Synopsis: Travitha learns the truth about her name when Hannah and Travis accidentally let it slip during her birthday party.
Excerpt:
“So I hear I have another granddaughter now?” He smiled.
“I thought you already met Liberty?” Travitha said, confused. Despite how close she was with Caiden now, she had grown accustomed to the rest of the family not spending much time with her. It didn’t even bother her. She already felt so lucky just to have Jamie and Caiden in her life. “Oh wait! You mean me. You don’t have to call me that if you don’t want to. I know we haven’t really spent much time together.”
Travis leaned down to hug her. “Are you kidding me? I couldn’t be happier for you, Caiden, and Jamie. I’m proud you’re my namesake. Happy birthday, Travitha!”
Travitha leaned forward to return his hug with a giant grin plastered across her face. Just as suddenly, her lips angled downwards as a perplexed crease formed across her forehead. “Namesake?” she asked, pulling back.
Travis cleared his throat. “Oh, you know — Travitha…Travis… very similar.”
“But Caiden and Jamie didn’t name me…Summer did…”
Travis’ face turned red and flustered as he looked into Travitha’s eyes. Her eyes began to widen. It felt like a million puzzle pieces were suddenly joining together. As she stood there, all of the dreams she had been having since she could remember started racing through her mind faster than a bullet train.
Holding hands with a mannequin in Summer’s room.
Being trapped in the basement, screaming, begging to leave.
Wall to wall photos in her mom’s room of a shirtless Travis.
Shirtless Grandpa. Ewwww.
“Oh my god!” she said, with her jaw gaping. “Was my mom, like, obsessed with you or something?”
Travis squirmed as his head bobbed awkwardly from side to side. “Eh…maybe a bit,” he shrugged. The last thing he wanted was to go into full detail about Summer’s obsession with him. Travitha was still just a kid, after all. Honestly, would there ever be an appropriate time to share the story of Summer with her?
Hannah came walking over as she overheard. “Oh! You remember! That is such a relief. I am so sorry, Travitha. You don’t know how hard it’s been thinking we have to keep this a secret from you. All of the times your mom tried setting us on fire and stalking Travis. Clearly she was hiding in the bushes taking shirtless photos of him. It’s so disturbing, right? Not to mention, the way she raised you to be evil and then you poisoned half of the family with bizarre fruit when you were a teenager. It was such an ordeal! I’m just so glad we don’t have to act like this didn’t happen anymore. You’re not planning any trips to Strangerville after your party, right?”
