Family Camp (Daddy Dearest, #1)(27)
Geo scooted over on the step. Travis sat down.
They were silent for a while. Travis let himself relax. It had been a long day. A few quiet moments wouldn’t hurt anything. Like Geo, he tilted his head back to look at the stars. There were so many they took his breath away. There was hardly a bit of the sky that, if you stared, didn’t have some point of light in it, however faint. Yet somehow the whole was breathlessly sharp, each tiny point distinct. How could the universe be so vast? And how could his eyes have the power to see those stars so distinctly? The world was amazing.
The night air felt soft and velvety, a warm caress on Travis’s face, his arms, his bare legs in his shorts. He wondered at the sensation, then realized he was feeling the air so acutely right now because every cell in his body had sensitized, just sitting this close to Geo.
Attraction. Another amazing thing. What a crazy, powerful, inconvenient sucker punch it could be. If being attracted to someone was like batting a ball, Travis could honestly say it had been years since he’d encountered more than a weak bunt. The pull he felt to Geo, though, especially now that he knew Geo was dedicated to the kids—that was a grand-slam crack, the ball soaring out of the park.
“You have a good afternoon?” Travis asked in a low voice.
“Yeah. We went swimming.” Geo sighed. “Jayden didn’t pass the swim test, so Trish wouldn’t let him go past the buoys. And Stryker and Aiden were swimming back and forth to the floating dock like fishes. Jayden was not happy, but Trish handled it like a pro. She slapped that boy in lessons with a few older kids, and I think he had fun. Lucy had a lesson too. I even convinced her to put her dolls in her backpack and leave them on the beach. And afterward she and I played in the water.” A soft smile graced Geo’s face. “She loves the water. She was really in the moment, which is fantastic. And her dog doll came FedEx today. So I’m a hero.”
“What’s Lucy’s history?” Travis asked, then felt stupid. “Shit, I’m so nosy. Never mind.”
Geo nudged Travis’s shoulder. “Hey. I could blabber about the kids all day. It’s nice that you care. Lucy was taken out of a neglect situation. She was three when she was removed from her home, but the neighbors had been complaining for a long time. Sounds like her parents would just go out and leave her alone to scream at all hours. She was severely underweight….” He shuddered. “No one knows how bad it was, if Lucy was ever held or given love. And, you know, if babies don’t get any human bonding—”
“Yeah.” Travis was aware. It could cause permanent damage to the ability to form any type of connection. And it made him so angry. How anyone could ignore or abuse an innocent little baby…
“But I’m hoping there was someone in her life, a grandparent, a neighbor, who took care of her sometimes. I don’t believe she’s unreachable. Hell, I know she’s not. It’s just… She can get lost in her own world with her dolls. I think that’s where she feels safe.”
Travis nodded and cleared his throat, trying to get his voice under control. “I agree. She’s not unreachable. Look at how she is with Max. That’s not a kid who can’t bond.”
Geo nodded fervently. “Definitely with a dog. I know I should get her one. Maybe after school starts, and we’ve found some semblance of a routine.”
He sounded like even the idea made him tired. It must be overwhelming, what Geo was doing, Travis suddenly realized. He always seemed to be so at ease with it.
“Too bad we don’t live close to each other. You could borrow Max from time to time,” Travis said gruffly.
“Yeah. That is too bad.” Geo gave Travis a wistful look. And Travis couldn’t help but wonder—hope—that Geo was wishing he were closer from more reasons than just Max.
Travis had an urge to reach out and rub Geo’s back. To, in effect, say, “You’re doing a good job.” But that was dumb. Geo didn’t need his validation over parenting. And it wasn’t like they were in it together. Geo’s deal with his kids was his own.
“Sounds like a good day.”
Geo looked over at him, one eyebrow lifted. “How was Jayden at the campfire tonight?”
“Fine. There were ghost stories. So if he wakes up screaming, you’ll know who to thank.”
“Wonderful. I appreciate that.”
Travis smiled. “And there were s’mores.”
“S’mores! Sorry to have missed that. Did Jayden eat any?”
Travis snorted. “At least four of them. I lost count.”
Geo laughed. “That’s hilarious. I told him about s’mores before we came. Trying to build up Family Camp as this great thing, right? He said they sounded disgusting. Made retching noises and everything.”
“Well, he changed his tune, trust me. Ate so much chocolate, he’ll probably get the runs.”
“Nice! Diarrhea and nightmares. You guys are so helpful.”
“Hey, all part of the Camp Evermore experience.”
Geo looked up at the night sky again, but his smile faded, and his face grew serious. “Jayden thinks you walk on water. Me, not so much.”
Travis felt a twinge of guilt. “That’s just because Stryker and Aiden do.”
“Well, the pro-ball player thing doesn’t hurt. And the whole virile, ridiculously handsome thing.”