“I’ll have a salad.”
He shakes his head and orders our dinner and drinks while I focus on Lucy. She’s playing with a few other children. Their laughter carries throughout the room, and it’s heartwarming to see her enjoying herself. We don’t get to do things like this often.
“Thank you for bringing us here,” I say to Travis. With my hours, by the time I’m home it’s a quick dinner if she hasn’t eaten at my mother’s. Even
my weekends can be consumed by work.
“It’s my pleasure, Saylor. Lucy looks like she’s having a good time.”
He motions toward her, and I turn around to watch her again. Now she’s with a few kids, riding the mini-carousel. “She is. I try to do things like this for her, but being a single mom is hard sometimes.”
“Where’s her father?”
His question gives me pause. I slowly turn back around to face him as the waitress delivers our drinks. He’s ordered us water and a pitcher of root beer, because everyone needs the frothy soda with pizza. “He’s in Virginia with his wife.”
“Oh.” His tone makes me feel that he’s thinking the worst about me.
I shake my head, hoping to stop where his mind is going. “It wasn’t like that. The relationship was still taboo, but he wasn’t married when we started dating. Honestly, I don’t know what he was doing. He was my professor. We started dating and moved in with each other. I thought he was going to propose, and I was going to live this fairy-tale life. When I found out I was pregnant, it was like life was lining up, only a bit out of order. Anyway, I told him, and he replied that he was married.”
“And that’s it?”
“Yeah, pretty much.” I don’t tell him that I was depressed for months after the fact or that I was homeless for a time. Or that I gave up a career in law because keeping my baby was more important to me. And I definitely don’t tell him that Elijah is coming to town this week and that I’m scared he’s going to take Lucy away from me.
“Well, since you gave me something about you, here’s something about me.”
“This isn’t a tit for tat, Travis.”
He shrugs. “I want you to know me. The real me,” he says as he leans forward. Instead of having his hand on the table and reaching for mine, his fingers graze my knee and continue to do so as shivers run up and down my spine.
“My home life was shit. My dad owns multiple Ford dealerships. I own a Chevy because I know it pisses him off. He worked all the time and was never home. There was always gossip when I was growing up about him cheating on my mom. My mom believed that he was faithful, but rumors…Well, you know what those do to people. Anyway, I did whatever I could to stay out of the house, so I played baseball, basketball, and football. I was the all-American kid with a supportive mom in the stands and a father who couldn’t come see his kid play because he either screwed someone on a deal or they were part of the rumor mill and he wouldn’t do that to my mom.” Travis shrugs.
“Is that why you are the way you are?”
Travis pulls his hand away from my leg, sits back, and finishes off his glass of water. He fiddles with the straw wrapper that sits on the table. “It’s not like that.”
“It’s not?”
He shakes his head. “These women…”
“Look, you don’t have to explain yourself to me. The question was rude, and I’m sorry for asking it.”
Travis reaches for my hand, and I give it to him willingly. “I want to, Saylor. I never set out to be a womanizer or anything like that. When I first entered the league…the women—they chased me. At first, I was focused on my career, but I gave in to temptation. I dated a few of them but never longer than a few weeks, because they would whine about my schedule and I didn’t have time for that. So I started having one-night stands because they’re free of drama, at least up until now.”
“But she wasn’t a one-night stand?” I refuse to say Rachel’s name in public. By the look Travis gives me, he knows who I’m referring to.
“No, she wasn’t. I became interested in someone else,” he says, dropping his voice low. It’s easy to see why women gravitate toward him. Not only is he very good looking, but he’s also charming and has a smile that makes you weak at the knees. It would be so easy to fall into his arms. It would be so nice to be the one who comforts him during this crisis, to be the one he comes home to at night. It’s not only my job keeping me from him; it’s also the fact that I’m not sure I could trust him enough.
I look around the room for Lucy, spotting her instantly. I need to be in mom mode and not under the spell of Travis Kidd. I keep my focus on her so I don’t have to face him, because every time I do, I start to remember how I ended up here. If Elijah hadn’t sent the letter, I wouldn’t have gone to the bar and run into Travis. If that hadn’t happened, he wouldn’t be in this mess and we wouldn’t be sitting across from each other, sharing subtle glances and shy touches. I shouldn’t be here, but honestly, I like where I am.
“What do I have to do, Saylor?”
Turning back to face him, I get lost in his eyes. My head is screaming that he’s doing everything right, that he’s making his intentions known, and he’s where he should be when I least expect him. But I can’t. The little girl running around and telling everyone that her name is Cinderella depends on me. And I refuse to ask her father for any more child support than what he already pays. I can’t let my heart get in the way of my job. Besides, who’s to say he’ll feel this way next week or next month?
“Are you in a relationship with someone else?” he asks.
I shake my head quickly. “It’s not that.”
“Look,” he says. “I don’t blame you for telling me no. I can’t make any excuses for my reputation, but I can promise you that if you give me a chance, I won’t let you down.”