Page 55 of Connected By Love
Maxand I are painting at the kitchen table when I hear Travis walk through the door. I can’t help how my heart speeds up, and excitement runs through me every time I see him. I ended up staying Monday night after we made full use of the bathtub again when Max went to sleep. He made it damn near impossible to leave once he carried me to his bed and showed me again how much he wanted me.
I still leave before Max gets up, but I can tell it’s getting harder and harder for Travis to keep that last bit of the wall up. Neither of us has said the words, but his actions show me just how much he cares. I know he feels it from me, too, because my feelings are so strong at this point that it’s impossible not to show on my face. The more time I spend with him and Max, the deeper I fall in love with them both. My heart isn’t mine anymore. It hasn’t been for a while now.
I grin at him as he walks over to the table. I stop myself from jumping in his arms and wrapping myself around him for a kiss. I can tell by his look that’s exactly what he wishes wecould do. He gives me a wink instead before ruffling his hand over Max’s hair.
“Did you paint that? You did a great job.” Travis bends down to examine the painting. I was so engrossed in my art that I didn’t notice what Max was drawing. I look at it now, and my heart is in my throat. He drew Travis with his dark hair and tattoos on his arm, and he’s holding Max’s hand. On the other side of Max is a girl who is obviously me. My dark hair is down past my shoulders, and there is no mistaking my green eyes. We all have a big smile on our faces.
Travis looks up and meets my eyes as I blink back the tears. He gives me a small smile before looking at the painting again.
“This is you, Daddy,” he says, pointing to the taller figure on the right. “And me in the middle, and this is Miss Lane. When we draw families at school, I always draw you and my uncles with Aunt Savi, but most of the kids draw a mom and a dad. We have dinners together a lot, just like families do, so I wanted Miss Lane in my family pictures, too.”
Emotions slam into me so hard that I stand up and excuse myself, saying I need to use the bathroom. I practically run out of the kitchen before Max or Travis can see the tears escaping down my face. I shut the door to the bathroom and take a few deep breaths.
The realization of how badly I want that picture to be true hits me like a ton of bricks. I run a shaking hand through my hair before grabbing some tissues and dabbing my eyes. I hear a soft knock on the door.
“Sophia,” Travis says softly. “Can I come in?” I quickly wipe my eyes again and open the door. He steps in and closes it.
“Max…”
“He’s watching TV.” He studies me, piercing me with his greys as the emotions swirl around in them. “I’m sorry if thatmade you upset. It’s a lot to take on all at once. Most girls just get one guy to focus on, but you have two in this deal. I forget how hard that might be on you.”
I shake my head. “I’m not upset. I was just taken off guard.”
“I don’t understand.” He steps closer and wipes the last of the tears away. “Why are you crying then?”
I take a deep breath and be completely honest with him. “I’m crying because of how bad I want that picture to be true,” I whisper quietly. “He drew us as a family,” my voice breaks as I blink back the tears that start to form again at the mention of being a family.
He closes his eyes as my words hit him. I try to gauge what he’s thinking, but I lose my thought when those greys open with a hint of moisture in them as his lips slam into mine. He grasps me so tight like he’s afraid I’m not real, as his tongue greedily finds mine. Lifting me up on the sink, I wrap my legs around him as he steps in between and pulls me flush against him.
He’s urgent and frantic as he takes what he needs from this kiss. His emotions pour off of him, enveloping me with everything I’m feeling and more. When he pulls back, he rests his forehead on my shoulder to catch his breath.
“Let’s do something Saturday together. Just the three of us. I think…” He breaks off, struggling with the words. “I think we should tell him this weekend about us. I want him to know how crazy his dad is over Miss Lane and that he’ll be seeing a lot more of her.” His words are barely above a whisper but are being heard loudly by my heart. I know how huge this is for him to involve Max in this relationship. He’s letting me all the way in.
I lift his head and meet his eyes. “I’d love that. How does a jet ski day sound? I have a set we can use. We could take him out for a ride and spend the day at the beach. Let him see us naturally together and slowly take it from there.”
The smile he gives me reaches my soul, as mine matches his. “He would love that. It sounds like the perfect day.”
“It will be.” I lean forward and kiss him again. We break apart and get back out there before Max comes looking for us. I walk into the kitchen and see his painting hanging on the fridge.
“Thought it would be a good spot to hang our first family photo,” he whispers in my ear.
“It’s perfect,” I say softly.
After dinner, Travis puts Max to sleep, and I take my glass of wine and head to the backyard by the pool. The moon is full tonight, and with the light breeze, it’s beautiful out. I sit on the edge of the pool and dangle my feet, enjoying the feel of the water.
“There you are,” I hear Travis say behind me. I was so focused on the stars that I didn’t hear him come outside.
“It’s such a beautiful night. I wanted to enjoy it for a bit.”
“I know a better way to enjoy it.” He takes his phone out of his pocket and taps a couple of things on his screen. “I have a camera on Max’s room and motion sensors that alert me if he opens the door.” He shows me the phone and I see Max sleeping peacefully in his bed. “He’s usually out for the night, but it will give us a warning, at least, if he gets out of bed.”
“A warning for what?” I watch as he removes his shirt and the rest of his clothes before diving into the pool naked. I laugh when he splashes me from the dive. He breaks the surface next to me with a grin on his face.
“A warning so I can cover you up before he sees you naked. Now get undressed and get that perfect ass in here.”
I giggle as I get up and quickly undress. His eyes never leave mine as I dive in next to him. When I break the surface, he reaches for me, and I wrap my arms and legs around him. Ifeel him already hard against me. He walks us to the shallow end, and warm air hits my naked body.
With just the light of the full moon, I can still make out his perfect features as I wind my fingers through his hair. “Might have to use more makeup than usual tomorrow.”
