Page 26 of Travis

She smiles. “Travis, sister-in-law or not, you’re my best friend. I’ll always love you, no matter what’s happened with you and Becky.” Her expression slips a notch. “I’m not sure if y’all want to talk about this, but Becky told me about what happened with you two at Macey’s birthday party.”

I feel my cheeks heat. This is kind of embarrassing, but I soldier on. “I’m sorry. I know it was inappropriate to do in your kid’s bedroom.”

Her eyes bulge. Her neck cranes. “Travis, that’s not what I mean. Hell, you and Becky can have sex right here on my sofa if it does you any good. What I mean is, how are you holding up after that? I’m surprised you didn’t tell me about it.”

“That’s because Becky made me promise not to tell a soul. I’m surprised she told you.”

“It came out in the heat of the moment. We had a fight. She cried. I cried. It was a mess. But, nonetheless, I know what happened.”

“She says it was a mistake. She was angry at me, I think, for letting it happen. Now she’s even more angry at me for giving her grief over this Greg person.”

“I don’t know why she didn’t tell me more about him. I’m meeting up with her later for dinner, maybe she’ll fill me in.”

“Make sure you find out what you can before then, Sara. Maybe head her off before he gets too involved with her. If he’s after her money, he’s a fool. If he’s after her business, he’s even more of a fool. She’s like a mama tiger when it comes to her company. I just hope that she sees through those baby blues before he takes her for all she has.”

“I’m sure Becky can smell trouble, Travis. But, bless you for worrying about her.”

I look at her. “I love her, man.” I say with more conviction than I mean to. “It doesn’t matter if we’re together or not. Anyone tries to get in her path, they’re going to have to go through me first.”

“Me, too, darlin’.”

…and we soon learn that Becky will need both of us to get her through the next while.

Chapter 8

Becky

Greg’skeyisstillin the ignition. His knuckles are white. His face is set. With a gaze like stone, he stares at his steering wheel. “What’s the problem?” I ask. “Did you not like Liam and Hanna?”

A long sigh, a smack on his steering wheel, and he bites his lip, before speaking. “It was about three years ago. I was taking a night school course to make up for one that I flunked. My car broke down in the middle of an intersection and I had to push it over, with some guy’s help. He was in the car with this girl, and, I don’t know, she looked at me, I looked at her, and something clicked. It was her brother that was in the car with her, and I had to leave my car by the side of the road. It wasn’t fit for more than the scrap yard, anyway.”

He licks his lips, taking a slight pause. “They drove me back to their folks’ house, because her brother had to meet someone right away, and then she was about to offer me a lift back home, and it happened.”

“What happened?”

“The best sex I ever had my entire life, that’s what.”

My eyes widen. “Oh.”

“Yeah, ‘oh’.” He scoffs. “And I’m guessing that she was seeing Liam at the time, based on the look she gave me when I saw her today.”

“But…you didn’t think to question ‘Hanna who?’”

“Never put two and two together, I suppose. It’s sort of a common name, isn’t it?”

I shrug. “I guess so.”

“Anyway, I don’t know if she was unfaithful to him with me, or what the story is, but I get the feeling that my being there is going to put a wrench in this whole situation.”

“Greg, I think maybe you’re reading too much into this. You said it was three years ago, right?”

“Yeah.” He nods.

“Well, maybe it isn’t a big deal anymore. And if it is, I’m sure that Hanna will call me and say so.”

“And then I’m out of a job.” He laughs without a trace of mirth.

“I didn’t say that. Maybe we can talk this through.”

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