Page 90 of Keeping Secrets
“What did you do?”
“I got a name. It’s one of the guys who was there that night, I’m sure of it. I recognized his voice from the tapes, even though I only met him a couple of times, and I wasn’t exactly–” she paused, shook her head, and continued, “I went to one of Adam’s friends this morning and got the guy’s real name. I took it to Detective Riegler, and he was stoked. The guy is on all kinds of lists, and me identifying him was enough for them to go after him.”
“And Nick?”
“I told the detective that he has food poisoning. With luck, they’ll be so busy chasing this mafia guy and his buddies that they won’t even want to talk to Nick.”
A tentative hope bloomed in his chest. He struggled to get a breath in. Keely seemed to see something in his face because she started her car and started to drive.
Not to his house, but toward hers.
“We’ll go back to my place and talk.” There was a heavy annoyance in her voice, but something else too. Relief? Affection? Maybe more. “I’ll warm up a couple of pieces of apple pie.”
* * *
Ten minutes later, they were in her house, facing off in front of two steaming mugs. Keely sipped lightly from hers, still too nauseous to stomach the pie.
“I can’t believe you were about to confess,” she said for what felt like the dozenth time.
“It felt like the only option at the time,” he said, “but obviously I was wrong.”
“But without talking it over with me?” Her fingernails dug into her palm as she sucked in a calming breath, desperately trying not to think of what could’ve been if she hadn’t caught him in the nick of time. “Did you even think about the people you’d be leaving behind?”
He stared at her for so long, she almost wondered if he wasn’t going to answer. Then, he slowly shook his head. “That’s all I thought about, Keely. It seemed like the only way to prevent you and Nick from getting even more wrapped up in it all. I didn’t want either of you to pay for my sins.”
“And what about what we wanted? Do we not get a say? Does Scot not get a say?” She let out a puff of air, then took a big pull from her coffee. “Look, Travis, after the type of relationship I was in with Adam, what I need most is someone I can count on. Someone who isn’t keeping a bunch of secrets and making life-changing decisions behind my back. I need to know that what I see is what I’m getting.”
He glanced toward the window, taking another long pause before responding. “You’re right. I should’ve discussed it with you and Nick first. And I should’ve told you what was going on sooner than I did.”
Keely nodded, her eyes stinging. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words didn’t come.
Travis tugged her hand lightly from her mug, holding it in his. “I love you, Keely, and I always have. You’re right to be upset with me right now, and I’m going to do the work to re-earn your trust.”
The tears burst free, and she didn’t fight them. “I love you too, Travis. So much. And I know you were doing what you did out of love, even though I disagree with how you went about things.”
He stood from his chair and joined her on the couch, pulling her close. “I’m sure it’s really hard right now, but we’re going to work through this together.”
She nodded, leaning into him. They stayed that way in silence for a long time, and the tears had nearly dried by the time she spoke. “You’re a hero for saving that woman, you know.”
“You’re my hero for saving yourself from Adam. I know how hard it must’ve been, and how hard it must be even now, and I’m so proud of you.”
“I don’t feel like a hero, but I really like that you think I am.” She chuckled softly as the tears came back. “No more secrets, okay?”
He nodded, his own eyes suspiciously shiny. “No more secrets. Not ever.”
EPILOGUE
“Chloe, he’s beautiful,” Keely crooned.
Travis didn’t see it. The newborn was pink and squishy-looking with a troubled expression. At nearly two feet long, the whopping newborn was on track to be even bigger than Nick. ‘Beautiful’ wasn’t the word that he would have used.
Keely, on the other hand, her shining face as she cradled the baby and beamed down at him… well, that did some strange things to his chest. ‘Beautiful’ didn’t even come close.
“I feel like I’ve been in an alternate universe the past couple of weeks.” Chloe smiled up at them from the couch, blissful and exhausted. “My whole world shrank down to just me and him.”
“That’s as it should be,” Keely told her. The baby fussed, then calmed as she swayed from side to side.
“I feel so out of touch, though. Between adjusting to motherhood and being dead tired the last couple weeks of my pregnancy, I feel like I missed out on a whole month of goings on. Tell me everything.”