Page 36 of Ice, Ice… Maybe?

You could have heard a pin drop – and unfortunately, that silence enabled him to hear Becca’s apartment door open behind him. She was already finished and returning to where he was waiting.

“Anyone else want to test me?” Travis said bluntly. One man stuck out his hand and shook Travis’, while the reporter he knew as Wilson started waving away some of the others.

“Let’s go people…”

“Wilson,” Travis called out easily over their heads, giving the man a boon since he was helping corral everyone away from Becca. “Thank you, sir – and you get a solo interview Wednesday in the locker room. I appreciate everyone giving us space.”

“Thanks, Travis!” the man hollered openly, giving him a thumbs up. “Have a great weekend, you two.”

Travis gave an easy wave and walked toward Becca who was now hanging back, looking at the reporters warily.

“C’mon, it’s fine. They should be leaving us alone for a bit. I was just throwing the dogs a bone, and now they’ll go play for a while until they want another one,” he chuckled and gave her a smile before reaching for the glass Pyrex dish. “Want me to carry that? It looks delicious.”

“Sure,” she replied and looked past him again. “And you are sure about this?”

“Yup. We’re clear – and they should be leaving you alone. Well, for a while at least.”

“Really? How?”

“I told them if they kept harassing and following you, there would be no more interviews,” he smirked and winked at her. “So if they bother you again, please let me know. I could do without them and would happily tell the reporters to go away or sic the coach after them.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” she sighed, looking utterly relieved as she met his smile. “We’re free then? Just a couple of normal people heading to a barbecue?”

“Just you and me, a couple of normal people who want some privacy for a family barbecue,” he said softly, leaning forward to carefully kiss the tip of her nose. “Let’s go. I’m excited to meet everyone.”

CHAPTER 12

BECCA

Travis drovehis SUV out toward the family farm. Each mile that passed was a strange combination of feelings, torn between ‘coming home’ and ‘here we go’ thoughts. As they exited off the highway onto the farm road that led directly through Yonder and bordering Ember Creek, she felt him touch her hand.

“Hey,” he said quietly. “Are you okay over there? You’ve been quiet for the last half hour.”

“Just thinking,” she admitted and hesitated, looking at him. “I’m excited about seeing everyone but also scared. Does that make sense? I mean, it’s a big farm, and my oldest brother was handling the load, but it also made him awfully prickly sometimes.”

“And you’re worried he’ll snap or say something?”

“Maybe? I don’t know,” she said nervously, chewing on her lip. “Then there’s Matthew. You’ll love him. In fact, everyone does… a little too much. He’s probably kissed half the women in town and slept with a third of them. I’m mortified to admit it, but my brother Matthew is the village bike – just don’t tell him I said that.”

Becca rubbed her forehead and heard Travis’ laugh, sliding a look toward him before continuing. “Toni is a sweetheart and a bit of a firecracker, but I’m sure that’s because she’s the one that usually ends up getting designated to tell Jason when something is wrong. My youngest brother, Luke, is the baby.”

“How old is he? Is there a big gap between your ages?”

“Luke’s twenty-three,” she chuckled. “He’s three years younger than me, but the poor guy is always going to be called ‘the baby’ in our group cause he’s the youngest.”

“They sound perfectly normal, so what are you worried about?”

“That we won’t fit in with them, or Jason will be venting about something making me feel guilty, or even…”

“Whoaaa, Becca,” he chuckled, pulling over on the side of the road and looking at her. “This is your family, and they are important to you – which is why this means a lot. Let’s go into this with no expectations and just enjoy the day. If it’s too much, we can claim I have a practice to get to and leave. Nothing says we have to stay the whole weekend, especially if you aren’t enjoying yourself.”

Becca smiled warily, nodded, and then looked away.

“What?” he prompted, giving her hand a slight squeeze. “What was that look for?”

“I grew up here. I love it here. Have you ever thought that maybe you might hate them? Or that I might not want to leave? I know that singular thought has kept me from visiting as much as I probably should have…”

His silence made her look at him finally, expecting to see that he was upset or disturbed – but instead, Travis almost looked happy at her words.

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