24. Travis
CHAPTER 24
Travis
When the rodeo was in full swing, the bar emptied out with patrons going off to see the cowboys show off at the rodeo—Wren and Finn included. They were doing team roping together just like they used to before she moved to Montana.
Finn was a natural born wrangler, so he’d been roping ever since he was a kid just like me. Wren caught the bug a little later; nevertheless, she was a great wrangler too. My sister’s passion was in training horses—being with them in the stables, riding them, taking care of them. When Dad started bringing in rescues, it was a dream come true for her.
But she was an Adler, which meant she was good at whatever she set her mind on learning.
Delilah and I went to meet up with my parents once it slowed down at the bar and Desi said she and Jake could handle things without us. We decided to take my truck to drive to the rodeo on the other side of town.
I told her we didn’t have to go after the run-in with Irene, but she insisted on going, especially since River was with my parents.
I took her hand in mine as we walked toward the arena, where I spotted my parents standing by the entrance with a curious River looking everywhere he could.
“The second you want to go, we’ll go,” I told her before we reached the others.
She smiled at me, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m fine. I want to be here to support Finn and Wren.”
I knew she meant it. Her smile might have been forced, but she was being honest. I loved that she wanted to be there for my family. I just wished she noticed that my family had always wanted to be there for her too.
“Lila! Travis!” River yelled, catching our attention. He was holding a cowboy hat atop his head with one hand, entirely too big for him. He ran toward us faster than I’d ever seen a kid run. He crashed into our legs, and I laughed. “Desmond gave me his hat! You like it?”
“You look so good, buddy.” Delilah crouched down to take in his plaid red button down, jeans, and cowboy boots. He’d been begging her to dress him up like a cowboy today for the rodeo. The kid was pretty damn cute.
I joined her so that I could get a good look at him.
The freckles on his cheeks were more prominent than they had been at the start of the summer. Probably because he’d been spending so much time outside on the ranch with me and my dad.
“Look at you. You’re looking like a real cowboy.” I gave him a fist bump.
“Thank you for watching him like always,” Delilah said to my parents as she went in to give them a hug. My mother held onto her for a little longer than she normally hugged others, and I wondered if she somehow knew Delilah really needed that hug today.
“Anytime you need us, Lila, we’ll be there,” my mother said as she released her .
Delilah nodded, and I could see she was trying to hold back the emotions threatening to bubble up to the surface. It was only when she looked at Dad that she seemed to lose the battle. He held his arms out to her, and she walked into a big bear hug from him.
My mother looked to me, silently voicing her concern but I shook my head with a small smile. It seemed to reassure her enough to not press Delilah about what was bothering her.
I leaned down and asked River, “You ready to go see Wren?”
“Uh-huh! I promised I was going to cheer super loud for her!”
“That’s the spirit.” I reached down and picked him up, sitting him on my shoulders. “Let’s get going.”
After listening to the rodeo announcer on the speakers, blasting my ears for two hours and cheering my brother and sister on with River, we all went out for dinner at the steakhouse. The same way we always did after the rodeo every year. It didn’t matter what we were celebrating, the steakhouse on the other side of town was where we went as a family. The only difference this time was that Delilah and River were also a part of the family.
The twins were rowdy like always, teasing each other or playing games with River at the table. He’d been bouncing with excitement like a pinball, and I doubted he’d be sleeping anytime soon.
Delilah sat next to me on the large round booth after the hostess gave us our menus. The steakhouse was crowded with folks heading straight there after the rodeo. It was loud, but at least I could hear the conversation between my parents across the table from us.
We ate—though, Mom kept chastising our dad for indulging in a ribeye and disobeying doctor’s orders—we laughed, and shared stories. And all the while, I slowly watched Delilah’s smile turn into a genuine one, which made me one happy man. Without giving it much thought, I kissed the side of her head, making her blink up at me in surprise.
“What?” I grinned.
“N-nothing,” she said just as my parents exchanged amused looks.
Wren nudged me over River’s head, poking my side until I had no choice but to look at her with a flat look. My sister smiled knowingly at me, scrunching her nose as she did before saying, “I’m happy for you, you big grouch.”
Yeah, I was pretty damn happy too.
Once dinner was over, I drove Delilah and River back to the bar so she could get her Bronco.
Of course, it didn’t start, so I offered to drive her back to her apartment and call a mechanic first thing in the morning to come take a look at it.
We drove in silence for the most part since River dozed off in the back, occasionally snoring softly. In our silence, however, I noticed she was lost in thought.
Every time I glanced over, she was looking out the window. Gone was the woman who smiled wide enough to make my heart leap in my chest. Now there was the girl I’d seen standing in my bar a month ago—sad and weary, stressed beyond belief.
I hated seeing it.
I wanted to erase that look on her face and give her something to make her feel hopeful again. I wanted her to be happy. I’d never wanted anyone to be happy like I did when I looked at Delilah North. Every time she smiled at River in that unguarded way of hers, forgetting the rest of the world because she was staring right at it, it was like mine lit right up. Like I didn’t know what living was until I saw her.
Hearing Irene’s words today, how she treated her daughter so cruelly, I understood why Delilah thought she was unworthy of being loved. It broke my heart for her that she never received true unconditional love growing up, and she tried her best to give her brother that type of love now. I wished she could see what I saw in her. How amazing she truly was.
Delilah thought she was no good. Like a gloomy cloud in the sky. A storm bound to wreck everything in its path. But to me? To me, she was the sun.
I took her hand in mine and interlaced our fingers, smiling when I felt her give it a single squeeze.
Once I parked in front of the apartment building, I got out of the truck and carefully unbuckled River. I carried him as I followed Delilah up the stairs to the third floor.
She didn’t speak until we reached the door. “I can take him from here. You should probably go home and get some rest.”
I knew what she was doing, and I wasn’t about to let her push me away again. I said I’d prove to her that I’d be here, and I was going to make good on that promise.
“It’s okay, I don’t want to wake him. Just open the door,” I whispered.
She stared at me, knowing she wasn’t getting rid of me that easily. With a sigh, she unlocked the door and held it open for me. I laid River down in his bed, letting her change him into his pajamas and get ready for bed while I waited in the living room. I was sitting on the couch when I heard River say my name then her soothing voice speaking to him. My first instinct was to go in and see him, but their voices were muffled and eventually it got really quiet.
When she eased out of the room and closed the door behind her, she spotted me on the couch. “He was asking for you.”
I perked up at that, “Really? What’d he say?”
“He asked if he was going to see you again at the rodeo tomorrow.” She chuckled as she put his boots by the door, and I smiled.
“Tomorrow, Wren and Finn are roping again and next weekend too before the rodeo ends. They’d never let me live it down if I didn’t go watch them show off in front of the whole town.”
“That sounds like something they’d do. Wren did sort of guilt me into going next week too, so I guess we’re in the same boat.”
“I guess we are.”
Silence stretched on between us and she sighed. “Since you’re here, do you want something to drink?”
Before I could answer, she walked past me to the kitchen. I watched her reach for a glass from the cabinet and pour herself a cup of water. She chugged about half of it by the time I stood up to follow her.
I slowly walked toward her and when she didn’t turn to face me, I placed my hands on either side of her, bracing them on the counter. She tensed but leaned against me after a beat.
“Talk to me, darlin’. What’s on that beautiful mind of yours?”
With a deep weary sigh, she turned to face me. She ran her hand up and down my chest. “I’m just tired.” I remained quiet, knowing she needed to sort through her thoughts before fully opening up to me. “Seeing my mother again after so long, and to not even recognize her at first…well, it jarred me. I thought I could be unaffected by her if I simply put my mind to it. I’m afraid it’s just not that simple. Then I couldn’t stop thinking about that night all those years ago. Being in that hospital, wondering if she’d wake up. I poured so much of myself into helping her for so long that I’m not sure I learned how to live for myself. I even contemplated never going to college so that I could take care of her before I graduated high school.
“I went on to raise River, and I’d gladly do it again if I had to, I’d drop out of college again and again if it meant being with him. God, I even arranged my grandfather’s funeral alone. I worked myself to the bone to ensure I could provide for my brother. And there she was today…acting as if she didn’t abandon us. Guilting me for not looking out for her . But the truth is, she should have been here all along, and I’m angry. I’m so angry because, despite all that, I still love her. I still hope that she’ll decide to get help someday. I want to help her but I’m just not sure if I can do it anymore.”
I wiped away her tears only for more to keep rolling down her cheeks.
“She’s your mother. As much as I detest everything she’s done to you, I can see why you can’t let her go. I don’t think I would be able to let either of my parents go if they were in the same situation. It’s not foolish to wish she could be different. It’s your hope and empathy that makes you so damn good, Delilah.”
Her brown eyes swam in a sea of unshed tears, and I reached out to wipe away another one before it could roll down her cheek. I knew this was a big step for her—by confiding in me, letting me take on the burdens that had been weighing her down .
I pulled her to me until I was wrapping her up in my arms. I felt her tears against my shirt, but I didn’t let her go.
She hesitated before asking, “Do you want to stay the night?”
I leaned down, tilted my head, and kissed her long and hard until I felt her melt into me.
When I pulled away, I said, “Yeah, I do.”
We fell asleep on her bed, holding each other. Whispering soft words and kissing until eventually we fell dozed off. When she fell asleep on my chest, I stared up at the ceiling as I ran my fingers through her hair. Thinking about the past, the present, and what I hoped was a future with her. Because I was in love with Delilah North. I always had been and I always would be.
I just had to wait for her to realize she loved me too.