Me And Mrs Jones

by Marie Rochelle

  Back at her house, Renee held the white pharmacy bag against her chest as she inched her way upstairs to her bathroom. She had wanted to do this with Travis, but tonight hadn’t turned out as she had planned. He was gone from her life, so it was up to her to find out if what didn’t seem possible might actually be the real thing.

  She slowly pushed open her bathroom door and then closed it behind her. Sitting down on the toilet seat, Renee’s hands trembled as she opened the bag and pull out the box. She could barely hold the container in her hands because they were shaking so badly. As much as she tried to deny the truth and think it was something else, Renee had to come to grips with the truth and if the test turned out to be positive then she would deal with it.

  One thing was for sure, with or without Travis’ help, if the test showed she was actually pregnant with her first and probably only child there was no way in hell she wouldn’t keep it.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Friday night. Renee’s gallery showing

  Why am I standing outside on the sidewalk instead of going inside and just apologizing to her for acting like an immature jerk? Travis thought about that question several times as he watched Renee through the café window work the crowd. .

  Tonight was her show to raise money to help rebuild her gallery and instead of being inside positioned proudly at her side as her boyfriend he was staring at her through the window like some loser who didn’t know how to admit that he had done something wrong.

  Why did he blow up at her like that when she was at his apartment?

  He should have been mature enough to see her point of view instead of getting all pissed off and telling her to leave. The moment the door closed behind her he realized the mistake he’d made. He fought down the urge to run after her and beg her to stay because his pride had set in.

  Allowing Renee to walk out his front door turned out to be the biggest mistake of his life. Several times, Travis picked up the phone to call Renee but he ended up hanging up after only a couple of rings. He didn’t know what to tell her. How could he apologize for not listening to her fears?

  For a while he’d searched for a woman who was genuinely real and true to herself. Renee constantly showed him all the sides of her personality and he loved how she was a combination of sexiness and intelligence. She never told him what he wanted to hear just to soothe his ego. She stood up to him on several occasions and showed him an inner power he wasn’t aware Renee even possessed.

  Could he actually have gotten upset by the tiny notion that what Renee said might have some truth to it? His parents might not have been as understanding as he imagined? He had worked so hard to win Renee over and the mere thought of his parents not liking her didn’t sit well with him. The thrill of romancing and pursuing Renee everyday kept him going after the chase.

  Little by little she started opening up to him more which gave him hope at winning her heart over. The idea and act of finally having Renee seeing him as the man in her life was a temptation he couldn’t put to the side.

  When he finally had her looking at him the way he’d dreamed of was very intoxicating to him and he wanted to share the love he felt for Renee with his parents. However, he ended up pushing Renee away and all that he’d worked so hard for was gone.

  How could Renee ever think about forgiving him? He’d promised her that he wouldn’t hurt her like her ex-husband had, but he ended up hurting her ten times worse. Renee deserved to be put on a pedestal and have him do whatever it took to make her happy.

  Seeing the tears in her eyes at his apartment had cut him deeply, but not enough for him to man up and apologize for being a complete and utter asshole.

  Over the past week while he’d been away from Renee, Travis had learned one thing. He was heads over heels in love with Renee Jones. She’d made him a better man for the short period of time she was inside his life and now that she was gone, he was empty and alone.

  This couldn’t go on any longer.

  Renee belonged with him and he was tired of standing outside watching her through a window. Travis came to a decision. He was going inside Dana’s café and begging Renee to take him back. Hell, if he had to start over from the beginning getting to know her again then he would do it. However, he wasn’t willing to believe there wasn’t anything between them anymore.

  Moving away from the window, Travis opened the door and walked inside blending in with the crowd, but he wasn’t interested in the conversation about art going on around him. He only had his sights set on only one objective...a beautiful woman named Renee Jones.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Placing the empty champagne glass back on the waiter’s silver tray, Renee excused herself from the small crowd of collectors who were eyeing one of Travis’ paintings that Cruz had luckily rescued from the fire. She couldn’t stay there a minute longer or she might burst into tears. Renee had thought she might be able to handle talking about his art work, but it was more difficult than she thought.

  She needed to get away for a few minutes to clear her head and get comfortable since she was more tired than usual. The best place would be Dana’s office. Looking around the room, Renee spotted her friend over near the side of the room with Matt’s arm around her waist. She felt nothing but happiness for her girlfriend. Dana had been waiting for so long to find a good guy and Sheriff Arness was that guy. They truly made the perfect couple.

  Taking one last look at them, Renee turned down the hallway that led to Dana’s office. Pushing open the door, she went inside closing the door behind her. Renee kicked off her shoes and sighed when the thick carpet eased between her exhausted toes. The silence of the office was already relaxing a lot of the tension from her body.

  Tonight was turning out to be a huge accomplishment for her. All of her regular clientele showed up even with the short notice and were buying paintings left to right. Renee knew she should be on cloud nine but she couldn’t shake the loneliness she felt from the absence of Travis. He should be here celebrating with her, but he wasn’t.

  For the first hour of the showing, Dana and Cruz tried staying at her side and keeping her entertained until she pushed them into mingling with everyone else. Her two best friends meant well; however, she was way too old for a babysitter. Yes, Travis had broken up with her but she wasn’t about to let it break her. Sure, she was still saddened by the fact he hadn’t even stayed and talked things out with her, but all of that was in the past now. Travis had made his decision not to listen to her. Now, it was time for her to deal with it and move on with her life.

  The sound of the office door opening and closing behind invading her much needed privacy caught her attention. Damn, Renee thought. Why couldn’t she just get a few moments to herself? Of course someone wouldn’t be able to wait a second before following her back here to Dana’s private office.

  “Do you mind giving me a minute or two and then I’ll be back out there?” Renee asked with her back to the person invading her solitude.

  “I can’t give you a minute. I already made a huge mistake by being away from you for an entire week.”

  TRAVIS!

  Spinning around, she found Travis standing with his back against the door blocking her only means of escape. His dark blue suit molded every line of his muscular body to perfection.

  “What are you doing here?” She blurted out, scarcely aware of how her own voice sounded. “I thought you’d shoved me out of your life. Why did you even bother showing up for this?” Travis couldn’t just come back into her life like nothing happened between them.

  “Do you think you can forgive me?” There was a faint tremor in his voice as though some emotion had touched him. “I know I made a huge mistake with what happened between us and I want a second chance with you. I shouldn’t have overreacted when you were nervous about meeting my parents. You had every right to be apprehensive.”

  “Travis...I’m not sure if we—”

  When Travis spoke again, his voice was tender and soft. “Sweeth
eart, I know I was wrong and I’m so sorry for being an asshole to you that day in my apartment, but I’ve missed the hell out of you. You were all I thought about while I was gone.” Easing away from the door, Travis made his way towards her until he was standing mere inches from her body.

  Moving away from Travis crossed Renee’s mind, but she couldn’t find the strength to put any distance between them. Why did he have to smell so good? What was he wearing that had her thinking about ripping his clothes from his body?

  “I went by your house several times and you weren’t there. I even drove out to your campsite, but you were nowhere to be found,” Renee said. “How can I believe you were so lost without me if you stayed in hiding for seven days?”

  “Sweetheart, I was too disappointed with myself to come back here before now. I came off like an immature jerk. I didn’t think there was a chance you might take me back until I realized how lonely I was without you and couldn’t stay away any longer. Don’t tell me I’ve ruined everything with my stupidity,” Travis stared at her in waiting silence.

  For a long moment, she looked at him wondering what she could tell him. Renee studied Travis’ face unhurriedly, feature by feature. “Right now, I don’t know what to think, Travis. I never thought you would get so irate with me about not wanting to have a surprise dinner with your parents.”

  The tensing of his jaw betrayed his deep frustrations over the situation they were in. “I know and that is the same thing I told them last week when I was there for a visit,” he confessed.

  Renee’s eyes widened with astonishment. Travis traveled to his parent’s house and talked about her? She was extremely curious to find out what their reaction had been.

  “What did they say about me?”

  “If you’re willing to come out of the office you can find out for yourself,” Travis said. “They came here for the gallery showing. They didn’t want to miss the first gallery premiere of my paintings and my mother was dying to meet the woman I was in love with.”

  “Your parents are out there waiting to see me?” Shock wasn’t the word Renee would use to describe how she felt.

  “Why did you do this? I have enough going on tonight without you showing up out of the blue and with your parents in tow. I haven’t even decided if I’ve forgiven you for tossing me out of your apartment.”

  Sliding his arm behind her waist, Travis pulled her to his body. “Please forgive me, Renee. I know now what I have with you. It’s better than anything I’ve experienced in my entire life. Baby, give me another chance.”

  She eased her hands between their bodies and placed them on his chest trying to keep a little bit of space between them. “Why should I? What do you have to offer me that I can’t find with someone else who’ll understand me?”

  Travis’ mouth dipped into a deep frown. “First, I won’t allow there to be anyone else in your life. You are mine and have been from the moment we first made love,” he pointed out. “Secondly, I can offer you fun, excitement, caring and understanding but most of all I can offer you my undying love because I do love you Renee.”

  The tenderness in his expression amazed her. She looked at him with surprise, remembering how Travis had wanted her gone from his life so fast after their first argument.

  How did she know this was for real?

  She couldn’t jump back into his arms because of a few sweet sounding words. She had made that misjudgment with Robert and she wasn’t going down that same road again.

  “How can I believe what you’re telling me?” Renee demanded. “You were so adamant about me leaving you alone after our disagreement and now here you are. How can you expect me to just go back to the way things were?”

  Renee heard Travis’ quick intake of breath and she regretted her jibe at him but it had to be put out there.

  “I’m not saying that we forget about how I blew off the handle over nothing. I know I was wrong and I’m man enough to admit it. All I want is for another opportunity with you.

  “My parents have come all this way to meet you,” Travis said, rubbing his hands up and down her bare arms. “You were all I talked about when I was visiting them last week and I got them wondering about you. Please, do this for me...for us.”

  Again, Travis stunned her by being so unpredictable. He was constantly doing and saying things that she didn’t think he would. She was amazed at the thrill it gave her knowing Travis brought her up to his parents.

  If they were going to move on as a couple, she sooner or later would have to come into contact with Travis’ family. She couldn’t think of a better place to do it than in a room full of people.

  “Okay, I’m ready to meet your parents. I can’t stay hidden in here all night long or Dana might come searching for me,” Renee said as she tried to move out of Travis’ arms, but he tightened his grip.

  “Wait a minute. Can I at least get a welcome back kiss from you? Haven’t you missed kissing me at all?”

  “I’m not sure if you qualify for a kiss or not,” Renee teased, smiling up at Travis.

  “Well, I think I do qualify.” His mouth covered hers hungrily sending her stomach into a wild whirl. Her calm was shattered by the passion of the kiss.

  Moaning softly, Renee wrapped her arms around Travis’ wide shoulders kissing him back with a hunger that belied her outward calm. How could she deny herself this moment with Travis? He knew how to make her body sing like no other man had in the past.

  “Baby, I should get you back out there before someone comes looking for you.” Travis breathed against her swollen lips. “I would love to stay in here too and catch up on all of the time we’ve missed, but we can’t.” Sighing softly, Travis grabbed her upper arms and moved her away from his body.

  “Damn, I’ve missed kissing you,” Renee admitted still feeling the warmth of Travis lips on hers.

  “God, don’t tell me that or I won’t be able to head back out there and talk to my parents.” Moving over to Dana’s desk, Travis ran his fingers through his hair and pulled his suit jacket over his erection.

  “Are you going to be alright? Will you be able to go out there and represent your beautiful art with me at your side?” Renee asked as she tried to get her own racing hormones back under control.

  Travis stared at her from across the room. She didn’t miss how his eyes were brimming with tenderness and passion. “With you at my side, I can do anything.”

  Coming across the room, he closed the distance between them giving her another quick kiss on the mouth. “Let’s go beautiful. We got this. Let’s show the entire room what an outstanding couple we are.”

  “Are you sure that you’re ready to be tackled by collectors who are falling in love with your talent?” Renee teased. “Once they get you into a conversation, you might not move for over an hour.”

  “I’ll be able to handle anything if I know you’re thinking about forgiving me. Are you?”

  Renee wasn’t quite sure if she was completely over what Travis had said to her, but tonight wasn’t the night she would allow it to be the foremost thought in her head. She had paintings to sell and parents to meet.

  “How about we get through tonight and we can talk about it after the show is over?” she suggested.

  “I’ll take what I can get for now, but I’m not giving up on having you back in my life one hundred percent and nothing less,” Travis admitted to her as he escorted her back towards the door.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  “Renee, I’m so glad I got to meet you,” Mrs. Cole told her as they stood at the entrance to Dana’s café. “Travis was right. You are perfect for him. I don’t recall the last time I saw him this happy with someone. The next time he comes for a visit make sure to come with him.”

  “Okay, I will,” she replied.

  Everyone else at the gallery show had left thirty minutes ago and Travis’ parents were the last to leave. Meeting them had gone a lot better than Renee imagined it would. Neither one of them treated her like the older woman who
was trying to corrupt their innocent son.

  Truthfully, both of them were very nice and welcoming. She saw now that she had no reason to be nervous.

  “Okay, mom, it’s time for you and dad to leave because if you don’t you’ll miss your flight back to Ohio,” Travis said, walking up with his father.

  “Honey, I know but I was just telling Renee how much I enjoyed meeting her,” Mrs. Cole said, smiling at her son.

  “I feel the same way. I hope to see both of you again.” Taking a step back, Renee gave Travis some privacy while he told his parents goodbye and promised to call them in a couple of days.

  “What did you think? Were they as bad as you thought they would be?” Travis asked coming up to her after his parents had left.

  “No, they were very nice. Your mother even invited me to come for a visit with you next time. I guess I was wrong about them having a problem with our age difference.”

  Wrapping her up in his arms, Travis kissed her on the mouth before pulling her against his chest. “Yes, I told you they wouldn’t care about that as long as I was in love with you.”

  Leaning back in his arms, Renee stared up into Travis’ eyes and saw the truth there. “You are really in love with me, aren’t you?”

  “You better believe it. I love you more than anything else in this world. How about we head back to your house so I can make up for missed time? Do we need to tell Dana and Matt we’re leaving? I think I saw them heading for the back office about ten minutes ago.”

  Renee seriously doubted Dana wanted to be interrupted for a goodbye from them. “No, I think they’re good. Anyways, Matt is a sheriff. If any kind of problem comes up he’s here to protect her. Let’s head on out of here. Cruz will come back tomorrow to pick up the few paintings that didn’t sell tonight.

  “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?” Travis complained as he stepped away from her. “I would have ushered my parents out with everyone else and we could already be at your house by now.”