Something Beautiful Part 3

"When did Travis leave? And why?" Dad asked.

"Dad," I said, trying to remain patient, "Uncle Jim will tell you after Travis talks to him."

America peeked from my bedroom doorway, and I signaled for her to join us.

"We should go," she said.

I nodded.

"You'll be back for dinner?" Mom asked.

"Yes, ma'am," America said.

I dragged her up the stairs behind me to the main level and out the door.

"I looked up their flight," she said as we settled into the Charger. "Two more hours."

"Then we should roll into Chicago just in time."

America leaned over to kiss my cheek. "Travis could be in a lot of trouble, couldn't he?"

"Not if I can help it."

"We, baby. Not if we can help it."

I looked down into her eyes.

Travis had already cost me my relations.h.i.+p with America once. I loved him like a brother, but I wouldn't risk it again. I couldn't let America protect Travis and get in trouble with the authorities even if she wanted to.

"Mare, I love you for saying that, but I need you to stay out of this one."

She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Wow."

"Travis will take a lot of people with him if he goes down for this. I don't want you to be one of them."

"Will you? Be one of them?"

"Yes," I said without hesitation. "But you were at my parents' all weekend. You know nothing. Understand?"

"Shep-"

"I mean it," I said. My voice was uncharacteristically stern, and she leaned back a bit. "Promise me."

"I ... can't promise you that. Abby is family. I'd do anything to protect her. By proxy, that includes Travis. We're all in this together, Shepley. Travis would do the same for me or for you, and you know it."

"That's different."

"Not at all. Not even a little bit."

I leaned down to kiss her d.a.m.n stubborn lips that I loved so much, and I twisted the ignition, firing up the Charger. "They can just drive your car home."

"Oh, no," she said, glaring out the window. "The last time I let them borrow my car, they got married without me."

I chuckled.

"Drop me off at the Honda. I'll drive them home, and they're both going to hear it from me the entire way home. And Travis isn't getting out of it by riding with you either, so if he asks-"

I shook my head, amused. "I wouldn't dare."

America I dabbed the sweat beading above my top lip with the back of one hand, pressing down on the top of my wide-brimmed hat with the other. Across the palm trees and shrubs flowering in every bright color imaginable were Taylor and Falyn sitting together at a table at Bleuwater.

I removed my oversized black sungla.s.ses and narrowed my eyes, watching them argue. The perfect island second wedding had taken most of the year to plan, and the Maddox boys were ruining it.

"Jesus," I sighed. "What now?"

Shepley grabbed my hand, looking in the same direction until he eyed the problem. "Oh. They don't look happy at all."

"Thomas and Liis are fighting, too. The only ones getting along are Trent and Cami, and Tyler and Ellie, but Ellie never gets mad."

"Tyler and Ellie aren't really ... together," Shepley said.

"Why does everyone keep saying that? They're together. They're just not saying they're together."

"It's been that way for a long time, Mare."

"I know. Enough already."

Shepley pulled my back against his chest and nuzzled my neck. "You forgot us."

"Huh?"

"You forgot to say us. We're getting along."

I paused. Planning and organizing and making sure everything flowed smoothly had kept me busy. Aside from the reception at Sails, I'd barely seen Shepley. But he hadn't once complained.

I touched his cheek. "We always get along."

Shepley offered a half smile. "Travis has officially gotten married twice before the rest of us."

"Trenton isn't far behind."

"You don't know that."

"They're engaged, baby. I'm pretty sure."

"They haven't set a date."

I smoothed my sheer black cover-up and pulled Shepley toward the beach. "Do you not approve?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It's weird. She dated Thomas first. You just don't do that."

"Well, she did. And if she hadn't, Trent wouldn't be so happy." I stopped at the edge of the sand, pointing to a small group of Maddoxes gathered at the water's edge.

Travis was sitting on a white plastic lounge chair, puffing on a cigarette and staring across the ocean. Trenton and Camille were standing a few feet away from him, watching him with concerned expressions.

My stomach sank. "Oh, no. Oh, f.u.c.k."

"I'm on it," Shepley said, letting go of my hand to walk toward Travis.

"Fix it. I don't care what you have to say or do ... just fix it. They can't fight on their honeymoon."

Shepley waved back to me, letting me know that he had everything under control. His shoes flipped sand as he trudged to where his cousin sat. Travis looked devastated. I couldn't imagine what might have happened between marital bliss just the night before and this morning.

Shepley sat with his feet planted between his chair and Travis's, and he clasped his hands together. Travis didn't move. He didn't acknowledge Shepley. He just stared at the water.

"This is bad," I whispered.

"What's bad?" Abby asked, startling me. "Whoa. Jumpy this morning? What are you staring at? Where's Shep?" She stretched her neck to look past me at the beach.

"f.u.c.k," she whispered. "That looks bad. Are you and Shepley fighting?"

I spun around. "No. Shepley went to find out what was wrong with Trav. You're not? Fighting, I mean?"

Abby shook her head. "No. Pretty sure that's not what anyone would call what he did to me all night. Wrestling maybe-"

"Did he say anything to you this morning?"

"He left before I woke up."

"Now, he ... he looks like that!" I said, pointing. "What the h.e.l.l happened?"

"Why are you yelling?"

"I'm not yelling!" I took a breath. "I mean ... I'm sorry. Everyone's mad. I don't want angry people at this wedding. I want happy people."

"The wedding is over, Mare," Abby said, patting my backside, as she pa.s.sed. She strolled out to the beach.

Marriage had made her confident, calmer, and slower to react when something was amiss. Abby had the security of knowing that if a problem stood before them, they would figure it out and be holding hands on the other side. Travis the Boyfriend had been unpredictable, but Travis the Husband was Abby's teammate, the only real family she had.

I could almost see triumph in the way she moved as she closed in on him and Shepley. Whatever was wrong, Abby was unafraid. Travis was unbeatable, just like her. They had nothing to fear.

That part of being married was appealing to me, but being married to a Maddox would be work, and I wasn't sure I was ready for that yet-even if my Maddox was Shepley.

The moment Abby knelt next to Travis, he threw his arms around her and buried his face in the crook of her neck. Shepley stood and took a few steps back, glancing at me for just a moment, before watching Abby work her magic.

"Good morning, sweet pea," Mom said, touching my shoulder.

I turned to hug her. "Hi. How did you sleep?"

Mom looked around and sighed. The lines on each side of her mouth deepened when she smiled. "This place, America. You did a really good job."

"Too good," Dad teased.

"Mark, stop," Mom said, nudging him with her elbow. "She's already said she's not in a hurry. Leave her alone." She looked at me. "Are we still on for brunch?"

"Yeah," I said, distracted by Travis hugging Abby on the beach. I chewed on my lip. At least they weren't fighting-or maybe they were making up.

"What is it?" Dad asked. He looked in the same direction I was, immediately seeing Travis and Abby. "Good G.o.d, they're not arguing, are they?"

"No. Everything is fine," I a.s.sured him.

"Travis didn't attack some drunken spring breaker for staring at his wife, did he?"

"No." I chuckled. "Travis is calmer ... ish."

"Abby has the face, Pam," Dad said.

"No, she doesn't," I snapped back, more to myself than to him.

"You're right," Mom said. "That is definitely the face."

They meant Abby's poker face. Any stranger would think nothing of it, but we all knew what it meant.

I turned to them with a contrived smile. "I reserved a table for six. I think Jack and Deana are already heading that way. I'll just grab Shepley, and we'll meet you there."

Mom batted her eyes and pretended like she didn't know I was trying to get rid of them, just like all the times when they'd ignored Abby's poker face when we were getting caught in a lie. My parents weren't stupid, but they were also nontraditional in the way that, as long as we were safe, they'd allow us to make mistakes. They didn't know those mistakes had been made in Las Vegas.

"America," Mom said. Her tone alerted me to something more serious than the scene on the beach. "We have an idea on what this brunch is about."

"No, you don't," I began.

She held up her hand. "Before you make everyone at the table uncomfortable, your dad and I have discussed it, and our feelings haven't changed."

My mouth fell open, and my words tripped over my tongue several times before I could form a coherent sentence. "Mom, just please hear us out."

"You still have two years left," Mom said.

"It's a great apartment. It's close to campus-" I said.

"School has never come easy to you," Mom interjected.

"Shepley and I study all the time. I'm carrying a three-point-oh."

"Barely," Mom said, sadness in her eyes.

She hated telling me no, but she would when she felt it was important, which made it really hard for me to argue.

"Mom-"