“I don’t know,” she said, wiping at the tears herself. “First guess, then?”
“I think because I’m happy,” she said on a throaty laugh. “I’m happy, and I don’t know what to do with that when it could ruin everything for my kids.”
“We’re going to figure this out.” He sounded like he really believed that.
For now, for that moment, she decided to focus on the happy instead of the laundry. The dirty, messy, daily chore kind.
CHAPTER 22
TRAVIS
Nearly a full three days since their date night and Rachel had been scarce. She wasn’t avoiding him; he understood this because they were still connecting for…entanglements… every night. But the amount of time she spent working was becoming cumbersome for even the boys.
They wanted their mom around, and even when she was present, the laptop or her phone was her constant companion.
He got it. Understood that she was worried she’d miss another request or make a mistake.
Her attention to detail was one of the things he liked most about her, because when it was just the two of them?
Oh yeah, her attention to detail was meticulous, which led to other things that were exceptionally…thorough.
He was pretty sure he was becoming addicted to Rachel’s particular brand of precise.
“Hey.” Travis pushed the door closed softly behind him, pressing the lock with his thumb.
He held her toothbrush in his other hand. She’d left it on his sink that morning.
Rachel, sitting crisscross-applesauce on the bed with her laptop open in front of her, lifted her gaze to him and raised her eyebrows. “Hey.”
“Hey,” he said again. He held up the toothbrush. Set it on the table by the door. “Thought you might want this.”
She hadn’t messed with her makeup that day, so her face was bare, her hair piled on her head like she wore it only when she didn’t expect anyone else to see her. At least, that’s what he’d noted. She never kept it up like that when anyone else was in the room. He gave her thirty seconds before she remembered that it was in the pile before she removed the band and let it hang loose.
He liked it both ways. He didn’t particularly have a preference.
“Are you busy?” he asked, hand still on the doorknob, ready to leave if she couldn’t take time away for him.
She nodded, the almost-there smile edging at her lips. “Always.”
“I’ll leave you to it, then.” He turned the door handle to leave.
“Trav?” she called before he pulled the door open more than an inch. “Did you need something?”
Yeah, he needed something. Someone.
“You,” he said simply, turning back toward her.
She smiled, her cheeks turning pink, her teeth nibbling her bottom lip. “Good thing I’m here, then.”
“Good thing.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, glancing at his bare feet.
She closed the laptop, carefully, and moved it to the nightstand before patting the bedspread in invitation.
He pushed the door closed and made it two steps into the room before she reached for the rubber band and pulled her hair free.
“You don’t have to do that,” he said, moving to the bed and stretching out beside where she sat.
“Do what?” She tossed the band on top of her laptop and snuggled in to his chest.
