Unbridled (Unlikely Lovers) (28 page)

Thank God.

Miranda had no idea what to expect, nor had she been looking forward to the meeting. She was protective of her son, which was natural, but Levi’s history made the stakes even higher. Whether she gave her consent or not, he could still wind up with a broken heart, an outcome Miranda hoped to avoid at all cost.

As she stepped out onto the porch to greet them, she would’ve given a lot to have Travis there beside her.

Whoa. That’s a first.

Having been Levi’s advocate since birth, she’d dealt with countless
issues, and she’d usually done it alone. Unfortunately, meeting Levi’s girlfriend and discussing the possibility of their marriage was nothing like trying to decide whether or not Levi could tackle algebra. The emotions involved were entirely different. Miranda’s wish for Travis’s support proved that he was already becoming a part of her life, and, subsequently, her son’s.

They both got out of their cars and Levi took the girl’s hand
, gazing at her with frank adoration before turning to face Miranda. “Uh, hi, Mom. This is T-tabitha.”

Tabitha appeared to be no less smitten. The smile she gave Levi held no trace of indulgence for his stuttering introduction, only warmth and affection.
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Jackson.”

“Nice to meet you too, Tabitha. Call me Miranda.”

Levi had told Travis that Tabitha was beautiful, which, in Miranda’s opinion, was an exaggeration. A nice-looking, girl-next-door type, Tabitha was rather thin with shoulder-length brown hair and appeared to be in her late twenties—a factor that Miranda hadn’t expected. She couldn’t help wondering if Tabitha knew Levi wanted to marry her.

After the introductions,
Levi started toward the house, but Tabitha hesitated. “I’d like to see the horses first, if that’s okay.”

Miranda’s heart sank.
A private conversation with Tabitha was something she would’ve preferred to avoid. Nevertheless, it had to happen sooner or later. “Sure,” she replied. “You go on inside, Levi. We’ll be along in a few minutes.”

Levi nodded. “Okay.”

Miranda led the way across the yard to the gate where the horses stood waiting for their afternoon feeding. Miranda rattled off their names, and Tabitha petted each of them in turn before she finally spoke. “I suppose you’re wondering why I’m here.”

“Not really,” Miranda said. “Levi talks about you a lot.”

“Did he tell you we were dating?”

“
Sort of. He said you kissed him because you loved him and that he wants to marry you.”

“
Sounds like something he’d say.”

“Is it true?”

“Oh, yeah…”

Tabitha’s
heartfelt tone and accompanying sigh led Miranda to believe she was sincere. On the other hand, if she truly did love Levi, she was the first woman to do so.

“
You know, most women treat him more like a younger brother than a potential boyfriend. He has a lot of good qualities, and I love him dearly, but let’s be realistic. He has autism, which I assume you’ve realized. There are plenty of normal guys around. Why him?”

Tabitha’s
expression hardened. “Why
not
him? Being normal isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Levi is the only man I’ve ever felt I could trust. On top of that, he actually
wants
to get married and have children. And I really do love him. When he first started working at the store, cleaning the parking lot and dusting the shelves, I thought he was cute and funny. Then they asked me to train him to help out in the kitchen, and I realized how much I enjoyed being with him. He grills hamburgers while I do the rest of the cooking, so we spend a lot of time together. I—I don’t know—I sort of fell for him.”  

“
I can understand that,” Miranda said gently. “I love him too, but his children could turn out the way he did. Are you sure you want to take that risk?”

“Everyone takes
a risk when they have children, and his kids might be perfectly normal.” She gave Kira a pat on the nose. “I’m twenty-seven. I don’t want to wait much longer. There are risks associated with older mothers, too. ”

Until she’d actually met Tabitha,
Miranda hadn’t expected a ticking biological clock to be an issue. “True, and I doubt he would have any problems fathering a child. He’s told me he wants a boy baby and a girl baby. I’m just not sure he’s ready to be a father.”

Tabitha sighed. “I know he’s a
little immature, but so are a lot of guys—and some of them are older than he is.”

Miranda certainly couldn’t argue with that.
“He said you kissed him, but has he ever kissed
you
? Even when he was little, he never cared much for physical contact. Oh, sure, he’ll give me a hug if I specifically ask him to, but he never initiates it. Can you handle that?”

“
I think so,” she replied. “And if I made it clear it was important to me, I believe he’d make the effort. I’m not sure he has any idea what to do with a woman. I suppose I’d have to teach him.”

Miranda snorted a laugh.
“He might understand how sex is supposed to work, but he’s had no experience whatsoever
.
Other than telling him it’s best to wait until he’s married, I’ve never even bothered to stress the need for birth control. So far, it hasn’t been an issue.”

“And you’d rather it wasn’
t an issue now.” Her inflection made it a statement rather than a question. 

“
To be perfectly honest, I don’t think it’s a good idea. He’s still too young in so many ways. I hate to be the bad guy, but you’d better be damn sure you understand what you’d be signing up for. Sex is only the beginning. I have no idea how well he’d put up with a crying baby. He was around babies when he was in daycare, and he has a lot of fun with his younger cousins when they visit. But he never had a sibling, nor has he ever been responsible for the care of another child.”

“
My sister has a new baby. Maybe we could babysit and see how he does.” She lifted her chin, her expression earnest. “Believe me, I’ve given this a lot of thought, and I’ve done some research. He’s not the classic autistic, is he?”

“No, but
that doesn’t mean he’d make a good husband—or a good father. I don’t know if he has the patience. And, yes, there are plenty of normal men who can’t deal with marriage and fatherhood, but they can make their own decisions. I don’t know if he’s told you—or if he even realizes it—but I’m more than simply his concerned parent. I’m also his legal guardian.”

Tabitha’s face fell. “No. I didn’t know that.”

“I manage his money, I sign all of his legal documents, and that car he drives belongs to me. He doesn’t even pay the insurance on it.” Miranda knew she sounded harsh, but these were facts that needed to be considered. “Look, I think it would be wonderful if the two of you could get married and live happily ever after, but this isn’t a fairy tale. I just want to make sure you realize that.”

Levi
came out onto the deck. “Are you all going to stay out there all day?”

“
We’re coming, sweetie. Give us a minute.” She glanced at Tabitha. “See what I mean about him being impatient?”

“You should have been there the first day he
worked at the grill. He got very frustrated, and he was so slow, I’m surprised we have any customers left, but he learned.”

“O
nce he’s decided how something is supposed to be done, he’ll do it that way from then on, so be sure you teach him the right way the first time.”

Tabitha nodded,
smiling shyly. “Don’t worry, I will.”

Chapter 28

Levi had some questions of his own when Miranda and Tabitha got back to the house. “What were you all talking about?”

Knowing that his imagination would
undoubtedly conjure up something much worse, Miranda told him the simple truth. “You.”

“Oh
, really
?” His skeptical tone, crossed arms, and tapping foot were reminiscent of Daffy Duck’s standard response—which wasn’t surprising since he’d learned most of his social interactions from cartoons. Real people had been too inconsistent for him to mimic.

“
Yes, really.”

His arched brow dropp
ed into a frown as his demeanor went from skeptical to accusing. He pointed at the refrigerator. “Mom, there’s peanut butter and cookie dough in the house. You know
you can’t eat that.”

“Yes, I know. Travis is helping
me cure my, um, binging problem.”

“
And how is he doing that?” Levi demanded.

Sometimes it was best
not
to tell him the truth. “You don’t want to know, Levi. Trust me on this one.”

Although she’d been
strictly forbidden to eat anything of that nature unless it was on his dick, Travis had never said what he would do if she pigged out while he was gone. Nevertheless, the suspicion that she might lose her cocksucking privileges kept her in line. She could think of several activities she could live without, but licking his dick wasn’t one of them.

To
her surprise, Levi let the subject drop. “So do you like Tabitha?”

He
was nothing if not direct. Jade sauntered in and jumped up on the table, nudging his hand. Miranda glanced at Tabitha as she bit back a smile.

“Probably not as much as you
do,” Miranda replied. “But yes, I like her very much.”

“Good,
” he said with a satisfied nod. “Now we can get married.”

“Today?”

The swish of Jade’s tail drew Miranda’s attention. The cat’s eyes narrowed as though warning her not to tease him.

Levi arched a scornful brow.
“No, of course not.”

“Well, then, when?”
Miranda countered.

“Oh, I don’t know,” he
replied irritably. “Maybe next week?”

Tabitha
lost it. “No, Levi,” she said between giggles. “Remember, I have to say yes first.”

Levi
hung his head. “Okay. I guess I’ll have to wait a little longer.”

“I have to think about it
some more,” Tabitha said. “I’m still not sure it’s a good idea.”

“Why not?
If we love each other, we should get married.”

If only it were that simple.

“
Marriage is a big deal, Levi,” Miranda cautioned. “Sometimes it doesn’t work out even when you’re sure it’s what you both want.”

He heaved a reluctant sigh.
“Yeah, you’re right. I guess I can wait.”

Although devil’s advocate wasn’t her favorite role, t
here was another possibility Miranda felt needed to be explored. “What if Tabitha decides she doesn’t want to marry you?”

His expression as he gazed at Tabitha was filled with
such longing, Miranda’s heart ached for him. “But I love you, Tabitha. More than anything!”

“I love you too,
Levi,” Tabitha said with a gentle smile. “But I still have to think about it for a while.”

He nodded
, then glanced at Miranda. “Can Tabitha have dinner with us?”

Tabitha shook her head.
“I have to work tonight, remember?”

“Oh, yeah
,” he said with apparent regret. “You have to go now, don’t you?”

She nodded.
“Yes, but I’ll see you on Sunday. Okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll
see you then.”

To Miranda’s surprise, he gave Tabitha a hug. He even had tears in his eyes. Miranda had never known him to be quite so demonstrative with his affections.
This girl must have inspired him in ways no one else ever had.

Motivation.
It was the one thing that could make Levi focus on reaching a goal. In that moment, she realized that while Tabitha’s desire to marry him might waver, Levi’s determination never would. 

* * * *

Every time he turned onto Miranda’s driveway, Travis felt like he was coming home. The mere thought of seeing her again made his skin tingle. Levi would be staying for the weekend, which meant that he couldn’t spend the night himself—at least, he didn’t think he could. He would take care of the horses and stay for dinner, but that was about it. Although he was well aware that he had no claim on Miranda, no clear-cut commitment, he was
so
ready to make a permanent arrangement.

Since the fiasco of his first marriage, Travis had never been tempted to
remarry. Now, he wanted it so badly he could hardly sleep at night for thinking about how to ask her, how to persuade her.

He knew she would have doubts. The age difference
bugged her, and then there was the baby issue. Smiling, he recalled a conversation he’d once had with Alan.

“Women always think their men should father children to pass on their good qualities,” Alan said. “The fact that it’s a non-issue for many of the men in question never occurs to them.”  

Travis’s response had been that it was a good thing that women were watching out for the
betterment of the species or the human race might still be living in caves. Alan hadn’t argued the point—although with as much sex as Alan craved, it was a wonder he hadn’t left scads of kids in his wake. So far, he hadn’t, nor had he caught any nasty diseases. He was a firm believer in safe sex—and so was Travis, otherwise he might have had children with Janie. If nothing else, he’d had sense enough to delay fatherhood until he was at least old enough to vote. 

If only he’d shown similar wisdom
with regard to becoming a husband. Thinking back to the time of his divorce, Travis still wasn’t sure what he’d done wrong. He’d been told it wasn’t his fault—Janie herself had said so—but he must’ve done
something
to make her start sleeping with his best friend.

Maybe I need to choose my friends more carefully.

Oddly
enough, Alan had never stolen a girlfriend from him. Apparently, there was some honor among cousins, even when one of them happened to be a self-proclaimed sex maniac. Then again, perhaps it was simply another of Alan’s many quirks.

The horses were waiting at the gate
when Travis parked the truck. They
looked
hungry, but he figured he ought to make sure Miranda hadn’t fed them before he headed up to the barn.
 

Sticking his
head in the door, he spotted her standing in front of the stove. He had no idea what she was cooking, but it smelled heavenly. The realization that this was what it would be like to come home to her every night hit him like a sledgehammer, momentarily robbing him of breath.

“Hey babe, have you fed the ponies yet?”
To his surprise, his voice sounded perfectly normal. Then again, he probably wouldn’t have sounded quite so ordinary if she’d turned and smiled at him before he’d asked that question.

“No,” she replied. “Tabitha wanted to see them, so they
each got a few pats on the nose, but no food. I bet they’re pissed.”

“Tabitha
was here?”

“Yeah. I
’m guessing she wanted a private conversation with me more than she wanted to meet the horses. Needless to say, it was an interesting discussion.”

“I’ll be
t it was.” He hesitated, not sure if the details were any of his business.

“I’ll tell you all about it when you come back from the barn.” She nodded toward the living room. “Levi is
in there watching TV. Hopefully, he won’t hear us.”

“That bad, huh?”

“I wouldn’t say that, exactly. I wanted to be sure she understood the whole picture. I was a little blunt, but she took it well.”

“Do you think she really loves him?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. Levi sure seems smitten with her. I’ve never seen him act like that.”

Travis knew the feeling.
“Hold that thought while I run up to the barn real quick. Dinner smells great.”

She chuckled. “Hope you like chicken nuggets.”

“I
love
chicken nuggets.” Hell, he’d love anything she fixed for him, just because she was the one doing the cooking.

Boy, am I head over heels or what?

With a shrug, she added, “At least they’re the homemade variety. Levi always wants the same things when he comes home. Chicken nuggets on Friday and Pizza Hut pizza on Saturday. His first time driving solo was to get pizza. So now I don’t have to cook
or
drive into town on Saturday nights. I wonder if he’ll still come home when he—” Her hand flew up to cover her mouth as she broke off with a sob.

Crossing the room in a few quick strides, Travis
took her in his arms, holding her close to his chest. If there was one thing Travis had learned—and he’d probably heard it from Alan—it was to simply hold a woman and let her cry. She leaned into him, her whole body shaking while he stroked her back.

“What’s wrong with Mom?”

Travis glanced up to see Levi standing in the doorway. “I think she’s afraid if you get married, you won’t come and stay with her anymore.”

Miranda took a deep breath and stood up straight, wiping her eyes. “I’m okay, Levi. No need for you
to worry.”

Given her aversion to showing any weakness, h
er abrupt mood change wasn’t too surprising. Travis had no doubt that she’d often kept a stiff upper lip when she’d really wanted, even
needed,
to break down and cry. After all she’d been through—the death of her husband, raising a special needs child—he wondered how on earth she’d done it alone.

One day at a time.

“Mom, I’ll still come to see you if I marry Tabitha. And you have Travis now. He’ll take care of you.”

Miranda froze, again
pressing her hand to her mouth. In an instant, she regained control, assuming the same calm demeanor she’d displayed when Levi had first spoken. Swallowing hard, she lowered her hand and nodded. “Everything will work out. We’ll be okay.” Turning back toward the stove, she picked up a fork and turned over the chunks of chicken in the skillet.

Travis touched her shoulder. “
Anything I can do?”

She shook her head. “Just the horses. Dinner will be ready
in about twenty minutes.”

Food
was the last thing on his mind at that point, but she’d already broken down once. Deeming it best not to make matters worse by encouraging her to talk if she wasn’t ready, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Be right back.”

Her eyes still focused on h
er task, she nodded, her lips pressed tightly together.

He
smiled at Levi. “Want to give me a hand with the horses?”

“Um, sure. Let me get my boots on first.”

Although Levi frowned and muttered as they walked to the barn, Travis kept quiet, waiting until the boy spoke directly to him. He was in the tackroom filling the feed buckets when Levi finally broke the silence.

“Was Mom really
crying?”

“Ye
s, she was.”

Levi shook his head
slowly. “She
never
cries—well, hardly ever.”

“I think she
cries more than you realize. She just makes sure you don’t catch her at it.”

Frowning, Levi picked up a
feed bucket. “This is for Kira?”

“Yeah, and th
at one is Arwen’s.”

Levi carried the
two buckets out to the horses, returning just as Travis dumped a scoop of grain into the last pail.

“How come she doesn’t let me see her cry?”
Levi asked.

“Maybe she doesn’t want you to worry.”

“Well, I
do
worry.” Levi scowled. “She takes care of me and the horses and all those sick people at the hospital. One of them hit her once and gave her a black eye.”

“I bet she cried then.”

“No. She said it just made her mad.”

“I can see where it would.”

Levi stood there for a moment, chewing pensively at his lower lip. Taking a deep breath, he leveled a stern glare at Travis. “You’re not going to hit her, are you?”

Travis felt his jaw drop. “Why would you think that?”

“Guys hit Aunt Tracy all the time.” He shook his head. “I don’t understand that.”

“Neither do I,” Travis said. “And
, no, I’m not going to hit your mother. Ever.”