30. Isabella
30
ISABELLA
A nna paced in the living room, tapping away at her phone with her thumbs. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this covered.”
“What are you even talking about? What’s covered?” Bella asked.
“Security.”
“What kind of security?” Bella had told Anna everything, and surprisingly, she didn’t seem worried. She’d picked up her phone and stepped into work-mode.
“We use security firms for our clients all the time. I can have a team here tomorrow night for twenty-four-hour security.”
Bella stood quickly. “No way. I can’t afford that. I can’t afford anything!”
Having a job was step one, but starting from the bottom made everything tight. Knowing she’d have plenty of things to buy for the baby soon only increased her worry.
Anna lowered her phone and propped a hand on her hip. “It’s like you don’t know me at all. I’m going to pay for it.”
“You can’t do that! I already owe you so much.”
Anna rolled her eyes. “I make plenty of money, and I have nothing to spend it on. This house belongs to my parents and is paid for, boutiques send me every stitch of clothing I have for free, and I’m a successful attorney. Let me do this and rest assured I’ll be happy knowing the money is being spent on your safety.”
Ope. The tears were about to spill out again. Had Bella ever met anyone like Anna before?
“I can’t believe this,” Bella whispered.
“Believe it, then don’t worry about it anymore,” Anna said before turning her attention back to the phone in her hand.
Bella sat back on the couch beside Travis, and he reached for her hand. Between Travis and Anna, Bella could almost forget about the danger lurking in the shadows.
Travis rubbed a hand over her back. “It’s going to be okay. Anna wouldn’t have offered if she didn’t want to do it.”
“I know,” Bella said before covering the big yawn that escaped her mouth.
“But this doesn’t mean you’re getting rid of me,” he added.
Her selfish heart leapt for joy knowing Travis wasn’t going to leave her. She’d become too attached to his presence, and letting him go would be heartbreaking at this point.
Anna didn’t look up from her phone as she said, “You need to get to bed. Travis, can you stay tonight?”
Bella perked up. “What?”
“I planned on it,” Travis said.
Bella tilted her head at him. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to. Did you really think I’d leave you?” he asked.
She hadn’t thought about it yet, but she should have known to expect him to make this offer. “I don’t want to take up all your time.”
Travis grinned and shook his head. “You don’t get it. I want you to take up all my time. You’re the most important thing in my life.”
“If Dean was in town, I’d ask him to stay too,” Anna said.
Apparently, Anna had forgiven Dean for their earlier disagreement. Bella liked Dean less and less by the day, but Anna seemed to never get fed up with him.
Surely, that wasn’t true love when Bella saw something so different between her and Travis.
“Do you need to run home to get anything?” Anna asked Travis.
Travis rubbed a hand over his short beard. “Do you have an extra toothbrush?”
“Of course. I’ll get that for you. Bella, you want to sleep with me tonight so Travis can have your bed?”
“Oh. Um, yeah. That would be fine.” Had she ever slept in the bed with another woman before?
“Don’t worry, it’s a queen, and we’ll have plenty of room,” Anna said as she disappeared down the hallway to retrieve a toothbrush for Travis.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Bella asked.
“Of course. We can stop by my house on the way to work in the morning so I can change clothes.”
Anna returned with a toothbrush and handed it off to Travis. “When was the last time you two ate?”
“We each had a sandwich at the Bensons’ around four thirty,” Bella said.
Anna headed for the kitchen, waving for them to follow her. “Let’s feed you and that baby. I’ve been rage cooking since I got home from work.”
It was nearly midnight by the time Bella ate and showered. Anna gave Travis a tour of the small house and explained the details of her parents’ expansive estate. Bella hadn’t even seen all of it yet. The outrageous wealth still had her head spinning.
Bella and Travis offered to clean up the kitchen while Anna slipped off to get ready for bed. They’d fallen into a soothing silence as they washed and dried dishes by the kitchen sink. An unbelievable peace had settled over her since deciding that Travis would stay overnight. It was as if her mind knew she was safe when he was around.
Too bad he couldn’t protect her from the memories. She’d stopped trying to push herself to remember more today. Maybe they would come after a good night of rest.
Travis took the last dish from her and the sponge too. “Can you please go to bed now? I know you’re exhausted.”
A huge yawn kept her from responding right away. “I think I’m ready.”
Travis tossed the dish rag onto the counter and bent to sweep Bella into his arms. She was standing on her tired feet one moment and weightless in his arms the next.
“What are you doing?” she asked as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
“You need to get off your feet. I’m making sure that happens.”
Bella laughed and rested her head on his shoulder. It was a delirious giggle that warned of irrational tears soon to follow. “You’re right. I’m way too tired.”
Travis stopped in front of Anna’s closed bedroom door and placed Bella back on her feet. “If you need anything, just call out. I’ll hear you. I’m a light sleeper.”
Bella rolled her eyes, and Travis crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at her with an intensity that sent a thrill up her spine.
“I’m serious. I know you won’t want to wake me up, but I’m willingly at your beck and call.”
Bella’s throat tightened. “I promise to call if I need you.”
Travis leaned in, and Bella inhaled a deep breath. Was he going to kiss her? She’d waited months for him to move their relationship forward. Was it going to happen right now?
She wanted him to kiss her, but she didn’t want him to be able to deny her true feelings later, claiming she was too tired.
Instead of pressing his lips to hers, Travis opened the door behind her. His scent tingled in her nose as she settled back into reality and realized what he’d done.
Hopefully, he hadn’t been about to kiss her and changed his mind because she tensed up. She wanted to kiss him–wanted it now more than ever.
Travis pressed his lips to her forehead, warming her skin and leaving it burning in his wake. How did he unravel her with such a small touch?
“Good night. Sweet dreams,” Travis whispered deep.
“Good night,” Bella whispered back. She broke out of the shocked paralysis and slipped into Anna’s room.
As soon as she closed the door, Anna rolled over under the sheets. “Will you turn off that light?” she asked as she placed her phone on the nightstand.
Bella flipped off the light and slipped under the covers beside Anna.
“It’s like we’re having a sleepover,” Anna said with a giggle.
Her excitement pushed away some of Bella’s exhaustion. “I know. This is kind of fun.”
Both women settled onto their backs, looking up at the ceiling. The moon shone into the bedroom through the sheer curtains, and the quiet of the night had settled over the house.
“Do you want to talk about what happened earlier? Was it Dean?” Bella asked.
Anna sighed. “It was Dean. Then my mom. I’ve spent too much time dwelling on it already. I need to let it go.”
“You need to let him go?” Bella asked.
Anna actually hesitated, something Bella hadn’t expected.
“No. Relationships aren’t always perfect, but I don’t want to give up on us if we’re still trying to figure out how to work as a team. You know?”
Bella hadn’t thought about it that way. She saw Dean’s flaws and had made up her own mind that he wasn’t good enough for Anna. But one reason Bella loved Anna was because she didn’t expect anyone in her life to be perfect.
“You’re right. I hope you two can work it out,” Bella whispered.
Anna reached over and grasped Bella’s hand. “What I do want to talk about is you and Travis. Now that you know who your baby’s father is, could the two of you have a relationship now?”
It was a question that had been hiding just out of reach all day. What did her new memories mean for the two of them?
“I really don’t know. On the one hand, this is kind of worse than I feared.”
“How so? You weren’t in a loving relationship,” Anna pointed out.
“Yeah, but it means I put everyone around me in danger. I still have no idea if they’re looking for me.”
“Right, but you know who will be the first to make sure you’re safe?” Anna asked.
Bella sighed. “I know, but that doesn’t mean he wants to be in a relationship with me. Everything is so complicated.”
“Of course it’s complicated. That’s life.”
“I don’t want him to feel chained to me. I don’t want to be a burden.”
That was exactly what she’d become, and it was the thing she feared almost as much as Gunner and the Iron Fist. She couldn't take it if Travis saw her as a hot mess that sucked the life and happiness out of him.
“You’re blind if you think Travis could ever see you like that. The man is head-over-heels for you, and he’s waiting for you to give him a chance.”
The floor creaked outside Anna’s bedroom door, and both women tensed, gripping each other’s hands.
“That’s Travis,” Anna whispered. “The man is sleeping outside your door to make sure you’re protected. Tell me he doesn’t have feelings for you.”
Bella focused on calming her breaths. Just when she thought the day had drained everything out of her, Travis showed her a new way he cared for her.
Anna rolled over and settled onto her side of the bed. “Good night. Sleep tight knowing your knight in shining armor is standing guard outside your door.”
“Okay,” Bella whispered. If she said much more, the tears would start up again.
Anna flopped back over and propped up on her elbows. “Oh, and don’t forget to thank the Lord for that man. They’re not all so devoted.”
Bella didn’t get a chance to ask if Anna was worried about her own relationship or if she was just reminding Bella to be grateful, because Anna rolled over and pulled the covers up around her shoulders.