Chapter 20
“Honey?” I called to Travis as I walked in through the garage that Monday. I was starving after an adventurous day teaching at both the preschool and studio.
Able came rushing in to greet me as I looked around our house that now felt like a home, and grinned. The space had truly been transformed with the changes we’d made. Colorful rugs now warmed the hardwood floors, a gorgeous sectional and loveseat sat in the great room, and artwork and family photos now hung on the walls.
My gaze turned toward the upstairs, thinking of the gorgeous upholstered bed, grand dresser, and bedside tables now filling our bedroom, along with a kickass mirror and artwork.
The house felt loved and lived in.
“Hi, babe. Be right out,” I heard Travis call from the command center, the one room we hadn’t touched in our home-ify efforts.
I sifted through the mail, opening my student loan bill with the usual sigh. Every month I paid through the nose, and the amount due only seemed to reduce by a marginal amount.
My brow was wrinkled in confusion as I stared at the balance listed when Travis walked in.
“I think there’s something wrong with my bill.” I sighed in frustration. The last thing I wanted to do was deal with the bank.
“What bill?” he asked as he slid alongside me, kissing my temple before looking over my shoulder.
“My student loan bill. It says I owe $0, and of course that isn’t possible,” I huffed. I threw the bill on the counter. “I’ll call them tomorrow.”
He shifted his stance and cleared his throat. “You don’t need to call them. I paid it, baby.” His declaration had me spinning in shock to face him.
“What do you mean, you paid it?” I demanded.
He shrugged. “I meant to mention it—with everything going on, it slipped my mind. I paid it off last month.”
My mouth gaped. “I owe $40,000, Travis.”
He eyed me steadily. “You did owe $40,000,” he amended.
I was so flustered I couldn’t tell if I was angry or if I wanted to jump in his arms to thank him for such a grand gesture. I was still deciding which way to lean when he pulled me close and tipped my face up to meet his gaze.
“I should have talked to you,” he apologized, his gaze full of warmth and a touch of concern. “You’ve been taking care of everyone else all your life, Em. I want to take care of you. This is only one small step in doing that. I know you love your job—I just want you to have choices. Maybe you don’t work quite so much, maybe things stay as they are.” He shrugged. “But I wanted that to be your choice and not because you’re beholden to bills you wouldn’t have if your parents had done their job and not been such assholes.”
“But… it was my debt,” I protested.
“There is no such thing anymore, baby,” he murmured. “Everything of yours is mine and mine is yours, whether that’s wealth or debt. Do you get that? Because it’s really fucking important to me that you do.”
“You should have talked to me about it,” I whispered.
“I know,” he agreed, his gaze steady, grip firm on my hips as he held me close.
“I don’t know what to say,” I admitted, still shocked.
“How about I say that I’ll always talk to you about these decisions in the future. And how about you say you understand that I’ll always protect you and take care of you.”
“I know you will,” I agreed softly. “I’ll always take care of you too.” It was important to me that he understood that.
A gentle smile tilted his gorgeous mouth. “Love you, baby.”
“Love you, too.”
He pulled back slightly, his gaze turned toward the fridge, which thankfully was now regularly stocked with food beyond meat and vegetables. “How about we get you something to eat? You must be hungry.”
I was still stunned by what he’d done, but nodded in agreement. When it came down to it, as what he’d done sunk in, I wasn’t all that surprised, really. Travis was the most protective and caring person I’d ever known, aside from my brother. He’d do anything to make sure I was cared for. I’d never known that growing up, and it was something I was readily coming to terms with. I was no longer afraid to get used to it—instead, I embraced having a true partner for the first time in my life. With that realization, any anger I’d felt slipped away, and returned to that warm flutter in my belly, ever present since I’d first laid eyes on him.
****
“It’s ringing!” I cried exuberantly the next morning as the telltale Skype ring sounded in Travis’s office and the computer screen came to life.
“I know, babe.” Travis chuckled at my excitement as he leaned against his desk beside me.
After weeks without communication, Ryan had been able to check in the previous day, and we’d set up time to Skype. I was so excited to see his face and to introduce him to Travis.
Finally, after another moment of connecting, Ryan’s face came into view. Dressed in his camos, with his hair closely shorn, he looked healthy if not a bit thin. “Hey, Emmie.” He grinned warmly, the video slightly delayed.
I’d take any communication I could get.
“Hi Ry, it’s so good to see you.” I beamed. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” he assured me. “Everything went smoothly. Glad to be back in a bed again, even if it’s a cot.”
“I’m sure. You look a little thin, are you eating enough?”
He rolled his eyes. “Emmie, please. I’m fine. Where are you, anyway?” he asked, confused as he looked at Travis’s office.
“Well, that was one of the things I wanted to tell you,” I began, a bit nervously. “I met someone. I wanted you to meet him—even if it’s just over Skype. Ryan, this is Travis,” I introduced.
Travis ducked closer so he was on camera, and offered a friendly smile. “Hey, man. Nice to meet you. Your sister talks about you a lot.”
Ryan eyed him skeptically. I anticipated him being a bit protective and had warned Travis that he may not react well at first. I’d never introduced him to a man I was dating before. “How’d you two meet?” Ryan asked by way of response.
“I’m friends with his sister,” I explained. “Her son is in my class. Travis was a SEAL, you two probably have a lot in common,” I added hopefully.
Ryan’s brows rose. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, I associate with jarheads on occasion,” Travis put in.
I looked at him in horror, but to my great surprise, Ryan laughed. “Yeah, well I guess I could be convinced to hang with a squid.”
“Oh geez,” I muttered at their macho banter. “Anyway,” I pressed on, “Travis runs a security company here in LA—you’d like his team.”
“There’s even a marine or two,” Travis grinned.
I elbowed him in the side. “And we, well, we moved in together a few weeks back.”
Ryan’s brows rose again. “You two moving at warp speed or what?”
“When you know, you know,” Travis replied. “We’re looking forward to having you back stateside,” he added, and I appreciated him so expertly changing the subject. “When do you put in your papers? Or are you re-upping?”
“Nah, four years was enough.” Ryan chuckled. “I’ll be stateside in two months if all goes well. We’ll land at MCRD.”
“Well man, I don’t want to presume. I’m sure you’ve made a lot of great contacts and have some things lined up, but I’d be happy to talk with you about some options when your enlistment’s up,” Travis offered, in a way that didn’t undercut Ryan’s ability to provide for himself but still offered opportunity. Once again, I was incredibly awed by Travis’s ability to read people and situations. I squeezed his hand discreetly.
“That’d be great. Appreciate it,” Ryan replied, his tone warmer toward Travis.
“You okay having your big sister welcome you home?” I asked with a raised brow.
“As long as you don’t try to kiss me.” He wrinkled his nose.
I laughed. “No promises.”
Both Ryan and Travis chuckled.
“All right, I gotta run. It was good seeing you, Em,” Ryan began, and after a moment continued, “and nice to meet you, Travis. Take care of my sister, all right?”
“Always.” Travis nodded seriously.
When the line went dead, I slumped back in my chair, relieved.
“What’s that look?” Travis inquired, looking down at me with a raised brow.
“That’s the look of someone who’s relieved that the two most important men in her life met and it didn’t go terribly.”
He dipped down to kiss me soundly. “Babe, that went great. He’s your brother, he has every right to be protective. I’d expect nothing less. He’ll come around. That went a lot better than it could have. We have time.” He grinned.
What a beautiful concept that was.