The Choice - Nicholas Sparks [98]
Travis shook his head, feeling his anger rise. “You don’t understand.”
“I understand completely.”
He brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose and squeezed. “Gabby is . . .”
When he didn’t continue, Stephanie put her hand on his knee. “Passionate? Intelligent? Kind? Moral? Funny? Forgiving? Patient? Everything you ever imagined in a wife and mother? In other words, pretty much perfect?”
He looked up in surprise.
“I know,” she said quietly. “I love her, too. I’ve always loved her. She’s not only been the sister I never had, but my best friend, too. Sometimes she felt like my only real friend. And you’re right—she’s been wonderful for you and the kids. You couldn’t have done any better. Why do you think I keep coming down here? It’s not just for her, or for you. It’s for me. I miss her, too.”
Unsure how to respond, he said nothing. In the silence, Stephanie sighed.
“Have you decided what you’re going to do?”
Travis swallowed. “No,” he admitted. “Not yet.”
“It’s been three months.”
“I know,” he said.
“When’s the meeting?”
“I’m supposed to meet with them in half an hour.”
Watching her brother, she accepted that. “Okay. I’ll tell you what. I’ll let you think about it some more. I’ll just head over to your place and see the girls.”
“They’re not there, but they should be back later.”
“You mind if I wait around?”
“Go ahead. There’s a key—”
She didn’t let him finish. “Beneath the plaster frog on the porch? Yeah, I know. And if you’re curious, I’m pretty sure most burglars could figure that out, too.”
He smiled. “I love you, Steph.”
“I love you, too, Travis. And you know I’m here for you, right?”
“I know.”
“Always. Anytime.”
“I know.”
Staring at him, she finally nodded. “I’ll just wait for you, okay? I want to know what happens.”
“Okay.”
Standing, she reached for her purse and flung it over her shoulder. She kissed her brother on the top of his head.
“We’ll see you later, okay, Gabby?” she said, not expecting an answer. She was halfway out of the room when she heard Travis’s voice again.
“How far should you go in the name of love?”
Stephanie half turned. “You’ve asked me that question before.”
“I know.” Travis hesitated. “But I’m asking what you think I should do.”
“Then I’ll tell you what I always do. That it’s your choice how you handle this.”
“What does that mean for me?”
Her expression seemed almost helpless. “I don’t know, Trav. What do you think it means?”
Twenty-one
It was a little more than two years ago when Gabby bumped into Kenneth Baker on one of those summer evenings for which Beaufort was famous. With live music playing and dozens of boats tied up at the docks on a summer night, it had seemed like the perfect night to bring Gabby and the kids downtown for ice cream. While they stood in line with the kids, Gabby casually mentioned that she’d seen a beautiful print in one of the stores they’d passed. Travis smiled. By then, he’d grown used to her hints.
“Why don’t you check it out,” he’d said. “I’ve got the girls. Go ahead.”
She was gone longer than he’d expected, and when she returned, her expression was troubled. Later, after they’d gone home and put the girls to bed, Gabby sat on the couch, clearly preoccupied.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Gabby shifted on the couch. “I ran into Kenneth Baker earlier today,” she admitted. “When you were getting ice cream.”
“Oh yeah? How’s he doing?”
She sighed. “Do you realize that his wife’s been in a coma for six years now? Six years. Can you imagine what that must be like for him?”
“No,” Travis said. “I can’t.”
“He looks like an old man.”
“I’m sure I’d age, too. He’s going through something terrible.”
She nodded, her expression still troubled. “He’s angry, too. It’s like he resents her. He said he only visits her now and then. And his kids . . .” Lost in thought, she seemed to lose track of her sentence.
Travis stared at Gabby. “What’s this about?”
“Would you visit me? If something like that happened to me?”
For the first time, he felt a pang of fear, even though