“I would not!”
“Whatever,” she lilted.
“It’s eight o’clock in the morning, Mare. They’re probably still passed out cold.”
Just then, I heard a faint knock on the door. Kara’s arm shot out from under her comforter and turned the knob. The door slowly opened, revealing Travis in the doorway.
“Can I come in?” he asked in a low, raspy voice. The purple circles under his eyes announced his lack of sleep, if he’d had any at all.
I sat up in bed, startled by his exhausted appearance. “Are you okay?”
He walked in and fell to his knees in front of me. “I’m so sorry, Abby. I’m sorry,” he said, wrapping his arms around my waist and burying his head in my lap.
I cradled his head in my arms and peered up at America.
“I’m uh … I’m gonna go,” she said, awkwardly fumbling for the door handle.
Kara rubbed her eyes and sighed and then grabbed her shower bag. “I’m always very clean when you’re around, Abby,” she grumbled, slamming the door behind her.
Travis looked up at me. “I know I get crazy when it comes to you, but God knows I’m tryin’, Pidge. I don’t wanna screw this up.”
“Then don’t.”
“This is hard for me, ya know. I feel like any second you’re going to figure out what a piece of shit I am and leave me. When you were dancing last night, I saw a dozen different guys watching you. You go to the bar, and I see you thank that guy for your drink. Then that douchebag on the dance floor grabs you.”
“You don’t see me throwing punches every time a girl talks to you. I can’t stay locked up in the apartment all the time. You’re going to have to get a handle on your temper.”
“I will. I’ve never wanted a girlfriend before, Pigeon. I’m not used to feeling this way about someone … about anyone. If you’ll be patient with me, I swear I’ll get it figured out.”
“Let’s get something straight; you’re not a piece of shit, you’re amazing. It doesn’t matter who buys me drinks or who asks me to dance or who flirts with me. I’m going home with you. You’ve asked me to trust you, and you don’t seem to trust me.”
He frowned. “That’s not true.”
“If you think I’m going to leave you for the next guy that comes along, then you don’t have much faith in me.”
He tightened his grip. “I’m not good enough for you, Pidge. That doesn’t mean I don’t trust you, I’m just bracing for the inevitable.”
“Don’t say that. When we’re alone, you’re perfect. We’re perfect. But then you let everyone else ruin it. I don’t expect a 180, but you have to pick your battles. You can’t come out swinging every time someone looks at me.”
He nodded. “I’ll do anything you want. Just … tell me you love me.”
“You know I do.”
“I need to hear you say it,” he said, his brows pulling together.
“I love you,” I said, touching my lips to his. “Now quit being such a baby.”
He laughed, crawling into the bed with me. We spent the next hour in the same spot under the covers, giggling and kissing, barely noticing when Kara returned from the shower.
“Could you get out? I have to get dressed,” Kara said to Travis, tightening her robe.
Travis kissed my cheek, and then stepped into the hall. “See ya in a sec.”
I fell against my pillow as Kara rummaged through her closet. “What are you so happy about?” she grumbled.
“Nothing,” I sighed.
“Do you know what codependency is, Abby? Your boyfriend is a prime example, which is creepy considering he went from having no respect for women at all to thinking he needs you to breathe.”
“Maybe he does,” I said, refusing to let her spoil my mood.
“Don’t you wonder why that is? I mean … he’s been through half the girls at this school. Why you?”
“He says I’m different.”
“Sure he does. But why?”
“Why do you care?” I snapped.
“It’s dangerous to need someone that much. You’re trying to save him, and he’s hoping you can. You two are a disaster.”
I smiled at the ceiling. “It doesn’t matter what or why it is. When it’s good, Kara … it’s beautiful.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re hopeless.”
Travis knocked on the door, and Kara let him in.
“I’m going to the commons to study. Good luck,” she said in the most insincere voice she could muster.
“What was that about?” Travis asked.
“She said we’re a disaster.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” he smiled. His eyes were suddenly focused, and he kissed the tender skin behind my ear. “Why don’t you come home with me?”
I rested my hand on the back of his neck and sighed at the feeling of his soft lips against my skin. “I think I’m going to stay here. I’m constantly at your apartment.”
His head popped up. “So? You don’t like it there?”
I touched his cheek and sighed. He was so quick to worry. “Of course I do, but I don’t live there.”
He ran the tip of his nose up my neck. “I want you there. I want you there every night.”
“I’m not moving in with you,” I said, shaking my head.
“I didn’t ask you to move in with me. I said I want you there.”
“Same thing!” I laughed.
Travis frowned. “You’re really not staying with me tonight?”
I shook my head, and his eyes traveled up my wall to the ceiling. I could almost see the wheels spinning inside his head. “What are you up to?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
“I’m trying to think of another bet.”
Chapter Twelve
TWO OF A KIND
I flipped a tiny white pill in my mouth and swallowed, chasing it with a large glass of water. I was standing in the middle of Travis’s bedroom in a bra and panties, getting ready to slip into my pajamas.
“What’s that?” Travis asked from the bed.
“Uh … my pill?”
He frowned. “What pill?”
“The pill, Travis. You have yet to replenish your top drawer and the last thing I need is to worry about whether or not I’m going to get my period.”
“Oh.”
“One of us has to be responsible,” I said, raising an eyebrow.
“My God you’re sexy,” Travis said, propping his head up with his hand. “The most beautiful woman at Eastern is my girlfriend. That’s insanity.”
I rolled my eyes and slipped the purple silk over my head, crawling in bed beside him. I straddled his lap and kissed his neck, giggling when he let his head fall against the headboard. “Again? You’re gonna kill me, Pidge.”
“You can’t die,” I said, covering his face with kisses. “You’re too damn mean.”
“No, I can’t die because there are too many jackasses falling over themselves to take my place! I may live forever just to spite them!”
I giggled against his mouth and he flipped me onto my back. His finger slid under the delicate purple ribbon tied at the crest of my shoulder and slid it down my arm, kissing the skin it left behind.
“Why me, Trav?”
He leaned back, searching my eyes. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve been with all these women, refused to settle down, refuse to even take a phone number … so why me?”
“Where is this coming from?” he said, his thumb caressing my cheek.
I shrugged. “I’m just curious.”
“Why me? You have half the men at Eastern just waiting for me to screw up.”
I wrinkled my nose. “That’s not true. Don’t change the subject.”
“It is true. If I hadn’t been chasing you from the beginning of school, you’d have more than Parker Hayes following you around. He’s just too self-absorbed to be scared of me.”
“You’re avoiding my question! And poorly, I might add.”
“O
kay! Why you?” A smile spread across his face and he leaned down to touch his lips to mine. “I had a thing for you since the night of that first fight.”
“What?” I said with a dubious expression.
“It’s true. You in that cardigan with blood all over you? You looked absolutely ridiculous,” he chuckled.
“Thanks.”
His smiled faded. “It was when you looked up at me. That was the moment. You had this wide-eyed, innocent look … no pretenses. You didn’t look at me like I was Travis Maddox,” he said, rolling his eyes at his own words, “you looked at me like I was … I don’t know, a person, I guess.”
“News flash, Trav. You are a person.”
He brushed my bangs from my face. “No, before you came, Shepley was the only one that treated me like anyone else. You didn’t get all awkward or flirt or run your fingers through your hair. You saw me.”
“I was a complete bitch to you.”
He kissed my neck. “That’s what sealed the deal.”
I slipped my hands down his back and into his boxers. “I hope this gets old soon. I don’t see myself ever getting tired of you.”
“Promise?” he asked, smiling.
His phone buzzed on the night table and he smiled, holding it to his ear. “Yeah? … Oh, hell no, I got Pidge here with me. We’re just getting’ ready to go to bed … Shut the fuck up, Trent, that’s not funny … Seriously? What’s he doin’ in town?” He looked at me and sighed. “All right. We’ll be there in half an hour. … You heard me, douchebag. Because I don’t go anywhere without her, that’s why. Do you want me to pound your face when I get there?” Travis hung up and shook his head.
I raised an eyebrow. “That is the weirdest conversation I’ve ever heard.”
“That was Trent. Thomas is in town and it’s poker night at my dad’s.”
“Poker night?” I swallowed.
“Yeah, they usually take all of my money. Cheatin’ bastards.”
“I’m going to meet your family in thirty minutes?”
He looked at his watch. “Twenty-seven minutes to be exact.”
“Oh my God, Travis!” I wailed, jumping out of bed.
“What are you doing?” he sighed.
I rummaged through the closet and yanked on a pair of jeans, hopping up and down to pull them up, and then pulled the nightgown over my head, throwing it into Travis’s face. “I can’t believe you gave me twenty minutes’ notice to meet your family! I could kill you right now!”
He pulled my nightgown from his eyes and laughed at my desperate attempt to look presentable. I grabbed a black v-neck shirt and tugged it to its proper position, and then ran to the bathroom, brushing my teeth and ripping a brush through my hair. Travis walked up behind me, fully dressed and ready, and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“I’m a mess!” I said, frowning in the mirror.
“Do you even realize how beautiful you are?” he asked, kissing my neck.
I huffed, scampering into his room to slip on a pair of heels, and then took Travis’s hand as he lead me to the door. I stopped, zipping up my black leather jacket and pulling my hair up into a tight bun in preparation for the blustery ride to his father’s house.
“Calm down, Pigeon. It’s just a bunch of guys sitting around a table.”
“This is the first time I’m meeting your dad and your brothers … all at the same time … and you want me to calm down?” I said, climbing onto his bike behind him.
He angled his neck, touching my cheek as he kissed me. “They’re going to love you, just like I do.”
When we arrived, I let my hair fall down my back and ran my fingers through it a few times before Travis led me through the door.
“Holy Christ! It’s the asshat!” one of the boys called.
Travis nodded once. He tried to look annoyed, but I could see that he was excited to see his brothers. The house was dated, with yellow and brown faded wallpaper and shag carpet in different shades of brown. We walked down a hall to a room straight ahead with the door wide open. Smoke wafted into the hallway, and his brothers and father were seated at a round wooden table with mismatched chairs.
“Hey, hey … watch the language around the young lady,” his dad said, the cigar in his mouth bobbing while he talked.
“Pidge, this is my dad, Jim Maddox. Dad, this is Pigeon.”
“Pigeon?” Jim asked, an amused expression on his face.
“Abby,” I said, shaking his hand.
Travis pointed to his brothers. “Trenton, Taylor, Tyler, and Thomas.”
They all nodded, and all but Thomas looked like older versions of Travis: buzz cuts, brown eyes, their T-shirts stretched over their bulging muscles, and covered in tattoos. Thomas wore a dress shirt and loosened tie, his eyes were hazel green, and his dark blonde hair was longer by about an inch.
“Does Abby have a last name?” Jim asked.
“Abernathy,” I nodded.
“It’s nice to meet you, Abby,” Thomas said, smiling.
“Really nice,” Trent said, giving me an impish once-over. Jim slapped the back of his head and he yelped. “What’d I say?” he said, rubbing the back of his head.
“Have a seat, Abby. Watch us take Trav’s money,” one of the twins said. I couldn’t tell which was which; they were carbon copies of each other, even their tattoos matched.
The room was peppered with vintage pictures of poker games, pictures of poker legends posing with Jim and someone I assumed to be Travis’s grandfather, and antique playing cards along the shelves.
“You knew Stu Ungar?” I asked, pointing to a dusty photo.
Jim’s squinty eyes brightened. “You know who Stu Unger is?”
I nodded. “My dad’s a fan, too.”
He stood up, pointing to the picture beside it. “And that’s Doyle Brunson, there.”
I smiled. “My dad saw him play, once. He’s unbelievable.”
“Trav’s granddaddy was a professional … we take poker very seriously around here,” Jim smiled.
I sat between Travis and one of the twins while Trenton shuffled the deck with moderate skill. The boys put in their cash and Jim divvied out the chips.
Trenton raised an eyebrow. “You wanna play, Abby?”
I smiled politely and shook my head. “I don’t think I should.”
“You don’t know how?” Jim asked.
I couldn’t hold back a smile. Jim looked so serious, almost paternal. I knew what answer he expected, and I hated to disappoint him.
Travis kissed my forehead. “Play … I’ll teach you.”
“You should just kiss your money goodbye, now, Abby,” Thomas laughed.
I pressed my lips together and dug into my purse, pulling out two fifties. I held them out to Jim and waited patiently as he traded them for chips. Trenton’s mouth tightened into a smug smile, but I ignored him.
“I have faith in Travis’s teaching skills,” I said.
One of the twins clapped his hands together. “Hells yeah! I’m going to get rich tonight!”
“Let’s start small this time,” Jim said, throwing in a five-dollar chip.
Trenton dealt, and Travis fanned out my hand for me. “Have you ever played cards?”
“It’s been a while,” I nodded.
“Go Fish doesn’t count, Pollyanna,” Trenton said, looking at his cards.
“Shut your hole, Trent,” Travis said, glancing up at his brother before looking back down to my hand. “You’re shooting for higher cards, consecutive numbers, and if you’re really lucky, in the same suit.”
The first hand, Travis looked at my cards and I looked at his. I mainly nodded and smiled, playing when I was told. Both Travis and I lost, and my chips had dwindled by the end of the first round.
After Thomas dealt to begin the second round, I wouldn’t let Travis see my cards. “I think I’ve got this,” I said.
“You sure?” he asked.
“I’m sure, baby,” I said.
Three hands later, I
had won back my chips and annihilated the stacked chips of the others with a pair of aces, a straight, and the high card.
“Bullshit!” Trenton whined. “Beginner’s luck sucks!”
“You’ve got a fast learner, Trav,” Jim said, moving his mouth around his cigar.
Travis swigged his beer. “You’re makin’ me proud, Pigeon!” His eyes were bright with excitement, and his smile was different than I’d ever seen before.
“Thanks.”
“Those that cannot do, teach,” Thomas said, smirking.
“Very funny, asshole,” Travis murmured.
Four hands later, I tipped back the last of my beer and narrowed my eyes at the only man at the table that hadn’t folded. “The action’s on you, Taylor. You gonna be a baby or you going to put in like a man?”
“Fuck it,” he said, throwing the last of his chips in.
Travis looked at me, his eyes animated. It reminded me of the expressions of those watching his fights.
“Whatdya got, Pigeon?”
“Taylor?” I prompted.
A wide grin spread across his face. “Flush!” he smiled, spreading his cards face-up on the table.
Five pairs of eyes turned to me. I scanned the table and then slammed my cards down. “Read ’em and weep, boys! Aces and eights!” I said, giggling.
“A full house? What the fuck?” Trent cried.
“Sorry. I’ve always wanted to say that,” I said, pulling in my chips.
Thomas’ eyes narrowed. “This isn’t just beginner’s luck. She plays.”
Travis eyed Thomas for a moment and then looked to me. “Have you played before, Pidge?”
I pressed my lips together and shrugged, displaying my best innocent smile. Travis’s head fell back, bursting into a barrage of laughter. He tried to speak but couldn’t and then hit the table with his fist.
“Your girlfriend just fucking hustled us!” Taylor said, pointing in my direction.
“NO FUCKING WAY!” Trenton wailed, standing up.
“Good plan, Travis. Bring a card shark to poker night,” Jim said, winking at me.
“I didn’t know!” he said, shaking his head.
“Bullshit,” Thomas said, eyeing me.
“I didn’t!” he said through his laughter.
“I hate to say it, Bro. But I think I just fell in love with your girl,” Tyler said.