Chapter 10

Travis headed over to Worth the Fight Academy to train, just as he did seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year. The truth was that he was nervous. He knew that Lawrence wouldn’t just come in, make threats, and disappear. He’d spoken to Jack about it, but there’d been no further sign of Lawrence. Before going to the Academy, Travis had driven by her place, and there were even more cameras now than when the story broke.

He was adding weights to the bar when he heard the bell at the gym door ring, signaling that someone had walked in. Jessica’s early morning yoga class had just finished, and the Academy was relatively empty. He turned to see Tony speaking with someone who did not look like he belonged in a gym. The man had a perfectly pressed gray suit, blond hair that was parted to the side and smoothed down with a lot of product—it didn’t look like it would move if he stood in the middle of a tornado. Tony pointed at Travis, and the man looked at him briefly and then back at Tony, who nodded.

“Yo, Texas. Someone’s here to see you,” Tony hollered.

Travis put the weight down and walked over. “Yes?”

“Mr. Calhoun?”

“Who’s asking?” Travis’s arms crossed over his chest.

“I’m Xavier Gleason,” he said by way of introduction, but Travis didn’t budge. He didn’t know the man, so he needed more. “I’m an attorney. I think you know my client’s daughter. Penelope Richards.”

“Stepdaughter, you mean.”

“Actually, daughter, since he adopted her years ago,” he corrected Travis.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Gleason?”

Xavier looked to his right; Tony was still there, holding much the same stance as Travis. “Is there a place we can talk?” the lawyer asked.

Today was filming day, but it was still early and the cameras and staff hadn’t yet arrived. Travis didn’t want to hear any of the lawyer’s bullshit, but at the same time he wanted to know why the man was here.

“You can use my office,” Tony offered.

“This way.” Travis indicated the direction.

He opened the door to the small office and sat behind the desk while Xavier pulled out a chair in front of him. “Talk,” Travis ground out. He knew this was not a friendly meeting. There had to be a reason they’d come to him before going to Penny.

“Mr. Calhoun, were you aware that Penelope is the daughter of Kip Owens?”

“Yes.”

“And you know that Kip is a very respected pillar of the community? He’s not just a preacher you see on television. He’s also an author and very involved in charities and—”

“Don’t give a shit what Kip does. A man who’ll force a woman—his daughter—to a home for unwed mothers like she did some horrible thing isn’t someone I care to associate myself with. Get to the point, Mr. Gleason.”

“The point is, his daughter shouldn’t be seen in public like this.” Xavier reached into his briefcase and pulled out a stack of newspapers showing Penny kissing Travis—the shots were from different angles, but all pretty much the same photo.

“For the love of God, it’s one damn photo! Who gives a shit?”

The man then slid a stack of papers toward Travis. When Travis saw all his criminal records in black and white on the paper, his temper flared.

“It’s not just a kiss,” Xavier said evenly. “It’s a kiss with a woman who’s been missing for a year. Mr. Owens has been beside himself—”

Travis planted his palms on the table and leaned in. The bullshit was getting too thick and it was starting to piss him off. Just because he wasn’t a highly educated man didn’t mean he was an idiot. “Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining, Gleason. Tell me what it is that you want and why you’re here.”

“Okay, fine. You’re a criminal. Your record is a mile long. You’re known as a bad boy, a womanizer. You have tattoos. A few weeks ago you gave a reporter the middle finger. And you never finished high school. Your mother was a drug addict, and you…well, who knows what else you do except commit violent acts for a living.”

It was taking everything Travis had not to commit a violent crime at the moment.

“Y’all are supposed to be godly people. God wouldn’t be okay with you coming into my home and judging me. Aren’t you supposed to believe in redemption?”

“We believe in doing what’s best for Penny. Don’t you, Mr. Calhoun? Do you think that being with you is the best thing for Penny?”

“The way I see it, Kip hasn’t cared what’s happened to her in over a year. Maybe I’m not the best thing for her, but leaving Tarpon Springs, where she has friends, to go where she ain’t wanted isn’t what’s best for her.”

“You’re embarrassing her.”

Travis uncrossed his arms and leaned in, his forearms on the table. “I don’t reckon Kip has a say in what Penny does or doesn’t do. No one has bothered to look for her in over a year, as far as I can see. These photos were taken out of context, not that it’s any of your business or her stepdaddy’s.”

“Mr. Owens is on his way to collect his daughter and granddaughter.”

“Is that a threat?” Travis asked. “I don’t take kindly to threats.”

“No. It is not a threat, Mr. Calhoun. Just a fact. You have a nice career that is just beginning to take off, and this bad publicity has the potential of ruining it for you. Why get entangled in a public mess such as this?”

“You better finish up whatever you came here to say,” Travis snapped, leaning forward.

“All Mr. Owens wants is for Penelope to come home quietly. All you have to do is allow it.” He took out an envelope and slid it across the table.

“A fuckin’ bribe?” Travis stood, causing the chair to fall back. He threw the envelope back at the man. “Get the fuck out.”

“Not a bribe, Mr. Calhoun. This is for your troubles and all your help in keeping them safe. You might not believe me, but Kip really does want what’s best for them. You’ve got to know that being back in her home with her family and with financial options that don’t include working at an unsavory nightclub is what is best for her. You seem to care for her; if you understand that, you’ll make the right choice.” He placed the envelope back on the table. “You can go back to your calm life, which didn’t include a struggling single mom,” he added, then walked out.

Travis stood with his fists pressed against the table as he breathed in and out trying to calm himself. How dare this man, acting on behalf of Kip Owens, waltz in and presume Travis could be threatened or bribed? He was on Penny’s side. If she wanted to leave, he’d help; if she wanted to stay, he’d help. It was her call. He wasn’t ready for her to walk out of his life completely, but if she needed to do that, he wouldn’t stand in her way, even if it pained him to see her leave.

He righted the chair and sat down, his thoughts all over the place. Did he want his life to return to the way it was? Was keeping Penny and Belle in town just because he enjoyed having them around the best decision? Back in Oklahoma she’d probably live in a damn castle with cooks and maids. She wouldn’t have to work. He did have enough money to care for her here, but they weren’t at that point in their relationship yet. And even if they were, she’d never quit her job and depend on Travis; it wasn’t in her character. Penny had made it seem like Kip was a manipulative self-centered asshole who was only looking out for his own best interests, but Gleason made it seem as if Kip was worried. Maybe he’d changed. All these questions were circling his mind when he reached for the envelope and opened it.

“Motherfucker,” he hissed. A cashier’s check for fifty thousand dollars. That’s how much his cooperation was apparently worth. That was money that Penny could’ve used this last year. The fact that Kip could hand it over so casually meant that the man had a shitload more. He wanted to rip up the check, but instead folded it and put it in his pocket. Maybe Penny could use it, although he suspected she would be too proud to accept it.

When Travis emerged from Tony’s office, the top-of-the-line Academy was swarming with people. On filming days, all of the guys went in. Even though the days and times for training were scheduled, mostly to accommodate the cameras, the workouts were not. He really did work out as much and as hard as was being documented. It had taken about a week to get used to being filmed, but by now it was easy to forget that the cameras were there. Especially when he was inside the cage, his hands taped, his mouth guard in, and a thick arm was being flung toward his face.

“Let’s go, Texas!” Tony yelled from outside the steel cage.

Travis mentally shook his head. Cain had almost landed that punch. He needed to focus.

“Use your shoulder. Push,” Tony coached.

Cain barreled in, wrapped his arms Travis’s middle, and flipped him to the ground. All the fighters had their individual strengths. Some were good at tae kwon do, some at jiu jitsu, others at boxing or kickboxing. Travis was the only one who was good at everything. Maybe not great at one, but skilled in all. His strength was his speed. He was known to be fast. It was normally hard to land a punch or take him down. The fact that he hadn’t even seen Cain coming meant that his head wasn’t in it.

“What the hell is going on with you?” Slade barked from the other side of the cage.

“Bet it’s gotta do with pussy. Pussy’ll fuck with your mind,” Tony said.

Travis’s eyes narrowed. “Shut up.”

Tony ignored him and continued. “Either he’s not getting any or the one he wants to get it from isn’t puttin’ out.”

Tony, Slade, and Cain laughed at his expense. They were all his good friends, but he wasn’t in the mood to joke around; he just wanted them to leave him alone. “I’m getting plenty of ass. Now, come on and do your job,” he said to Cain as he jumped up and down. “I don’t have time to gossip like a little bitch, like you two assholes.”

“I thought you wanted to gossip, since you were fighting like a little bitch,” Slade shot back, his tone more serious, one eyebrow arched high.

“Get your fucking head outta your ass and concentrate. Lemmon is training hard. He wants to keep that belt and isn’t going to let you have it easy,” Slade added. “You need to focus, Texas.”

Slade was right. All he’d ever wanted during all the years of training, living, and breathing MMA was this one fight. He couldn’t lose. He just couldn’t. It wasn’t even an option.

He bounced lightly on his feet. “Bring it, Cain,” he practically roared as he refocused his attention. For the next half hour he fought until his arms felt like they were going to fall off and his thighs and calves burned with every move.

When he finally stopped and spat out his mouth guard, he remembered that the cameras were still filming.

He didn’t even know how he got home; it hurt to push in the clutch and even to turn the steering wheel. When he opened the door, the smell of a home-cooked meal wafted toward him. He walked into the kitchen, but it was spotless, which made him frown. It smelled too good for there not to be food. It was late, and he wasn’t sure what Penny had decided to do. He hadn’t received any calls from her today, but the light that seeped out from under the door indicated she was still there.

Softly he knocked on her door. “Come in,” she answered, and he hesitantly opened the door. She sat on the carpet in the room, her daughter crawling around. She had that weird knot on her head again and the thick glasses. Strange how much he liked that relaxed side of her. It was natural and easy.

“Hi.” She greeted him with a smile, and quickly stood and straightened her T-shirt. “I made some food, and I left you a plate in the oven. There was some beef in the freezer and I made a roast. Hope that’s okay.”

“Smells so good in here, I was worried you cooked and took it all with you. Thanks for cooking.”

“It’s actually kind of like a bribe,” she admitted shyly. “After Olivia left today, she drove by my apartment and there were still lots of reporters. So I was kind of hoping that maybe I could stay one more night. If that’s okay with you, of course. If not, it’s okay, I can just—”

He reached for her hand and stopped her. “Hey. Shh. It’s fine. As long as you need. There’s no rush for you to leave. You don’t need to cook for me for that.”

“Thank you, Travis. Really, I just—” Her eyes glistened, but he saw her quickly compose herself. “Thank you,” she repeated softly. “I don’t know what I’d have done without you.”

“So, why are you two in here?”

“I don’t want to be a bother. The room’s so big, we’re fine.” She reached for his face, cupping his cheek. Her warm soft palm felt so at odds with his sweaty, bruised face. “You okay? What happened?”

“I’m fine. Hard training session today.” He took her hand and kissed her palm. “And I already told you, you’re no bother. I’m going to go take a quick shower and then eat. Why don’t you come join me?”

She looked down at her daughter. The little girl really was cute, Travis thought. “Okay. Well, let me see if she’ll stay in bed and I’ll be right there.”

Penny tucked Belle into bed and slid in next to her. She hummed her favorite lullaby for the three minutes it took the child to fall asleep. She stacked some pillows next to her, to make sure she didn’t roll off the bed, and then went to the kitchen.

“I’m not used to coming home to real food,” he said, slipping on a T-shirt as he walked into the kitchen. She caught a glimpse of those rock-hard abs she was all too familiar with, but it was the bruises on his side that held her attention.

“You weren’t kidding about the training today, were you?” she said, concerned. She lifted the shirt a little.

“I needed to refocus. Once I did, I was in my zone. I honestly didn’t notice any of the bruises until I finished.” He popped open a beer and sat across from her.

“Are you limping?”

“No. Well, maybe. My legs hurt. I’ll be fine. Thinking of installing a hot tub outside. It’ll help with the soreness.”

“Maybe you’re training too hard. It shouldn’t hurt that much, right?”

“I think it’s supposed to.” He put a big forkful in his mouth. “Wow. This is so good.”

“What do you normally eat, cowboy?”

“Protein shake or two,” he replied, and when he saw her scrunch up her face in disgust, he added defensively, “They’re not so bad.”

“Better than real food?”

“Hell no. But they’re fast and easy.” He took another bite. “Where’s the kid?”

Penny rolled her eyes. “Belle,” she said, emphasizing the name, “is asleep. We were in the pool for hours. She’s exhausted, but I think it was the best day of her life.”

“There’s two empty rooms. You don’t have to share a bed with her.”

“I don’t mind. She’s not familiar with the house and she doesn’t have a crib. It’s okay. I feel good having her close by.”

“You should get one of those,” he said, pointing the fork at her.

“One of what?”

“A crib.”

“I have one. It’s in my apartment.”

He shrugged and took another bite. “You work tomorrow?”

“Yes. Olivia said she’d watch her. I don’t want to take her to Ms. Hannigan’s because I don’t know if it’ll be safe to go back to my apartment complex.”

She toyed with her necklace and drank a glass of milk as he ate his food. “You want to watch a movie?” he asked.

“That sounds nice, but I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable in your own home. What do you normally do when you come home? I don’t want to be in your way.”

“I would go to the Pier.”

“You can go, you know. Don’t feel obligated to come home because of us. Really, we’re okay.”

“I used to go to the Pier to look for you. To talk to you.”

She laughed nervously. “Travis, I’ve made such a mess of things. I am so sorry about everything. Maybe I was wrong not to have told you about Belle earlier.”

“You need to stop apologizing. Looking at it rationally, I understand why you didn’t. I was an asshole about it. I probably wouldn’t have given you a chance because of my own fucked-up issues and I would’ve missed out.”

“Can you tell me about those issues? What is it about kids that you dislike so much?”

“I don’t know, Penny. It’s just something I never thought I would have. Hell, I didn’t even think about it, to be honest. My life was such shit growing up, I don’t want to screw someone else up.” He stood and took his plate to the sink. Head down, his hands gripping the sink, and his arms locked, he sighed. “The thing is, Penny, I can’t un-like you. It would be easier. But I can’t.”

“I don’t know what to say. I can’t even say that I wish things were different. I love Belle and I can’t imagine not having her in my life. And that night with you, that one extraordinary night, was the best night of my life. I guess I wish you could accept that I have a child. But I don’t want you to feel trapped. I understand that’s not what you want. And there are absolutely no hard feelings if you want to stay just friends. I mean that. I don’t wish you could un-like me, though, Travis. It kind of hurts my heart that you would say that, because even with everything, I don’t dislike you. I maybe…maybe I even like you more.”

He didn’t turn to look at her, and she decided it was best to let him be. So she went to the living room and sat on the couch to wait for him to start the movie, if that was something he still wanted to do.

She heard some fumbling around in the kitchen, and then he was sitting with her on the couch, her at one end, him at the other. “Anything in particular you’d like to watch?”

“Nope…nope…nope,” she said as he went through a list. “Oh! The Expendables. I like that one.”

He shook his head and laughed. “C’mere, Penny.” He patted the space right next to him. “Sit closer to me, momma.”

Tentatively she scooted over. He pressed play and put his feet on the coffee table, his arm over the back of the couch. Somehow she ended up in the little nook between his shoulder and arm.

It was odd yet familiar sitting curled up against Travis. He smelled so good and felt so warm against her. There was nothing soft about the man—he was all hard lines and rough edges. She scooted in a little closer, loving the way he felt. “Keep rubbing yourself on me like that and I won’t be responsible for my actions,” he growled in a rumbly voice full of desire that matched her current state. She continued to look at the television, but her eyes weren’t really focused on the screen; every nerve ending in her body was focused directly on the man pressed against her. The man whose fingers absently caressed her shoulder. She wasn’t sure where to put her own hand. She so badly wanted him to kiss her. But it wasn’t her call to make. He was the one having thoughts about whether or not to move forward in their relationship. It needed to be him.

“I want to kiss you so fucking bad right now,” he said, as if he were reading her mind. She looked up and was surprised to find his blue eyes staring at her. The crooked nose that she loved so much looked almost menacing below his desirous glare. With one hand he cupped her cheek, leaned down, and kissed her hard. It was hard and desperate, so much so that her body arched, and before she knew it she was flat on her back, his large body hovering over her as his tongue explored her mouth. Her hand threaded through his hair, pulling him closer. “So good,” she moaned into his mouth as she ground herself against his thigh.

They were deep into a hot and heavy make-out session, the movie long forgotten, when Belle began to cry. Penny sat up abruptly, and they bumped heads. “Sorry,” she said.

“ ’S okay. Is she all right?” he asked, real concern in his words. “Don’t think I’ve heard her cry before.”

“She’s probably just scared, since she’s in a strange house. Let me go lie down with her for a while.” She straightened out her clothes. “That was…wow.” She shook her head. “Anyway, I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Why don’t you bring her here?”

“She may cry for a little bit, Travis. I don’t want to be in your way.”

“Stop saying that. It’s fine. Really,” he said as he stood. “Come on. Maybe if you…I don’t know…hold her? Rock her? Whatever it is that kids like. Maybe if you do that, she’ll fall asleep again.”

As he followed her to the room she told him apologetically, “She may not fall asleep that easily. I’m sorry for leaving you…um, like that.” She awkwardly pointed to the bulge in his pants.

“It’s not that, Penny. I like spending time with you. Making out or at arm’s length, it doesn’t matter to me.” He didn’t want to go to sleep yet. It was always a problem—he had all this excess energy, and normally he paced around or exercised it out of himself. But with Penny in his house, he didn’t want to leave her to go run this late in the evening. She’d think he was crazy. He needed the distraction and the company.

Penny walked into the room, where the little girl was sitting up on the bed, crying. She looked so scared and helpless. Until that moment, Travis hadn’t really looked at the little girl. Her blue eyes were clear like his own, her cheeks were red, and her nose was runny from all the crying. Seeing her cry pained him. The little girl looked at Travis as if he held all the answers, and that scared the shit out of him.

As soon as she saw Penny, she lifted her arms and tried to reach forward, but began to tip over. Instinctively Travis pushed Penny out of the way and caught the kid before she fell off the bed.

Startled from the near fall, and also from being held by a stranger, the kid began to wail. “Shit,” Travis said nervously, and handed the kid to Penny.

“I can’t believe you caught her. Thank you!” Penny said, still surprised. She lightly bounced the child up and down. “It’s okay, sweetie. Mommy’s here. Shh…”

Travis stared at the pair for a moment. As far as he could remember, his mother had never comforted him. Never. She’d basically left him and his sister to fend for themselves. He wondered if maybe she’d been different when they were little. Had she had moments of sobriety that made her…human? JL had seen it on occasion and even forgave her at some point, but Travis never had. Mostly because he had not seen one redeeming quality about the woman who gave birth to him.

The only reason he’d ever shed a tear for his mother was because it cut him deeply to see his twin sister sad. Even at the funeral, it had bothered him how little he felt. Maybe he wasn’t hardwired correctly. What kind of asshole didn’t care that his mother had died? She had been a shitty mother. The worst. But he should’ve felt something. Anything. Right?

Seeing Penny and her daughter together, though, did something strange to his insides. He’d felt it the other day when he’d visited JL and his niece and nephew. It was an unfamiliar feeling. He had never seen a relationship like that, one where there was clearly unconditional love. All that Penny had sacrificed for that little girl—it was disconcerting. Strange, even.

He walked out of the room and went to sit back on the couch. Soon Penny emerged with Belle in her arms. “If you hadn’t been there…” She shook her head. “She could’ve been seriously hurt.” The kid had stopped crying and was looking around intently in her mother’s arms. “Is it okay if we sit down?” Penny asked.

“Yeah.” He patted the space on the couch and scooted to one side. “Sit down. Is she all right?”

“She’ll be fine. She’ll be asleep in no time.”

“Should we wait?”

“No. Hit play,” Penny said as she ran her palm up and down her daughter’s back. Her shoulder and thigh pressed against his.

Travis tried to relax, but the little girl kept looking at him. Penny was oblivious, but Travis couldn’t help looking back at those eyes staring at him. He tried to turn his attention back to the movie, but then he’d feel her stare. It was creepy…until she began to laugh. It was as if she was playing with him. She’d hide her face against Penny’s neck and then look up at him through her lashes. He couldn’t help but smile back, which made her giggle. Her teddy bear fell out of her tiny hands and her bottom lip began to quiver, so he quickly reached for it and gave it to her. “Bubba,” she mumbled through her pacifier, and giggled again.

About halfway through the movie, Penny rested her head against his shoulder. It wasn’t like before, like when the kid was sleeping and she’d relaxed against him. This time she’d fallen asleep. But the little cherub was still awake.

“Um…” He wasn’t sure how to maneuver himself without startling Penny. So he hesitantly reached for the little girl first. “ ’S okay,” he said, extending his arms. Surprisingly, the kid went to him without any hesitation. “Twavis,” she said in a mumbled slurp of saliva and pacifier.

“Yes, I’m Travis. Let’s get you to bed first and then we’ll come back for your momma, okay?” he said, and the little girl giggled back. He still didn’t like kids, but this one in particular wasn’t horrible.

Awkwardly he carried her to the room and placed her in the bed. But then he got nervous she’d fall again, so he put her on the carpet. “Stay. Don’t move.”

The baby looked up at him and laughed. He ran down to the living room. “Penny, darlin’.” He went to lift her, but she startled and stood up, the top of her head bumping against his chin. “Oh. Ow. Sorry.” She rubbed her head and he rubbed his chin.

“Shit. Sorry. You fell asleep.”

“Where’s Belle?” She looked around.

“In your room.”

“You took her there? You carried her?”

“Oh, uh…yeah. Was that not all right? Shit, I didn’t think, I—”

She placed a hand on his shoulder. “No, it’s fine. More than fine. It just surprised me. I know how you’re allergic to children,” she said sleepily. Like she did often, she got on the tips of her toes and kissed his cheek. “Good night, Travis.” She hurried to her room, and when he heard the sound of her door close, he fell back onto the couch—the couch that now smelled of baby powder and Penny. Getting these two females out of his life was going to be impossible. And the oddest thing was…he wasn’t even sure he wanted them out.