Penelope, I can’t let him go.” Travis shook his head. “And I won’t make the same mistake with you, either. I left you once, but now I know that I was an idiot for doing it.”
“You were,” Penelope replied. “But you can’t just turn down an offer with the Sharks, either. I supposed Max and I could move to Miami with you. At least then we’d all be in the same place.”
He huffed. “No, I won’t let you do that.” Before Penelope could argue with him, Travis added, “Max’s life is here. He has friends. You have your job at the paper. Besides, my dad is here. We’ve started working through our issues, and it’s gonna be a lot easier to do if I am here.”
“Travis,” she fretted.
He brought his hands up, cradling her face between his palms. “I love you, Penelope, and I love our son. I will be here for as long as you want me.”
“How’s forever sound?” A tear trickled from her eye, landing on Travis’ finger.
“It’s a good start.” Travis leaned in and captured her lips with his. “This has been the greatest journey.”
“What journey?”
Travis pressed his forehead against hers. “The journey home.”
***
The
Journey
of
Champions
***
Chapter One
Saying Goodbye — For Now
Travis McCoy stood in front of the large window that overlooked the front yard. With one hand pressed against the cool glass and the other nestled in his curly, chocolate-brown hair, he sighed. Today, he would be leaving Clarendon, Texas, and heading back to Miami, Florida, and he wasn’t sure he’d be strong enough to go. When he had made the decision to return to his hometown after receiving an invitation to celebrate homecoming, he hadn’t realized that in the process, he’d find himself again. The journey home hadn’t been an easy one, but it had been the best decision he had ever made. Coming home had given him the family he had been missing, a second chance to heal his broken heart, and the opportunity to reconnect with the person who had taught him what it meant to be a man: his father.
A smile slipped over Travis’s lips. When his father picked him up from the airport, he had anticipated spending the majority of his time in Clarendon dodging questions about where his life was headed or if he was ever going to grow up. Instead, Travis had lowered the walls he’d built around himself ever since the death of his mother, Loralie, and had allowed himself to get to know the real Russ McCoy. Where he had always seen a cold-hearted man who had put himself before his family, in reality Russ was a broken soul who’d struggled with losing the love of his life.
“He’s gonna be late if you don’t hurry,” came the softest, sweetest voice Travis had ever heard.
Laughing to himself, he looked over his shoulder, finding Penelope Stone standing in the doorway to their bedroom. She had her arms folded in front of her and a sparkle in her dark, sensual, mocha-brown eyes. Her long, silky, blond hair framed her face, and the pure, natural beauty that emanated from her took Travis’s breath away. She was exquisite.
“Are you okay?” Penelope asked when he didn’t speak.
“I’m fine,” Travis groused, trying to convince himself as much as her. Today, he wouldn’t just be leaving Texas for Florida; he’d be leaving his new family, too. He kept telling himself that it was just for a week, maybe two — just long enough to pack up his stuff and make the final move back to her and Max. But with each passing breath, he found the thought of missing even one moment with them excruciating. He’d just gotten a second chance at a life with them, and now he had to say goodbye.
“I don’t believe you.” Penelope smiled and crossed the room, slipping her arms around his waist. “We don’t want you to leave, either, but you can’t put this off any longer. It’s time to go back, Travis, so that you can really be here when you return.”
“Yeah, I know, but I don’t want to,” he grumbled, well
“You were,” Penelope replied. “But you can’t just turn down an offer with the Sharks, either. I supposed Max and I could move to Miami with you. At least then we’d all be in the same place.”
He huffed. “No, I won’t let you do that.” Before Penelope could argue with him, Travis added, “Max’s life is here. He has friends. You have your job at the paper. Besides, my dad is here. We’ve started working through our issues, and it’s gonna be a lot easier to do if I am here.”
“Travis,” she fretted.
He brought his hands up, cradling her face between his palms. “I love you, Penelope, and I love our son. I will be here for as long as you want me.”
“How’s forever sound?” A tear trickled from her eye, landing on Travis’ finger.
“It’s a good start.” Travis leaned in and captured her lips with his. “This has been the greatest journey.”
“What journey?”
Travis pressed his forehead against hers. “The journey home.”
***
The
Journey
of
Champions
***
Chapter One
Saying Goodbye — For Now
Travis McCoy stood in front of the large window that overlooked the front yard. With one hand pressed against the cool glass and the other nestled in his curly, chocolate-brown hair, he sighed. Today, he would be leaving Clarendon, Texas, and heading back to Miami, Florida, and he wasn’t sure he’d be strong enough to go. When he had made the decision to return to his hometown after receiving an invitation to celebrate homecoming, he hadn’t realized that in the process, he’d find himself again. The journey home hadn’t been an easy one, but it had been the best decision he had ever made. Coming home had given him the family he had been missing, a second chance to heal his broken heart, and the opportunity to reconnect with the person who had taught him what it meant to be a man: his father.
A smile slipped over Travis’s lips. When his father picked him up from the airport, he had anticipated spending the majority of his time in Clarendon dodging questions about where his life was headed or if he was ever going to grow up. Instead, Travis had lowered the walls he’d built around himself ever since the death of his mother, Loralie, and had allowed himself to get to know the real Russ McCoy. Where he had always seen a cold-hearted man who had put himself before his family, in reality Russ was a broken soul who’d struggled with losing the love of his life.
“He’s gonna be late if you don’t hurry,” came the softest, sweetest voice Travis had ever heard.
Laughing to himself, he looked over his shoulder, finding Penelope Stone standing in the doorway to their bedroom. She had her arms folded in front of her and a sparkle in her dark, sensual, mocha-brown eyes. Her long, silky, blond hair framed her face, and the pure, natural beauty that emanated from her took Travis’s breath away. She was exquisite.
“Are you okay?” Penelope asked when he didn’t speak.
“I’m fine,” Travis groused, trying to convince himself as much as her. Today, he wouldn’t just be leaving Texas for Florida; he’d be leaving his new family, too. He kept telling himself that it was just for a week, maybe two — just long enough to pack up his stuff and make the final move back to her and Max. But with each passing breath, he found the thought of missing even one moment with them excruciating. He’d just gotten a second chance at a life with them, and now he had to say goodbye.
“I don’t believe you.” Penelope smiled and crossed the room, slipping her arms around his waist. “We don’t want you to leave, either, but you can’t put this off any longer. It’s time to go back, Travis, so that you can really be here when you return.”
“Yeah, I know, but I don’t want to,” he grumbled, well