Chapter 14
TRAVIS
"You look sharp, Travis," Marjorie said. It was a big day. In a few minutes, I would conduct the first meeting with my team.
After lunch, I was meeting Bonnie for the first ultrasound. It had been on my mind all morning, but now I needed to shift my focus to business.
"I'm doing my best to make a good impression."
"You always do."
"Are you trying to flatter me?"
"Obviously. You've got your boss face on. That means you're ready to chew off anyone's ass. I'm just trying to make sure it's not mine." She winced. Marjorie was still feeling guilty about the email mishap with Bonnie. I'd been sharp with her about that, but I'd been fucking pissed off.
I appreciated her loyalty. If it had been anyone else making the mistake with the email, I would've thrown them out without a second thought. But I had a soft spot for Marjorie.
"Everyone's already in the meeting room," she said. "Six of them. I've printed a set of files for each one of them. Do you want one as well?"
I tapped my temple. "No, I've got everything here."
She nodded, then pressed her hands together in front of her stomach.
"Travis, I know I've said it a hundred times, but I'm really sorry. I want to make it up to Bonnie."
"I'll think of a few ways you can do that."
She perked up. "Really? Thank you."
We walked side by side to the meeting room.
My brothers were all in their offices. I knew they were eager for me to come back.
To be honest, I was eager too. For the past year, I’d felt as if something was missing.
I needed work in my life. It defined who I was.
Creating a business was my passion, and this was no different.
Entering the meeting room, I took a good look around. Everyone stood up straighter when they saw me. I had an authoritative leading style. Some people, especially those I was close to personally, couldn't fathom it because I was always up for a good joke and liked having fun.
I sat opposite Tim and began.
“All right, everyone. Great seeing you all here. Here's how this will work. We’re going to go through the slides, and by the end of the meeting, we’re going to create a detailed operational plan for the first three months.
The goal for the hotel is to be one of the top in the city within the first year.
I won’t accept anything less than excellence. ”
The meeting lasted four hours. I left the building the second it was over, not wanting to risk being late.
I was meeting Bonnie directly at the doctor’s office.
She’d texted me the address, insisting I didn't have to pick her up.
I was choosing my battles for now, but I was going to bring up the car issue again.
I wanted her to have all the comforts money could buy.
I hopped into my car, typing the address into the navigation system. I roughly knew the area, but I never liked driving without the GPS on. It showed the most efficient way, and I didn’t like wasting time.
The arrival time was ten minutes before I was due to meet Bonnie. I made a split-second decision to make a pit stop on the way. She might not let me give her a car—yet—but she wouldn't say no to this.
Forty minutes later, I arrived at the address she’d given me. The doctor's office was on the ground floor of a residential building. Bonnie was sitting on a bench in front of it, fiddling with her thumbs.
"Hello, gorgeous," I said.
She jumped to her feet, eyes wide, licking her lips. Fucking hell, I wanted to kiss her right here, right now for all of Chicago to see she was mine.
Damn it. Friendship, Travis. Friendship. It’s what Bonnie needs, and it’s what's best for the baby.
“Hey.” Her eyes zeroed in on the cupcake I was holding, and she lit up. “Is that for me?” she asked.
Laughing, I handed it to her. “Ice cream takes the edge off your nerves, right? I wanted to get you ice cream, then googled that it might not be safe during pregnancy. Thought the cupcake might do the trick.”
“Oh, it will. I can’t believe you remember all that!” She nodded, immediately starting to eat it. “It’s delicious.”
She ate it in record time, tossing the paper cup in the nearby bin.
"Thanks." She pushed a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear. But then a gust of wind blew and shot her hair in all directions, including into her face. "Oh, that's great," she said nervously, trying to shove her hair out of her face.
I pushed it away for her. Her skin was soft, her mouth so damn inviting. Resisting the temptation to kiss her was growing harder by the second.
"That's it. All done," I said, skimming my thumb right under her lower lip.
She expelled a breath that caressed my skin. Fucking hell. I took a step back.
"Want to go inside?" she asked, "The appointment is in ten minutes."
"Sure, let's go."
The office was small and all white, smelling like a hospital.
There were several women inside and two men next to pregnant women.
Or at least I guessed they were pregnant; only one was showing.
Bonnie spoke with the woman behind the reception desk and filled out what seemed like a million forms. Afterward, she and I sat down side by side.
"How come you could take off in the middle of the day?" I asked her.
"Oh, I had an overnight shift."
"I didn't know you had those."
"I signed up for them, at least until the baby's here."
"Is that safe for you?" I asked.
She laughed. "Yes, Travis. Working is safe."
"Working, yes, but that sounds like overworking."
She looked at me, shaking her head. A smile played on her lips. "It's okay. Really."
I put it on the list of things I planned to circle back to later.
"Bonnie?" a female voice said.
Bonnie rose to her feet. I did the same, putting a hand on the small of her back.
"Dr. Taylor. Hi," Bonnie said. “This is Travis, the baby’s father.”
"Come on in, both of you," she said as we stepped inside, and she closed the door.
I looked around. What the hell is this? It looked like a torture space. There was a table, and a chair like the ones at the dentist, only worse. It had some sort of support for the feet, I supposed. The tools laid out on the tray next to it were something out of a horror movie.
Bonnie took off her coat. "Should I change?”
"No, you don't have to. You’re far enough along for a regular ultrasound. You don’t need a transvaginal one."
Transvaginal? Jesus Christ.
“Let me take your blood-pressure first,” the doctor said, wrapping an inflatable cuff around Bonnie’s arm. A few minutes later, she took it off, making notes in the chart.
“Now, push up your shirt for the ultrasound,” Dr. Taylor added as Bonnie lay down on the table.
Bonnie did just that, and the doctor squirted a gel on her belly and rubbed it around. Then she grabbed the stick and told me, "You'll see best if you stand right next to me or between me and the bed."
I took my position, looking at the screen. It was still black. The second the stick connected to Bonnie's lower abdomen, gray shapes appeared on the screen and a blob. It was pulsing. Instantly, a pumping sound filled the air.
"And there's the heartbeat," Dr. Taylor said.
This was my child's heartbeat. This was the absolute best moment of my life.
"Everything okay?" Bonnie asked, skimming her hand up and down the side of the bed.
I took her hand in mine. She squeezed it very tightly.
"Everything looks normal. The stats are exactly where they should be at this point in time." She looked at us. "Congratulations to both of you. Do you want printed copies of the sonogram?”
“Yes,” Bonnie and I said at the same time.
Dr. Taylor nodded. “Bonnie, I want to monitor your blood pressure. It's the only thing on your chart that worries me."
"Okay," Bonnie said.
The doctor gave her paper towels to clean off. I took another sheet, helping Bonnie.
She smiled at me. "Thanks. This stuff is not easy to get off."
"What's that about the blood pressure?" I asked.
"It's a bit up."
"I'm not sure why. I've never had issues with my blood pressure," Bonnie said.
"It can happen in certain pregnancies. It's not enough to be worried about it, but I want to keep it under observation," Dr. Taylor explained. "You should take it easy."