The Bet (The Bet 1)

She tucked the letters back into the manila envelope and walked outside to the porch where Travis was sipping wine.

“You saved all of this for me?”

Travis looked into her eyes and nodded. “I don’t know what any of it said, Kace. I never looked. I just knew, one day, one day you would want all of it, and selfishly I wanted to be the man to give it to you.”

Kacey sat on his lap and leaned against his chest.

”I have a confession to make.” He laughed nervously.

“What did you do?”

“I got drunk.”

“Now?”

Travis laughed again. “No, not now. I got drunk a few weeks ago, and I complained to Grandma about how no woman would ever compare to you. I’m pretty sure I was feeling sorry for myself, and I never make a habit of doing things like that, nor do I make habits of drunk-dialing my own grandmother.”

“Do you think that’s why she faked her stroke?” Kacey asked, taking the wine out of his hands and sipping it.

“It’s possible.” Travis exhaled. “Either way, I don’t care. I’m thankful.”

“Me too.” Kacey nestled into him and sighed. “Me too.”

“Maybe now she’ll direct her attention to Jake while we enjoy a honeymoon far, far away from the family.”

Kacey laughed. “You mean you don’t want your mom, dad, Mr. Casbon, and Grandma to join us?”

“We’d get kicked off the plane in seconds, admit it.”

Kacey giggled. “I’d rather have you to myself anyway.”

“There’s one more thing.” Travis sighed heavily.

“What?”

“Jake owes us a million dollars.”

“Huh?” Kacey jerked back and looked Travis in the eyes. “What the heck? Why?”

Travis grinned smugly. “I bet him a million dollars when I was eight, that I would marry you.”

Kacey burst out laughing. “Shall we call him tomorrow?”

“We shall,” Travis agreed, then his mouth found hers, and immediately she stopped laughing, too distracted by what his mouth was doing.

She’d left home to escape the pain, not knowing that one day, this day, she’d return to find her own true happiness.