"Our kids?" She raised her eyebrows at me.
I nodded. "Yep. I'm in this for the long haul, baby," I said cockily, making her laugh. "And you know how much I love long hauls."
TRAVIS
I threw a piece of popcorn at Angel's face and she tried to catch it with her mouth. Missing my intended target, it tapped her on the nose and she giggled.
A buttery kernel came flying at me and I caught it on my tongue. I crunched on it happily while Angel shoved an oversized handful into her mouth.
We were sitting at opposite ends of the couch, facing each other, ignoring whatever was on the TV.
A week had passed since we left California, and we effortlessly fell back into our usual routine. It was just as good as it had been those first three weeks, only now we didn't have the feeling of impending doom looming over us.
Angel was here to stay.
This was the new normal for us. Easy. Fun. So fucking happy.
"So … " She chewed up the popcorn before continuing. "I think I know what I want to be when I grow up."
"Oh, yeah?" I tossed another piece her way and she caught it between her teeth. "What's that?"
"Beverly thinks I'd be a good in-home health aide for the elderly. There's a certification program at the community college. It only takes one semester."
"I think that's a great idea," I said, impressed. I couldn't think of a more perfect career for her.
"And my savings will cover the tuition. But I really do need to find a job in the meantime."
Angel had been asking around about job openings and even filled out a couple applications in Daywood, one of which was at her favorite thrift shop. She hadn't heard back from them yet, but I knew she had her hopes up.
"You could always get a job at Buck's," I suggested, already knowing what her response would be.
Her face screwed up like she smelled something bad. "Oh, yeah," she scoffed. "Kendra would love to have me working with her. I'm sure we'd end up being BFFs."
She pelted the next piece of popcorn at me with more force than necessary and it bounced off my forehead.
Using the back of my hand, I brushed the butter and salt off my skin before calmly setting my bowl off to the side on the coffee table. Then I started prowling towards her on the couch, closing the distance between us.
"Travis?" She held her container of popcorn between us, as if it was a shield. "What are you doing?"
"You wanna play, baby? We can play," I taunted with a hint of warning.
Prying the bowl from her fingers, I set it down on the floor before crawling over her body.
Bringing my hands up to the sides of her stomach, I started to wiggle my fingers along her ribs. I knew it was her most ticklish spot.
"Don't! Don't you dare, Travis," she said through giggles. "I'll pee! I'll pee my pants!"
She always made that threat, but I had yet to see her follow through on it.
"You two need to get a room," Colton said as he walked through the front door.
"I have absolutely no problem with that." I smirked.
Standing up from the couch, I picked Angel up and threw her over my shoulder. She laughed as I carried her down the hallway to the bedroom.
"You guys are a couple of lovesick fools!" Colton called after us.
I kicked the door shut with my foot and tossed Angel down onto the bed. Our bed.
Lovesick. Fool. Crazy. People could call us whatever they wanted. It didn't matter because it all added up to one thing.
Happiness.
FIVE MONTHS LATER
ANGEL
The smell of cinnamon invaded my nose and I sighed as I rolled over in the bed. I was momentarily disappointed when I realized I was alone, but it quickly turned to excitement when I remembered what day it was.
Christmas.
And I knew that smell. No, it wasn't cinnamon rolls, but it was my favorite breakfast. The same breakfast Travis made for me on my birthday and almost every Sunday morning since I permanently moved in.
The snow fell steadily outside, piling up on the window sill. I almost didn't want to leave my warm cocoon in the bed, but my growling stomach urged me to get up.
When I found Travis at the stove in the kitchen, I didn't hesitate to come up behind him and wrap my arms around his stomach. I kissed the warm skin between his shoulder blades and he made a sound of contentment as he placed his hands over mine.
He turned to face me and tenderly brushed his nose over mine. "Merry Christmas, baby."
"Merry Christmas." I grinned.
It was our first Christmas together. The first of many.
The present sitting under the tree in the gold sparkly bag was my gift to Travis. Deciding what to get for him had been difficult.
What did you give someone who already had everything they needed?
Since I sort of took over ownership of his favorite T-shirt (it was totally mine now), I decided to get him one for when he was on the road without me. The new shirt I bought him had a picture of two otters hugging and it said ‘I miss my significant otter'. It wasn't an extravagant gift but it was so freaking cute.
Just in case he didn't like it, I also included a hand-made coupon for one naked FaceTime session. I knew for sure he'd love that.
I'd ended up getting a part-time job at the thrift store, and because of that and my classes I couldn't always go with Travis on his trips.
The days apart were hard for both of us, but my classes had ended and I was going to be getting an in-home health aide job after the new year. Planning the hauls around my schedule would be much easier once I had regular hours.
Travis set our plates down on the table and I eagerly dug in, moaning when the sweet icing hit my tongue.
While unattractively shoveling food into my face, I noticed Travis wasn't eating and he was much more quiet than usual. His lips were pressed into a thin line as he poked at the waffle, and his face was an ashen hue.
"Are you feeling okay?" I reached my hand up to feel his forehead and cheeks, noting that he didn't feel feverish. "You're looking a little green."
He shook his head. "No, I'm fine," he insisted with a tight smile before changing the subject. "So, what's on the agenda today?"
Travis
My stomach churned and I was pretty sure there was a real possibility I might puke. The plate shook in my hands as I brought it over to the sink, dumping my unfinished breakfast into the garbage disposal.
Angel was still sitting at the table, talking about our plans for the day-something about presents here, then going to my mom's for lunch-but I wasn't able to concentrate on what she was saying.
Slipping my hand into the pocket of my pants, I wrapped my fingers around the cool metal that was burning a hole through my jeans.
I wanted today to be perfect. The ring had been sitting in the back of my sock drawer for over a month. A dozen different ideas had gone through my mind, and I still couldn't think of a way to ask Angel the most important question ever.
I knew people might say we were too young or that we hadn't known each other long enough. But I had zero fucks to give about that.
I'd known I wanted to marry her for a while now. She was it for me.
"Do you want coffee?" she asked, walking by me to the cupboard.
The T-shirt she was wearing-which was mine-rode up her backside when she reached for the mug on the second shelf, giving me a good view of her ass. Momentarily distracted, my nerves were pushed aside as I ogled the scrap of light blue lace stretched over her supple skin.
Suddenly, I couldn't wait a second longer. I took the ring out and held it in front of me in trembling fingers.
When Angel turned around, her eyes zeroed in on the shiny object immediately and her eyes widened.
"Angel." My voice cracked and I cleared my throat. "Will you-"
My question was cut off when she let out a squeal, snatched it from my hand, and shoved it onto her left ring finger. She turned her hand back and forth, looking at it in awe and admiring the way it sparkled in the light.
The ring was white gold with intricate designs etched into the band, giving it an antique look. The ¾-carat round-cut diamond in the center set me back a good amount, but it was worth it. This was something she would keep for the rest of her life. Hopefully.
"I was wondering when you were finally going to give me this thing!" she exclaimed.
"Wait," I said, taken aback. "You knew I had it?"
She shot me a look, unable to keep the smile off her face. "I'm the one who does your laundry, Travis. Your sock drawer? Really?"
Damn. I thought it was a good hiding place.
"I take it that's a yes, then?" I asked, relieved. Obviously, she liked it. And she put it on the correct finger, so that was a big plus.