Page 34 of Cherishing Happily Ever After

Steph nodded, feeling better that Travis was there. If she were alone during all this…well, she didn’t even want to think about how lost she’d be, trying to figure it all out on her own.

“Hey.” Travis stopped pulling on his boot and looked at her. “It’s okay, Steph.” He stepped toward her. “Really. I know you’re still a little tense about what happened out here, but I promise. It’s going to be okay. All of it, okay?”

She didn’t even realize how stressed she was about it all until he spoke, but the moment he told her it was going to be okay, she believed him and she could actually feel the tension leave her body.

He reached out and traced a finger down her cheek toward her lips as he leaned in for a kiss. She closed her eyes and let out a slow breath, but his lips never touched hers. When she opened her eyes again, he was already pulling back, a sad smile on his face.

“Sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have…I’ll be back in a few.”

Stephanie nodded and wrapped her arms around her. “I’ll make something for breakfast,” she said. “The sooner you’re back, the sooner you can warm up and—” She stopped, realizing how it sounded. His wicked grin told her he’d heard it, too.

“I can’t think of a better incentive.” He looked to the dog. “Come on, Tink. Let’s get this done.”

Was he playing with fire?Yes.

Did he care?Of course.He didn’t want anyone to get hurt. Especially her.

Could he stop himself?Absolutely not.Not for all the money in the world.

Stephanie had made it abundantly clear that what she wanted out of life was something that he couldn’t give her.Correction. That sheassumedhe couldn’t give her. But he’d never answered the question the night before. Not on purpose. Not because he was being sly or trying to avoid the question. Not really.

He hadn’t answered her when she’d asked whether a real relationship was something that he could give her or even wanted to give her, because he didn’t know how to answer a question that she’d oversimplified but wasn’t simple at all. And he’d spent the entire night tossing and turning, letting the idea roll around in his head.

With the dog in the front seat, Travis drove slowly through the muddy roads toward the area where the alarm had gone off. He had to be careful on the roads, which was both frustrating because he wanted to get back to the cabin and Stephanie, but also was a good thing because he needed the time to think.

The woman twisted him up in ways he didn’t even know were possible up until recently. But now, everything started to seem possible. And he couldn’t tell whether that scared the hell out of him or whether those flutterings in his belly weren’t from fear at all, but something very different and far more exciting than anything he’d ever felt.

He’d been surprised to get any sleep at all the night before. Between all the thoughts in his head and with Stephanie practically naked in abedfor the second night in a row only feet away, it was a near impossible task. Fortunately, sheer exhaustion had taken over and he’d managed to get a few hours of sleep.

Eventually he was able to navigate the truck as close to the site of the alarm as he could. He and Tink made the rest of the trek on foot through the trees that provided at least a little protection from the downpour of rain. “Just as I thought, Tink.” Travis kicked at the downed tree that had knocked out the fence and triggered the alarm. It was just a small poplar, so he was able to pull it away from the fence without needing a chain saw. When things dried up a little, he’d have to come back and make sure everything was secure again.

For now, it would do. Back in the truck, he reset the alarm on his phone, thankful he’d put the app on his device as well as hers. It helped him feel better about Steph being out at Lynx Creek, too. Because, much to his surprise, he cared. A lot.

And if she’d noticed that she wasn’t the only one with the app earlier in the cabin, she hadn’t said anything.

Before he tucked his phone away, he called Logan, pressing the button for the other man before he could find a reason not to. He needed to talk to someone, and Logan was probably the closest thing to a friend as he really had.

“Trav,” Logan answered right away. “You guys okay up there? I assume you made it up to the cabins?”

“I did,” he said. “Right before the bridge washed out.”

“Shit.”

“Indeed.” Travis smirked a little. Because being stranded with Stephanie was definitely not the worst thing he could think of. Especially if they ever made it past thisjust friendsbullshit. And they would. He was more and more sure of that.

“But we’re all good here. We have food and so far the power isn’t out.”

“Hopefully the rain will slow this afternoon,” Logan said. “But it could take a few days to get the bridge fixed and—”

“Take your time.”

“What was that?”

Travis laughed and shook his head. “I mean, obviously the bridge will have to—”

“Don’t worry.” Logan interrupted him. “I’m picking up what you’re laying down. So should I assume that you and Stephanie have—”

“Assume nothing.” Travis groaned. “And quite honestly, that’s really why I’m calling.”

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