Not a Chance (Sweet Nothings)

chapter TWENTY-EIGHT



Arden fully enjoyed her Christmas Eve. It was much better than Travis's first meeting with her family. She'd relaxed and enjoyed watching him interact with all of them. Her other aunt and uncle came. They were closer to her parent's age and had three children, 12, 14 and 17. The seventeen-year-old was a girl, Becca, and up until today, Arden had always liked her. She wasn't that much younger than Arden and had always looked up to her older cousin.

Today, with Travis in the room, she barely even acknowledged Arden's presence. Instead she continuously put herself in a position to be noticed by him. The only positive side-effect was that Travis clung a little more tightly to Arden, showing even more affection than normal. Arden figured he was trying to convey to Becca that he was taken. He was generally quite a flirt, but Becca was being aggressive and Arden was thankful he had the good sense not to encourage her.

It didn't help that the girl was tall, leggy and had a great figure. "Yeah," Becca said. "I have a hard time finding guys to date, being 5'10" and all. I'd rather not date someone shorter than me." She said this to Travis as they were all gathered in the family room. The kids were playing video games at the TV. Travis and Arden sat on the love seat. Becca sat in the chair next to Travis's side of the love seat and was leaning on her fist gazing at him. Arden's aunts and her mother sat on the sofa across from them. They generally behaved like normal people except when Travis spoke at which point they hung on his every word.

"You could probably knock off a couple inches if your wore flats instead of those things," Travis said, nodding toward the spike heels Becca was wearing. Once again, Travis was wearing jeans with tears in the knees, not because they were stylish and made that way, but because he was a slob. He had on an old Splitlog Wolverines t-shirt and his favorite Dale Earnhardt cap on backwards. Basically he looked like a teenage boy. Except much bigger and tougher and sexier. He hadn't shaved in two days. The baby had been keeping him up a lot. Arden tried not to gaze up at him. She didn't want to look ridiculous like the rest of the women in her family.

"But the heels make my calves look so good, see?" Becca said, hiking up her skirt and pointing her toes so her calf muscles flexed beneath her perfect, seventeen-year-old skin.

"Those are some lovely calves," Travis said. But he only glanced and then tilted his face into Arden's hair and took a deep inhale. Then he kissed the top of her head and draped his arm over her shoulders.

"Anyway, why should I try to make myself shorter for them. They should just grow taller." Becca seemed unperturbed.

"They'll get taller. That last year of high school makes a big difference." Travis injected just a bit of boredom into his tone. Arden was thoroughly impressed. She knew he could flirt. She just didn't know he could not-flirt.

"More coffee, Travis?" Laura asked. She was poised on the edge of the couch.

"Yes, please," he said, handing his cup to her. But Aunt Jenny grabbed it before Laura could get to it.

"I'll get it for you, Travis," she said sweetly. "I was going that way anyway."

Travis just grinned at them while they tripped all over themselves to serve him.

Arden felt something she hadn't felt that first time he'd had dinner with them. She felt...proud. Proud to have something that so many other women wanted. Proud to have something her parents so voraciously approved of. And just proud of Travis in general. He really was a good man.

She looked up at him, examining his strong profile and his casual, comfortable smile. On impulse, she leaned up and nipped at his earlobe. Then she whispered. As she spoke in his ear, he leaned into her. When she sat back he was staring at her with heat and humor in his eyes, his brows raised in surprise. "You promise?" he said.

She nodded.

"Hot damn," he said, leaning back and pulling her tighter against him.

Arden couldn't help but take pleasure in Becca's look of disgust.

"Travis," said Uncle Todd from the entryway of the living room. "Come on down and play some pool with us."

"Sure thing," Travis said. He gave Arden a kiss, shoving his tongue halfway down her throat. She giggled as she struggled to remain upright. Then he stood, tousled her hair and followed Todd out of the room.

Arden was left grinning like an idiot, beet red and trying to smooth her hair down. Becca was glaring at her and her mother and Aunts were staring at her in varying expressions of amusement and bewilderment.

"So...," Laura said, "things seem to be going well."

Arden sucked in her lips, struggling to regain control of her emotions. "Mm-hmm," she replied. The fidgeted with the buttons on her blouse and the hem of her skirt because, even though she was fully clothed and respectable, Travis had left her feeling half-naked.

Aunt Jenny grinned. "You can't stop smiling, can you?"

Arden let go and laughed. "No. It's crazy, isn't it?"

They all shook their heads. "I've never seen you like this," Jenny said. "Not with Nick. Not ever. I'm very happy for you."

Arden felt heat rise to her cheeks. "Thank you. I'm glad everyone likes him."

"He doesn't really seem like your type," Becca said. She was examining her nails, trying to appear casual.

"Yours either," Arden said, a little bite to her tone.

Becca looked up sharply.

"I think he's perfect," Laura said. "Definitely a keeper. I'm sure your dad will want to offer him a job at the bank."

"That's nice, Mom, but I don't think that would go over too well with Travis. He's got this attitude. Like, 'I'm dirt poor and proud of it.' I don't know what it is. Plus he loves his shop. The only reason he wants children is so he can have more people to fix up cars with. He's already bought Emily this little NASCAR onesie. It's so cute." Arden wasn't sure whether "cute" was referring to the onesie or to Travis. He was taking to fatherhood really easily and falling in love with that baby way too quickly. He needed to keep his distance until they'd worked things out legally. Arden was already certain that if it was an option for him, Travis would keep her and raise her himself.

Arden had spoken to Dustin earlier in the week. Dustin said that when they were kids, Travis took in every stray animal that crossed his path. When they were teenagers, Travis was the guy that everybody bummed rides off of. He brought the booze to the party. He stood up for you in a fight. He helped you out of a jam whenever you needed it.

These things only opened Arden's eyes to something she already sort of knew about Travis. And it was something she felt she should think seriously about before committing to him. There was no doubt that Travis was a good-hearted man. But that kind of generosity would inevitably lead to pain in a lot of instances. It already had for Travis. And Arden wasn't sure she could live her life like that, watching him get hurt time and again.

At six, the women gathered in the kitchen to prepare dinner. The house was lit up with Christmas decorations and candles. Arden and Becca worked on making the eggnog together. When she was certain the older women were otherwise occupied, she leaned toward Becca and spoke in a hushed voice. "Quit throwing yourself at my boyfriend."

Becca wasn't shocked. "He's really hot," she said.

"I know that. Leave him alone. You're making him uncomfortable."

"I really like him," Becca said as she cracked some eggs and separated the whites from the yolks.

"He's mine," Arden said.

"Yeah? So? When you break up with him, then maybe I'll see if he wants to go out with me."

"First off, you're seventeen. Second...what makes you think I'll break up with him?"

"Because he's not your type. And I won't be seventeen forever."

"God, you're unbelievable."

Becca smiled smugly down at her. "Thank you," she said.

Arden laughed and shook it off. Becca was obnoxious, but ultimately harmless. The men came in when dinner was ready. Everyone sat around the big dining room table and Mark said a blessing over the food.

Travis leaned toward Arden. "I called Shannon. She said Emily's doing fine and not to worry."

Arden smiled at him. "That's good. Were you worried?"

Travis scrunched his face up a bit. "She's got that little sniffle. I just hope taking her out in the cold today didn't make it worse."

Arden managed with great difficulty not to laugh. "You're adorable," she said.

His concern immediately vanished as he smiled at her. "Well thank you," he said.

They got about two bites into their dinner when Travis suddenly jumped. He dug in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He got up and walked out of the dining room as he answered his phone. Arden dabbed her lips with her napkin and then followed him out.

He was standing in the hall, a look of intense concentration on his face. "Just calm down, Edna," he said. "Uh-huh. Okay. Okay, I said. Just call the police and I'll be right over."

He hung up and looked at Arden, an apology already on his face.

"What is it?" Arden asked.

"A problem with Duane. I won't be gone long. A half an hour."

"Okay," Arden said.

She kissed him and he left.





Travis was gonna beat the shit out of that boy. He drove Arden's Miata through town and South towards the trailer park where Vicki Nixon lived with her mother, Edna. He hoped the police would already be there so he wouldn't have to deal with it. But there was nobody. Travis could hear the sound of glass breaking and people shouting as soon as he stepped out of the car.

He jogged up the porch steps and knocked on the trailer door. He didn't wait for an answer. As soon as he walked in his instincts kicked in and he ducked as a cheap, porcelain statuette flew across the trailer. Edna had hurled it at Duane who was in the kitchen shouting at Vicki.

The place was disgusting. It smelled like weed and there were beer and whiskey bottles littering the floor. Vicki's face was pink and swollen. She was screaming and cowering. Duane was shouting profanities at her. Travis looked down and saw why she was cowering. He was holding a huge kitchen knife.

All Travis saw when he looked at Vicki was his own mother's face all the many times she'd been on her knees begging her husband to stop hitting her. All those times Travis had given in to the demon rage and thrown himself at the old man, kicking and clawing with all his might. Except now he was strong enough to do something about it. Strong enough not to get beaten back down.

"Duane, put the f*cking knife down," Travis shouted.

Duane glanced at Travis in surprise. Vicki reached down to grab the knife from him. But he jerked his arm back and slapped her with his free hand. Travis lunged at Duane, who had reared back to hit her again. He grabbed his wrist. Duane turned to face him, unadulterated hate beaming from his eyes. Travis balled up his fist and pulled back, ready to knock Duane out in one hit.

And then Duane punched him in the stomach. He felt it like a shockwave. He'd been punched in the stomach before and never had this reaction. All sound stopped and all he could hear was a dull ringing sound. He felt himself get punched once, twice more. He watched as the hate left Duane's face, replaced by terror. A dull clanging noise. A warm, wet sensation. Travis was doubled over, his hands to his stomach. He pulled his hands away and looked down at them. They were covered in blood. He looked down at the bloody knife on the floor and then back up at Duane.

He sank to his knees on the floor. Duane was on his knees in front of Travis, helping him lean back against the wall. He was crying and saying something. Travis looked up and saw Vicki screaming. He suddenly felt cold. Very cold. He started shaking violently. The edges of his vision grew blurry and then black. The last thing he remembered was hearing Duane shouting, "I'm sorry," over and over.



#

Arden and Becca were playing crazy eights with the younger kids. It was nearly nine o'clock and Arden was beginning to worry about Travis. But she forced it out of her head. When the doorbell rang, it didn't even occur to her that it could be anything to do with Travis. He would have knocked and come right in.

Her mother answered the door and a few seconds later, Emma came in. Her face was pale and tear-streaked.

"Oh, God," Arden said. "What did Dustin do now?"

Emma didn't react. She took Arden by the arm and led her to the couch. She held her hand. "Travis is in the emergency room," she said.

Arden laughed. "What?"

"He went to stop Duane beating on his girlfriend and Duane stabbed him in the stomach three times. They rushed him to the emergency room. He's lost a lot of blood and they're prepping him for surgery. I got all this information from Dustin. He wanted me to get you and bring you. He didn't figure it would be good for you to go by yourself."

Arden listened patiently. She felt vaguely nauseous. Travis was in the hospital. Travis had been stabbed. She repeated these facts to herself, but couldn't manage to make them seem real.

"Come on, Arden. It's all the way to Bixy. If we get there soon enough, maybe you can see him before he goes in. I don't know if he's conscious."

Arden couldn't feel anything. Nothing. She stared around her at all the concerned faces. Why were they so worried? Why were they looking at her like that?

"He should have waited for the cops," Arden said. Her voice sounded funny. Sort of far away.

"I know, honey. Let's get going."

Arden shook her head. "It's Christmas Eve. I should be with my family."

"Arden, we don't have time for this..."

"You go on," Arden said. Firmer this time. She was getting a grip. She was doing the right thing. "When you find out something for sure, give me a call. I'm not going to go all the way over there to pace around in a waiting room."

Emma gaped at her.

Arden didn't care. Something had snapped inside of her. She didn't want to go to the hospital. She didn't need to. She felt nothing.

"Arden, this is your boyfriend."

"I'm playing a game with my cousins," Arden said. "I'm busy."

Emma looked to Laura for help.

Laura stepped in and put her hand on Arden's shoulder. Arden stood and pulled away.

"Sweetheart," Laura said. "You need to go be with him."

Now Arden felt something. She felt angry. "No!" she shouted. "I'll go when I want to go. I don't 'need' to do anything. I'll wait and find out." She looked around her. "Why are you all looking at me like that? This isn't that big of a deal. He'll be fine and I'll go see him tomorrow. Let's get back to enjoying our evening."

She knelt back down on the floor at the coffee table where they had been playing their card games. It took a few moments, but eventually the cousins took back up their cards and started playing, albeit hesitantly. Arden heard the front door open and close. She put the whole thing out of her head. She was playing cards with her cousins. That was what she was supposed to be doing.