Heavy
Wrenly
As always, I enjoyed the shopping trip with Heather. I scored a few new pairs of jeans, a couple of sweaters, some really adorable ankle boots, along with some more intimate items.
We made it back before Travis. It was driving me crazy trying to figure out who Travis could possibly be out with all day. His friends all hung out with Matt, and those friendships pretty much ended when Travis started hanging out with those older kids. Possibly he could have caught up with one of those guys? I highly doubted it was his grandfather on Paula’s side. Travis barely knew him because his grandparents moved back to their home town in Delaware years ago.
I was in my old bedroom pulling tags off my new clothes when Travis opened the door and stepped inside. “Hey, how was your day?” I asked.
“Interesting, I see you were able to stay busy.” He was holding up one of my new pairs of panties.
“Yeah, Heather and I went out.”
He walked over and wrapped his arms around me. “It sounds like you had a good day.” He pecked my lips.
“Yes, but I was driving myself crazy wondering who the mysterious guy is that you spent the day with today.”
“Let’s have a seat and I’ll explain.” He took me over to the bed and pulled me down to his lap. I listened as he explained meeting Brock at the cemetery. He then told me nothing he said was ever to leave my childhood bedroom. To say I was shocked to learn about Robert and Emma’s true medical diagnosis and the lies they told everyone was an understatement.
“Brock got into some trouble and…” He cut me off.
“He was a desperate kid that made a bad decision.” He made his point clear.
“He could have had a basketball career but...” He cut me off again.
“He was kicked off the team because of his bad grades, which wasn’t at any fault of his own. He was just a kid and responsible for his parents health and keeping them fed.”
“I’m sorry, Travis, but your step mom is a selfish bitch and your dad was a prick. That poor kid.” My heart broke for him. “I’m sure if he would just talk to Matt he would help.”
Travis’s jaw clinched then flexed, telling me I just put my foot in my mouth.
“The Trenton’s and Aunt Tricia failed him in my opinion. You can tell by just looking at the outside of the house. I’m his brother, not Matt, so he can stay out of it. We spent the day in Tulsa dropping in at a few assisted care centers. I want to take Brock back to Cold Springs to work in the shop. I can finance his move and help get him on his feet. He actually gave me the idea of expanding the shop to restore classic cars and bring them back to life. I’d actually prefer him to do that rather than work with Victor.” He explained.
“Do you really expect him to leave his mom?”
He lifted a shoulder into a shrug. “Maybe, he’s open to it, but mainly because he knows they can’t keep living this way and she won’t do what’s best for herself if he’s around to enable her. The biggest struggle is the fact that she’s eventually going to die, and he won’t be around as much.”
“So, you got information about different facilities?” I asked.
“Yeah, he’s going to talk to her about getting power of attorney first, but if that doesn’t work he may have to force her to leave that house and make her options minimal. He knows her mental health problems are what’s helping the disease progress and leaving her alone all day doesn’t help with that issue.”
“So, you’re thinking that removing Brock from the home and away from her is the only way to motivate her to leave that house?” I asked.
“Yeah, and he’ll do much better if he’s a distance from her and just made frequent visits. This is more for him than it is for her.”
“I’m proud of you for stepping in to help, especially since you don’t know him.” I kissed his cheek.
“I hadn’t even thought about meeting him. It wasn’t even a consideration, but then I stumbled upon him, and it felt kind of strange. I hadn’t seen anyone I’m biologically related to in years, and suddenly being around him felt extremely important. We spent the whole day together and it’s weird because there was a connection almost immediately. I could have just left him in that cemetery and not bothered with him, but he’s my brother, Wrenly. My real living and breathing brother and I feel like I’m his last chance. I don’t want to take him away from his mom to be a dickhead, but I am kind of selfish in a way I guess. I have an opportunity to have family close and there’s nothing for him here. His girlfriend dumped him, his mom just keeps holding him back, and he’s working a dead end job where he probably won’t ever get ahead. On our way back to town we stopped at the shop where he works, and he showed me the cars he has restored. He’s talented, I swear the kid is an artist. He doesn’t just work on the engines, he paints them and holy shit he does an amazing job. I called Creed after I dropped him off, and of course he understood my desire to help Brock since he has two half-brothers of his own. I don’t want him taking the same path as Karter and Weston, I’d rather see him live on his own and work in the shop. So, Creed is putting out some feelers for a rental property. I don’t want an apartment or a trailer, but a house so he can have a garage of his own. If I have to buy a place and rent it to him I will, but for right now Creed is looking for a less permanent situation for now. He really liked the idea of expanding the shop, we have the room for it. He can work on bikes until he can grow the car restoration business. I’ll help him with that as well.” He paused and smiled. “You should see him, Wrenly. The possibility of this happening for him made him look completely different. He had no hope when he woke up this morning, but now he’s excited and has much larger goals. I just worry his mom will change his mind, and he does have a girlfriend. Well, she dumped him, but I can tell he really cares for her.”
“I think it’s his best opportunity, but what are you going to tell him about Creed’s Lake?” I asked.
“Nothing at first. I’ll have to feel him out, and of course he would eventually need to enter the gates. He should be able to visit me, not just have me dropping in at his place. He isn’t like the others that work for us and don’t ask questions. He's family and I’m sure that would make him more curious.”
“I think you’re doing a great thing, and I can’t wait to meet him. He was pretty little the last time I saw him. I remember holding him as a baby. Emma worked with dad and Tony, so I saw them at some functions. Then of course I knew him through Matt when he was a kid. Paula talked about him a lot but never really had too much to say, other than the last time I was in town she told me he was incarcerated and nothing but trouble.”
His eyes turned dark. “I’d like to see perfect Paula’s idea of trouble. He worked two jobs trying to care for not one, but two, sick parents, which of course was the reason he couldn’t keep up with his grades. That resulted in the loss of his future because of being kicked off the basketball team. Yes, he made some very poor decisions, but he didn’t do it because he was some kind of loser. The kid was desperate for money. I had it rough, but nothing like what he has faced. Dad made good money, I might have been ignored but I always had cash in my pocket, and we were far from poor. After dad got sick and lost his job, they’ve lived in near poverty. I’ve seen one example after another in my life of how shame can ruin lives. My parents were ashamed of me, so they abandoned me. Magnus lost time with his dying mom because if shame. I left and didn’t come back because I wanted to avoid shame, and look at dad and Emma, how they were willing to pay the price of their sons future to hide their shame. I lost years with you because of it and there were repercussions that ended up hurting you more than myself. That’s the one thing I want Brock to learn from all this, you can’t let shame live your life for you. You have to face it head on and eventually it dies away. Life will be so much easier if you let it go.”
I smiled and brushed my lips against his. “You’re so sexy when you’re being so smart.”
“Oh yeah?” He smiled.
“Absolutely.” I pressed my lips against his and there was the spark that always exploded inside me when we kissed.
The doorbell rang and Travis went to pull back, but I didn’t let him. “It’s probably just one of Jacob’s friends wanting him to go out and play. Heather will take care of it.”
He dove back into the kiss, his hands slid under the hem of my shirt and trailed up my back. I moaned against his lips, when I felt his erection under my ass. He was just about to lift my shirt up when there was a knock on the door. I quickly pulled back. “Yes?” I called out.
“Could I please come in?” Heather asked.
“The door is locked.” Travis whispered.
“Sure.” I stood and straightened myself then glanced in the mirror to make sure my hair wasn’t sticking up, my face was a little rosy from the heated last few minutes, but that couldn’t be helped. Creed stayed seated, for obvious reasons as I opened the door and stepped back. Heather entered and shut the door behind her.
“I’m so sorry, I promise I haven’t told a soul, but Paula is downstairs, she knows you’re here. What would you like me to do, Travis?” Heather was as white as a ghost and obviously a little freaked out by the situation.
“How did she know I was here at Clint’s?” He wasn’t being accusing, just curious.
“I have no idea how she knows you’re in town, but she said she heard a rumor and took a chance that it’s Clint you came to see. She also said the rental car out front pretty much confirmed it. I can send her away, or at least try.” Heather offered.
Travis pinched the bridge of his nose. “Christ, of course she has the nerve to just show up.” He looked at Heather. “It’s not your fault or your problem. I’m sure she won’t leave until she sees me. Thanks, Heather, I’ll handle it.”
I was frozen as I watched Travis. My blood turned ice cold, and I had no idea what to expect. He stood and walked over to me, taking my hand into his. “Stay with me?”
“Are you sure?” Not just about staying with him, but seeing her at all. “I can handle it, you don’t have to see her.”
He shook his head. “It’s best to face her. Remember what I said a few minutes ago about shame? I won’t let shame chase me away anymore. I was a kid, one that was lost and abandoned, so of course hell broke loose. Let’s get this over and done.”
Heather opened the door. “You’re making the right and most mature decision. I’ll let her know you’ll be right down.”
“Thanks Heather.”
She walked out and shut the door then he looked down at me. “Stay with me, but let me handle it. I don’t have much to say to her so this shouldn’t take long.”
I nodded. “Whenever you’re ready.”
We walked over and he opened the door. Paula was talking with Heather at the bottom of the steps. The moment Paula saw her son, her hand lifted to cover her mouth and tears began building in her eyes. “Oh my…you grew to be so handsome.”
Paula was always a very pretty woman. She was tall and slender, with dirty blond hair, but a large streak of white grew from her bangs and spread through her long hair, making her appear more blond than she did in our youth. Her hair was down, allowing the white to spread throughout her very loose wavy hair. Her appearance was youthful until you looked into her beautiful emerald green eyes. They held years of pain in them and its obvious she has suffered. Paula was always well put together with sometimes a youthful casual look, and other times she appeared as a professional business woman. She appeared before us in a loose plum wrap blouse that gave her a lower neckline, matched with a dark gray pencil skirt and knee high black boots. She wore yellow gold jewelry and presented much higher class than most women in our home town.
Travis didn’t say anything. Just held my hand and the other hand went into his pocket.
“How can I help you?” He spoke with very little enthusiasm.
She stepped closer and reached for his face, but he pulled us back a few steps. Her hand slowly fell to her side. “I deserve that.” Her face fell into disappointment. “It’s lovely to see you again, son. You’re even more handsome than your father, and so big.” She studied his muscles. “You’re healthy I see.”
“Again, how can I help you?” He wasn’t thrilled.