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She sighed, tapping the steering wheel with one black-painted fingernail. “Still, that’s not the type of thing a person forgets, and when I found myself in a situation where I needed someone I could depend on to take care of my daughter, Travis was the person I thought of first.”
“So that’s why you said his brother was the father?”
She snorted. “It wasn’t hard to figure out that he wasn’t anywhere around to deny my claim. And that’s the best kind of person to blame fatherhood on. Someone who’s not there to defend himself.” She laughed without humor.
Ellen could see the logic there.
“The only problem is, modern-day communication is much better than you think it would be. The brothers were talking. I kind of hoped that either they wouldn’t be able to get in touch, or they wouldn’t be talking to each other, or that Travis would be so upset at his brother he wouldn’t have allowed him to give his side of the story.”
A miscalculation on that last thought especially. She’d underestimated Travis, and his desire to keep his family together.
Ellen smiled. Just the thought of Travis being... Travis. Upright, conscientious, and determined to do right, made her feel good inside. He loved her. For herself. And not only did that make her feel good, but the memory of his kiss, the way he held her, and how safe and cherished she felt, was enough to make her forget that she was riding in the car with a woman she’d never met before, and needed to keep her wits about her if only to get Alice out of the backseat somewhere safe.
“I know your problems aren’t simple,” she began slowly.
That elicited another, rather loud, snort from Alaska.
“But, I know that you’d have a safe place to stay if you wanted to turn the car around and go to Travis’s house.”
“That’s a problem with all of you goody-goody’s. You think life is so easy.” There was obvious bitterness in Alaska’s tone.
“No. I... I don’t know what you need my car for, but at the very least, I know you love your child, since you went through so much trouble to find a good home for her.”
“I do.” Alaska didn’t say anything more, but her words were soft, full of longing.
That made Ellen think that maybe she really did want a better life, and maybe she really didn’t know how to go about getting it. Of course, Ellen had no idea of the problems she was facing, and maybe she really couldn’t help, but she couldn’t not offer.
“At the very least, you can turn this around and let me get Alice out of the car.” She took a breath, and then plunged ahead. “I don’t know where you’re taking us, but surely you prefer for Alice to be with Travis.”
“So you’d be okay if I dropped Alice off, and you’d stay in the car with me?” She seemed to be saying that as a challenge.
“I prefer to get out with Alice, but if you wanted me to stay, I would do it, as long as you allow Alice to go.”
“I think you would have made a good mother for her. If I’d known you before I knew Travis, I might have dropped her off with you.”
“If things go the way I hope they do, I might end up being her mother.”
“You love Alice that much?” Alaska almost seemed to forget to look at the road, and her eyes ran over Ellen’s face as though trying to figure out whether her words were sincere or not.
“I do love Alice, and so does Travis. But... Travis has been my best friend for a really long time, and I think we might be more.” She could feel her cheeks heating a little. The way he kissed her certainly seemed to indicate more than friends. The things they talked about did so as well.
“Well. Of all the ironic things that could happen, I end up kidnapping Travis’s girlfriend.”
“And your own daughter,” Ellen said, figuring that was the most ironic thing of all.
“Yeah.” Her word was soft, like she was thinking of all the things she regretted, and wishing she could do things over again.
“You know, maybe that’s not just the universe playing tricks on you.” Ellen started out slowly knowing that what she had to say might not be welcomed by Alaska.
“Really? Is there any other explanation?”
“God wants you. That’s my explanation.”
A derisive snort was her only answer as her knuckles whitened on the steering wheel.
“You can laugh. But, you have to admit that the odds of this happening are astronomically low. So low that I would almost say that they were impossible. Except, with God anything is possible. And maybe, maybe you ended up with your baby, and me, because God’s trying to get your attention.”
“Yeah. I don’t want Him to want me and what for, anyway?”
