The Journey Collection (7 page)

Travis, who’d just taken a drink of his tea, started choking.

“Max!” Penelope yelled, slapping Travis on the back.

“What?” Max exclaimed, shrugging his shoulders. “It was a simple question.”

“No, it wasn’t,” she snarled. Penelope turned to Travis. “Are you okay?”

“Yep, just wasn’t expecting it to be blurted out like that.” Dragging his napkin over his mouth, Travis looked over at Max. “I swear I didn’t know.”

“Oh, I know,” Max told him, acting like everything hadn’t just come to a standstill.

“How’d you know?” Penelope asked.

Max laughed and stood up. Picking up his plate, he smirked. “It was pretty obvious, Mom. I mean, every time the Sharks played, you’d get real mushy and start crying. Plus, I saw the pictures of you two in the box you keep under your bed. The math wasn’t hard to figure out, either. I mean, I am ten already.”

“Max, I . . .”

“Don’t worry about it, Mom,” Max chirped, interrupting her. “I’m not mad or anything. Besides, he’s here now, right? We can be a real family.”

“Max . . .”

“You bet we can, little man,” Travis said, cutting Penelope off in mid-sentence. She glared at him, but he ignored her. “You have my word.”

“Good, but hurt my mom, Travis, and you’ll have to deal with me.” There wasn’t a hint of humor in his voice. “She cries enough as it is.”

Without another word, Max carried his plate into the kitchen, leaving them sitting there with his warning hanging in the air between them. Somehow, Travis knew that he should heed Max’s little message.

***

Chapter Eight

Inspiration

“Hurry, boy! We’re gonna be late!” Russ yelled from downstairs.

“I’m coming,” Travis hollered in return. He stood in front of the bathroom mirror, trying in vain to tame the curls on the top of his head. It wasn’t working; they were still crinkling in every direction. Frustrated, he tossed the comb on the counter and headed downstairs. Russ sat at the kitchen table, his legs stretched out in front of him, and a smirk spread over his lips.

“Are you ready?”

“Just waiting on you.” Russ groaned when he stood up.

“You okay, old man?” Travis asked.

“Yeah, just tired bones,” he grumbled. “I’m not that young anymore, boy.”

Russ grabbed his black, felt cowboy hat and followed Travis out of the house. Begrudgingly, Travis climbed into the passenger seat of Russ’ Chevy, knowing he’d lose the argument if he pressed his father to take his car into town. They’d made progress on rebuilding their relationship, and the last thing Travis wanted was to ruin it by starting a petty disagreement.

With one arm draped along the back of the seats and the other resting against the window, Travis thought about the last few days. He’d spent every moment he could with Max, trying to get to know his son and prove that he wasn’t a deadbeat. The longer he was around the boy, the more he’d found that he wanted to be. Max had a lively spirit — one that made Travis feel alive for the first time in more than a decade; he hadn’t felt that way since the day he’d left Penelope.

A wistful sigh left his lips. When Travis wasn’t spending time with Max, he’d found himself with Penelope. They’d spent night after night pouring over the hundreds of photographs that chronicled Max’s first ten years of life. More than once, Travis had wept over how much time he’d lost with both of them. He wasn’t mad at Penelope, not after watching her with the boy. She was the perfect mother: patient and kind. Travis could admit that, ten years ago, he hadn’t been ready to be a father — not that it excused him from Max’s life, but now that he was older, more settled, he could be the father Max had deserved from day one.

“You’re doing some pretty heavy thinking over there,” Russ said, pulling Travis out of his inner ramblings.

“I am,” he admitted. “Got a lot on my mind.”

Russ nodded before the turned into the parking lot. Circling around, Russ found a parking spot and cut the engine but made no effort to climb out. “You know, being a parent isn’t an easy job.”

“I know,” Travis clipped. “But I can’t pretend he isn’t mine.”

“No, no; I know you can’t.” Russ turned to face him. “That’s not what I am saying you should do, boy. Being a parent isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. I know you, Travis. Once you put your heart into something, you can’t fail. I haven’t told you this enough, but I’m proud of the man you’ve become.”

“You are?” Travis asked. “Even though I ran away and never looked back?”

Russ exhaled a sharp breath. “You didn’t run away, Travis. You stretched for the stars and didn’t give up until you grasped them. Your momma always knew that you’d succeed.”

“She did?”

“Yeah,” Russ murmured. “Why do you think she held on so long, Travis? She loved you.”

“And I loved her, too, but she would have kicked my ass for leaving the way I did, for hurting Penelope like that.” Travis shook his head. “I was a fool.”

“You were,” Russ admitted.

Travis snorted.

“Sorry, I ain’t gonna sugar-coat it for you. You can’t change history, but you can look toward the future with hope, Travis. Penelope is good for you. She won’t put up with your bullshit.”

“When’d you get so smart?” he scoffed.

Russ laughed, placing hand on Travis’ shoulder. “I didn’t. I just know how it feels to lose my son. Now that I have him back, I ain’t letting him go.”

Travis reached up, sliding his fingers over his hand. “Me either, Dad. Not you, Max, or Penelope.”

“Good. Now, let’s get in there. I imagine the gym will be packed for the pep rally.”

Just as Russ had said, the gymnasium was crammed full of teachers, students, parents, and members of the community who’d come out to support the football team. Russ and Travis managed to find a spot against the wall. Travis looked around, finding Penelope and Max sitting on the right side of the gym with the rest of the elementary school kids. Max waved at him, a grin bigger than the state of Texas on his face.

Travis returned the gesture before shifting his eyes to Penelope, winking at her. He’d be lying if he said that his feelings for her weren’t still strong. Travis had always loved her, but now he knew he was still in love with her. He needed her just as much as he needed Max. Together, he wanted them to be a family.

The cheerleaders got into position as the band started playing the fight song. From the opposite side of the gym, the football players came running in, throwing their arms up and trying to get the crowd to scream louder. Once they were standing in front of their chairs, the cheerleaders led everyone through the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the band playing The Star-Spangled Banner. Almost immediately, they started chanting, encouraging the team to win that night’s game against the Gruver Greyhounds.

A chuckle rumbled in Travis’ chest. Every year at Homecoming, Clarendon would face off against Gruver. It had become one of the biggest rivalries in the Texas Panhandle. In fact, during his senior year, they’d created a papier-mâché version of one of the players from Gruver and burned it in effigy during the annual bonfire. Of course, with the drought hitting the area so hard, they’d had to cancel this year’s bonfire, but the spirit of the event still remained.

About halfway through the pep rally, the cheerleaders moved over to the entrance to the gym. Jack picked up a microphone and stepped out onto the edge of the court. “Ten years ago, our Broncos led us to the state tournament, where they secured the second championship in our school’s history. With us here today is a member of that team, and probably one of the most successful alumni that our school has ever seen: Travis McCoy.”

Travis pushed off the wall and walked over to him, thanking him before taking the microphone from him. Nervously, Travis placed a hand on his hip and shifted his eyes over to the boys sitting in front of him. They looked like babies, yet they carried themselves with pride.

“I had the honor of talking with these boys last week before their win against Sunray.” The crowd started cheering, causing Travis to laugh. “Yeah, they put a whoopin’ on the Bobcats, that’s for sure. While I was standing in front of them, trying to come up with something clever and inspirational to say, I realized that it didn’t matter. Maybe they look up to me, see me as some kind of role model for never giving up on my dreams. But that’s not how it is, boys.”

Travis paused, pointing toward the people listening to each word he said. “You see all these people sitting in the bleachers behind me? The little ones over there—” He gestured to where Max sat “— from the elementary school? They are the ones who sit in the ninety degree heat or the twenty degree snowstorm to get just a glimpse of the passion each one of you feel for the game. Making it to the state tournament opened a lot of doors for me, but my commitment to the team, to the game that I loved — that’s what put me in Austin.”

He walked across the court, stopping a few feet in front of the first row of players. “You’re an inspiration to me. Each one of you has given me faith that there is still purity in the game. Thank you for giving us all something to cheer for.”

Nodding to the team, Travis spun on his heel and walked over to Jack, handing him the microphone before settling back against the wall next to Russ. The crowd clapped and praised him, but he’d meant what he said: those boys had taught him to love football again.

Twenty minutes later, Russ and Travis walked out of the gym, heading to the other side of the building so they could wait for Penelope and Max to come out. The rest of the pep rally had been spent doing more chants and cheers, announcing the homecoming queen nominees, and encouraging the football team to do their best. Travis knew they’d put it all on the line.

“Travis!” Max yelled. He looked over and found Max running toward him with a goofy grin on his face. Penelope was right behind him, her arms filled with his jacket and backpack.

“Hey, little man.” Travis groaned when Max jumped on him. He didn’t weigh more than about seventy pounds, but he’d learned to use that weight effectively. “How was school?”

“Boring,” Max scoffed, taking a step back. “Mr. Nickels assigned us homework. Can you believe that? It’s Friday, and there’s a game tonight!”

“What was he thinking?” Travis chuckled.

Max shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know.”

“Maybe if you all hadn’t been talking during reading, then he wouldn’t have felt the need to assign you extra work,” Penelope said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Flinching, Max sighed. “Yeah, that probably didn’t help.”

“Hello, Penelope, it’s nice to see you again,” Russ said, leaning around Max and Travis to kiss her on the cheek.

“You, too, Russ,” she murmured, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth. “Are you coming to the game tonight?”

“Yes, Ma’am, I figured I would,” Russ chirped. “Been awhile since I’ve been to one.”

“Why?” Max asked, pulling everyone’s attention to him.

“Well, I don’t know,” Russ replied, squatting down in front of the boy. His knees popped, but Russ ignored it. “Suppose it’s because I didn’t have a reason to go until tonight.”

“So, you’re only going because Travis is here?” Though his question was full of implications, Max’s eyes were wide and innocent.

Russ nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

“That’s silly. Every boy who’s played since he left here has needed someone to come just for them. You could have picked any one of them, Mr. McCoy,” Max groused.

“You’re right, Max, and I should have. How about I make you a deal?” Russ offered.

“Depends on the terms.” Max cocked an eyebrow.

“I promise to do better and make more of an effort to support the team, but you have to call me Russ. None of this ‘Mr. McCoy’ crud.”

Max brought his finger up to his lips, pretending to think about terms to Russ’ deal. “No, that won’t work for me.” Max huffed. “Instead of Russ, can I can you Gramps?”

Russ gasped, his eyes shooting up to Penelope and Travis. “Um . . .”

Travis cleared his throat and looked at Penelope, trying to gauge her reaction. She had her hand over her mouth, but it was her eyes that told Travis what he needed to know. They were filled with tears, the corners turned upward from her hidden smile. She nodded, angling her body so that Max wouldn’t see the drops sprinkle down her cheeks. Travis slid his arm around her waist, nestled her against him, and kissed the top of her head.

“I think we have a deal,” Russ said, placing his hand on the boy’s shoulders. “Now, help an old man up. I ain’t as young as I used to be.”

“Mr. Nickels says that ‘ain’t’ isn’t a word,” Max chirped, gripping Russ’ hand in an effort to help the man up.

“Yeah, I know,” Russ grumbled. “Don’t tell on me, okay? I don’t want any homework.”

“I won’t,” Max snickered, leading Russ toward Penelope’s car.

Taking a deep breath, she lifted her eyes to Travis. “Never thought I’d see the day when Max would be able to call Russ ‘Gramps’.”

Travis laughed. “No kidding.” He brushed his fingertips across her cheekbone, pushing her blond hair behind her ear. “We’d better get going before Russ talks Max into ice cream or something.”

“Um, yeah, somehow I think we’re a little too late for that.” Penelope extended a finger in their direction. Russ and Max were leaning against her car, trying to look innocent but failing miserably. “I know Max; he’s already scamming that old man.”

“Good,” Travis teased. “Serves him right. Come on, baby, let’s mess with them a little.”

Penelope tilted her head back, and Travis felt his breath catch in his chest. Her eyes were wide and full of happiness. He felt the urge to close the gap between their lips. It had been over a decade since he’d kissed her, felt her body pressed against his, and relished in just being at home with her.

“We, um, we should go,” she breathed; her tongue swiped across her bottom lip.

“Yeah, we should,” he whispered. “Penelope, I . . .”

“Mom!” Max screamed. Jumping away from Travis, she frowned and looked at Max. “I’m hungry!”

“Okay,” she hollered and turned back to Travis. “Guess we’ll see you tonight at the game.”

“Why don’t we go get some ice cream?” he blurted, trying to think of any reason to stay with her.

Penelope shook her head. “No, I have some things to do. Tonight at the game, okay? We normally just bring our camp chairs and sit behind the west end zone.”

“I’ll be there,” Travis said, leaning in before she could move and kissing her cheek. He moved his lips to her ear. “I promise.”

Penelope rushed over to Max, grabbed his arm, and nearly threw him into the backseat of her car. Travis crossed his arms in front of him, watching with a content smile as she drove off.

Russ walked up to him, placed his hand on Travis’s arm, and laughed. “Boy, I don’t know what you did to that girl, but I’d keep it up. She doesn’t know which way she’s going.”