gemma appreciates all the pressure you’re putting on me, son.”
Travis hung up the phone, wanting to hit something. It had to be someone from Rock Canyon who’d given her up. He had introduced her to Callum and others as Gemma but hadn’t shared her last name, at least he didn’t think he had. Maybe he should tell Gemma about the leak and hide them away until he could do some damage control.
Except tonight they were taking Charlie to the fair, and he had been looking forward to their family “date.” Gemma had allowed this to count as date number two, and Charlie was going to a friend’s house afterward. He had something special planned for her tonight as well, and he really didn’t want to ruin the progress they’d made.
Maybe he had a couple of days, just enough time to solidify their relationship. Big George could handle it.
“Dad, are you coming?” Charlie yelled.
Travis stood up and headed down the hallway, giving himself one last mental pep talk. It was perfectly okay to want to enjoy these last few days before they had to make some big decisions about their future together, and that was just what he was going to do. Leaving his worries behind, he walked into the living room and found Charlie sitting on the couch.
“Ready to go. Where’s your mom?”
“She’s outside, talking to Evan’s mom on the phone. I already told her that Evan said his mom said I could spend the night, but she always has to check up on me,” Charlie said, making a face.
Travis looked down at his son and said seriously, “You’re lucky. I wish I had been lucky enough to have a mom like yours when I was growing up.”
Charlie looked up at him in surprise. “Where was your mom?”
“She died when I was five. But even before that, she was never a good mom.”
Charlie was quiet for a while, and Travis added, “I’m not trying to make you feel bad. I just want you to appreciate that you have it pretty good. You’ve got a great mom who loves you, and you need to understand she’s just trying to protect you.”
“Sorry, Dad,” Charlie said softly.
Travis knelt down and saw the tears in his son’s eyes. Gathering him into his arms, he said, “Ah, kid, don’t be. I’m sorry.”
Charlie sniffled against his shoulder, and Travis whispered, “You know, you don’t just have a great mom. You’ve got a dad who loves you no matter what. Okay? Even if I don’t agree with something you do or say, you’ll always be my son.”
“Promise?” Charlie whispered.
Travis felt his own eyes sting. “I promise, Charlie.”
GEMMA WALKED BEHIND Travis and Charlie as they weaved through the game booths at the fair. The minute they’d walked through the gate, Charlie had hit the ground running, and Gemma was just glad he hadn’t been trying to force her onto the rides.
Charlie finally stopped in front of the Tilt-A-Whirl and hollered at her, “Hurry up, Mom!”
“I thought your dad was going with you.”
Travis’s arm snaked out to grab her waist, pulling her against his side. “Plenty of room for the three of us to ride together.”
“Just what I always wanted,” she said dryly, “to puke while being squished.”
He kissed the side of her neck and whispered, “It’ll be fun.”
She blushed as Charlie pretended to ignore them. When the ride operator opened the gate, they climbed into the car, with Charlie in the middle. As Gemma caught Travis’s gaze over the top of Charlie’s head, she smiled happily.
The ride started moving, and they spun around until Gemma felt her cheeks flattening. She tried not to look around too much, afraid she’d get sick and throw up, but when the ride ended, she felt okay.
“I want to go on the Ring of Fire next!” Charlie cried as he climbed down the stairs.
“I don’t know, Charlie,” she said, looking up at the giant loop roller coaster. Rides that stayed close to the ground didn’t worry her as much as the high ones, especially when they went upside down.
“Please, Mom?”
“I can go with him,” Travis offered, but when she looked up at him, he seemed to change his mind. “Actually, Charlie, let’s find something else. I think that ride makes your mom nervous.”
She was surprised that Charlie didn’t argue further as they walked down the midway. When Charlie spotted a photo booth, he yelled, “Let’s get our picture taken. Then I can add it to the scrapbook.”
Gemma remembered having climbed into one of them with Travis at the fair back in high school and held out her arm. “You first.”
Travis climbed onto the stool and she went in next, sitting so close she was practically on his lap, and Charlie sat in the middle, wrapping a skinny arm around each of their shoulders.
Travis put in the money and hollered, “Okay, funny faces!”
The flash went off, and Gemma offered, “Big smiles?”
They grinned at the camera, and Travis wiggled his eyebrows. “Kisses?”
Charlie made a gagging noise, and Gemma leaned closer to Travis so his lips could brush hers. After the flash went off, they had one more picture left, and they squeezed together, their cheeks pressed against one another’s.
Their pictures printed a few minutes later, and Gemma picked them up, laughing at their faces.
“Let me see!” Charlie pleaded, taking the pictures from Gemma. Charlie seemed to study them for a moment before nodding. “I knew it.”
“You knew what?” Travis asked.
Charlie handed the pictures back to Gemma, his crooked smile filled with pure joy. “That we’d look like a real family.”
TRAVIS HADN’T BEEN able to stop thinking about Charlie’s comment. He’d spent the last few hours chasing his son around while his wife laughed, and he agreed. They definitely felt like a family.
They met up with Charlie’s friend’s parents at around nine, and when Charlie had hugged first Gemma and then Travis before yelling good night as he took off after Evan, Travis shook his head.
“It’s amazing how much I love that kid,” he said, taking Gemma’s hand to lead her toward the exit.
“He is special,” she agreed, squeezing his hand tight. “I feel like he got the best of both of us.”
He kissed her temple and whispered, “You did a great job. You’re a wonderful mom.”
“And you are a wonderful father. Charlie adores you,” Gemma said.
As his eyes started to burn, he changed the subject. “So, technically, I was counting this as our second date, and I’m sorry that our third date is going to kind of bleed into this one.”
“What do you mean?” she asked as they reached his truck.
“Trust me. I think you’re going to love it.”
“TRAVIS CHARLES BOWERS, I am not getting on that thing!”
Travis tried to smother his grin as he said, “We’ll be perfectly safe, Gem.”
“Not if we crash in the wilderness. On the off chance we don’t die from that, we might get lucky enough to be eaten by wild animals.”
Travis looked between his irrational wife and the helicopter he’d hired to fly them into Stanley. When he’d told her to pack a bag with her swim suit that afternoon, she’d pestered him to tell her why, but he had wanted her to be surprised. He hadn’t bargained for her refusing to get on the damn copter.
“I mean it, Travis!” she yelled after him as he walked away from her to hand the pilot their bags and shook his head. He knew Gemma didn’t really like flying; she’d told him so when he’d asked why she’d driven to Vegas instead of hopping on a plane, but he hadn’t expected her to be quite so stubborn.
He walked back toward her and kissed her, delving in his tongue to massage hers until she was leaning against him. Once she was sufficiently relaxed, he said, “Come on, Cinderella, your chariot awaits.”
Before she could fully recover her wits, he bent over and picked her up, carrying her toward the helicopter.
“Travis—” Her voice was so shrill it made his ear ache, and he squeezed her tight.
“Gemma, I promise we’ll be fine and you will love this,” he said, helping her into the helicopter and buckling her seat belt. He sat next to her on the bench seat in the back, and after he was strapped in, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“I hate you!” she said, and he could hear the wavering in her voice.
“It will be okay,” he said, kissing her temple as the pilot climbed in and started the engine. Bringing his arm down and behind her, he held tight to her waist as they started to take off, watching the ground as they rose. Gemma turned her face into his chest, and he tried to hide his smile. He really didn’t like to see Gemma scared, but he also believed if you didn’t face your fears, you missed out on a lot.
And he didn’t want to miss Gemma’s face when she saw what he’d done.
The ride was smooth, other than a couple of little bumps, but Gemma held on tight to him. He rubbed her back and whispered to her about the way the valley looked in the moonlight, but she barely glanced at it. By the time they were coming over the mountain into Stanley, Travis was disappointed she hadn’t been able to enjoy herself. It was too bad, because the best view of what he’d done came from above.
They traveled over the mountains, and as they dipped down into the valley, Travis prodded, “Gemma, look.”
GEMMA WAS TERRIFIED by every jostle, but Travis’s voice was so gentle and coaxing, she managed to look out of the window toward the ground and held her breath. In the darkness below, white lights like strings of Christmas lights twinkled along the ground, and a lump formed in her throat that had nothing to do with her fear of flying.
Along the valley floor, the lights had been looped and twisted to form three words: I LOVE YOU.
It was the most romantic thing she’d ever seen, and she sighed with happiness.
“I had to hire someone to set up the lights, but the words are mine,” Travis said from behind her, and she turned to face him when he touched her chin. Her gaze met his in the dim light of the helicopter, and he ran his thumb across her lips slowly. “I love you, Gem.”
The confession was just as sweet the second time around, and with a small sob, she curled her hands in his shirt and used it to pull his mouth down to hers. She couldn’t seem to stop kissing him, even when the helicopter landed with a few little lurches. She wanted to stay in Travis’s arms and never leave, but the pilot shut off the engine, and her husband broke the kiss, giving her a hug before he helped her out of the helicopter.
Her legs were shaky as she stepped down and looked around the field, bare except for the twinkling lights. When Travis’s arms wrapped around her and he turned them both around, she saw that a little inn stood across the street from where they had landed. In the dark, it took her a second to recognize it. Then she saw the sign in the window: BIG BEAR CABINS.
“This is where we were the first time we made love,” she whispered, tears spilling onto her cheeks.
“Yep,” he said, kissing her shoulder. His hand slipped into hers and he grabbed their bags, leading her toward the road. Gemma followed, amazed at how little the place had changed, and she realized that although she had gone camping at Redfish Lake up the road a few times since, she had never been back here, even just to stop.
They crossed the road, laughing as they stopped at the edge of the main house. Travis set down their bags and took both her hands. “This place was one of my favorite memories, and it didn’t feel right making a fresh start without making a new memory here.”
Gemma cupped his cheek and said, “It’s perfect.”
Travis picked their bags back up and took her hand once more. They climbed the stairs and walked in the front door. A grizzled man sat behind the front desk playing with a deck of cards, his camo hat tipped back off his forehead.
“Howdy. Bowers?”
“That’s right,” Travis said, handing him his credit card. Gemma kissed his arm, her hand rubbing up and down his back.
When everything was signed and paid for, the man said, “Last cabin, number thirteen. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna lock up for the night.”
They took the hint and hurried out of the door. Gemma couldn’t stop her hushed giggles as she asked, “Did you get the impression he was put out with us?”
“Probably don’t want to ask him for any extra towels or pillows,” Travis said.
When they reached the last cabin, Gemma waited until the door was shut before flinging herself into his arms. He caught her to him, lifting her up until their mouths were even, and kissed her. Her stomach fluttered as she remembered the last time they’d been in this cabin, and when she pulled away, she whispered, “I love you.”
His lips found hers, molding them to his as he picked her up and carried her to the bed. “I love you, too, Gem. I never stopped.”
GEMMA SNUCK BACK into the cabin with their breakfast, and smiling as Travis continued to snore. Setting the tray on the little round table in the corner, she tiptoed over to the edge of the bed, watching him for a moment more as he snored lightly.
Their night had been just as magical as the first time they’d made love; without the awkwardness of course, but still, it had been lovely. She only wished they didn’t have to leave.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she leaned over and kissed him below his chin. “Travis.”
“Yes, wife?”
She laughed in surprise and then squealed when he trapped her in his arms and rolled her onto her back.
“Got you.”
She ran her fingers across his shoulders and down his arms, teasing, “I did bring food, you know, but if you aren’t hungry . . .”
“I’m starving,” he said, nipping at her lip.
“I brought omelets with hash browns and biscuits,” she said, and then cracked up when his stomach growled loudly.
“Okay, food, and then I’m going to bring you right back here and have my way with you.”
She pulled down his head to kiss his lips and whispered, “Sounds like a plan to me.”
He had been as good as his word, and by two they’d finally gotten out of bed. They’d climbed into the sedan he’d rented for a day trip and driven down the road to go for a walk along the shore of Redfish Lake.
As they held each other, Travis said, “I was thinking about cutting back on my tour dates so I can spend more time at home.”
Home. Man, she liked the sound of that. But she was enjoying the love bubble in which they found themselves, far away from the worries and stresses of real life.
“Charlie and I would love that.”
“I still have to finish up this last leg, but it’s only through November. After that, I’ll see what I can work out with Big George. I really think we can make this work,” he said, stopping to pull her into his body.
“I hope so. Can you afford to do it?” She ran her hands up his arms and over his shoulders, giddy that they were making plans but still ignoring the little worm of worry that plagued her.
“Yeah, definitely. I’ve been thinking about slowing down for a while, I just never had a reason before,” he said, kissing her playfully. “Now I have two: you and Charlie.”
How did I get so lucky twice?
“When does the helicopter return?” she asked, playing with the bottom of his T-shirt.
“Six.”
“So we have roughly four hours left to enjoy this little mini honeymoon?” she asked as her hands splayed over his abs, traveling up under his shirt.
“Uh-huh.”
“How ’bout a swim?”
Catching him off balance, she pushed him backward into the lake, laughing as he landed on his butt. Of course, her laughter only lasted until he got back on his feet and came after her. She took off running with a squeal, but he caught her around the waist and dragged her in.
They romped and played, splashing and tackling each other. When he finally picked her up to carry her out of the water, she snuggled against his chest.
“Are we going back to the cabin?” she asked as he stepped over a log and started walking up the trail to the car.
“Yes, so I can exact my revenge.”
“Will I enjoy this revenge?” she asked teasingly.
“Probably.”
“I can’t wait.”