While Travis finished up in the kitchen, Penny’s phone rang. “Hello?”
“Hi, Penny, it’s Olivia.”
Olivia? From work? Penny thought. “Uh…hi, Olivia. How are you?”
“I’m good, actually. Joe just gave me the day off. It’s been a while since I’ve had the day off, but my husband has to work. And anyway, you seemed in need of friends, since you’re new to town and all. So I thought maybe you’d like to come over with your daughter. Maybe get in the pool.”
“Oh…uh. Wow. That’s…” She was so surprised. “That’s very sweet of you, Olivia. Does everyone in this town have a pool?” she said with a nervous laugh.
“It’s the pool here at the apartment complex, and it’s so refreshing.”
Travis was standing next to Penny trying to listen in on the conversation, and he was gesturing something. “Olivia, can you hold on for a second?” Penny muted the phone. “What?”
“With all the shit that’s been going on, I’d feel better if you didn’t leave. Why don’t you have her come over? You can hang out in the pool.”
“I hardly know her. Plus, you don’t want more kids in your house,” she whispered.
“I’ve known Olivia for years. This is a small town. And I don’t care about having more kids here.”
“You sure?”
“I won’t even be here, and I really don’t mind. The company’d be good for you. Plus, it’ll give me peace of mind.”
“Olivia?” she said once the phone was back on her ear. “How about you come over here to Travis’s house instead? I don’t have a car, and it’s hard for me to get around.”
“That works for me. Text me his address,” she said. “This’ll be fun. My daughter could use a little friend. See ya soon.”
After Penny hung up, she flashed him a smile. “You’re a good man, Travis.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek, then took the plate from his hand.
“You keep sayin’ that, I’m going to start believing it.”
“That may just be the point, cowboy. Go get ready. I’ll pick up. Don’t worry.”
“ ’Kay. Thanks. See you later, then.” He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and headed out, feeling oddly domestic. A feeling that he was surprisingly okay with, even though it was combined with a chest-tightening feeling of dread. He wanted to both protect this woman and push her away. He wasn’t good enough for her or her kid, but he didn’t want anyone there in his stead. What if he messed this up somehow and the kid ended up all sorts of fucked up because of him?
Chapter 10
Travis headed over to Worth the Fight Academy to train, just as he did seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year. The truth was that he was nervous. He knew that Lawrence wouldn’t just come in, make threats, and disappear. He’d spoken to Jack about it, but there’d been no further sign of Lawrence. Before going to the Academy, Travis had driven by her place, and there were even more cameras now than when the story broke.
He was adding weights to the bar when he heard the bell at the gym door ring, signaling that someone had walked in. Jessica’s early morning yoga class had just finished, and the Academy was relatively empty. He turned to see Tony speaking with someone who did not look like he belonged in a gym. The man had a perfectly pressed gray suit, blond hair that was parted to the side and smoothed down with a lot of product—it didn’t look like it would move if he stood in the middle of a tornado. Tony pointed at Travis, and the man looked at him briefly and then back at Tony, who nodded.
“Yo, Texas. Someone’s here to see you,” Tony hollered.
Travis put the weight down and walked over. “Yes?”
“Mr. Calhoun?”
“Who’s asking?” Travis’s arms crossed over his chest.
“I’m Xavier Gleason,” he said by way of introduction, but Travis didn’t budge. He didn’t know the man, so he needed more. “I’m an attorney. I think you know my client’s daughter. Penelope Richards.”
“Stepdaughter, you mean.”
“Actually, daughter, since he adopted her years ago,” he corrected Travis.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Gleason?”
Xavier looked to his right; Tony was still there, holding much the same stance as Travis. “Is there a place we can talk?” the lawyer asked.
Today was filming day, but it was still early and the cameras and staff hadn’t yet arrived. Travis didn’t want to hear any of the lawyer’s bullshit, but at the same time he wanted to know why the man was here.
“You can use my office,” Tony offered.
“This way.” Travis indicated the direction.
He opened the door to the small office and sat behind the desk while Xavier pulled out a chair in front of him. “Talk,” Travis ground out. He knew this was not a friendly meeting. There had to be a reason they’d come to him before going to Penny.
“Mr. Calhoun, were you aware that Penelope is the daughter of Kip Owens?”
“Yes.”
“And you know that Kip is a very respected pillar of the community? He’s not just a preacher you see on television. He’s also an author and very involved in charities and—”
“Don’t give a shit what Kip does. A man who’ll force a woman—his daughter—to a home for unwed mothers like she did some horrible thing isn’t someone I care to associate myself with. Get to the point, Mr. Gleason.”
“The point is, his daughter shouldn’t be seen in public like this.” Xavier reached into his briefcase and pulled out a stack of newspapers showing Penny kissing Travis—the shots were from different angles, but all pretty much the same photo.
“For the love of God, it’s one damn photo! Who gives a shit?”
The man then slid a stack of papers toward Travis. When Travis saw all his criminal records in black and white on the paper, his temper flared.
“It’s not just a kiss,” Xavier said evenly. “It’s a kiss with a woman who’s been missing for a year. Mr. Owens has been beside himself—”
Travis planted his palms on the table and leaned in. The bullshit was getting too thick and it was starting to piss him off. Just because he wasn’t a highly educated man didn’t mean he was an idiot. “Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining, Gleason. Tell me what it is that you want and why you’re here.”
“Okay, fine. You’re a criminal. Your record is a mile long. You’re known as a bad boy, a womanizer. You have tattoos. A few weeks ago you gave a reporter the middle finger. And you never finished high school. Your mother was a drug addict, and you…well, who knows what else you do except commit violent acts for a living.”
It was taking everything Travis had not to commit a violent crime at the moment.
“Y’all are supposed to be godly people. God wouldn’t be okay with you coming into my home and judging me. Aren’t you supposed to believe in redemption?”
“We believe in doing what’s best for Penny. Don’t you, Mr. Calhoun? Do you think that being with you is the best thing for Penny?”
“The way I see it, Kip hasn’t cared what’s happened to her in over a year. Maybe I’m not the best thing for her, but leaving Tarpon Springs, where she has friends, to go where she ain’t wanted isn’t what’s best for her.”
“You’re embarrassing her.”
Travis uncrossed his arms and leaned in, his forearms on the table. “I don’t reckon Kip has a say in what Penny does or doesn’t do. No one has bothered to look for her in over a year, as far as I can see. These photos were taken out of context, not that it’s any of your business or her stepdaddy’s.”
“Mr. Owens is on his way to collect his daughter and granddaughter.”
“Is that a threat?” Travis asked. “I don’t take kindly to threats.”
“No. It is not a threat, Mr. Calhoun. Just a fact. You have a nice career that is just beginning to take off, and this bad publicity has the potential of ruining it for you. Why get entangled in a public mess such as this?”
“You better finish up whatever you came here t
o say,” Travis snapped, leaning forward.
“All Mr. Owens wants is for Penelope to come home quietly. All you have to do is allow it.” He took out an envelope and slid it across the table.
“A fuckin’ bribe?” Travis stood, causing the chair to fall back. He threw the envelope back at the man. “Get the fuck out.”
“Not a bribe, Mr. Calhoun. This is for your troubles and all your help in keeping them safe. You might not believe me, but Kip really does want what’s best for them. You’ve got to know that being back in her home with her family and with financial options that don’t include working at an unsavory nightclub is what is best for her. You seem to care for her; if you understand that, you’ll make the right choice.” He placed the envelope back on the table. “You can go back to your calm life, which didn’t include a struggling single mom,” he added, then walked out.
Travis stood with his fists pressed against the table as he breathed in and out trying to calm himself. How dare this man, acting on behalf of Kip Owens, waltz in and presume Travis could be threatened or bribed? He was on Penny’s side. If she wanted to leave, he’d help; if she wanted to stay, he’d help. It was her call. He wasn’t ready for her to walk out of his life completely, but if she needed to do that, he wouldn’t stand in her way, even if it pained him to see her leave.
He righted the chair and sat down, his thoughts all over the place. Did he want his life to return to the way it was? Was keeping Penny and Belle in town just because he enjoyed having them around the best decision? Back in Oklahoma she’d probably live in a damn castle with cooks and maids. She wouldn’t have to work. He did have enough money to care for her here, but they weren’t at that point in their relationship yet. And even if they were, she’d never quit her job and depend on Travis; it wasn’t in her character. Penny had made it seem like Kip was a manipulative self-centered asshole who was only looking out for his own best interests, but Gleason made it seem as if Kip was worried. Maybe he’d changed. All these questions were circling his mind when he reached for the envelope and opened it.
“Motherfucker,” he hissed. A cashier’s check for fifty thousand dollars. That’s how much his cooperation was apparently worth. That was money that Penny could’ve used this last year. The fact that Kip could hand it over so casually meant that the man had a shitload more. He wanted to rip up the check, but instead folded it and put it in his pocket. Maybe Penny could use it, although he suspected she would be too proud to accept it.
When Travis emerged from Tony’s office, the top-of-the-line Academy was swarming with people. On filming days, all of the guys went in. Even though the days and times for training were scheduled, mostly to accommodate the cameras, the workouts were not. He really did work out as much and as hard as was being documented. It had taken about a week to get used to being filmed, but by now it was easy to forget that the cameras were there. Especially when he was inside the cage, his hands taped, his mouth guard in, and a thick arm was being flung toward his face.
“Let’s go, Texas!” Tony yelled from outside the steel cage.
Travis mentally shook his head. Cain had almost landed that punch. He needed to focus.
“Use your shoulder. Push,” Tony coached.
Cain barreled in, wrapped his arms Travis’s middle, and flipped him to the ground. All the fighters had their individual strengths. Some were good at tae kwon do, some at jiu jitsu, others at boxing or kickboxing. Travis was the only one who was good at everything. Maybe not great at one, but skilled in all. His strength was his speed. He was known to be fast. It was normally hard to land a punch or take him down. The fact that he hadn’t even seen Cain coming meant that his head wasn’t in it.
“What the hell is going on with you?” Slade barked from the other side of the cage.
“Bet it’s gotta do with pussy. Pussy’ll fuck with your mind,” Tony said.
Travis’s eyes narrowed. “Shut up.”
Tony ignored him and continued. “Either he’s not getting any or the one he wants to get it from isn’t puttin’ out.”
Tony, Slade, and Cain laughed at his expense. They were all his good friends, but he wasn’t in the mood to joke around; he just wanted them to leave him alone. “I’m getting plenty of ass. Now, come on and do your job,” he said to Cain as he jumped up and down. “I don’t have time to gossip like a little bitch, like you two assholes.”
“I thought you wanted to gossip, since you were fighting like a little bitch,” Slade shot back, his tone more serious, one eyebrow arched high.
“Get your fucking head outta your ass and concentrate. Lemmon is training hard. He wants to keep that belt and isn’t going to let you have it easy,” Slade added. “You need to focus, Texas.”
Slade was right. All he’d ever wanted during all the years of training, living, and breathing MMA was this one fight. He couldn’t lose. He just couldn’t. It wasn’t even an option.
He bounced lightly on his feet. “Bring it, Cain,” he practically roared as he refocused his attention. For the next half hour he fought until his arms felt like they were going to fall off and his thighs and calves burned with every move.
When he finally stopped and spat out his mouth guard, he remembered that the cameras were still filming.
—
He didn’t even know how he got home; it hurt to push in the clutch and even to turn the steering wheel. When he opened the door, the smell of a home-cooked meal wafted toward him. He walked into the kitchen, but it was spotless, which made him frown. It smelled too good for there not to be food. It was late, and he wasn’t sure what Penny had decided to do. He hadn’t received any calls from her today, but the light that seeped out from under the door indicated she was still there.
Softly he knocked on her door. “Come in,” she answered, and he hesitantly opened the door. She sat on the carpet in the room, her daughter crawling around. She had that weird knot on her head again and the thick glasses. Strange how much he liked that relaxed side of her. It was natural and easy.
“Hi.” She greeted him with a smile, and quickly stood and straightened her T-shirt. “I made some food, and I left you a plate in the oven. There was some beef in the freezer and I made a roast. Hope that’s okay.”
“Smells so good in here, I was worried you cooked and took it all with you. Thanks for cooking.”
“It’s actually kind of like a bribe,” she admitted shyly. “After Olivia left today, she drove by my apartment and there were still lots of reporters. So I was kind of hoping that maybe I could stay one more night. If that’s okay with you, of course. If not, it’s okay, I can just—”
He reached for her hand and stopped her. “Hey. Shh. It’s fine. As long as you need. There’s no rush for you to leave. You don’t need to cook for me for that.”
“Thank you, Travis. Really, I just—” Her eyes glistened, but he saw her quickly compose herself. “Thank you,” she repeated softly. “I don’t know what I’d have done without you.”
“So, why are you two in here?”
“I don’t want to be a bother. The room’s so big, we’re fine.” She reached for his face, cupping his cheek. Her warm soft palm felt so at odds with his sweaty, bruised face. “You okay? What happened?”
“I’m fine. Hard training session today.” He took her hand and kissed her palm. “And I already told you, you’re no bother. I’m going to go take a quick shower and then eat. Why don’t you come join me?”
She looked down at her daughter. The little girl really was cute, Travis thought. “Okay. Well, let me see if she’ll stay in bed and I’ll be right there.”
Penny tucked Belle into bed and slid in next to her. She hummed her favorite lullaby for the three minutes it took the child to fall asleep. She stacked some pillows next to her, to make sure she didn’t roll off the bed, and then went to the kitchen.
“I’m not used to coming home to real food,” he said, slipping on a T-shirt as he walked into the kitchen. She caught a glimpse of those rock-hard abs she was
all too familiar with, but it was the bruises on his side that held her attention.
“You weren’t kidding about the training today, were you?” she said, concerned. She lifted the shirt a little.
“I needed to refocus. Once I did, I was in my zone. I honestly didn’t notice any of the bruises until I finished.” He popped open a beer and sat across from her.
“Are you limping?”
“No. Well, maybe. My legs hurt. I’ll be fine. Thinking of installing a hot tub outside. It’ll help with the soreness.”
“Maybe you’re training too hard. It shouldn’t hurt that much, right?”
“I think it’s supposed to.” He put a big forkful in his mouth. “Wow. This is so good.”
“What do you normally eat, cowboy?”
“Protein shake or two,” he replied, and when he saw her scrunch up her face in disgust, he added defensively, “They’re not so bad.”
“Better than real food?”
“Hell no. But they’re fast and easy.” He took another bite. “Where’s the kid?”
Penny rolled her eyes. “Belle,” she said, emphasizing the name, “is asleep. We were in the pool for hours. She’s exhausted, but I think it was the best day of her life.”
“There’s two empty rooms. You don’t have to share a bed with her.”
“I don’t mind. She’s not familiar with the house and she doesn’t have a crib. It’s okay. I feel good having her close by.”
“You should get one of those,” he said, pointing the fork at her.
“One of what?”
“A crib.”
“I have one. It’s in my apartment.”
He shrugged and took another bite. “You work tomorrow?”
“Yes. Olivia said she’d watch her. I don’t want to take her to Ms. Hannigan’s because I don’t know if it’ll be safe to go back to my apartment complex.”
She toyed with her necklace and drank a glass of milk as he ate his food. “You want to watch a movie?” he asked.
“That sounds nice, but I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable in your own home. What do you normally do when you come home? I don’t want to be in your way.”
Stacked Up: Worth the Fight Series Page 13