Chapter Twenty-Two
Parker
When Parker had placed her hand in Travis’s, she had no idea what to expect beyond feeling that same familiar zing that happened whenever they touched.
The fact that they’d just had their first fight hadn’t tempered how she felt about him.
The first make-up kiss they shared certainly hadn’t hurt either.
She had kind of hoped that make-up sex was going to be next on the list, but after the sincere apology he’d given her for his having misjudged her, Parker couldn’t deny him anything.
Her forgiveness had been easy enough to give.
The care he showed for her and Kit was no less than he showed for the land he spent his whole life on, and even though it had hurt to have him looking at her like a thief, even for those few brief seconds, she understood why he’d thought that.
Travis was just like one of the trees he cared for so deeply.
Solid and strong, with deep roots and a way of providing for those around it, and just like those trees, he too needed care, attention, and love.
He’d gotten a great deal of it from his family, but that wasn’t quite the same as getting it from another person romantically.
Parker was proud to be the one to provide him the type of love he’d been missing for too long, just as she was proud to know that he would be that for her.
Even through the misunderstanding earlier, they’d worked through it and declared their love for one another.
They’d moved past old hurts to be flexible with one another, and now they moved through the orchard toward a future that was brighter than the sun that beamed down on them from above.
The further they walked, the thinner the group of trees became until they were crossing a small expanse of empty land.
The brush and dirt underneath looked like they hadn’t been stepped on for nearly one hundred years, and when they came to a stop in front of a small home that looked about as old as the land, that timeline was basically confirmed.
The design of the house itself was solid but definitely from another era.
Dulled white siding that was cracked, chipped, and covered with dirt wrapped around the exterior walls while the inside remained a mystery, hidden behind windows that were covered with a century’s worth of grime.
A screen door with a deep gash in the mesh door hung off its hinges, the frame bent and bowed from years of being exposed to the weather, and the porch itself looked like it not only seen better days, but that those days had occurred more than two lifetimes ago.
Parker stood next to Travis, looking at the old Victorian style home that was in serious need of some repairs if not a total rebuild and wondering what they were doing there.
Turning to him, she smirked when she saw that he’d been looking at her the whole time.
He was so handsome, and the fact that he found her worthy of staring at too gave her a bit of an ego boost.
“I’m not having make-up sex in this house, Travis.
” Travis barked a laugh and wrapped his arm around her, holding her body tightly to his.
The warmth pouring off his body had her tempted to retract her statement, but one more glance at the neglected home had her holding firm to it.
“That place looks like it’s one stiff breeze away from collapsing, and as much as I love you, I haven’t had my tetanus shot in too long to risk it. ”
Travis smiled at her indulgently. “Not here for that. Not yet anyway.” At her raised brow, he turned them to face an expanse of land that stretched out far and wide with only a few trees occasionally dotting the landscape. “Was thinking about what you could do at the farm once the season’s over.”
Parker’s breath caught. “There’s a job for me?” There was no way she would be leaving anyway, even if she had to beg Lottie for help finding a job washing dishes at whatever greasy spoon would take her. She and Kit had made a home here and Parker wanted to keep it forever.
Travis leaned down and kissed her temple.
“If you want one, but if you want to take some well-deserved time off, you’ve got that too.
” He took her hand, lacing their fingers together as he walked them around the property.
“Been working for a long time, and like you, I don’t need more than a roof over my head, food in my belly to be content.
My salary will more than cover that for the three of us. ”
Parker’s heart soared at his automatic inclusion of her daughter. “I appreciate that, but I like to stay busy.” The pulled Travis to a stop and reached up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips. “Not that I wouldn’t mind a few breaks during the day to get in a little rest with you.”
Travis’s chest rumbled as he leaned back down and took her mouth in a deeper kiss, the kind of kiss that makes your toes curl and your mind wipe clean. “Keep distracting me.” He winked at her before stepping over some fallen barbed wire and helping her across.
“Not sorry about it.” Parker smiled as she followed him. “You know for someone who seemed pretty big on property rights, you have no qualms about trespassing on someone else’s.”
Travis tugged her hand until she bumped into him. “I am very respectful of other people’s property.” He rubbed the back of his neck before gazing down at her, his expression nervous yet hopeful as he licked his lips. “This one happens to be mine now.”
Parker gasped at the admission, barely noticing when he’d stopped near one of the trees, plucking something off of a branch and showing it to her.
The shriveled lump rolled around in her palm, looking more like a raisin than anything that grew on a tree.
The longer she studied it, stared at its dark, wrinkled skin having no idea what she was looking at, the deeper the frown on her face became.
“What is this?” she finally asked.
Travis bumped her with his shoulder, his eyes teasing. “Well past its season, but thought even you’d recognize your favorite fruit.” He held his palm under hers and rolled the small dried ball around in her hand.
Parker gazed back down at stale fruit, seeing what once would have been a lovely, ripe cherry. When the full impact of what he’d done, taken something special from her past and brought it into her present, her eyes watered.
Clutching onto the old fruit, Parker sniffled when she met Travis’s gaze once more. “You bought a cherry farm?”
Travis cupped her cheek, his bright green eyes shining with love for her. “Yup. Bought it for us.” He pressed a kiss to her lips as his thumb stroked her cheek. “I know it’s early, but I thought you, me, and Kit could have a life here.”
Hope could be a dangerous thing, but occasionally it could pay off big time. Travis thinking of a future for the three of them was a wish that had bubbled deep in her heart for a while now, and his making it a reality made her love for him grow tenfold.
Parker’s watery laugh filled the air as she stared at the marvel of a man ahead of her. “You’re actually going to leave your apple farm?” Picturing the orchard without him in it was impossible, but she’d thought the same thing about the two of them being an item and here they were.
Travis smirked. “Not going far. Will take a good seven years to plant more cherry trees, get them to actually bear fruit, but yes. This will be my home now. With you. With Kit.” He rested his forehead against hers, Parker trying not to faint at the good fortune of not only finding love, but finding it with someone willing to change and grow with her.
“I’d go a lot further than this if you needed me to. ”
Parker shook her head. The world was a big place, and even though she’d barely scratched the surface of traveling it, she didn’t need to. Wanderlust was never something she’d dealt with. If anything, she’d been searching for home her entire life and now she’d found it in this place with this man.
“No. I love the orchard and I love your family.” She kissed his cheek and nodded back at the old house. “Besides, we’re going to need somewhere to live and work while we fix up this house and wait for those trees to mature.”
Travis nodded. “Very true.” He started walking them back toward the property line, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Think Kit will be okay with it?”
Parker stopped to consider his question. “With this place?”
Parker looked up at the two-story home, imagining what it could look like even a year from now.
Fresh paint, a new door, and a whole lot of love filling the inside would make it a great place to raise a family.
As she stood there, she could also picture her daughter running all over the land, making friends with every animal that wandered the property and inviting friends over for birthday parties held in their newly restored home.
Maybe even a sibling or two for Kit along the way could happen.
That thought brought a smile to her face.
Parker smiled. “I think she’ll more than approve.”
Travis shuffled his feet, something he only did when he was nervous. “That’s good, but I meant more with me.” Travis rubbed the back of his neck, his eyebrows joining together. “Had you all to herself for a long time. Think she’ll accept me busting in on your good time?”
Parker cupped his cheek, loving the brush of his beard against her skin and loving even more that she would get access to it for a lot longer than she dreamed possible.
“As long as you keep letting her paint your nails, I think she’ll be okay with anything.
” Travis’s eyes still looked nervous, so she dropped the teasing to put his mind at ease.
“Yeah, we had good times, but we also had bad times, Travis. What we didn’t have was another person looking out for us, caring about our well-being and happiness the way that you do.
That’s not something she’s going to mind having around one bit. ”
His chest seemed to deflate with relief as they started walking back toward his parents’ property. “Thank you,” he grunted.
“What are you thanking me for?” The barren land of their land gave way to the thick grouping of apple trees that were nearly bare from the harvest. Parker would miss harvest time once it was gone, but she now had so many more things to look forward to.
Travis pulled her to a stop just under one of the trees at the back of the orchard. “For forgiving me, for loving me.” He drew her into his chest, his strong arms wrapping around her and holding her close. “For letting me give you your dream. You gave me mine.”
Parker smiled, tears of joy gathering at the corners of her eyes. “What dream did I give you?” The smile on Travis’s face was enough to tell her what he’d meant, and without saying another word, Travis started to show her that the dream that had come true for him was her.