Page 4 of Theirs to Love

“Sounds good, I should change too. How about Giovanni’s on Main Street, at eight?” Emily smiled and nodded. He picked her favorite place and she wasn’t sure if that was a sign or not but she was going to keep that information to herself.

“I’ll see you there,” she said breathlessly. She needed to take a long, cold shower before meeting Jackson for dinner because honestly, she wouldn’t be able to keep her hands or her thoughts to herself otherwise. Jackson turned to leave, and she found herself standing in the hallway a little longer than she needed to, watching his very fine ass in his tight uniform pants. He looked back at her, smiled, and threw her a wave back over his shoulder, causing her to gasp at being caught ogling him again. Yeah, she needed a very cold shower and maybe, just maybe she’d be ready to face having dinner with the sinfully sexy Jackson Saint.

Travis

Travis pulled the pan of lasagna from the oven and tossed it on the stovetop. He went to all that trouble, left work early, and even stopped to pick up a few candles to set the mood only to get a text message from Jack telling him that something came up and he’d have to cancel. A phone call, at the very least, was in order since he was canceling so late but that was all the explanation that Travis got—something came up.

He downed his beer, shut off the oven, and decided that he wasn’t going to spend the night sitting alone in his tiny apartment. He needed to go out, preferably on a date but if not, he’d settle for a night out without sitting in front of the television. He’d be damned if he was going to sit by the phone waiting for Jackson Saint to change his mind.

Travis changed out of his sweat clothes that he threw on after his shower. He was hoping that Jack would want to keep things casual tonight since Travis was already feeling nervous about having Jackson over to his place. He only moved there a few months prior, and he wasn’t fully unpacked. Truthfully, his little apartment didn’t feel like home, but no place had. He was a serial mover, always looking for the next best place to live, tryingto find somewhere he not only fit in but would feel like home. Since coming out as bi, he had been trying to fit in anywhere that he could. But between his sexual preference and the way that he looked, he never seemed to find his niche.

He pulled his favorite flannel shirt over his black t-shirt, zipping up his favorite pair of worn jeans. Travis grabbed his wallet and truck keys, blowing out candles as he looked for his boots. He checked his reflection in the mirror, not missing how tired he looked. Ash and Jamison had him working some overtime since little Star was born. Now, with a new little one on the way, the guys would need even more help out at the farm. He just wasn’t sure if he’d be able to keep up. Besides, a part of him felt a little jealous that the guys found someone as great as Regan. And the way that she just sort of fell into their laps, literally, really had him rethinking his life. Hell, maybe he should put an advertisement out for a cook to find his perfect partner. Travis was hoping that Jackson Saint might be the one but being stood up by text was one giant red flag.

Travis locked up his apartment and headed into town not sure where he was going to end up. He knew that he could always find a few friends down at the local dive bar but hanging out with his buddies wasn’t going to cut it. It was too late to head over to Manholes. He knew that if he showed up there tonight he would end up taking home some guy that he would regret spending the night with in the morning. Travis wasn’t looking for a fling he wanted something more, something real. But his cock was screaming at him that he needed to get laid, and he wasn’t about to argue that point. It had been almost six months since Travis had picked up a one-night stand. He was at the local bar, and he ended up taking home one of the local townies. She was ready and willing until the next day when she started asking him personal questions and he answered the one about being bisexual, honestly. She mumbled something about havingto start believing the local gossip, threw on her clothes, and was out of his apartment within minutes. It was for the best since he didn’t want to be with someone who didn’t accept him—all of him.

He decided to stop at his favorite little Italian place. Honestly, it was the only Italian restaurant in town, but the food was still great, and the owners were personal friends. Tony always seemed happy to see him, and he knew that Travis liked to keep a low profile while out in town. People still liked to talk about him as if his sexual orientation was newsworthy. Still, it was nice to have friends like Tony who helped him stay off the town's gossip train. He sat in the back of the restaurant in a private corner booth. He loved the ambiance of the place, often fantasizing about bringing a date with him. But he was pretty sure that if he brought Jackson to someplace as nice as Giovani’s he’d be feeding fodder to the gossip fire that always seemed to surround him.

“How about a nice bottle of wine?” Tony asked.

Travis shook his head, “Just bring me whatever you have on draft, Tony.” His friend nodded and disappeared to the back where the bar was. Travis looked around the dining room already knowing what he wanted to order. The crowd was pretty good for a weeknight and Travis was happy that his friend's place was fast becoming a town favorite.

Tony brought him his beer and had a waitress take Travis’s order of lasagna. Yeah, he was a creature of habit, and he was looking forward to his lasagna tonight. It was his mother’s recipe and his way of remembering her. Every time he made it, he’d think of her telling him that he was adding too much cheese, and he’d smile at the memory. It was always bittersweet, remembering his mom. She always gave the best advice, even when she found out that he was bi, she told him that he had to be true to himself and not give a fuck what other people thought ofhim. He loved how kick-ass his mom was, never afraid to speak her mind and never afraid to tell it like it was. He wished she was still around.

His father was another story. When he came out his dad refused to speak to him, shutting him out completely. His parents had divorced when he was just five years old and his dad’s involvement in his life was patchy, at best. After his mother passed, Travis decided to meet his dad to tell him that he was bi, but his father wouldn’t listen. He told Travis that he must be confused because no son of his would ever dance with the devil like that. His father had always been a little overzealous when it came to religion. Hell, most of the town was. But Travis expected more from his father, he at least hoped that his dad would come around to just be okay with the whole thing, but he wasn’t. His father left that day after saying horrible things to Travis that could never be taken back, and he never saw him again. Maybe it was for the best. He didn’t need people like that in his life, but it still hurt like a mother fucker.

Travis sat back in the booth allowing himself to relax and realized just how tired he felt when Doctor Emily Jude made her way through the front door. She leaned into whisper to Tony, causing him to laugh. Travis couldn’t help his smile; she was like sunshine. He wanted to wave her over and ask her to join him, but he worried that he’d just make a fool of himself. What if she was with someone? Regan and the guys were egging him on, trying to get him to ask Emily out but he didn’t want to step out on Jackson, wanting to see where their relationship was heading. Now, after being given the brush off, Travis wondered if he shouldn’t take a shot at the beautiful doctor. He decided to stop being a coward and follow his mother’s advice. He needed to break free from his bubble and step outside his comfort zone.

He stood and crossed the restaurant to where Emily stood still talking to Tony. As soon as she noticed him her blue eyeslit up. He wanted to take that as a good sign, well until Jackson walked in behind her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

“Sorry,” he stuttered. Jack stopped short at the sight of Travis, removing his arm from around Emily’s body. Travis tensed, feeling his smile turn mean. Emily looked between the two of them seeming confused.

“What’s going on here, guys? Do you two know each other?” she asked.

“No,” Travis growled. I thought we did but I was wrong.

Jackson barked out his laugh, “Oh come on, man. I was going to call you, but I got hung up at work.” Travis knew that he was wearing a scowl, not believing a fucking word coming out of Jack’s mouth.

Emily gasped, “You were his date?” She looked Travis up and down as if seeing him in a different light. At the farm earlier she seemed a little turned on by him and he had to admit that he liked the way she flirted with him. She even sounded a little breathy and needy every time he touched her. Now, he wasn’t sure that Emily would ever give him a chance. Most women weren’t into men who liked being with other guys and he got it. He worried that he would never be completely happy with a woman no matter how fabulous she was. A part of him would always long to be with a man too, it was just who he was.

Despite his boss’s happy marriage sharing one woman, he didn’t know of too many polyamorous relationships that worked. Hell, just finding one person to be with was proving to be a challenge for him. Finding two would be damn near impossible.

“Yeah,” Travis tossed back at Jack, “it looks like you’ve been busy with work.” He felt bad for lumping Emily into their argument, but it stung that she was there with Jack. If he could go back and do today all over, she’d be there with him and possibly spend the night under him. And fuck, he couldn’t getthe images of Emily, Jack, and him tangled up together out of his head thanks to fucking Ash and Jamison.

Emily turned bright pink making Travis instantly regret his words. He was unintentionally mean to her, and he needed to get himself under control before he said something that he couldn’t take back. Travis turned back to his table and threw down enough cash to cover his bill and tip, turning to walk back past where Jack and Emily waited for their table. Jack was talking to Emily in hushed tones and Travis couldn’t understand what they were saying. Not that it mattered since he was pretending not to care. He was hurt and wanted to exit the restaurant with at least some of his dignity still intact.

He stopped with his hand on the door, debating whether or not he should say anything else to them. What else could he possibly say? He wanted to ask why Jackson tossed him to the side so easily, but he knew the answer to that question—Emily. Hell, she was the most beautiful woman that he had seen in a long time, so he got why Jack did it. That didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like hell to be passed over for the pretty blond doctor.

He decided to end on a high note and then slink home to drink until he didn’t feel the pain of rejection. “Have a nice dinner guys.” He nodded in their direction and pushed the door open to leave. So much for a relaxing night out. That would teach him to want a change of pace. From now on, he’d stick to what he knew. Travis knew for sure that he was never going to feel normal or fit in this backward town. Thoughts of moving on made Travis sad, he’d lived in town all his life, but he knew he’d never find his future by staying stuck in his past.

Jackson

Jackson was pissed at himself for not explaining to Travis about his crazy night. He didn’t give him the chance to go into much detail about delivering a baby in the front seat of a minivan on the side of the road. Instead, Jackson came off as an uncaring, unfeeling ass and probably let his only chance with Travis Sharp walk out of that restaurant door with him.

“I’m not sure why you would cancel your date with Travis to go out with me tonight,” Emily whispered when Travis walked away from them to pay his bill. “He seems like a great guy, and I know that I shouldn’t say this to you since we are on a date but he’s hot.” Jack shot Emily an incredulous look, not missing the way her eyes flared as she watched Travis walk back past them, to leave.

“How the hell do you even know Travis, Emily?” She hesitated as if she didn’t want to fill him in on how they met. Was she seeing Travis on the side? When he and Travis went on their second date they spent most of the night talking about what they wanted their futures to look like. Travis admitted that he liked Jackson and the pair of them agreed to try to be exclusive to see where things went. He fucked that all up asking Emily outto dinner. He wasn’t sure why he did it. Hell, that was a complete lie. He did know why—she was a walking wet dream that made him hard just standing in the same room with her.

“I can’t tell you exactly how I met him. I have to follow the doctor-patient confidentiality, but I can say that we met through one of my clients.” Jackson wasn’t sure what to think about Emily’s admission. Why the hell did Travis know someone who was pregnant? Unless Travis had a pregnant girlfriend on the side and that thought had Jack seeing red. He wasn’t sure what the fuck was going on, but he planned to find out.

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