Offering another smile instead of words, she went upstairs to change. He seemed to be doing that a lot more lately, complimenting her. Each time he did, it made her more and more confused. Uncomfortable, even.
He was just being nice. Typical Travis, that’s all. Nothing more. Walking to her closet, she grabbed a light-colored sundress and tossed it onto her bed. Then she grabbed a different bra that would go better with that outfit. Turning back toward the bed, memories of last night assaulted her.
Dax would hate to know she was leaving with Travis. Part of her suddenly hated it. She trusted Travis. She did, but Dax’s words kept inching further and further into her mind. Could she trust him? He had been arrested for a dangerous crime.
Quickly changing and rushing to the bathroom, she dried her hair as fast as she could. Combing the tangles created from the blow dryer, she grabbed a headband and slipped it on.
What was going on lately?
“Lily, I need you.”
Resting her hands on the counter, she stared until her eyes glossed over into oblivion. She needed her best friend back home, but she couldn’t talk to her about Travis, her brother, or Dax, the man trying to take down her family.
Talking to Dominic wasn’t an option either. She would never betray Dax’s secret. If something happened to cause him harm, she’d only blame herself.
What option did that leave her?
Nothing. She had to keep her fears, her thoughts, her turmoil all to herself. Surviving it all seemed impossible.
“Darn you, Dax.”
Looking up into the mirror, she saw her future. Nothing but loneliness and fear.
Lonely, because she’d never find another man that touched her heart like Dax.
Fear, because she was afraid of what could happen to him. His words were slowly absorbing inside and the thought of leaving with Travis seemed like a very bad idea.
“Fina? Are you okay?”
Jumping, she placed a hand on her chest and turned toward the bathroom doorway where Travis stood.
“Don’t scare me like that, Travis. What are you doing?”
A tentative smile crossed his face. “I know women tend to take a while to get ready, but I’ve never known you to take a long time. I started to get worried when you didn’t come back down. It feels like something’s bothering you. Were you talking to someone just now?”
“No. Only myself. I’m still debating whether I like this cut.” The lie slipped easily from her lips as she touched a few bottom strands.
“I can’t believe I didn’t say something when you first opened the door, but it does complement your face well. Should I say again how beautiful you are?” He took a few steps into the bathroom.
“No need. I believed you the first time.” Not to mention, each time he continued to say it, it made her more nervous.
“What’s bothering you?”
“Nothing. I swear.” Giving a small laugh, she decided she needed to throw him off a bit. Letting him know the real reason or to continue to dig for the real reason was inexcusable. Dangerous, even. “I think that time of the month is coming. You know how women get.”
Surprised and taken aback, he turned a little red and looked away. “Right. Are you sure you’re up for brunch?”
“I haven’t eaten, so, yes. Let’s go.” Pasting on a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, she looped her hand through his arm and steered him out of her bedroom.
She didn’t want anything to taint the memories of Dax. Not yet, anyway. Time would eventually erase everything, but for now, she needed something to get her through the nights.
One decision was obvious, though.
She had to slowly start extracting herself from the Chilani family. Not Lily, of course. Removing one of her best friends from her life would be impossible.
But the rest? No good would come from them remaining so firmly in her life. The entire drive to the restaurant she could hear Dax’s voice pounding in her brain.
Don’t trust the Chilani family.
For some strange reason, she was starting to believe it. Nothing new happened to change her mind except for the total conviction she heard every time Dax spoke about them. Travis was a clever man, always very in tune with her. He would eventually see something was bothering her, nagging her until she couldn’t take it anymore.
Keeping Dax’s secret would die with her. She couldn’t risk becoming weak in front of Travis. Because every time he glanced her way, she could feel the wonder in his eyes. He knew she was holding something back.
PMS. She was going to use that excuse today like she never had before and start to weave Travis out of her life.
It was for the best.
Her only option.
So, why did it feel like a betrayal to a man she loved like a brother?
12
A happy scream echoed in her ear as tears wanted to rain down her face. She almost pulled the phone away to tone down the scream. “Lily, I missed you. Don’t you ever leave me that long again.”
“I missed you, too. I needed to talk to you a few times. No more screaming from me, I swear. These last two weeks were the best.”
Sarafina sank into the couch. “I bet. Just you and Ryan, what more could you ask for?”
“My father not calling me about Travis getting arrested would’ve been nice. It was hard that first night to get back in honeymoon mode, but there’s a reason I married Ryan. If not for him keeping me grounded a few times, I would’ve been calling you nonstop.”
“Yeah, I thought that was pretty crappy of your dad. Travis is in good spirits, mostly. I don’t know how the case is progressing because he doesn’t talk to me about it.”
A week and a half ago, she had been prepared to wipe him out of her life, figuring she couldn’t hold back her emotions. Why she ever thought Travis would accept that without complaint was beyond her. He had already stopped by a few times, as well as called to talk. Thankfully, he stopped asking if she was all right. Apparently, she could play it off well that she was all right when deep inside she died a little more each day.
“I haven’t seen him yet. We got in late last night and I woke up a little bit ago. Yeah, I know, I’m a lazy bum because it’s one o’clock in the afternoon.”
“Trust me. Sometimes you need a vacation from a vacation.”
“So true. So, it’s Saturday and I’m totally last minute on you, but what are you doing?”
Wallowing in self-pity. “Nothing. Dominic’s hanging with Freddie and I haven’t done much but pick up my house a little. You want to do something?”
“I haven’t grabbed all my stuff from my parents’ house yet and I want to firmly be Mrs. Ryan Benson. So, I thought, why wait? Wanna help me pack up the things in my room? Boring, I know, but it’s like this infection crawling through my veins and I can’t get it out until I go do it.”
“Sure. I’m up for reminiscing. I’m sure a lot of that is old stuff from high school. Your cheerleading trophies, little notes we passed back and forth, secret pictures of the guys we crushed on.”
Lily laughed in her ear, sending her spirits a bit higher. “Maybe we should trash the secret pictures. I’m not sure Ryan would appreciate those. But hey, you’re right. A trip down memory lane. I’m totally in the mood for that right now. Do you wanna meet me there in an hour? I’ll sweet talk Ryan into letting me borrow his SUV. I bet I’ll have quite a few boxes to take home.” Another happy scream pierced her ears. “Home. Can you believe it? I’m a married woman with a home.”