Inspire (17 page)

I realized it was Ashley yelling “No,” that had made me come back over, so I had missed everything before that.

Travis was fuming. Both he and Scott had a vested interest and were obviously anxious to get their revenge. Travis came to my side while Scott was comforting Ashley on the ground. He wrapped his arms around me then whispered in my ear, “Are you okay?” I nodded my response and squeezed him tightly before stepping away. He didn’t release my hand, which brought me comfort.

“Come on Scott, we need to go take care of this before any of the other girls get hurt. Call the guys.” I was nervous about what they were going to do, I didn’t want anyone getting hurt, nor did I want four guys beating the living pulp out of Corey and finding themselves in jail.

“What are you going to do?” I asked, expressing my concern.

“We are going to take Corey to his Dad’s place.” Travis spoke calmly and I wasn’t sure what I was missing.

“Yeah,” Scott chuckled as he stood.

“His dad is the local Sherriff and very much a law abiding citizen. He’ll get Corey under control,” Ashley explained. All of them chuckled at the fact, so clearly they knew it would be a severe enough consequence.

“Oh,” I said, still unsure about the situation.

“Paige, you and Ashley hang out here until we get back. We’ll come and get you when we return,” Travis directed. Ashley and I took our orders and went inside.

“Do you think Corey will learn from this? Is taking him to his Dad enough of a punishment?” I asked.

“Oh Yeah. You don’t know Sherriff Clark. He’s definitely not one you want to mess with. He’s probably also the reason why Corey is such a jerk. But he’ll take care of it. He threw Corey in jail one year for pulling some stupid prank in town and Corey learned his lesson. Apparently, he needs a reminder of how to behave though, so we’ll see what his Dad decides for his punishment. I’m sure Britney will find out and let us know,” Ashley said, rolling her eyes.

“Where is Britney anyway?” I asked.

“She is out for the night with her parents. They will be back in the morning. I can’t wait to tell Britney what happened, maybe this will finally show her what a jerk Corey is.” It was obvious by Ashley’s statement that she felt similar to Travis’s mom about Corey and Britney being a couple. “She keeps hanging on even though he treats her like dirt, but maybe this will be the proof she needs to finally cut the ties. It sucks that it had to take this to do it, but thankfully, nothing worse happened. Man, how can she stand to date the guy? I know he’s good looking, but looks only go so far,” she said and I whole-heartedly agreed with her comment.

“Paige, I need to apologize,” Ashley spoke and her voice softened, “because for a moment in the woods, I actually questioned whether there was something between you and Corey, and that you were trying to cover it up. It wasn’t until I saw the fear on your face that I realized that wasn’t the case. So, I just wanted to say I’m sorry for assuming the worst. I’m also sorry for the way I’ve treated you since you arrived. I know I’ve been a complete bitch,” she confessed and I could hear the regret in her voice. “It’s not a good reason for the way I behaved Paige, but I thought Scott liked you. He made a few comments to Travis saying ‘Take a look at her’, and ‘She’s hot man!’ that I started to become insecure. I’ve had a crush on him for the last year, and was nervous that you were about to win his affections, so I tried to keep you away. I am truly sorry Paige. And by the way, I washed your sarong and will give it back to you tomorrow. You really saved me that day and I didn’t thank you properly. So, thank you.” Ashley made her amends and I held absolutely no grudges. If she felt for Scott, anywhere near what I felt for Travis, then I could completely understand the motive behind her behavior. Besides, we had both been at fault for making wrong assumptions.

Ashley filled me in on all of the crummy things Corey had said and done over the last couple of years, and I couldn’t fathom anyone having such a low self-esteem that they would put up with it. “Wow, how could Britney get past any of that?” I asked, wondering what would be her reasoning.

“Well, Corey can be charming when he wants to be, but there is also some personal stuff that Britney has dealt with making her doubt her self-worth. So, between those two factors it was just a bad combination,” Ashley explained. I did not pry further because what ever Britney had been through was personal and none of my business. I also admired Ashley for holding Britney’s secrets as sacred and for not sharing them with me. It was a sign that she was a good friend.

There was a knock on the door a while later when Travis and Scott returned. Ashley and I had been talking the entire time, so I had no idea how much time had passed.

“How’d it go?” Ashley asked the boys.

“We escorted him to his Dad’s place. He actually passed out in the car before we got him over there, but we filled his dad in on everything. I have a feeling he’s going to be waking up in hell in the morning,” Travis stated, now seeming calm.

“Yep, sucks to be him,” Scott added, shaking his head. “Can I take you back to your place Ash?” Scott asked, grabbing her hand.

“Yes, that would be great. Listen, thanks Paige, for everything. Hey, we all talked about going on the boat and for a hike tomorrow, do you want to join us?” I was thrilled by the invitation and knew that the barrier was now gone.

“I would love to,” I replied and glanced over to see Travis’s reaction. He was smiling sweetly at me and gave me a wink. It probably wouldn’t be long now before he and I could tell everyone we were a couple. But after what happened earlier tonight, it definitely wasn’t the appropriate time.

Travis stayed behind after Ashley and Scott left, making the excuse that he needed details for a grounds report. He told Ashley he would get her statement in the morning. Once they were gone, he turned and held me tight. “I am so sorry that you went through that tonight. The guy would be dead if he had done anything to you,” He declared and I could hear the anger that he felt in his voice. “Thanks for sticking up for Ash by the way. Anybody else who had suffered her wrath might have turned a blind eye, but you didn’t. You really are a sweetheart, Paige,” he said and then lightly placed a kiss under my eye. “It looks like you and Ashley are friends now?” he said, pulling me to the couch to sit down.

“Yes, I think I have finally been accepted into the club,” I teased.

He chuckled slightly but then his demeanor became more serious. His fingers started stroking the side of my face and he pulled me in for a kiss. “I am very thankful that you are okay. I wasn’t kidding when I said the guy would be dead if he had hurt you. The second Ashley said Corey thought it was you out in the woods I saw red. Paige,” he stopped for a second and then looked me in the eyes, “I’m…in love with you.” I practically leaped into Travis’s lap molding my lips to his after he spoke the words. My heart burst and I couldn’t have been happier. “Wow, so does that mean you feel the same?” he asked when I finally let him up for air.

“Maybe?” I teased, trying to play coy. But I couldn’t hold out for another second without sharing my feelings. I said, “Yes. I do love you Travis.”

Our bodies reacted without hesitation, and the next thing I knew we were in a full make-out session. Travis’s hand was down my pants when I heard my parents’ voices through the open window. We quickly scurried apart and were on opposite ends of the couch by the time they had the door open.

“Travis,” my dad said, surprised to find him with me.

“Mr. Rice, Mrs. Rice,” Travis greeted them formally.

“Hi Travis,” my mom said, winking at me from behind.

“We just came from your parents’ place, what have you all been up to this evening?” my dad inquired, taking on an overprotective tone.

“Well sir, there was an incident earlier that I’m sure Paige will fill you in on. So, I was just here making sure that Paige was all right and taking her statement.”

Panic struck my Dad’s face and he immediately turned to me. “Pixie, what happened?”

“Everything is fine dad, don’t go ballistic. Some boy stopped by to visit his girlfriend earlier, he was drunk and bothering Ashley in the woods, so I stepped in to help her out. Travis and the other guys took him to the Sheriff’s office, so everything is fine,” I said. I left out most of the details because I was worried that my dad might go to extremes and think that we needed to leave knowing that his daughter was almost raped. Either that or he would never let me out alone at night again; therefore I would never see Travis.

Travis nodded at me, seeming to understand the reasoning behind my judicious explanation of the events. He spent the next ten minutes answering my dad’s questions and reassuring him that everyone was safe and that we would not be seeing Corey on the grounds ever again. My dad felt so relieved by Travis’s answers that he actually asked him to make sure I never went anywhere at night without him. I was internally cheering for joy that my father had just asked my secret boyfriend to chaperone me, which meant I would have more freedom to see him. My mom giggled in the back room, obviously finding amusement in my dad’s request. She clearly had not filled my dad in on my relationship, which I truly appreciated. It underscored the fact that I could tell my mom anything, and she’d share it only if I wanted her to. When my dad was finished, I escorted Travis outside to thank him and say goodnight. “So, you won my dad over,” I said as we walked a bit away from the site to gain some privacy.

“I know. I get to babysit my baby now,” Travis said, chuckling at the idea.

“Yes, you do,” I said, leaning up to give him a kiss.

“I’m sorry that we didn’t get to finish things, but I promise to make it up to you tomorrow,” he said, referring to our sexually heated moment. I smiled at the memory, and tingles returned to the spot.

“I’ll look forward to it,” I said.

“I love you Paige. Sleep well, and text if you need anything. I doubt I’m going to get much sleep tonight, so I’ll be up.”

The idea of Travis being alone in the woods suddenly upset me. I was worried for his safety on the off chance Corey came back for revenge. “I don’t want you sleeping alone in the woods. What if Corey comes back?” I asked nervously, holding on to him.

“He won’t. He was out cold, and definitely won’t be conscious until tomorrow afternoon. Besides, he doesn’t know where I stay, so I’ll be fine. Thanks for being concerned though,” he reassured me.

“I love you Travis and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Nothing will. I love you too. You better get back inside because I know your dad still wants to grill you about what happened, so you may not get much sleep tonight either,” he said. We left each other with an incredible kiss that made my body hot, and my knees weak, and then I went back inside to face the firing squad.

Chapter 16

Ashley stopped by my place around ten a.m. and was holding my sarong in her hands. “Here you go, thanks again,” she said, handing it to me. “So are you ready? The gang is going to meet us up at the trailhead.”

“Yes, I have my bikini on underneath my shorts, do I need anything else?” I asked, wanting to make sure I had everything.

“No, you’re good. The guys have the food, and there are towels on the boat. So we just need you,” she said, grabbing my hand. It was amazing how the previous days had been erased and she was acting as if we’d been life long friends. I wasn’t complaining, but amazed at how smoothly we transitioned from enemies to friends. There was no awkwardness between us at all.

We walked up to the group waiting for us at the head of the lake trail. Travis made eye contact with me right away and gave me a wink and smile. Everyone welcomed me with open arms, which I thought was bizarre. Maggie, Amber, Kevin and Todd had barely acknowledged my existence over the last week, but were now acting as friendly as could be.
I guess Ashley really does have a lot of control over everyone
I thought as I found myself easily in conversation with all of them. We walked down to the boathouse and Travis and Scott pulled the speedboat out.

The boat was yellow and black, and was large enough to hold all of us. As soon as we got on board, Ashley took me on a quick tour, which took all of two minutes. There was an inside cabin below with a bed, bathroom, and little kitchenette and then the top had a front deck and a back deck where people could sit or lay out. Everyone got comfortable and took their places on the boat. Maggie, Amber, Todd and Kevin took the front deck, while Travis, Scott, Ashley, and I stayed in the rear. Travis was driving the boat, which I found to be a major turn-on. He was sitting in the captain’s chair and wearing nothing but his black swim trunks. I practically swooned at the sight.

We zoomed around the water for a bit before Travis slowed down in a cove where he put in the anchor. Everyone was hopping off the boat carrying their shoes in hand to walk to shore. Just as I was about to follow suit, my phone buzzed with a text message.

Travis:
Fake seasickness and say you need to use the bathroom. I’ll stay behind with you.

I thought it was cute how Travis was trying to get some alone time with me, so I did as he asked. “Travis, can I use your bathroom for a minute? I don’t feel so well,” I said, holding onto my stomach.

“Sure. Do you need anything?” Travis asked, playing right along.

“No, I’m good. I’ll just be a moment.”

“Hey, why don’t you all go on ahead and I’ll wait with Paige. We’ll catch up with you in a couple of minutes,” he told the group as I made my way into the bathroom.

I came out a few minutes later to find Travis and Ashley sitting on the bed waiting for me. Travis looked at me with apologetic eyes, but I wasn’t upset. I actually found it endearing that Ashley was playing the part of the concerned friend. “Hey, are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m better. You should have gone with Scott. I could have caught up with you all,” I said.

“I wanted to make sure you were all right. I feel bad that I dragged you out here not knowing you get motion sick,” she said.