Gavin even tagged along at the airport sometimes to see what all the fuss was about with Brady’s new extracurricular activity. Now, he would actually get in the planes. He got a kick out of it when Brady showed him the ropes.
And he hadn’t missed any of Kellan’s games that season, at all.
Dare Travis say that for the first time his family was… normal? Totally, obnoxiously normal.
“Over here,” Rachel called from the dining room.
“Sorry I’m late, I got caught up and lost track of…”
He came around the corner to the dining room and paused. Rachel had set the table with her good dishes—and only for two. With candles. And they were lit. The boys must not have been on the premises, because there was no way she would’ve put fire right in front of them.
“Hey.” She fidgeted with the fork beside one of the plates.
She was all decked out in a little back slip of a dress that made him want to immediately peel it off so he could get a glimpse of what lay underneath. She’d tucked her hair up into a mess of curls that he guessed took her forever to create, because her hair was definitely not of the curled variety. Most of all, she seemed…nervous.
“What’s going on?” He moved to her and kissed her firmly on the mouth.
She melted against him like she always did when he kissed her.
“I…” She heaved a deep breath. “Okay, so I have a little gift for you. I don’t want it to be a huge deal. You don’t even have to accept it. But the boys and I talked, and we all decided that it made sense. They spent all morning helping me clean out the garage.” The words spilled from her lips and made no sense at all.
“Rach.” He placed his hands against her shoulders. “What are you talking about?”
She handed him a small wrapped box from the middle of the table. “This is for you. It’s not just from me, though. It’s from all of us, but they’re not here because Gavin took the boys to your parents’ house so you and I could have the night alone. He said something about your mom and cannoli. I stopped listening at that point.”
A night alone with Rachel was a rare treat. A night alone with Rachel made him plot what they’d do next.
Spoiler, it probably wouldn’t involve food.
Then again, maybe it might…
“Does that mean we get to have a sleepover?” he asked, hoping his eyes held the glimmer of excitement he felt in his bones.
Rachel nodded toward the box. “Open the box.”
He ripped off the paper and held up a garage door opener. He raised his eyebrows.
“There’s now room in the garage for your car. And there’s this—” She handed him a large framed sign that matched the others she’d made for the house.
Turning it over, he studied the craftmanship. The vinyl words she’d added to the cream background read, The Perfect Blend: Travis, Rachel, Kellan, Brady.
“It’s for the entryway. So everyone knows you live here, too.” She was wringing her hands again.
His pulse started pounding in his ears. Did she mean…?
“If you want to live here, too,” she added quickly.
He stood in stunned quiet. She wanted this?
Yes, of course, he wanted this, but he hadn’t been certain that she wanted this.
“Ask me again,” she whispered, knocking him out of his funk.
Travis’s heart did a ka-thump that he was pretty sure wasn’t healthy.
“Rachel.” Her name on his lips came with a heavy dose of southern that he wasn’t able to filter out, even if he’d wanted to. He stared at the sign she’d made like she’d crafted it from gold and diamonds instead of reclaimed wood and vinyl.
“I’m ready now,” she continued.
