Page 17 of Willow Vale

Oh no.

I knew that voice. I’d heard that exact muttering of curses under his breath yesterday.

I winced.

Please, no.

River and I looked to see Travis bending down to pick up his cellphone from the floor. When I caught a glimpse at the screen, it was my turn to curse under my breath. His phone was completely shattered, some of the shards of plastic crumbling to the tiled floor when he turned it over with a resigned sigh.

Universe, why do you hate me? Can’t you give me one teensy break? Is that too much to ask?

“I am so sorry!” I blurted out.

Travis’s annoyed expression vanished the moment he noticed me. His eyes went wide when they found me grimacing at the sight of his broken phone.

“Delilah…” He tucked his shattered phone in the pocket of his dark blue jeans. He cleared his throat. “It’s fine. I, uh, needed a new phone anyway. That one was giving me all sorts of trouble.”

I didn’t believe that for one second.

“I’ll pay for it. God, I can’t believe I hit you again in lessthan, what, three days? I’m so sorry.” I could already feel my cheeks burning with every word I blurted out.

“Really, it’s fine. I’m not even mad about it. At least this time no bodily harm was done.” He chuckled, his laugh was deep and gravelly making butterflies dance around in my stomach.

I rubbed a hand over my face. “Really, I’d feel a lot better if I just paid for it.”

“Delilah.” Travis placed a hand on my shoulder right before giving me a gentle squeeze to get my attention again. I looked up hesitantly to find him grinning at me. “Do I look mad?”

“No, you don’t. Which I don’t get,” I muttered. “Usually you have a big crease between your eyebrows every time I see you.”

“You sure know how to flatter a guy you physically assaulted twice in a week.” Travis snorted before he released my shoulder, although he placed his hand over my olive-green Henley. Our skin hadn’t made any contact whatsoever and I still felt goose bumps invade my skin.

“Hi,” River chirped between us. “Who are you?”

Travis’s attention went to River, and he flashed my brother a big smile. One that nearly stole my breath away.

“Hey, I’m Travis. What’s your name?”

“My name is…” River looked to me first as he started to get shy again. I nodded with as much encouragement as I could muster given who was standing before me. “River. I’m River.”

Travis murmured, “River.”

My hand tugged on the hem of my shirt as my own curiosity got the best of me and I chanced a glance at his face. There was a genuine smile there as he talked to River without any awkwardness. I blinked to make sure I was seeing thatright. Travisneversmiled. Even back in high school, he rarely smiled at people unless it was aimed at his family and even then, it was a small thing at best, there and gone.

I couldn’t help but watch the way they interacted with each other. Most people my age always talked to River like he was a baby, or not at all. It was why I always made it a point to talk to River about our feelings, explaining why we feel certain emotions the way that we do and how to go about handling them. With patience and kindness. By communicating with one another. He wasn’t going to be a kid forever, and I needed to establish the emotional tools he’ll need when he’s grown up.

I shouldn’t have been surprised that Travis was the complete opposite of the people who didn’t know how to interact with a child. He wasn’t like most people. Not to me, at least.

Travis stopped an arm’s length away from me, still smiling at River. “How old are you, River?”

River held up his fingers. “Four!”

Eventually, Travis’s gaze shifted toward me. “I heard my mom offered to watch River tonight. Do you still remember how to get to the ranch?”

“I do,” I answered.

“That’s good…”

Was it? The way he was staring at me made me wonder if he truly meant what he just said. His words were one thing, but his gaze said a whole other thing. It was as if he was holding back. Not allowing himself to say what he truly felt. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to stick around to find out what that was.

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