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“Good. Now, let’s discuss what’s next.” Miles glanced to the family room, then at Isabel. “How about we set up in the kitchen? I imagine it’s the quietest place.”
“What are we setting upfor?” Ellison demanded. “And FYI, I’mnotstaying in the same place ashim.”
She jabbed a finger in Travis’s direction, tossing him a derisive look. “Maybe you think that pretty face of yours can get you out of any kind of scrape but it won’t work with me.”
“If I was the kind to think my pretty face could keep me out of trouble, I would have tried getting your sister back over a decade ago,” Travis said in a flat voice. “And she would have planted a boot in my face—deservedly so. Now, we have serious shit to cover and if you can’t be mature enough to be quiet and let the grown-ups talk, I’ll have Rye escort you to your room until we’re done.”
Ellison went a blistering shade of red, opening and closing her mouth as she struggled for words.
Finally, she sputtered out, “Escort me to my room? Excuse thefuckout of me? Who the hell do you think you are?”
“Right now?” Travis closed the distance between them. “I’m the man who will damn well make sure everybodyhere, from your sisters to you to those kids,allstay safe. And if you get in my way, youwillbe removed from the discussion and decisions madewithoutyour input.”
Ellison spun and glared at Isabel. “This isyourhouse! And Miles is the one who handles our security! Why are we putting up withhim?”
“I’ve sat behind a desk for the better part of a decade, Ellison,” Miles said. “And your sister has always trusted my judgment on matters of her safety—andyours. He’s active in the field—I’m not. I’m the senior person here, but Travis is my eyes and ears, along with the rest of the crew—and he’s one of the best I’ve ever worked with.”
“I’m not in security and I’m not an FBI agent or anything else.” Isabel smiled serenely. “I take care of kids. I cook. I bake. None of that seems helpful in our current situation. So, either bequiet, Ellison, or you can take a walk with Rye.”
Rye shifted closer to the younger woman.
Ellison made a soft growl of frustration and cut around all of them to storm into the kitchen.
While the others moved to follow, Travis lingered, catching Isabel’s hand. Her eyes went wide and soft as he pulled her to him.
“How did it—hmmm ... ”
The rest of her question was caught against his mouth as he kissed her, one hand going to grip the back of her neck. The clip holding her hair fell out and he shifted his hand to his twist his fingers in her hair.
She pushed onto her toes, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him closer as if she’d crawl inside him. Hell, it wasn’t possible, Travis thought. She was already there, tucked inside his heart, where she’d been every day since that first summer when they’d met all those years ago.
From several feet away, somebody cleared their throat.
Travis broke the kiss and said, “Ace, go away. We’ll be there in a minute.”
“Alright, hot stuff. But cool it, you’re gonna make me need a cold shower.”
Travis felt blood creeping up the back of his neck and Isabel buried her face against his neck and giggled. The bright, happy sound settled inside and made him want to haul her against him and swing her around until she laughed like that again and again.
“She’s embarrassing,” he mumbled.
“I like her.” Isabel lifted her head and said in a conspiratorial voice, “I think Ellie is afraid of her.”
“Anybody smart is afraid of Ace. I think even Miles is.”
Isabel laughed and Travis reached up and brushed her hair back. “You were about to ask me how it went ... it went ... fine, mostly. Weirdly enough, two of my sisters-in-law and my mom were the least surprised.”
“I told you, baby.” Isabel stroked his cheek. “That mom of yours can see right through a person’s skull, clear into their head.”
“They remember you,” Travis said. “My mom and dad.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“My mom knew the moment she saw us together that there was something between us. She apparently kept expecting me to say something and when I didn’t ... ” He hitched up a shoulder. “But she kept an eye on your dad, knew about you being the star witness against him. Then you disappeared into the wind. She never told me, though, that she’d guessed about us.”
Somebody else said his name and he stepped back. “Come on. I need an update and we need to figure everything else out.”
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