Unbridled (Unlikely Lovers) (30 page)

“You’re not a jinx,
and Kris didn’t die because you loved him. Nor is it your fault Levi is autistic. It doesn’t work that way.”

“Yeah. I know. It’s just so hard to…” She paused, shaking her head.
“I do the best I can, but it’s never enough.”

“It’s okay to admit you aren’t Superwoman. I
promise I won’t love you any less—and I do love you, Miranda. With all my heart.”

She couldn’t possibly have heard him correctly. Swallowing hard, she gave him a tremulous smile. “Not sure anyone less than Superwoman could hang onto a guy like you.”

Travis had always known he’d be the one to say it first. What he
hadn’t anticipated was that she wouldn’t repeat it back to him right away.

No. I knew that, too.

“A guy like me? Believe me, I’m nothing special.”

“Oh, yes, you are. You’re freakin’ perfect.”

“Yeah, right. If I’m so damned perfect, why did my wife cheat on me? Why did Christina think I was boring? Why couldn’t Shelley trust me? No, I’m not perfect. Not by a long shot.”

She waved a dismissive hand.
“That only proves how imperfect
they
were.”

“You’re absolutely right. They weren’t perfect—at least, not for me. But
you
are.”

“I would
so
like to believe that.”

H
er voice was so soft, he barely heard her, and her wistful smile nearly broke his heart. Nevertheless, he wanted her to believe it beyond a shadow of a doubt.

“It’s true,
and if I’m perfect in your eyes, it’s because you bring out the best in me. Whether you love me or not is entirely up to you, but please don’t rule out the possibility.”

“I won’t.
” She frowned, shifting in her chair. “If only it didn’t seem so…sudden.”

“
We may have only been together for less than a week, but we’ve known each other for a long time. I fell for you from the very beginning. Even knowing I couldn’t have you didn’t stop me. I’m right here, and I’m
not
going to disappear.”

The little beagle came up on the deck and nudged her hand. She stroked his head in silence. “Y
ou’re right,” she finally said. “That’s why I don’t—or
won’t
—let anyone help me. Any man, that is.” She blew out a shaky breath. “For me, it’s almost the same as letting them love me. I’ve been so afraid to fall in love again, and protecting Levi wasn’t the only reason. I was protecting myself, too.” 

He gave her a few moments to let the idea sink in. “
I’ll give you as much love as you can stand, Miranda. All you have to do is let me.”

His heart sank as she slowly shook her head.
“Love is so risky. I’ve taken care of dozens of overdoses over the years, and at least half of them were depressed because of a love affair gone bad or the death of a spouse. That’s why I’m so concerned about Levi. What if they get married and have an autistic child? Tabitha might decide she doesn’t want any part of it and leave them both. What then?”

“
I don’t think she’d do that. If she loves Levi, she wouldn’t think any less of his child.”

“
Yes, but she’s seeing Levi the way he is
now
. She doesn’t know how hard it was to get him to this point.” Her voice trembled and tears ran down her cheeks. “Teaching him to read was a constant struggle, and helping him with his homework was a nightmare. There were times when we both got so mad and frustrated, I had to leave the house for a while. I don’t think Tabitha has any idea what she might be setting herself up for.”

“
Maybe not, but there’s always the chance that their children might be normal. He loves her, and he loves kids. Doesn’t he deserve the same chance as anyone else?”

As quickly as they’d filled with tears, h
er eyes hardened with anger. “It isn’t that simple. You weren’t here when he was little. You don’t know what it was like. Hell, even Kris didn’t know.”

Ob
viously he’d touched a sore spot. “No, I wasn’t here, and I don’t know what it was like, but I have met Levi, and I think it would be a mistake for you to refuse to let him marry Tabitha without giving her a chance—without giving
him
a chance.” 

“
Levi is
my
son. You have no right to tell me what to do with him.” She turned away, biting her lip.

“
No, I don’t
have the right to tell you what to do—with Levi or anything else.” This wasn’t only about Levi. There was a whole lot more at stake here than that. “I told you once before that I wouldn’t try to run your life and whether I stayed or left was your call, and I stand by that. But I do have a right to my opinion.”

Miranda
’s eyes widened like she’d seen a ghost, and for a moment, Travis thought he’d gone too far.

“You’ve
never said anything of the kind,” she whispered. Blinking rapidly, she added, “If you had, I might have…I don’t know…maybe
annihilated
you.”

Chapter 30

Travis might’ve been waiting his whole life for a woman to pounce on him, but Miranda had been waiting her whole life—the latter part of it, anyway—to hear a man say exactly what he’d just said.

It’s your call…

Travis peered at
her as though half expecting her to start speaking in tongues. “But I
did
say it. After I finally figured out that Levi wasn’t your husband, I said a lot of things, doing my damndest to convince you we were meant for each other. Are you saying you don’t remember that, either?”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t.”

“And here I thought you’d only forgotten the sex. No wonder you were acting so strangely at the hospital! In my mind, we’d come to an understanding—you have to see why I’d think that—and then—oh, God.” His eyes widened in utter mortification. “I brought you home and practically shoved my dick in your mouth during lunch. You must’ve thought I was—well, I don’t know
what
you thought. Why the hell didn’t you tell me to go fuck myself?”

“Because
aside from the fact that I’d wanted to get my hands on you for ages, it seemed sort of…familiar.”

“Sucking my dick?”

“Well, yeah. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t fantasized about it. Among other things.” With a coy smile, she added, “I have a pretty vivid imagination, and I’d dreamed up all sorts of sexy scenarios—when I wasn’t telling myself I was too old for you, that is. Then there was the whole control issue. I never
could
stand the idea of some man telling me what to do—having to take orders from doctors is bad enough. I’d been avoiding men like the plague for that very reason.”

“And
you think that was the missing piece?”

She nodded. “
Already nuts about you and then having you tell me you wouldn’t try to run my life? Oh, yeah. That would definitely do it.”

He still seemed cautious. “And what about now? Does it still have the same effect?”

She glanced toward the yard where Levi was still busy picking up fallen branches. “Yes, but I think I can control it—for the moment.” Frowning, she rubbed the side of her head where only a slight bump lingered. “I kept trying to figure out how come I felt like I loved you, but I didn’t know why. Sounds sort of silly, doesn’t it?”

His lips curled into a slow, provocative smile.
“Not as long as you love me.” Chuckling, he added, “We certainly pick our moments. If this was a movie, we’d be in some secluded spot where we could fall into each other’s arms and make mad, passionate love. But I’m sitting here fixing your weed whacker with gas and oil all over my hands.”

“Good thing m
ine are clean.” In the space of a heartbeat, she surged to her feet and closed the gap between them. His lips were as soft and inviting as ever, and cupping his face in her palms, she tasted the sweet, warm essence of the man she loved. Somewhere deep within her heart, the missing piece of the puzzle settled into place. Come what may, she was in love with Travis York. Nothing could change that now. “I love you so much it scares me.”

“
There’s nothing to be afraid of, Miranda—not when I feel the same way about you. You’re wonderful and sexy and beautiful. I love your strength, your fierce independence, and the way you seemed willing to let Levi do what he had to do without complaining.” He smiled sheepishly. “Of course, the fact that he turned out to be your son, rather than your husband made a difference.”

“A
huge
difference.”

“Yes, but you were still willing to allow Levi his freedom
, and that made an impression on me. I’ve never wanted a clinging vine. Given my history with other women, I think you understand what I’m talking about.”

“Yeah. The jealous, possessive, controlling type doesn’t appeal to you anymore than it does to me.”

He nodded. “You were so right for me—I used to spend nights lying awake, trying to figure out a way to get you to leave your husband. It was a terrible thing to even think about, but at least I didn’t go through with it. My cousin, Alan, helped me with that.” He paused, chuckling. “You need to meet him sometime. He’s a little…different. Anyway, finding out that Levi was your son didn’t help me a whole lot. You’d never given me even the tiniest bit of encouragement.”

“Are you kidding? Of course, I didn’t. You were this hot,
handsome younger man—maybe not as young as I thought you were—but I still never dreamed you might want someone my age. I’d made up my mind you could never be more to me than eye candy. Couldn’t quite convince my heart, though.” 

He snorted a laugh.
“Maybe so, but your brain was pretty much in control. I don’t know if you remember this or not, but even when I told you how much I wanted you, I don’t think you took me seriously.”

“And then you said the magic words.”

“Yeah. Wish I’d remembered them before now. I mean, I tried. I guess when the woman of your dreams pounces on you for the first time, it tends to make the details of how you got there a little fuzzy.”

“I suppose it does.”

“You still don’t remember everything that happened that day, do you?”

She shook her head. “No, but I don’t
think I need to.” Smiling, she kissed his cheek. “I trust you to remember it for me.”

A blush crept up his neck. “As if I could ever forget
that
.”

* * * *

Miranda seemed surprised when Levi decided to go back to his apartment after dinner that evening. Travis, however, had expected it. “He’s got a hot date tomorrow night,” he said as she closed the front door. “He needs to prepare.”

She sat down beside him on the sofa.
“Prepare? All he has to do is take a shower, get dressed, and go pick her up.”

“That’s not how I heard it. He’s going to get his car washed and clean it out before the date.
I think he’s going to get her some flowers, too.”

“
Sounds like you two had a private chat during the driving lesson.”

“Oh, yeah. He’s quite a talker when you get him behind the wheel.”

“I know. It’s weird. When he’s a passenger, he hardly ever says anything. Just listens to music or plays video games—or talks to himself. He hardly ever initiates a conversation unless he’s driving.”

“
You know, he’s really serious about Tabitha. I almost hate to mention this, but he was trying to come up with baby names.”

“Oh, God. I am
so
not ready for that. I hope Tabitha has sense enough to wait a little while—at least until she finishes school. He did
say she was studying to be a chef, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, but he’s ready right now.  Boy, when he makes up his mind to do something…”

“Believe me, I know. He never acted like he wanted
to learn to drive until he got sick of dealing with the people who were taking him out twice a week. Half the time they didn’t show up, and he didn’t like their cars or their driving. After that, there was no stopping him.”

“He, um, asked me a few other things, too.”

Miranda looked like she was about to cry. “Oh, don’t tell me it went beyond kissing.”

“Well, yes, it did. He’s got a general idea about how to make babies, but he did ask me a few questions concerning the, um, finer points of how it’s done.”

“And what did you tell him?”

“That
I needed to talk to you first. After all, I’m not his father.”

“I’m sure you’d be better at telling him than someone else.” Frowning, she stared at the floor for a long moment. “Was that something you were looking forward to doing someday?”

“I did think about it when he came over on Monday night. Honestly, I don’t mind talking to him about it, but, like I said, he’s your son.”

She shook her head. “That’s not what I meant. You do realize if you st
ick with me, you’ll never have any children of your own, don’t you?”

Travis
had wondered when she’d finally get around to that. “Yes, I do.”

“And it doesn’t bother you?”

“Let me put it this way. I’m in love with
you
, Miranda, not with any children we might or might not have together. If fathering children was my only goal, I’d have done it by now. Besides, I can’t think of a better son than the one you have, and I’d be honored to have him as a stepson.” He paused, chuckling. “He’s one of the coolest guys I’ve ever met.”

Miranda ducked her head, shielding her eyes with her hand
, but she couldn’t completely hide the tears rolling down her cheeks. With a sob, she fell against him. “I love you so much.”

Travis wrapped his arms around her, planting a kiss on the top of her head.
“Could you say that again?” he whispered. “No one’s told me that for a very long time.”

Pulling away, she
sat up, wiping the tears from her eyes. “I find that so hard to believe—like the time you told me your life was lonely and incomplete and that you weren’t happy. You’re the most lovable man I’ve ever known. I don’t understand why you aren’t taken, why you don’t already have a wife and a whole passel of kids.”

He smiled ruefully. “I’m glad
you think I’m so lovable, but there have been plenty of others who would disagree. I had to meet the right person before any of that could happen—and that person is you.”

She inhaled a shaky breath.
“Promise me you won’t disappear. I keep feeling like I’ll blink and you’ll be gone.”

“I’ll do the best I can to be
here for you. This is where I want to be, and I’m so glad you were here for me to find.”

“Pinch me,”
she said. “Hard enough to leave a mark. I have to know this is real.”

“
No.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “You’re going to have to settle for kisses. I’m not about to leave a mark on you. You’re perfect just the way you are. Besides, you get hurt often enough without any help from me.”

“
True. I’ll have to be more careful.”

“You do that
, Miranda. I want to keep you around for a very long time.”

“Yes, and don’t forget, I’ve got ne
arly ten years on you already.”

“Oh, hush up and kiss me.”

“My pleasure.”

* * * *

Miranda’s first night back at work went smoothly enough, or would have if they’d been busier. A quiet night with soundly sleeping patients gave Lola and Dana more opportunities to pump her for information. Dana giggled and teased. Lola, on the other hand, was positively gloating.

“Told you he was interested in you,” she said with a
knowing smile. “You wouldn’t listen.”

“Have a heart, Lola. I had a concussion. He remembered everything, but I’d forgotten all of it.”

“That
would
be weird,” Dana agreed. “Sort of like waking up—”

“—in Vegas married
to a complete stranger?” Miranda finished for her. “Yeah. A lot like that, only I didn’t even know we were married. Well…not married, exactly, but you get the idea.”

Lola sniffed. “So, when
’s the wedding?”

Miranda snorted a laugh. “You mean mine or Levi’s?”

“Yours, of course.”

“I’ll let you know when he asks me.”

“Sounds to me like it’s a done deal,” Lola said.

Since there isn’t much nurses
won’t
discuss with each other, Miranda had told them both everything she could remember. “I’m still waiting to be asked.”

Dana giggled. “Bet he does something really romantic.”

“You mean like flowers, candy, and a ring?” Miranda scoffed. “I doubt it. Besides, Levi already did the proposing for him.”

“But you haven’t said yes, have you?” Lola pointed out.

“No, but I didn’t refuse, either. Still, we’ve only been together for two weeks. Don’t you think it’s a little soon to be talking about marriage?”

Lola frowned. “Usually doesn’t take
me very long to decide.”

“And you have
such a terrific track record,” Dana said with a snicker. “Not sure you’re the best source for reliable statistics.”

“I never said it was the
right decision,” Lola said. “It’s just that I make up my mind fairly quickly.”

“And we’ve seen the results of using
that method.” A call light went off and Dana got to her feet. “I’ll get that.”

“It’s my patient, Dana,” Miranda said. “I’ll get it.”

Anything to escape this inquisition…

* * * *

Miranda thought it best to skip her riding lesson on Tuesday morning. Travis would’ve helped her hitch up the trailer, but hauling herself up on top of Kira using anything less than a stepladder still seemed impossible. She’d just gotten back from the barn when Christina called.

“Hey
, girlfriend, I’ve got a meeting in Pemberton later this afternoon, so I’m headed your way. Want to meet somewhere for lunch?”