Travis

by Rebecca Elise

  “Mom!” I exclaim, surprised she just did that.

  She shrugs her shoulders, smooths her hands over her favorite Christmas sweater and sits back down in her chair. “Watch your language,” she says coolly.

  “Yes, ma’am,” I respond as I turn back to Gracie. “Well, now that they have killed the momentum here, might as well just rip into that.”

  “They didn’t kill anything, Travis, however, I will tear right into this present.” She flashes me a smile as she rips into one end of the rectangular package, tearing off the snowman-covered paper as quickly as she can.

  My brothers and my parents are craning their necks, nosily trying to see what it is I could have given her. The truth is, up until a week ago, I had no idea what I was going to give her. I’m not a jewelry and perfume kind of guy. I mean, if those are the kinds of things she wants, I guess I can become that guy, but I don’t see myself just walking into a jewelry store and picking out a bracelet or whatever. I have no idea what is so special about charms and I don’t understand why guys get shit engraved on pendants. Here wear this random quote around your neck so everyone can see how much I love you…it’s crap.

  I’ve never thought of myself as a romantic guy. Aside from picking my mother dandelions from the yard, I’ve never given a girl flowers. I don’t do traditional romance. I never have and I probably never will. But looking into her bright blue eyes, which are wavering with tears as she pulls out the painting I made for her, I know that, at least in her eyes, I am a little bit romantic. Which really is the only thing that matters.

  The painting I made is from a picture I saw, and swiped, from her house. It’s of her as a little girl, sitting on her grandmother’s lap. Gracie is looking up at her grandmother, who in turn is looking down at her. They both have beaming smiles on their faces.

  “This is beautiful, Travis. Simply beautiful,” she says, her voice wavering with emotion.

  I lean in, pressing my lips against the side of her head. My arms slip around her waist, pulling her into me.

  “I’m so glad you like it,” I whisper into her ear.

  Gracie settles against me, nestling into the crook of my arm. My eyes close as I breathe in deeply, taking in her scent. All of the conversations around us seem to disappear, leaving only her and I to sit there wrapped up in each other. I never thought I would be that guy. The guy who doesn’t think twice about engaging in a little PDA in front of other people, especially his family. The guy that goes out on actual dates and makes plans, but here I am about to initiate a conversation regarding our plans for the biggest night of the year in Brooksville.

  “So,” I say, pausing to dip my head down and press my lips against her shoulder. “We still need to discuss our plans for New Year’s Eve.”

  “Your house or mine?” she asks.

  I shake my head and laugh. “Sorry, babe, it doesn’t work that way around here.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The whole town closes down, with the exception of the diner. Everyone gets dressed up and goes to the diner. Aidan moves tables and chairs out of the way. There’s tons of food and dancing and shit like that.”

  She turns her head so that she can look at me. Her nose is all scrunched up and she doesn’t look impressed at all. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I am absolutely serious.”

  “And I am assuming, since you are telling me this, that we are expected to show up?”

  “At least until the ball drops.”

  Gracie shrugs. “Well, I guess we are spending New Year’s Eve at the diner…you know, it’s no wonder everyone is involved in everyone else’s business. You all are always together.”

  “Well…we could always give them something else to talk about.” My heart starts pounding because I know what is about to tumble out of my mouth. It’s actually something I have been thinking about since we got back from our camping trip, maybe even a little bit before then.

  “What’s that?”

  “Move in with me.” I whisper into her ear.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I can see my family craning their necks to hear what we are talking about. It’s one of the reasons I whispered it to her. Had I said it out loud, my mom probably would have left to start packing her things. She’s pushy like that. We would have been moved in together by the end of the day. Which actually wouldn’t be a bad thing.

  “You think you are ready for something like that?”

  My heart deflates slightly at her question. Is she not ready to advance our relationship? Does she think this is too soon? Is she worried about one of us giving up our homes and it not working out? It is a big leap of faith, but one that I am ready for. I have never wanted this with anyone, but I want it with her.

  “I wouldn’t have asked you if I didn’t think I was ready,” I say, my voice sounding a little more irritated than I mean it to.

  Gracie glances at me and raises an eyebrow.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.”

  “It’s okay.”

  She turns away from me and I stare at her, waiting for her to respond to me. But a response never comes. Is she really not going to give me an answer? She’s just going to ignore what I asked her? That’s fine, but I’m not going to bring it up again.

  Gracie turns back to me and bites her bottom lip. “Yes, I would love to move in with you.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Gracie

  “What are you wearing tonight?” Molly asks as Aidan flips the sign to closed.

  It’s only five o’clock, but since the whole town comes here for New Year’s Eve, Aidan closes early to give him and his family time to cook food and set up.

  I glance down at my work clothes and shrug. “I don’t know. Do people normally get dressed up or just wear something nice?”

  “Oh, the whole town gets decked out in their finest attire. I mean everyone too, including your moody ass sweetie pie.”

  “So you are talking about formal clothes then?” I shake my head. “I don’t have anything like that. Maybe I should just stay home.”

  “No, no way, you and I are about the same build. I’m sure I have something you can borrow.”

  The door opens, and Travis and Remy walk in, shoving each other and laughing about something. They both have black garment bags flung over their shoulders.

  “I’ve never seen him dressed up before,” I mutter.

  “Oh, he looks damn good.”

  I glance over at Molly and raise an eyebrow. She throws her hands up in the air in front of herself. “Hey, I am just answering you honestly, and for the record, you could put any Foster in a suit and he would look like sex on a stick.” She lowers her voice as Travis and Remy approach us. “Seriously, their mother deserves an award for birthing those boys.”

  “Hey.” Travis leans down, brushing his lips against mine. “Are you gonna stay here and help us set up?”

  “No, she’s not,” Molly answers for me. “She’s coming with me to get ready for tonight. You can have her back later.”

  Molly grabs my arm and drags me towards the door. Just as we are about to walk through it, Travis yells out my name. I turn around to see him jogging towards me. He drapes his garment bag over a chair and wraps his arms around me, pressing his lips against mine.

  “I love you,” he says.

  “I love you too.”

  “I’ll see you in a little while then?”

  I nod and he kisses me again before releasing me and grabbing his garment bag. I watch him as he walks back to where Remy is standing, now talking to Nathanial.

  “I told you,” Molly says behind me. “You have changed that boy.”

  “All right,” Molly says as we walk into her house. “I’ve got glittery, sequins, tulle, short, long, strapless…which do you prefer?”

  “Uhhh…I have no idea actually. The last time I got dressed up was for my senior prom when I was seventeen. I think I wore a turquoise satin dress.”

  �
�Well, I myself am partial to all things glitter on New Year’s Eve. This is what I am wearing.”

  I sit down on the edge of Molly’s bed. She crosses the room to her closet and pulls out a short dress with a gold glittery top and a white tulle skirt. Without excusing herself, or attempting to cover up in any way, Molly whips her shirt over her head and slips out of her pants, kicking them aside.

  “Jesus, Molly!” I laugh.

  “What?” She shrugs. “We’re both girls here and I have nothing to be ashamed of.”

  “Clearly.” There is a part of me that is a little bit jealous of Molly’s boldness. I’ve never been like that. I like to think I am pretty confident but there has always been a cloud of self-doubt that has hung over my head, something I can thank my mother for.

  Molly steps into her dress, pulling it up into place and zipping it up the side. She disappears into her closet, returning a moment later with sky-high stilettos. Balancing herself against her dresser, she slips one heel on each foot. The dress, in combination with the heels, make Molly’s legs look unbelievably long and lean, not that they needed the extra help.

  She walks over to the mirror and turns so that she can check herself out in different angles. “I heard Nathanial has been seeing someone.”

  She glances over at me, her face poised and confident, but her dark eyes are clearly full of doubt.

  “I don’t think it’s that serious,” I tell her.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Well for starters, they haven’t been seeing each other that long, and she apparently hates the house he just bought. Not sure why she cares, it’s not like she’s going to be living with him. Plus, she wasn’t even invited to Christmas dinner, and you know how Connie is about butting into her sons’ relationships in an attempt to marry them off.”

  Molly turns around and flashes me a dazzling smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “All right,” she says as she makes her way back to her closet. “Your turn. Off with your clothes, I’ll find something that will make Travis want to take you into the back room so that you can ring in the New Year properly.” Molly sticks her head out of the doorway and wiggles her eyebrows.

  I pull off my shirt as she disappears back into her closet. It’s kind of nice, having someone to share clothes with. I always wanted a sister. Faye was the closest thing I had to one. I never thought I would have a friend like her again, but I seem to have found it in Molly the moment I got into town.

  “Here we go,” Molly sings. She dances out of her closet, holding out a short, rose gold sequin dress. It has three quarter length sleeves, a back that is cut down low, and it is absolutely gorgeous.

  “It’s so…short,” I sputter.

  Molly laughs. “It’s New Year’s Eve. You and Travis need to both end the year and start the year with a bang and this is the dress to do that in. Plus, this color will look amazing with your skin tone and blond hair. Now put it on.”

  I take the dress from her hands and pull it over my head, tugging down as far over my ass as I can. I have never worn anything so short before in my life. At least I have pretty underwear on. This isn’t exactly the type of dress you wear granny panties with.

  “What size shoe are you?”

  “Six and a half.”

  Molly thrusts a pair of light pink heels at me. I take them from her without saying a word and shove my feet into them. Turning around, I walk over to her full-length mirror to check myself out. Wow…I look…amazing! Thank goodness I decided to shave my legs this morning or this dress wouldn’t look as good as it does.

  “All right…hair and makeup,” Molly says. “Then, it’s party time.”

  “Are you sure I look okay?” I ask Molly as we get out of her car.

  “Girlfriend, you look H-O-T,” she promises. “All right now, stand up tall, put your hand on your hip, and strut your tiny ass into that diner.”

  I do exactly as she says. Pushing through the doors, I walk inside and gasp. Travis wasn’t kidding when he said everyone comes here for New Year’s Eve. I’ve never seen the place so packed before. I’ll be lucky if I find Travis before the balls drops!

  “Nathanial brought her,” Molly says besides me, her voice completely monotone.

  I glance over to where she is staring. Nathanial is standing there with a tall, tanned blond attached to his side. I don’t know her that well…at all really, but I don’t even really want to, knowing that my friend has a thing for Nathanial, and knowing that they would be perfect for each other. Turning back to her, I grab her hand, giving it a squeeze and offering her a small smile.

  “I’m telling you it’s not serious,” I remind her. “I’m willing to bet they will be finished by Valentine’s Day.”

  “Well, there goes my big plans for a stroke of midnight kiss,” she mutters.

  “There’s always Russell.” I point to where he is standing by a long rectangular table, shoving squares of cheese into his mouth.

  Molly scrunches her nose and shakes her head. “I’m not desperate. Although, I might be a little bit jealous of you right now.”

  I follow her gaze to see Travis standing beside the counter talking with Remy and Liam. My heart stops at the sight of him. He’s dressed in black dress pants and a maroon button down shirt with a black skinny tie. I’ve never seen him dressed up before. My mouth starts to water and heat pools between my legs.

  Remy says something and Travis laughs out loud. He turns towards me, his eyes roaming over the crowd. He looks right past me for a moment before doing a double take. His mouth drops open as his eyes roam over my body. Remy says something else to him, but Travis just pats him on the shoulder before he starts heading my way.

  “Baby, you look like a fucking felony,” he whispers in my ear as his arms slip around my waist. “There is no way in hell I am going to be able to make it until midnight with you dressed like this.”

  “Mmm, well you have no choice because we are expected to ring in the New Year with your mother.”

  “She’s got plenty of people to keep her busy.”

  “You had the opportunity to spend tonight in my house with me. We could have been completely naked by now.”

  “I don’t recall that being in your invitation.”

  I shrug my shoulders and laugh. “I shouldn’t have to tell you.”

  “Fine…we’ll stay to ring in the New Year, but then we are leaving and going to my house-”

  “Why your house?” I ask, cutting him off.

  “Cause it’s closer,” he responds. “Anyway, I’m going to enjoy pulling this pretty little dress off of your body.”

  Someone turns music on and the crowd of people begin dancing. I place my hands on Travis’s stomach, moving them up his body. Grabbing a hold of his tie, I pull him closer to me. “Do you remember that time we went to shoot pool and you told me I was hardly a tease and I told you you were going to regret saying that?”

  “Yeah.”

  I lean forward and drop a couple of sweet kisses against his lips before sucking his lower lip into my mouth. A low growl erupts from Travis’s throat. I turn around so that his erection is pressed up against my backside. His hands grip my hips tightly as our bodies sway to the music.

  I glance over the sea of people, hoping that no one is paying attention to us. Molly has managed to get Nathanial’s attention and they are talking about something as his date talks to Aidan. Remy is talking to a group of girls while Liam is sitting in the booth with a couple of his friends. No one seems to be paying us any mind. Or at least I think they aren’t until I see Mel and another girl watching every move we make with daggers in their eyes. Evan moves in between them, putting one of his arms around Mel’s shoulders and his other arm around the girl with them. I’m sort of surprised to see Evan with Mel since he is such good friends with Dave. But I guess nothing Evan does should come as a shock to me anymore.

  “Just ignore them,” Travis says, turning me back around to face him.

  “Who’s that
other girl with them?” I ask curiously.

  “She’s no one important. Just ignore them,” he says again.

  We spend the night dancing, wrapped up in each other’s arms, only stopping once or twice to get something to eat.

  “We’ve got about 30 seconds left in the year!” Aidan yells out, causing everyone to cheer loudly.

  “I can’t believe how fast the night has gone,” I say.

  Travis nods as he grabs two glasses of sparkling cider, handing one to me as the countdown to midnight begins.

  “Happy New Years!” everyone yells out as the clock strikes midnight.

  Travis clinks his glass against mine and downs his glass of cider. Taking my empty glass from me, he sets both down on the closest table. Pulling my body close to his, his hands slide up my back as his lips press down against mine. His tongue slides along my lips, seeking entrance inside. My lips part and his tongue dips inside, swirling in circles with mine.

  Pulling back, Travis grabs my hand tightly. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

  ~*~

  The few weeks since New Years have been a whirlwind for me and Travis. After the talk we had at Christmas about moving in together, we made the decision to put my Grandmother’s house up on the market. It’s a bittersweet feeling. On one hand, I only spent a few summers here, thanks to my mom. I don’t have a terrible amount of memories but the ones I do have are good.

  It doesn’t make any sense to sell Travis’s house, though. Not with his basement already being a functioning art studio for him. It would be silly for him to start all over unless we were buying a bigger house together.

  We’ve been making plans on how we should go about turning his place into our place, and I’ve finally talked him into going to this home store on the outskirts of town with me after work today.

  I glance over at the clock. I was hoping to get some packing done before my shift starts, but it doesn’t look like I will have a chance to do that since it is time for me to leave.