The Journey Collection (25 page)

Penelope did what she could to keep him from worrying, but she was busy trying not to lose her sanity over the wedding. Most of the details had been worked out already: venue, flowers, cake, and music. But there were dozens of small things that had her on edge: the napkins came back with a typo; half of the dishes they’d ordered had been damaged en route to the house; and Max had a growth spurt, so his tux was now too short. Through it all, though, she had kept her head on straight and had never let it get to her.

All the preparations had led them to this moment. Tomorrow, they’d get married, tying their lives together and becoming a true family.

“How are you holding up?” Travis asked.

She looked over at him and smiled. “I’m exhausted, but I don’t think I’ll sleep tonight. Too wired. How about you?”

“I’m not looking forward to being away from you tonight,” he groused, placing his hands on her hips and pulled her body against his. “It’s a stupid tradition, you know.”

“Yeah, I know,” she replied. “But we’re still doing it. Max and I are gonna snuggle on the couch and watch a movie together. You and Russ are gonna do whatever you two do together. Then tomorrow, just as the sun begins to set, I’ll meet you on the fifty-yard line with a smile.”

“I can’t wait to hold you in my arms as my wife,” Travis murmured.

“Neither can I.” Penelope pressed up on her toes and brushed her lips across his. “Or kiss you.”

“You’re not making it any easier for me to leave you alone tonight,” he growled, resisting the urge to pin her against the wall and take her.

“My resolve is failing fast,” she purred.

Sighing, Travis released her and took a step back. “But since I can tell that you aren’t going to change your mind, I’ll be the man and back away.”

“You’re a good man, McCoy,” Penelope giggled.

“No, I’m a stupid man who loves you more than you’ll ever know.” Travis brought his hands up to her face. “Tomorrow, you’ll be Penelope McCoy.”

“Tomorrow can’t come soon enough.”

***

Chapter Ten

The Moment of a Lifetime

Early the next morning, Travis scrambled down the stairs of his father’s farm house. Moving over to the front window, he placed the palm of one hand on the frame and let the other rest on his hip. The sky was still dark; just the subtle whisper of orange creeping over the eastern horizon hinted that the sun had awoken.

Travis hadn’t been able to sleep all night. Every time he’d thought he might drift off into a peaceful slumber, he’d found himself reaching for Penelope, only to come up empty. He’d gotten so used to holding her in his arms, smelling the Japanese Cherry Blossom lotion that she rubbed over her arms every night, and knowing that she’d still be there when he awoke in the morning. For just one night, she hadn’t lain in his arms, and he had yearned for her.

A quick glance at the clock taunted him; he still had more than twelve hours till he’d see Penelope or Max again. He sighed, feelings of anxiety creeping over him. How had he managed ten years without them, when one night alone caused his heart to ache?

“Boy, how long have you been up?”

At the sound of his father’s voice, Travis smiled and looked over his shoulder. Just as he’d expected, Russ was leaning against the doorway between the living room and the kitchen with a smirk on his lips.

“All night,” he replied, being honest.

Russ laughed and shook his head. “I knew you wouldn’t sleep. Lord knows I didn’t the night before I married your momma.”

“You were nervous?” Travis asked.

“Scared to death.” Russ sighed, plopping down on the couch and laying his arm along the back. “The first time I saw her, I remember thinking that she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever met. It was Halloween. I was a cocky senior in high school, and she was just some little freshman. I thought I was too cool to wear a costume to school, but the guys on my football team had challenged me and, well, you know I can’t say no to a challenge.”

“Yeah, you’ve never been one to back down,” Travis snickered, moving over and sitting next to him.

“I figured it would be funny to wear a superman costume. When I walked into the school, everyone stopped and laughed at me. I won’t lie and say that it didn’t bother me a bit, but I tried not to let it get to me. Anyway, I went on with my business and stopped at my locker. I’d just managed to open it when my attention was drawn to this goddess. She had long, curly brown hair and deep, green eyes. She’d dressed up like superwoman, but damn, she looked good.”

“Eww,” Travis grimaced.

Russ waved him off. “It took me all day to get up the courage to talk to her. Then I came out of my biology class and walked right into her. She started to stumble backward, but I grabbed her by the hips and pulled her toward me. She gasped and looked up at me, a gorgeous smile on her face. I — I fell for her so hard.” Russ paused and took a shaky breath. “I begged her to let me take her out to dinner, but she said no.”

“Why?” Travis blurted.

Russ smirked. “Her daddy, your grandpa, wouldn’t let her date until she turned fifteen. With her birthday being June first, I had to make a decision. Either I moved on and found a different girl, or I waited.”

“And you waited,” Travis said.

“I did.” Russ grinned. “The morning of her birthday, I was standing on her doorstep with a bouquet of lilies. Grandpa answered the door and burst out laughing, which didn’t help my confidence at all. Anyway, he called for Loralie. When she got to the door, she giggled and brought her hand up to her chest. I said, ‘I’ve waited two hundred and twelve days to ask you one question.’ She smiled and said, ‘What would that be?’ Taking a deep breath, I took a step toward her, grabbed her hand, and asked, ‘Will you be my girl’?”

“And she said yes?” Travis inquired.

Russ laughed. “No. She said that if I wanted her to be my girl, then at least I could buy her dinner first.”

“So what’d you do?” Travis couldn’t hide his interest.

“Well, I did what any man in love would do. I took her to breakfast, where we spent hours laughing together. Then we had a picnic lunch at a park, and we talked. Like, really talked. After that, I took her to dinner. When I brought her back home, I took her hand and asked her to be my girl again.”

“And?”

“She smiled and said yes.” Russ brought his hand up to his mouth and murmured, “We were together for four years before I asked her to marry me, and then another two before our own wedding. I’ve loved her since I was eighteen years old.”

“But you know it’s okay to move on, right?” Travis shifted so that he was facing his father. “Mom wouldn’t want you to grieve like this for her.”

“I know.” Russ smiled. “I’m gonna propose to Nadine.”

“You are? When?”

“I don’t know yet,” he chuckled. “When the time is right, I’ll know. But it would help if I knew that you’d be okay with it.”

“Of course I would,” Travis scoffed. “Dad, I miss Mom every day, but I like Nadine. She treats Max like her own. She’s good for you.”

“She loves you, ya know? And Penelope and Max. You’re her family, too,” Russ stated. “It means a lot that you’re okay with me being with her. She just makes me smile again.”

“Good. Because Mom liked your smile,” Travis teased.

“She did,” Russ admitted. Standing up, he offered Travis his hand. “Come on. I’ll make you some breakfast.”

“I don’t know if I can handle food right now,” Travis mumbled. “I’m so nervous.”

“You shouldn’t be. You and Penelope have waited a long time for today, boy. Just focus on your bride, and you’ll be golden.”

He nodded and stood up. “Maybe I’ll try a piece of toast.”

“Good boy,” Russ laughed.

~*~*~*~

Travis tried — he really tried — but he couldn’t seem to calm his nerves. He’d managed to nibble on a slice of toast, but if he were honest, it tasted like cardboard. Once he ate enough to make Russ happy, he went for a run. He’d hoped that the workout would help, and to an extent it did, but he knew that only being with Penelope and Max again would make the ache in his heart stop.

More than a few times throughout the day, he’d reached for his cell phone to call Penelope, but each time he’d stopped before he pushed more than a single digit. Travis kept telling himself that he’d be okay if he just heard her voice, but that was a lie. That sweet sound would just bring temporary relief — the wound caused by her absence wouldn’t be healed until he saw her coming down the aisle towards him. He’d taken a hot shower to try to get the muscles in his back and shoulders to loosen up, but after a few minutes, he’d given up. Still feeling tense, he’d headed into his room to get ready for the wedding. By late in the afternoon, he was finished. He stood in front of the mirror that hung on the back of his closet door and took a deep breath.

“Wow, you clean up nice,” Russ said.

Travis smiled and turned to face his father. He had on a new tuxedo, one he’d been reluctant to wear. Despite Russ’s objections, Travis knew he had been touched when Travis had asked him to be his best man. They’d come a long way in the last nine months. Now, when Travis looked at Russ, he saw a man he could respect — the father that he’d always wanted.

“So do you,” Travis laughed. “Do I look okay?”

“Yep, though the fact that you look like you’re about to puke isn’t doing much for you.” Russ walked over to Travis and pulled out a small, black velvet box. “I know that usually it’s just the bride who receives something new, something borrowed, blah, blah, blah. But, um, your momma told me to give these to you on the day of your wedding and . . .” Russ paused, exhaling sharply. “She ordered them when she got sick.”

“Dad,” Travis whimpered, taking the box from him. Opening it, he found a pair of gold cufflinks, each in the shape of a football. “I think she knew that she’d never get to be here, and this was her way of reminding you that she loved you.” Russ wiped a tear off of his cheek. “You were her greatest gift to me, boy.”

Travis sucked in a deep breath, trying to keep his own tears from falling. “She would have loved Penelope.”

“Yeah, she would have. Well, she did,” Russ murmured. “From the time you two were running through the fields holding hands, she knew you’d fall in love with her.”

“I never believed her,” Travis mused, allowing Russ to place the cufflinks on his sleeves for him. “Even after Penelope and I started going out, I didn’t think she’d love me enough, I guess. That’s why I ended things with her before I left. I was afraid that she’d wake up one morning and realize that I was a jackass. Then she’d leave me, and, I don’t know, I guess I figured that if I was going to end up alone anyway, it’d be better if I hurt her first. Does that make me a bastard?”

“No,” Russ said, shaking his head. “It made you a dumb, eighteen-year-old kid who was scared. You can’t change the decisions that you made then, Travis. But you can learn from them, and you can teach Max not to make the same ones.”

“He knew the moment he walked up to me in the gym that I was his father, yet he wasn’t scared; not even a little bit. He’s not gonna make my mistakes, because he’s braver than me.” Travis knew each word he said was true. Max had a confidence in himself that Travis had never felt. Instead, he had been cocky and arrogant, letting the praise of a town turn him into a monster who’d put himself above everyone else.

“You may be right,” Russ admitted, placing his hands on his shoulders. “But you came home. You found Penelope again and let Max into your life. Now you’re getting married, Travis. You’re starting a new journey in your life. Don’t let the mistakes of your past define who you’re going to be.”

“Oh, I’m not, Dad.” He smiled. “Look, I — I just want to say thank you for always being there when I needed you.”

“It’s what fathers do, Travis.” Russ beamed. “Now, are you ready to go? It’s almost time.”

Travis closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, “Yes.”

Russ led the way out of the house and over to Travis’s black 1966 Pontiac GTO. From the looks of it, Russ had spent all afternoon washing and waxing the car Travis had dubbed ‘Bertha.’ Giving his father a simple nod of gratitude, Travis climbed in behind the wheel. Once Russ was in the passenger seat, Travis drove toward town to where his fiancée was waiting for him.

~*~*~*~

Travis climbed out of Bertha and followed Russ through the front gates to the football field. He somehow managed to stifle the gasp that rushed to the edge of his tongue. The field had been transformed. Standing in the middle of the field, right on the fifty-yard line, was a white, wooden arch that had honeysuckle vines covering it. The dark green and orange foliage contrasted against the purity of the whiteness underneath. On either side of the archway, an eight-branched candelabra stood, the candles flickering against the approaching twilight.

Two dozen rows of white chairs had been arranged with gold satin bows along the aisle. Every few feet, a lantern had been placed to light the way. Along the fence separating the field from the stands, there were dozens of gold and ivory balloons. An ivory aisle runner had been laid out, starting at the corner of the field and leading down to the arch where Travis would be waiting for Penelope to come to him.

“Son, are you ready?” Russ asked.

Travis smiled and turned to his father. “I’ve never been more ready.”

Together, they made their way down to the field, greeting their guests on the way and thanking them coming. At long last, Travis made it to the arch, where he greeted Reverend Kevin Brown, who had agreed to marry the couple. It hadn’t hurt that Max’s little friend Jana was the Reverend’s granddaughter, and she’d begged him to perform the ceremony. Both Travis and Penelope knew that Reverend Brown would have done it anyway, but the way he’d succumbed to Jana’s pleas had amused them both.

As the sun started to dip behind the horizon, music began playing. Cody escorted Wanda and Nadine down the aisle first. Then Jana followed, tossing a handful of rose petals with each step she took. Her vibrant, blue sundress flowed around her, and the small, crystal tiara nestled in her auburn hair made her look like a fairy princess.

Finally, Mendelssohn’s
Wedding March
began playing, and Travis tilted his head up, smiling at the sight before him. At the edge of the football field stood Penelope, with Sherman on one side and Max on the other. She looked exquisite. The strapless, ivory gown was fitted until just under her breasts before it flowed outward. A lace overlay with crystal beading flittered over the skirt and down to her feet. Her honey-blond hair had been rolled up at the base of her hairline, and an ivory lace veil had been tucked inside.

Travis’s breath hitched in his chest when she took a step. This was it — the moment he’d been waiting for since he’d found her again. Soon, she’d be his wife, and everything would be perfect.

Sherman and Max walked Penelope down the aisle at a slow pace. Travis could hear Wanda and Nadine sniffling, but his focus was on Penelope and Max. Both of them were smiling brighter than ever. He wanted to scream for them to hurry, beg them to let him hold them in his arms, but he kept his mouth shut. This moment was Penelope’s dream come true, and he wouldn’t take it from her.

After what felt like an eternity, the procession stopped a couple of feet away from him. Travis lifted his arm up, offering Penelope his hand. While he had been expecting Sherman to be the one to place her hand in his, it was Max who stepped away from his mother, lifted her right hand, and placed it in Travis’s left.