Page 55 of Willow Vale

I frowned. “What? But I need it to get back to my apartment, do you expect me to hike back to town?”

“You must be feeling pretty awful if you can’t rationalize why driving that hunk of metal in the middle of the night with your eyes practically half closed is a bad idea.”

I felt like a little kid being chastised, moping because they got grounded as I followed him out of the bar. A cold gust of wind swept over me the second we stepped onto the sidewalk, and I shivered once again.

Travis cursed before he shrugged his zip-up off and draped it over my shoulders, momentarily stunning me.

“Don’t argue with me, Delilah. Take the damn sweater,” he said, knowing exactly what I was about to say.

I didn’t have it in me to fight him. Instead, I wrapped it around my shoulders and relaxed into the sweater. It waswarm and smelled like him. It was more comforting than it should have been. Still, I hid a smile beneath the collar when I zipped it all the way up.

We walked side by side, waving whenever we passed someone heading toward the bar. Our hands brushed slightly every now and then, sending a spark from my fingertips to my heart. At first, I thought it was by accident since we were walking so close to each other.

Then, his large hand gently took a hold of mine.

If Travis was affected, he didn’t show it. Just kept on walking until we rounded the corner of the building.

“I’ll drive you to the ranch and drop you two off at your apartment. I promise the Bronco will still be in the same parking spot tomorrow.”

Travis opened the passenger door, waiting for me to get in. The things he did for me, as small as they were, made me feel all warm inside. Cared for. Unfortunately, him being a gentleman didn’t make me feel any better at the moment.

He eyed the way I kept my arms wrapped around my waist and shook his head. “Why didn’t you say something sooner? You look awful.”

“Gee, thanks. You’re always so sweet to me.” I patted his chest in passing as I climbed into his truck.

He muttered something about being stubborn before he closed the door. The second Travis hopped in and started the ignition, he put the heat on full blast—for me, I realized.

“Thanks,” I said, tucking my chin and lips under the collar of the jacket, hating that I couldn’t warm up even with the pleasant flow of heat warming the cab. It was warm enough outside that we didn’t need the heat at all. Maybe I was coming down with something after all.

We drove down the streets with the sound of FleetwoodMac playing softly through the speakers. I smiled when I recognized the song.

As if he heard my thoughts, he asked, “‘Landslide’ still one of your favorites?”

“You remembered.”

He glanced at me briefly. “Of course I did. You played it every time we got in my truck. One whole summer you only played Fleetwood Mac, it drove me crazy.”

I gasped. “You said you loved them!”

“No, I said I loved you enough to listen to them for three months straight. You just thought that meant I loved them. To this day, I have all the lyrics of ‘Dreams’ permanently engraved in my brain.” He chuckled. “They grew on me after that, though.”

I blinked, looking to him and catching sight of his profile just as the headlights of an oncoming car drove past us. The lights briefly caressed his sharp features in the most perfect way.

He’d loved me enough to listen to my favorite band.

He’d loved me.

Past tense.

We’d never said those words to each other when we were younger. But I’d always loved Travis. How could I not? He was the single most remarkable person I’d ever met. Kind despite always looking annoyed. Patient and mature in a way that most guys weren’t. Selfless when it came to looking out for others—for me—and he’d never once complained. Not really.

I reached over and ran the back of my fingers down his arm, needing to touch him. It was a hesitant, searching touch. One that spoke volumes about how vulnerable I felt in this moment because of his words.

When we came to a stop at the light, he looked over. Hiseyes softened when they found mine, my vision blurred with tears I couldn’t explain. It was probably because I felt as awful as I looked. Or the fact that I hadn’t gotten much sleep in the past two days.

All I knew was that I felt too overwhelmed when it came to him. I wasn’t sure that would ever change.

“Come here, darlin’,” he said as if he knew exactly what I wanted without asking. That I needed him even if I couldn’t bring myself to ask. It was too hard for me to do that. To allow myself to rely on anyone. It scared me to risk my heart to disappointment and hurt again. But with Travis, it felt ok to at least try.

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