Page 125 of Kaden & Keegan
Chapter Twenty
“It’s one thing for you to sneakoutta the house before we can even say goodbye, but it’s somethin’ else entirely when you don’t come home.”
Travis looked up from his computer, watched as Kylie strolled into his office, her eyes bright with what he assumed was anger. If her tone was anything to go by, she was certainly pissed.
“I don’t sneak,” he told her, turning his attention back to the computer. “And how the hell do you know I didn’t come home last night?”
“Because I waited for you, dammit!”
Okay. He hadn’t expected that.
Truth was, Travis was starting to feel like he was on the outside looking in. And it was true, last night he hadn’t gone home. Instead, he’d snagged one of the empty rooms, caught a few hours of sleep so he wouldn’t risk waking the kids when he came in. It had happened earlier in the week, and he’d spent what few hours he could’ve slept trying to get Maddox settled.
“Travis.”
Releasing a frustrated breath, he sat back in his chair, closed the laptop lid, and ignored the report he’d gotten from Jessica James that morning. The instant it had come in, his heart had skipped a beat. She had an unconfirmed sighting of Juliet Prince somewhere in California. Nothing that would warrant him hopping on his private jet and heading out, but more than he’d gotten in months now.
“This has to stop,” Kylie said firmly.
“What mightthisbe?” he prompted, watching her closely. “You gonna waltz in here and tell me I’m obsessed, too?”
Kylie didn’t respond, but she didn’t have to. He saw the answer in her eyes. For the past couple of weeks, Kylie had been walking on eggshells around him, no doubt on edge after getting an earful from Gage. She thought he was acting crazy, too.
There was no denying that cut deep. As deep as it did when Gage had thrown it in his face. Looked as though both the people he loved, the ones he expected to have his back no matter what, had turned on him.
And yeah, maybe that was part of the reason he hadn’t gone home last night.
“I don’t have time for this, Kylie,” he bit out, reaching for his laptop.
Before he could raise the lid, Kylie’s hand landed on it, keeping it closed. “We’re gonna talk about this.”
“From where I sit, looks to me like you and Gage have it covered. There’s not much I can say, now is there?”
“I want you to find her,” Kylie bit out.
Shocked by the anger in her tone, Travis sat back, stared. “What?”
His wife sighed, standing tall and planting her fists on her hips. “I’m with you on this, Travis. I get where Gage is comin’ from, and yeah, I’m worried you’re gonna go off the rails. God knows you’ve done it before. But I want her found. I want her to spend the rest of her natural life behind bars for what she did to my daughter.” She exhaled sharply, her voice wavering slightly. “Hell, there are times I imagine my hands wrapped around her throat, squeezing until her eyes bulge out and she chokes on her last breath.”
Travis was on his feet when tears sprang to Kylie’s eyes. He could feel her tension, knew this was as hard on her as it was on him. And Gage, too. They were all suffering because they didn’t have closure for the horrific event that had rattled the foundation of their lives.
“Christ,” he muttered, enfolding her in his arms, pressing his lips to her forehead. “I’m sorry, baby.”
“Don’t be sorry,” she sobbed, sliding her hand over his chest, leaning into him. “I don’t want you to be sorry for being who you are, Travis. I love you. Not in spite of you bein’ hardheaded and sometimes single-minded to the point of distraction but because of it. I know you want to protect us.”
More than anything. That was his sole position in life, the man who protected his wife, his children, his husband.
“But we have to keep moving forward,” she said, her voice a tad calmer, her arms coming around his waist to hold on to him. “We have to keep livin’ our lives. You can run this investigation in the background, but you can’t devote all your time to it. The kids can feel the tension. Kate’s asked me numerous times if you’re still lookin’ for that bad woman.”
Some of his anger drained away. “What do you tell her?”
“I tell her, yes, of course you are. I’m honest with her. I tell her that neither of her daddies will stop until that evil woman’s in jail where she belongs.”
Travis felt the emotion bubbling in his chest, the heat in his sinuses. Every time he thought about what Kate went through, he fought to hang on, not to lose it. He hadn’t been there to protect her, hadn’t stopped that bitch from traumatizing his daughter, his entire family.
When Kylie began to pull back, Travis released her, schooled his expression because it would do no good for Kylie to see him at less than his best. Not now.
“Gage is hurt,” she said, meeting his gaze.
