Not a Chance(42)

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Tonya asked, not looking at him.

"It's nine o'clock," he said. "I got off work at six. When I left you my car, I didn't dream you'd stay out all fucking day."

"Oh, relax."

"Relax?" Travis took a deep slow breath and lowered his voice. "I was worried sick. You could have been dead in a ditch somewhere."

Tonya barked a laugh. "You only care about your stupid car."

Arden straightened at this. She felt her nails digging into her palms and realized her fists were clenched. Her lips twitched with the effort not to snarl. She glanced at Travis and realized he was staring at her, his eyes dark and uncharacteristically weary.

Emma reached out and rubbed Travis's back. He gave her a grateful smile.

"Ems, how did your date with Dustin go the other night?" Shannon asked all of a sudden. They'd been approaching the subject right before Tonya had shown up. Arden saw Travis's expression brighten and realized just how wonderfully in tune to people's emotions Shannon could be.

"Oh, just as wonderful as could be," Emma said. "He's amazing."

Travis beamed like a proud father. "Amazing? I would have settled for mildly entertaining. He's boring as hell around me."

Emma got all starry-eyed. "Oh, he's not boring at all. We just had the best time. We talked and talked."

Travis laughed.

"You talked?" Tonya asked. "With Dustin?"

"Yeah," Emma said. "I mean, I have to ask a lot of questions because he's afraid I'll be bored if he talks too much, but once he gets going, it's really nice. I think next week we'll have dinner with my parents. I'm anxious for them to get to know him."

Travis grabbed her around the shoulders in a side hug. "I am so happy for you two."

"So?" Emma said, looking up at him. "Has he said anything about me?"

"Ah, that's privileged information," Travis said, grinning.

"Uh-huh. Like you're not going to go back home and tell him what I said just now?"

"I'm sorry, babe. That's how it works. He needs the ego-boost worse than you do. Plus, my first loyalty must always be to my brother."

Emma rolled her eyes, but she kept on smiling.

Arden loved seeing how proud Travis was of Dustin. He was genuinely happy for him and not envious at all.

Tonya finally finished eating and Travis walked her out to the car. He'd walked from his house, so he would drive them both back. Arden jumped up and followed them out. She caught up to Travis before he got in his car. She grabbed his sleeve and he turned to face her, automatically smiling when he saw her.

"Can I have a moment?" she asked.

"Sure." Travis tossed the keys to Tonya and then closed the door. Tonya started up the car and Travis and Arden stepped inside the front door of the café.

Arden stepped close to him and looked up at him. "What can I do to help?" She'd half expected him to reject her altogether or be insulted. She watched patiently as a wealth of emotions played across his face and finally he met her eyes.

"You can take her shopping," he said, his voice low and quiet.

Arden nodded. "Absolutely. I can take her tomorrow after school."

Travis nodded and looked away. "I'll give you money. She needs clothes and woman stuff...you know, soap and hairbrushes and whatever the hell else there is."

Arden laughed. "We women do like to practice good hygiene."

His lips turned up in that cute, half-grin of his.

"What else does she need?"

Travis shrugged and looked away again. "I don't really know yet. I'm taking her to the doctor Friday morning. I guess she's going to need baby stuff, but I can't be any more specific than that never having had a baby in the house before."

"I'll get some things. How long will she be staying with you?"

Travis looked at her, then, with such a heart-wrenching expression of despair that she wanted to take him in her arms and rock him like a baby. "I don't know," he said, his voice cracking slightly with emotion.

"Oh, Travis," Arden whispered. She took hold of the front of his jacket, stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek, lingering for a few seconds. She felt him catch his breath and lean ever-so-slightly into her kiss, so that when she pulled away, he followed her and rested his forehead against hers. He took her hands in his.

"I'm so tired," he said.

"I know, sweetheart," she whispered. She gave his hands a squeeze and prayed he wouldn't ask more of her right now because she wouldn't have been able to tell him no even if she'd wanted to.

He didn't. He held her hands for a few more moments. Then he kissed her on the forehead and walked away.