Not a Chance (28 page)

He smiled at her, relieved. He stepped forward and leaned down to kiss her goodbye. As he turned to leave she stopped him one more time. "Just...," she hesitated. "Just don't break my heart. Okay?"

He had no answer for that. So he turned and walked away.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Sunday morning Travis awoke early, excited for his day. Arden's parents had turned out to be fairly decent people and he was looking forward to spending the afternoon with her family. Arden had spent their whole date the night before complaining about her father being high-handed and old-fashioned and who knew what else. Travis had quit listening after a while and spent the time trying to look down her shirt.

Their date hadn't ended perfectly, but Travis wasn't worried. They'd had dinner and gone to a movie. Then Arden suggested they go back to her house. He reminded her that he wouldn't be doing that anymore. He suggested they go to his house. She told him she wasn't going to do it in the bed his ex-wife sleeps in. So he'd suggested parking somewhere and doing it in the backseat. Which had resulted in a look so chilling he wondered if he'd ever be warm again. Apparently Princess Arden wasn't a backseat kind of girl.

So he'd taken her home, made out with her for a few minutes and then kissed her goodbye. Today he hoped to have better luck. He woke up at 5:30 in the bed Duane used to sleep in in the basement. Last night he'd done some cleaning and now he determined to make the room as presentable as possible. Maybe Arden would accept an invitation to his basement since it was somewhat separate from the rest of the house.

After he finished tidying up he hopped in the shower and got ready for church. He was halfway dressed when he heard the muffled sound of the baby's crying coming through the air vents. He paused to take a calming breath and then finished getting dressed. He went upstairs for coffee. The baby was still screaming. He figured Tonya must be having trouble getting it to shut up. He saw the formula on the counter and some empty bottles. He mixed a bottle up for when Tonya came out to feed the baby and left it sitting on the edge of the counter.

Dustin came down the hallway, hair mussed on one side, shirtless. He stumbled to the coffee pot, poured a cup, took a sip, and immediately woke up.

"Maybe you should check on Tonya," he said to Travis.

Travis dug in the cabinets for something to eat and found Pop-Tarts. There was only one left. "You want this?" he asked Dustin.

"Would it matter if I did?"

Travis chuckled and tore the package open. The baby was still screaming.

"Christ," Dustin said, running a hand through his hair. "Maybe I ought to call Emma. Listening to that is bound to make her back off all this marriage and baby talk."

"Or you could just marry her and get her pregnant."

Dustin glared at him in disgust.

The baby was still screaming. Travis finished off his breakfast and walked down the hall. He knocked on his bedroom door, but received no answer. He knocked once more and then opened the door.

His bed was made. In the middle, the baby lay screaming. She had kicked out of her pink blanket. Next to her was a piece of paper. Travis stood in the doorway staring, trying to fight the feeling of cold despair tugging at his insides. "Tonya!" he yelled. He turned and checked the bathroom. He checked Dustin's room and the spare bedroom. He even opened the closets.

Dustin stood next to Travis's bedroom door, leaning on the wall and sipping his coffee. "What's up?"

Travis went into the room and grabbed the piece of paper, leaving the screaming baby there for a moment.

"'Dear Travis,'" he read out loud to Dustin who just stood there looking as though he'd expected the whole thing. "'Thank you for all you've done for me. But I just can't stay here any longer. There are too many bad memories. Jerry Lee said he'd take me back but that he didn't want the baby. You'll take care of her, won't you? Sorry Travis. Hope you don't think less of me. Love, Tonya.'"

Dustin sat his coffee cup on the dresser and sat on the edge of the bed. He grabbed a diaper off the stack on the floor next to the bed and proceeded to change Emily.

"I can't believe this," Travis said.

"You can't?" Dustin replied.

"No. I can't. How could she just leave her baby like this?"

Dustin swaddled Emily like a burrito, the way Emma had shown him at least a dozen times in the hospital. He picked her up and stood, bouncing her gently on his shoulder. "Are you really this stupid, Travis?"

Travis looked up at him, his feelings slightly hurt.

"She came here for the express purpose of dumping this baby. She knew you'd put her up in a comfortable bed and pay her medical bills."

"What should I have done, turned her out? She was nine months pregnant!"

"So you help her find a halfway house or something. The woman is selfish. She's got addictions to feed. And she knows how to prey on idiots like you. She's known all along that she'd be going back to that Jerry guy. Now she can do it having deluded herself into thinking she's done good for her baby."

Travis felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He stared down at the note which was turning slightly blurry. "I'm not stupid, Dustin," he said softly.

Dustin sighed loudly. "Go feed this baby so I can get dressed."

Travis hadn't held Emily but once or twice. He took her awkwardly and then went to the kitchen to get the bottle. He sat in his recliner in the living room and fed her. She was finishing off the last of the milk when Emma came to the door. Dustin must have called her. She knocked once and then let herself in. She was all dressed for church which was still two hours away.

She smiled in sympathy at Travis. "Let me have her," she said softly. And Travis gladly handed the baby over. "You just do whatever you need to. I'll take care of her."

Travis stood and paced for a moment. "Shit, Emma. I don't know what to do."

"Well, know this. There's no hurry. Right now, just adjust to the situation and keep your routine as best you can. I'll help anytime you need me."

Travis looked at her. He grabbed her face between his hands and kissed her on the lips. "You're an absolute saint. The best person I know."

She blushed and giggled. "Stop," she said. "This is what I do around this town. Help where I can."

Travis nodded. He paced a little more. "I'm supposed to have dinner with Arden's family today."

"Then that's what you should do. Dustin and I can watch the baby. Play house a little. It'll be fun."

For you, Travis thought. He had serious doubts as to whether Dustin would enjoy it. "Thank you," he said. "I'll try not to stay long. Then maybe Arden'll come home and play house with me." He couldn't help grinning at the thought.

"Hey," Emma said abruptly. "I pulled in the driveway and noticed your car was gone. Where is it?"

Just when Travis thought he could despair no more, his stomach sank a little further. He ran to the front door and thrust it open. There in the driveway was the empty place his car used to be. "Fuck!" he shouted. And then a whole string of curses came out that even he didn't know he was capable of saying.

Dustin ran in, his shirt untucked, a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. "What's wrong?"

Travis turned to him. "That fucking whore took my car!" His voice cracked with emotion.

Dustin took the toothbrush out of his mouth. "The Cyclone?"

"Yes the Cyclone. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

Dustin winced and held his hands palms down in front of him. "Ease up on the language, Travis," he said, glancing nervously at Emma who sat wide-eyed and blushing.

Travis shoved his hands in his hair, squeezing two fistfuls of it. "I was going to sell it to pay for the hospital expenses. I had a guy coming to look at it on Wednesday. I'm going to track that bitch down, get my car and give her back her damn baby! What kind of a person does this? She's one of Satan's minions, I swear to God."

Dustin disappeared down the hall and came back, rinsed and tucked. "Do you at least know this Jerry Lee's last name?"

Travis shook his head. "No. Tell me how stupid I am again, Dustin!"

"Don't think I won't, Travis!"

Travis shook his head, tears blurring his vision again. "You're pushing your goddamn luck with me!"

"That's right," Dustin said, "when God didn't give you the brains to think your way out of it, punch something!"

"You son-of-a-bitch!"

"Go to hell!"

"Boys!" Emma shouted, standing with the baby pressed to her chest. "Can we just calm down?"

Travis was starting to see red. His body was tensed and poised to fight. He glared at Dustin like a bull about to charge the matador. He breathed shallowly through his teeth. Dustin didn't back down, but he didn't push further, either.

"Travis?" Emma said. It was the third time she'd said his name. He forced himself to slowly relax. His fists unclenched and his breathing evened out.

"What?" he asked. He slowly turned to look at her. She looked terrified and he immediately felt remorse. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Emma. I'm really upset about my car."

To his surprise, she laughed. "I'm sorry about your car, too, Travis. But there will be other cars."

He shook his head. "Not like that one. She was special."

"You'll learn to love again."

He shook his head. "It won't be the same."

Emma was pressing her lips together to keep from laughing. He finally felt the humor in it and smiled at her. "Thanks, sweetheart."

She nodded and sat back down. "Why don't you give Arden a call? See if she wants to come over for a while before church?"

Travis shook his head. He sat on the edge of his recliner. "I don't think she's going to like this. I think the more distance I can keep between her and my problems, the better."

Emma pulled out her cell phone. "You're being ridiculous." She found Arden's number and dialed it, holding her phone to her ear. "She'll love being around the baby. Hey, Arden," she said into the phone. "Travis needs a ride to church. Would you come over and pick him up? Yeah, I'm here. So come over and hang out until it's time. Okay. Love you too. Bye."

Travis felt a spark of jealousy that Emma got an "I love you" from Arden.

"She'll be over in a bit," Emma said.

When she showed up, she was carrying her purse and a small, square case. Since she didn't have her hair or makeup done, Travis assumed this was what she'd brought with her. She dropped both by the door and ran to Travis.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "What happened?" She touched his face tenderly.

Travis took her by the hand and led her to the couch so they could sit together. Dustin was in his room finishing getting ready for church. Emma was rocking in Travis's chair, the baby sound asleep in her arms. Travis explained the events of the morning, cringing the whole time. Arden grew stiffer and colder as he spoke and he was afraid she was going to break up with him right then.

"I'm so sorry, Travis," she said politely, putting her hand on his knee. "I know how much you loved that car."

Travis took her hand and held on tightly. "I promise," he said, "that I won't let this interfere with us. I promise, Arden."

She scoffed. "You promise? You have a baby to take care of now, Travis. That's going to affect things. I mean, I have to ask myself whether I'm capable of being a mother to another woman's child. And she's not even yours. I just think you should avoid making promises that are clearly impossible to keep."

Travis started to assure her that there was no need for her to worry about mothering the baby...that anything could happen in the upcoming weeks. But he was interrupted.

"Arden, you're being a bitch again," Emma said.

Travis stared at Emma in horror. He'd never heard her cuss before.

Arden seemed equally shocked.

"If you're going to make Travis shoulder this burden alone, then why are you wasting his time pretending to be his girlfriend," Emma said.

Arden lifted her chin and raised one brow, trying to stare Emma down. But Emma held up beautifully. "Are you finished preaching at me, Miss Perfect?" she asked.

Emma rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'll mind my own business." She didn't sound sorry at all.

"Good," Arden said. She turned to Travis. "Can I use your bathroom? I have to do my hair."

"Sure. Dustin's in this one. But there's one downstairs."

She stood and took two steps before looking back at him, a sly grin on her face. "Aren't you going to show me the way."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, jumping to his feet and taking her by the hand. Once downstairs she turned and threw her arms 'round his neck and started covering his face in kisses.

"I'm so sorry," she said between kisses. "Emma's right. I should be supportive. What can I do to make you feel better?" She slowed her kisses down and started on his neck and throat. The feel of her tongue on his skin made him hot all over.

"Nothing that you should be doing on the Lord's day."

"I don't care what day it is," she said. There was a couch against the wall and she shoved him back onto it. She was wearing a calf-length black skirt with sensible, black lace panties underneath. Which Travis knew because she slipped them off before hiking her skirt up and straddling him. "I didn't like how our date ended last night," she said breathily. She started pulling on his shirt, untucking it, and unfastening his belt.

Travis didn't think it was right doing this so close to church time, but he wasn't in a position to argue. He shoved her skirt up higher, relishing the smoothness of her thighs. Finally she got his pants undone. She took hold of him and slid down on him. He threw his head back against the couch and moaned. Her hair spilled down her face. Her eyes were closed as she concentrated on building her own pleasure. He watched her as she moved, as she bit her bottom lip and let her head drop back, baring her elegant throat.

He wrapped one arm around her back, supporting her so she could move however she needed to. His other arm he slipped under her skirt and wrapped around her hips, guiding her movements.