Page 85 of Willow Vale

Travis’s lips slammed over mine, cutting me off with a deep ragged breath when he slid his tongue against mine. What was once soft and slow turned desperate with both of our need to have this moment. To feel one another. His hands went to my shoulders, and he urged me to lay back down. I spread my legs for him and reached between us, taking him in my fist until he was groaning curses against my bare shoulder, rubbing his stubbled cheek against mine. His hand slid between my thighs, his fingers finding me ready for him and he moved as if we had all the time in the world until I was crying out.

“Travis.”I gasped his name, expressing my need to feel more. To have him closer. I arched into him, giving him more access, and he kissed my neck as he continued overwhelming me in the best way. Winding me tighter and tighter like a string ready to snap. I didn’t feel it happen until I was right there.

“Delilah,” he moaned as our hands moved almost inperfect sync. I gasped when he increased the pressure, fingers curling just right. “I’ve got you, darlin’.” I bowed into him, eliciting a groan from him as he watched me unravel. I was loud, and I didn’t care. It felt too good, too overwhelming as his blue eyes pierced through me and he rasped into my ear, “I don’t...fuck, I don’t have a condom.”

“I’m on the pill,” I breathed out right as he kissed me again, as if he needed to have his lips on mine at all times.

He stared at me for a long second before asking, “Are you sure?”

I nodded. “I want to feel you inside me. I’m sure.”

An emotion I couldn’t quite place flashed across his face, but he didn’t give me any time to ask him what it meant. Travis kissed me long and hard as he spread my legs and our hips finally met, making me shudder. Together we watched as he slowly pushed into me. The moment we connected, we sighed at the same time, and it felt so good, so perfect that I felt tears sting my eyes. There was so much of him, so much of me, the two of us intertwined in one another—perfect.

We were chest to chest, hearts pounding and panting each other’s name with every slow roll of his hips. I sank my fingers into his wet hair and tugged, losing all sense of control. If I was hurting him, he didn’t say a word. Too focused on getting us both where we needed to be. We went into a frenzy, needing more and more andmore. Before I knew it, we were rolling until I was on top of him, straddling his hips and he pushes into me again.

I whimpered and let my body take over when he encouraged me to keep going. Tells me how good this feels. His eyes were piercing as he watched me work myself against him until I was seeing stars, white hot and overwhelming.

“Travis, I need you,” I cried, and he must have known exactly what I needed because he sat up and wrapped hisarms around me. I kissed him deeply as we made love, chasing the connection we both needed. My nails dug into his skin as he dragged my hips back and forth.

A sort of desperation ringing in his voice as his hand cupped the back of my neck and rasps, “I’m never letting you go. Never.”

“I love you, Travis.” My voice shook.

“Say it again.” He moved again, and I moaned the words again and again. This time his voice shook as I felt his muscles bunch up beneath my palms. “I love you so much.”

With those words, we finally fell over the edge together. I cried out as he gathered me in his arms until there was nothing left. Until we were both spent and panting. When we finally caught our breaths, Travis brushed my damp hair away from my face with a soft smile. The same one I returned, knowing this wouldn’t be the end for us but the beginning. I’d make sure of that.

CHAPTER 36

Lila

It had beenweeks since I last saw or heard from Irene.

No one in the bar mentioned seeing her around either, and Saul said he’d heard from someone at the bus station that she’d bought a ticket out of town. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see my mother again, but I was weirdly okay with it this time.

After Travis and I went to pick River up from Desi’s, I told her what happened at my apartment. She then proceeded to come over to help me clean the mess up. We talked about Irene, what the Adlers had done for me, and how Travis told me he loved me. We laughed, we cried, and talked for a long time about the steps I needed to take to work through all my trauma.

“I knew it would work out,” she’d said with that bright smile of hers before she pulled me into a bone crushing hug. It was thanks to my plotting, mischievous best friend that I reunited with Travis, albeit reluctantly, in the first place. I owed her, because I not only had him now but an entire family to call my own.

That night when we went to Silver Hill, I spoke to Desmond and Amelia out on the porch while the others wereinside. Tears were shed—by me and Desmond—and some tough love was doled out when I mentioned paying them back the money they’d given Irene. They’d never know how grateful I was for what they did, even if my mother almost ran off with the money for herself.

After that, we all hugged for a long time, and they told me how much they loved me.

I couldn’t help but think that while I didn’t have parents to call my own, I always had Desmond and Amelia. It just took me a long time to realize it.

Over the past few weeks, we’d all grown more concerned for Wren. We had hoped her mood would eventually go back to the Wren we were used to—light, carefree, affectionate. Only now, it seemed like this new version of her was here to stay for a little while longer. She kept to herself most days, and during dinner the only person she seemed to like having a conversation with was River. He was also probably the only person who could bring out a smile from her.

Finn took her change the hardest. He knew her better than any of us, and he suffered because she did. When they both came back from the hospital after one of her MRI appointments one day, Wren looked completely drained. She locked herself in her room for the rest of the day, and not even Finn talked about what had happened during her scan.

I was lost in thought thinking about all the events over the last few weeks that I didn’t hear Desi join me behind the counter until she was placing her empty tray down on the bar top.

“Are you going to tell him tonight?” she asked me as she leaned her elbows on the counter to eye the patrons around the bar.

I served Saul his second beer of the night before answering, “Not yet. I’m waiting for the right moment.”

“Why? Don’t you think he’ll be happy by the news?”

“That’s not it?—"

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