Page 57 of Too Little Too Soon
Those sexy glassesperched on his nose, Travis read over her shoulder. “Maria and Oz are staying with her ex-husband?”
She shrugged. “It’s better than not getting along at all, right?”
“Definitely,” he agreed. “So, what do you want to do? Stay with one of them or get our own place?”
“Get our own place, for sure.” She started tapping on her phone. “But I’ll see if we can find something nearby.”
Five hours later—which translated into eight, courtesy of flying over three time zones—they were striding through the Seattle airport, following the signs for rental car pickup. And then they were on the road, heading toward Roma. Ava sat in the passenger seat, fidgeting with the strap of her purse.
Travis slid his hand over onto her thigh and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “We’ll get through this, sugar. I’ve got you.”
She believed him. The man was everything she never knew she needed in a partner. She had the fanciful thought that if they ever broke up, she’d be ruined for all men for the rest of her life.
He was that perfect.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
He found her hand, twined their fingers, and held it for the duration of the drive.
* * *
They checkedinto their Airbnb before heading to the hospital. Ava needed to refresh her makeup, brush her teeth, delay the inevitable a bit longer.
“You look great,” Travis said twenty minutes later. He stepped into the bathroom and stood behind her, watching her through the mirror. “And the sooner you do this, the sooner you get it over with. Sam texted and said we should all meet at the treehouse this evening to decompress.”
“That sounds lovely.” She didn’t even question Sam’s assumption that Travis would accompany her here, although she’d tried to talk him out of it. Not that she hadn’t wanted him here with her, but she hadn’t wanted him to feel obligated. Her family was a lot to handle, and their relationship was still so new. What if this experience scared him off?
“Just don’t judge me based on whatever happens, okay?” she asked as they left their rental and headed toward the hospital.
Once again, he twined their fingers, this time pulling her hand to his lips. “I don’t judge you at all. And I definitely don’t see you through the lens of those who raised you. That’s like throwing rocks at a glass house.”
That was true. He didn’t talk much about his family, but what little he’d mentioned hadn’t been good. His father was a bully, according to Travis. Ava called him abusive, but tomato, tomahto. His brother had been the perfect child, Travis told her, always doing exactly what their parents expected, whereas Travis had rebelled against life choices he did not agree with.
Holly had been the one who rebelled in their family. She’d left home as soon as she graduated from high school and carved her own path in life, while their mother had decided to pretend she had only two daughters.
Maria had stuck around and had tried to be everything she thought their mother wanted her to be, until she had a revelation and realized she would never live up to their mother’s ridiculous expectations.
Ava had gone away to college, much like Holly had, except she’d started a career that was acceptable to their mother, lived a lifestyle the woman vaguely approved of. The problem was, Ava hadn’t been happy. Even 2,800 miles away, she’d still felt the pressure to live the way their mother expected.
God, it had been so nice to break free of that trap. Demetri firing her had been the best thing to happen to her. Well, second best. Meeting Travis was definitely number one on that list.
Ava suddenly chuckled. “I cannot even imagine what my mother is going to think when she realizes all three of us are dating rockers. It might bring on a second heart attack.”
Travis shot her a swift, concerned look. “My tattoos are completely covered. I’ll take out my piercings before we go inside.”
She shook her head. “No. It’s fine. Be yourself. That’s exactly what I lo—like about you.”
She whipped her head around to stare out the side window while her face heated to epic temperatures. Holy wow, she’d almost dropped the “L” word! Probably not the best time and place, even if she did feel it all the way to her toes.
Yes, she loved Travis. Madly, deeply, passionately.
It was so freeing to think it; she actually couldn’t wait to confess her true feelings to him. Later, tonight, when they were alone and not driving to the hospital to visit her incapacitated mother. She’d not only tell him; she’d show him how much she loved him.
Right now, though, they had to face the music.
“Ready?” Travis said after he parked the car.
“No, but, like you said, let’s get it over with.” She glanced at her phone. “Maria is here.” Ava squinted at the text. “She says it’s not nearly as bad as we were all probably expecting.”
