32. Isabella
32
ISABELLA
B ella picked up a towel from the laundry basket and folded it. Dean’s raised voice boomed down the hallway again, and Bella’s teeth grated against each other.
“I don’t understand why we have to have this discussion again. I mean, why do you care to know where I am all the time?”
Anna’s response was almost immediate. “Because I love you! You’re halfway around the world on any given day, and sometimes you don’t call me at all!”
“I don’t have anything to say! Geez, you’re so clingy!”
“How can I be clingy when we hardly see each other or even speak?”
It was the same fight she’d heard before. Dean had been gone for days with very few phone calls. From what Bella could gather, the only talking they did was arguing.
The rumble of Travis’s diesel engine grew louder, and Bella hurried to finish folding the last of the clothes, stacking them in piles on her bed.
She made it to the door right as Travis knocked, and she threw it open.
She’d been waiting all day to see his smile, and he did not disappoint. His gaze fixed on her, and both sides of his mouth lifted, making his eyes almost sparkle.
Dean shouted from the other side of the small cottage, and all traces of the smile faded from Travis’s face. “What’s going on?”
Bella hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “Fighting again.”
The intensity of his stare as he looked over Bella’s shoulder would have made Dean shake in his boots if he were around to see it. “Does she need help?”
“I don’t know. It just sounds like a lot of yelling.” She stepped out of the doorway. “Want to come in?”
Travis kept his gaze focused down the hallway as he followed her. Once he was inside, he slammed the door closed behind him.
The sound vibrated up Bella’s feet and into her legs, and the voices stopped. They both stood still until Anna appeared from the hallway. Red splotches covered her cheeks and neck, and her eyes held a sadness Bella hadn’t seen before.
“Hey, Travis. I think Dean and I were just going to go out for dinner. Would the two of you like to join us?”
Dean appeared behind Anna wearing a scowl that said he clearly hadn’t approved the invitation she’d just extended.
“Thanks, but I was going to make spaghetti tonight. I was planning to make enough for all of us if the two of you would rather stay in,” Bella said.
Dean rested a hand on Anna’s back, corralling her toward the door. “Thanks for the offer, but we’ll pass.”
Anna grabbed her coat from the hook by the door. “Are you sure you don’t want to come along?”
Was that a cry for help, or was she just trying to be friendly? “It’s okay. I’ll save you some, and you can take it to work for lunch tomorrow.”
With that, Anna wiped a hand over her cheeks and forced a smile. “Okay. We’ll be back soon. Call me if you need anything.”
As soon as the door closed behind the feuding couple Travis leaned close to Bella’s ear and whispered, “We are not calling them for anything.”
“I know,” Bella whispered back. A second later, Dean’s car started, and the tightness in her shoulders eased.
“Have they been doing that all day?” Travis asked.
Bella moved into the living room and sat on the couch. She’d been helping Anna clean out her closets to donate to charities, and the aches in her feet pounded up into her calves. “Since Asa left about half an hour ago.”
“Sorry you had to put up with yelling all day. Dean shouldn’t talk to Anna like that.”
Bella rubbed the back of her neck. Gunner had said and done much worse to her on a regular basis, so much so that she’d come to expect it.
The difference was Bella hadn’t stood up to Gunner. He was ruthless and violent, and she didn’t need to do or say anything to set him off.
Dean was harmless. Heartless, but harmless.
“Anna doesn’t deserve that. She’s so nice, and Dean doesn’t seem to care about her at all.” Bella sighed and patted the couch beside her. “Let’s talk about something else.”
Travis sat and draped his arm over the back of the couch, resting his hand behind her head. “What did you do today?”
Missed you.
Wished you’d come back.
Thought about calling you.
“I helped Anna get clothes ready to donate to charities. She has a ton of clothes.”
“I’ve heard stories,” Travis said with a chuckle.
“What about you? Did you go home and shower like Anna demanded?”
“I did.” Travis gave her a quick wink that made her glad she was sitting down.
“Anything else, or did you shower all day?” Bella asked.
“I worked at Beau’s garage, then I took a shower.”
“You went to work? You haven’t had a day off in weeks, and your shift starts in the morning. You should have rested.”
Bella’s phone rang, and she leaned up to grab it from the coffee table. “It’s Tammy,” she said before lifting the phone to her ear. “Hello.”
“Hey. I’m sorry to bother you on your day off, but I have some good news. The cabin we’ve been working on is move-in ready.”
“That’s great. Does that mean you can hire a ranch hand now?” Bella asked.
“Not exactly. It means it’s yours if you want it,” Tammy said, high-pitched and excited.
Bella sat up straight. “Mine? What do you mean?”
“I know you’re living with Anna, but you’ll need your own place when the baby comes along. Matt and I thought you might want a place closer to work.”
Bella’s jaw dropped open. They’d spent weeks working on that cabin and a couple of others getting them fixed up, but she’d always assumed they were for future ranch workers.
“Are you serious?” Bella asked.
Travis sat ram-rod straight beside her, waiting for an explanation for her shock.
“Of course, I’m serious. I don’t know your plans, but we’d love it if you could stay. You’ve had such a hard time lately, and this is a little something we can do to hopefully make things easier for you.”
Bella blinked back tears. “I–I don’t know what to say.”
“We know you’ll eventually need something bigger after the baby gets here, but–”
“Tammy, this is amazing. More than I ever expected. It’s perfect.”
Bella knew she’d need to move out when the baby came or even sooner since Anna and Dean were getting married and planned to move into his place closer to Cody. Instead of worrying about it, she’d decided to pray about it. Every night, the Lord gave her a sense of peace before she fell asleep, and now she knew why.
The one-bedroom cabin would be plenty for her and a baby. It wasn’t as if she had anything to put in it. Everything she owned would fit in a few small boxes.
Tammy chuckled. “Well, we’ve been hoping you’d say yes. When can you move in?”
Bella looked up at Travis. “Oh, um. I’m not sure.”
“Just think about it, and we’ll talk later,” Tammy said.
“Okay. Thank you again,” Bella said as she ended the call. Cradling the phone in her hands, she lowered it to her lap.
“Is everything okay?” Travis asked.
Bella looked up at him and swallowed the lump forming in her throat. “They said I can move into the cabin we’ve been renovating.”
Travis got to his feet beside her. “Really? That’s amazing.”
Bella stood, covering her mouth with her hand. Excitement bubbled up her throat, and she let out a laugh. “It is! Travis, this is great!” She wrapped her arms around his neck and giggled.
Travis’s arms wound around her as he looked down at her with a broad smile.
Bella lifted up onto her toes and pressed her lips to his. The warmth of his embrace seeped into her skin at the same moment realization hit her in the chest.
What was she doing?
Bella jerked away from him and tucked her arms to her chest. “I’m–I’m so sorry.”
Travis tightened his hold on her, pulling her back in until she was pressed against him once more. “I’m not.”
He sealed his mouth to hers and kissed her slowly. Each brush of his lips on hers held the promise of carefully controlled desire. His large hand cupped her face as the pad of his calloused thumb swept over her warm cheeks.
This was perfection. She’d never been kissed like this. It was like free-falling. The air was thick, and her heart pounded like the beat of a war drum. The baby inside her kicked in excitement.
Travis kissed her until she couldn’t breathe. When she pulled away, forced by the need to catch her breath, a girlish giggle escaped.
Travis pressed another kiss to her forehead and continued holding her, adoring her with every breath.
“I didn’t mean to just kiss you like that,” she whispered with a chuckle.
“I did. I’ve been waiting for a sign from you.”
“Was that clear enough for you?” she asked, still giddy and reeling from the kiss and his strong hold on her.
His finger and thumb lifted her chin, and he smiled down at her. “I know we have a lot to talk about, but am I supposed to take that as a go-ahead?”
Bella nodded. “If that’s what you want.”
His nostrils flared slightly as his intense stare bore into her. “More than anything.”
He kissed her again, and the baby kicked a rhythmic beat inside her. She pulled away and guided Travis’s hand to the spot where he could feel the movement.
“The baby is excited too.”
Travis closed his eyes and felt the tiny movements against her belly. “That’s amazing. I’ll never get tired of it,” he whispered.
Despite the elation running rampant in her heart, there were still so many worries threatening to choke the life out of her joy. “Travis, are you sure about this? I mean, I have a group of criminals who might come looking for me. And I’m going to have a baby. I can’t ask you to accept all of this. It’s not the normal way relationships start out.”
“You think I haven’t thought about all of that? Let me skip to the end where I tell you that I want to be with you anyway. I want to be the one who stands beside you. No matter what happens, I’m the one you can always count on. I’m not going anywhere.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Why would you willingly take on this mess?” She stepped back, tossing her hands in the air. “This is going to be tough. I don’t understand why you’d do this.”
Travis reached for her, pulling her back in with a gentle tug on her wrist. “Because I love you.”
Bella stilled, struck by the weight of his words. “You what?”
“I love you,” he repeated slowly. “That means I want to be with you. I’ll do anything for you. I’ll stand by you through everything. Bella, I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.”
Tears pricked her eyes, and she rested her cheek against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. After he’d been disregarded by his family and betrayed by his brother and ex, Travis’s vows held a promise of loyalty she couldn’t fathom.
His hand brushed over her hair, soothing her shaky breaths. “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same,” he whispered.
She sniffed. “But I do. I love you so much it hurts.”
He tightened his hold on her. “I don’t want it to hurt.”
“But don’t you see. We’re both going to get hurt. You’ll sacrifice things for me, and I’ll be heartbroken if–”
If he decided he couldn’t handle the baggage–the parts of her life that were too heavy to ask someone else to carry.
“Being with you isn’t a sacrifice. It’s an honor. And no one's heart is getting broken. I just made it my mission to protect your heart at all costs.”
She burrowed her face against his chest and whispered, “I’m scared.”
Travis chuckled. “I wish I could say I’m not afraid of anything, but that’s not true.”
“We should all be scared. The Iron Fist MC is evil.”
Travis’s hands cradled the sides of her face and lifted her eyes to his. “That’s not what I mean. Put me against any man who tries to hurt you, and you can bet it all on me. It’s the things I can’t protect you from that terrify me–things in God’s plan that I have no control over. Your pregnancy, the baby’s health, your happiness.”
Bella closed her eyes. Maybe she hadn’t given him enough credit. He was worrying too, and his concerns were just as real.
“But,” he began, “I’m willing to hand those things over to the Lord. I’ll take care of the things I can control and pray about the things I can’t.”
Bella nodded. “I’ll do the same.”
He smiled down at her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Good. Then let’s talk about this move. When do you want to do it?”
“I need to talk to Anna and pack up my stuff. There isn’t a lot, so that won’t be a big deal.”
“You’ll need furniture. My shift at the fire station starts tomorrow, but we can go to Blackwater Restoration later this week and load up on things like that.”
Bella let her forehead fall against his chest. “I still don’t have the money for that.”
“We’ll start with the essentials first, and I’ll get you anything you need.”
Her head popped up. “Okay, there’s a difference in paying for a meal on a date and paying to furnish a house.”
“Actually, I have an idea. I’ll run it by Anna when she gets back.”
“What are you talking about?”
“We can ask around at church if anyone has furniture they want to get rid of. Everyone knows you now, and I bet they’ll be happy to donate some things or even some funds.”
“That’s outrageous! I can’t ask for that.”
Travis rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “That’s how a church works. We should be generous and help out when someone needs it. Sure, missions in foreign countries are important, but we’re also supposed to take care of the people in our community and within the church. If we’re not doing that, then we’re not being Christlike.”
She let out a deep exhale, and her shoulders ached. “I know that, but it’s hard to be the one on the receiving end.”
“You won’t always be.” He motioned for her to sit down on the couch. “Let’s make a list of things you need.”
Bella lowered to the couch and sank into the soft cushion. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.”
Travis grabbed a notepad and pen from the kitchen and sat on the couch beside her. “Must haves.”
“Bed. That’s about it.”
Travis scribbled on the page. “Bed and couch.”
“Couch? I probably need a kitchen table before I need a couch.”
“I can sleep on the floor, but I’m getting a couch. I don’t want you staying out on the ranch alone.”
“Travis, I can’t just take you away from your home.”
“And I can’t let something happen to you. I don’t take the threats you told me lightly. If there’s a person in this world who means you harm, they’ll have to go through me first,” he countered.
Bella swallowed hard. Travis wasn’t like her dad and Gunner. He didn’t make empty promises just to win her over. He showed her how much his words meant with his actions.
He moved to stand right in front of her and clasped their hands together. “I’ll always protect you and your baby. No one will ever hurt you as long as I’m around.”