Page 60 of Cherishing Happily Ever After

“Well, now you don’t have to worry. Levi had something to do in the city, so he got their number and gave them a call. Thought it would be a nice surprise if they didn’t have to make the drive on their own. It’s kind of sweet, don’t you think?”

It was strange, was what it was. But Steph didn’t say that.

“So where are they?” she asked instead.

“Oh, they went up to ElkView.”

Hope said it so casually that Stephanie wanted to scream.

“The guesthouse is empty now that Nick has moved out, so Damon and Katie offered it to them to stay in while they’re here. Away from the paparazzi and there’s no room here, with…well, it just seemed like a good solution. And because it’s getting late, they thought maybe it would be best to wait for a visit in the morning. It makes sense, doesn’t it?”

It did. But at the same time, it didn’t. Not at all. But still… “How come no one thought to talk to me about it? They’re my parents.”

“Right, but you were so stressed with everything and we just wanted to take care of it for you is all.”

Faith turned around then and stood next to her twin sister. “You’re not upset, are you?”

They both looked so sweet, and Stephanie knew they were only trying to help. She couldn’t be mad. But still, she couldn’t help the flicker of annoyance that flared up inside her, as well as the distinct feeling that something was off. But it was probably just her. She was tired, and emotional, and…lonely. Even surrounded by her sisters. The only person she wanted to be with wasn’t there and worse, it was entirely her fault that he wasn’t.

She shook her head. “No, I’m not upset. Thank you for taking care of it all for me. That’s actually really thoughtful of you. I’m…” She sank into a chair at the table and put her head down and started to cry.

In seconds, her sisters flanked her and each had their arm around her. “What’s going on, Steph?”

“Talk to us.”

“It’s Travis,” Hope said to Faith.

“Definitely.”

Steph nodded but didn’t lift her head. “I miss him,” she muttered into the table. “And I think I made a terrible mistake.”

“What was that?”

She lifted her head and swiped at her tears. “I made a mistake when I asked him to pretend we weren’t together.” From the moment she’d asked him to lie, she knew it was wrong. She’d seen the hurt in his eyes, and worse, on his face standing at the bridge when he’d looked at her. She’d hurt him by even attempting to deny what they were and what they had. “I never should have asked him. I was just trying to—”

“You were trying to protect him,” Hope said. “I’m sure he understands that.”

“I don’t know if he does.” Stephanie shook her head. “He’s not like Levi and Logan. He’s…”

“He’s more.”

Stephanie looked at Faith and nodded. “Yes,” she said. “He’s just more,” Steph agreed. “He doesn’t let people in easily and then I…well, I shut him out right after he opened up. And…” She started crying again as the full impact of what she’d done hit her. “I think I messed up.”

“You didn’t mess up.” Hope pulled her in for a tight hug. “He’ll understand,” she said. “You’re just doing what you think is best. This is new. It’s…it’s going to be okay.”

“It will be,” Faith chimed in. “It’s late and it’s been a big day. I think it’s time for bed.” She slid Steph’s phone across the table away from her and tucked it into her pocket. “I’m going to take this, okay? You don’t need to be checking those sites every five minutes. It’s not healthy.”

Steph was too tired to argue, and Travis hadn’t answered her last two text messages anyway. Staring at the screen, waiting for a response would make her crazy. “Okay.” The worry still hung heavy over her head, but her sisters were right—it was late. And maybe she’d have a better outlook on everything in the morning. It couldn’t be much worse.

ChapterFifteen

Travis had barely slept,but it didn’t matter; he’d never felt more alive and full of energy. His plan, little as it was, was coming together and he just knew it would be perfect. It had to be. Because it had been less than twenty-four hours since he’d been apart from Stephanie, and he knew with one hundred percent certainty in his heart that he never wanted to be apart from her again. Not without her knowing exactly how he felt about her.

She’d been worried about the dark moment, but she’d failed to tell him about the grand gesture, and Travis couldn’t wait to see the look on her face.

“Good morning, Mr. Straub.” Travis nodded at Stephanie’s father and then to her mother. “Mrs. Straub. I hope you both were comfortable enough in the guest house last night.” Reaching out to Stephanie’s parents had been the riskiest part of his entire plan, but to his surprise, they were on board with it and had allowed Levi to pick them up from the airport and bring them to ElkView Ridge the night before. He felt bad about keeping Steph from her parents—he knew how much she missed them—but he was confident that she’d be okay with the final result. At least, he sure hoped so.

“Please,” Stephanie’s mom said with a gentle smile. “Call us Bonnie and Dale. And yes. We were more than comfortable. Thank you.”

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