Compromise Me (Book Two of the Kirkland Family)

Compromise Me: Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Travis tinkered around his house, mowing the yard and cleaning out the garage...keeping his mind off Josie and that kiss.

“Nothing has changed…”

Shit. Nothing had changed. It had been stupid, going back to her apartment. He should have waited until Monday to give her back her key, but…

But his conversation with Arielle that morning got to him...before that kiss and everything with Justin Kirkland and Hannah's call.

“Hey, what’s up?” Arielle said when he called her from the auto-repair shop where his truck was towed.  He'd left Josie's apartment an hour ago, and he needed answers to questions he never had to face before.

“Just checking in,” he said through his phone as he stared at the small television in the waiting room which was updating the stock market. Josie’s apartment key burned in his pocket.

“We’re fine,” she said. “We got in late last night. Want to talk to Tristan? He’s right here.”

“Sure,” Travis said, getting that sad feeling again, since he couldn’t see his son this weekend.

Tristan came over the phone. “Daddy?”

“Hi, Little Man,” Travis said, putting some happiness into his voice. “Whatcha doing?”

“Playing.”

“Playing with what?”

“Cars...no! My car!” Tristan screamed, and Travis closed his eyes. Even that tiny bit of fussing -- probably with one of his older cousins -- had Travis scrambling out of his skin. He wanted his son to always be happy, no one taking his cars away, and it was damn difficult to not jump to his rescue every time it happened.

He listened for a moment, hearing Arielle speaking calmly to Tristan, giving the boy the words to use to fight his battle, and then Tristan was back with, “Daddy not leave?”

“I’m still here, Little Man,” Travis said.

“Daddy see me now?”

A hard lump formed in Travis’ throat. “You’re with your momma this weekend,” he said. “I’ll see you again in seven baths. I promise.”

“Se’en?”

“Yes. Ask Momma to count to seven for you,” Travis said, and he waited while Tristan said, “Momma, what se’en?” Arielle counted the number for Tristan while Travis pictured her flicking up her fingers, and then Tristan said, “No! No se’en!”

Travis swallowed the growing lump. “I know it’s a long time, Trist,” he said, “but you’ll see me again before you know it. And you’ll have fun with your momma and all your cousins.”