Chapter 15
BONNIE
"What do you mean by taking it easy?" Travis asked, his voice dripping authority. I could foresee him trying to convince me to take things even easier than I had to.
"Try to minimize physical strain. No extremely energetic workouts, things like that. I see your previous doctor prescribed you all the necessary prenatal vitamins. How are you taking to them?"
"They don't seem to affect me in any way."
"Do you have morning sickness?"
"No. I'm lucky like that. Just a bit tired from time to time."
Dr. Taylor nodded. "That's normal. I'll see you at the next checkup in two months. Will you both be here?"
"Yes," Travis said before I even had the chance to open my mouth. My chest filled with happiness. That meant more to me than he could possibly know.
I stood up while Dr. Taylor printed the sonograms, giving one each to me and Travis. My heart rate went into overdrive when I saw him carefully fold the paper before putting it in the inner pocket of his suit jacket.
We left quickly, not wanting to keep Dr. Taylor. She was a busy woman. As we stepped out of the building, he asked, "Want me to drive you home?"
"No, thanks. I'm actually thinking about going shopping before I get home."
"We need to talk about you taking it easy."
"Oh, Travis." I laughed, pulling up my zipper and closing my jacket. God, it was cold outside. "I was sure you were going to bring that up."
"Bonnie," he said in a serious tone.
"Yes, I heard the doctor too. I'll take it easy. I know."
"You promise?"
"Yes."
He was looking at me intently. "Another thing. My mom and my cousin want your number. They're pestering me."
“Let me guess. You want me to save you from them and tell them they can call me?"
"Something like that. Besides, the two of them are great. Mom kept saying she can give you pregnancy advice."
I smiled. "Oh, that sounds wonderful. I don't have many people I can talk to about this. None of my friends have kids."
"Okay, then I'll give them your number. Word of warning. They can be a bit much."
"Like you?"
He smirked. "No, actually. I'm the easiest Maxwell to handle. If you make a list of 'difficult Maxwells,' I’m not even on it."
I narrowed my eyes. "If you made that list, sounds to me like you’re trying to fool me."
"Actually, my mom made that list. I'm sure she'll give you the nitty-gritty of the family."
"I can't wait. And thanks for coming today.”
“I loved every second of it. Seeing that heartbeat… well, it was something.”
“Yes, it was,” I whispered.
“What are you doing this afternoon?” He cocked a brow, almost making me laugh. I was sure that no answer except “relaxing” would be good enough.
“After shopping, I’m going to sleep a bit. And make dinner, or order something. Probably the latter. I’m dying for some calamari salad, and I’m hopeless at cooking seafood. I miss The Fish.” I stifled a yawn, running a hand through my hair. “I need a nap, though. I’m sure I look terrible.”
“I disagree. You’re fucking beautiful.” A twinkle played in his eyes.
I pointed at him. “Don’t start.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “Don't worry, Bonnie. I'm not going to flirt with you. Not until you want me to.”
My knees instantly turned to jelly. Why would he say that? Of course I wanted him to. I was hanging by a thread here. I couldn’t believe I alternated between being standoffish with him and practically melting. I hoped I’d get a grip on my hormones and emotions soon enough.
“Call me if you need anything,” he said before heading to his car.
I pressed my lips together, deciding it was better not to reply. I was too caught up in the magic of the day and seeing that tiny heartbeat for the first time.
I was grateful Travis had been here with me, squeezing my hand, patting my head. Today it became crystal clear just how easily the lines between us could blur. It felt like he was my partner—my lover, not just the baby’s father. I had no idea how we were going to navigate this.
I was exhausted by the time I got home four hours later.
I’d bought some clothes and odorless cleaning supplies.
I didn’t have morning sickness, but when I tried to clean the windows over the weekend, I almost gagged at the smell.
It was too late to nap, so I was just going to try and stay up as late as I could before crashing for the evening.
As I took off my shoes, my phone beeped with a message from Travis.
Travis: Home yet?
Bonnie: Just got in. Why?
Travis: You’ll see.
My stomach somersaulted. Did he plan to drop by? Sweet lord, I was not ready for that. Maybe he just wanted to know when his mom should call me.
After I stepped out of the shower, I blow-dried my hair, frowning when I heard a doorbell in the distance. I shut off the hair dryer and dashed to the door, peering through the peephole to find some guy with a delivery cap. I opened it right away.
"Hi," I greeted tentatively.
"Hi, ma'am. I've got your order here."
"My order?" I asked.
"One fried calamari salad and this." He handed me a paper bag as well as a box containing what seemed to be sweets.
"Right, thank you. How much do I owe you?" I checked. Was the pregnancy fog setting in and I didn't remember I'd ordered it?
"Nothing, ma'am. Travis Maxwell took care of it."
I closed the door, grinning from ear to ear. He'd sent me dinner. That was why he wanted to know if I was home. I couldn't believe he'd sent me fried calamari. And what was the other thing?
I opened the box, and my heart sighed. I was looking at a cupcake, and not just any cupcake.
The cream was yellowish, and I was betting it was pineapple.
Even though I should probably eat dinner first, I couldn't help myself and took a bite of the sweet treat.
It was delicious and was indeed pineapple cream.
I took out my phone, sitting down while I typed.
Bonnie: I just got dinner, and the cupcake. Where did you even find a pineapple cupcake?
Travis: It was a special custom-made order. I know the baker, and she likes me.
A bout of jealousy coursed through me. Holy shit. This doesn't bode well. I replied quickly.
Bonnie: Who is she?
Travis: My brother's fiancée, Liz.
I laughed at myself. God, I was silly. I couldn't be jealous. We were friends, and we were going to co-parent, and that was all. I had to get that into my head. Though after today, I was starting to think it would be even harder than I anticipated. But I didn’t want to think about any of that right now.
I wanted to dig into my delicious dinner sent by this gorgeous, thoughtful man.
Bonnie: Thank you for the dinner.
Travis: I told you, I want to take care of you, Bonnie. This is just the beginning.
I was too busy swooning to think about anything else. I could worry another day about how easily Travis was getting past my defenses.
As soon as I finished dinner, I threw away the container.
It was only seven o’clock in the evening, but I was already sleepy.
I was glad I didn’t have another overnight shift.
I wasn't going to get in bed now, though, or I'd wake up tomorrow morning at four o’clock. Instead, I was going to watch Netflix.
I sat down and made myself comfortable, browsing the offerings. I’d almost decided on rewatching Bridgerton for the hundredth time when my phone beeped with an incoming call.
I didn't recognize the number, but I figured I should pick up. Maybe it was Travis's cousin or his mom. I pressed the green button before putting the phone to my ear. "Hello?"
"Hi, this is Lena, Travis’s mother. Am I speaking to Bonnie?"
"Yes." I put the remote away, sitting straight up on the couch. Nerves gripped me. "Hi."
"I hope it's okay that I'm calling."
"Yes, of course it is," I replied, my voice a bit high-pitched.
"Travis thought it would do you good to talk to someone who's been through pregnancy multiple times.”
I felt a rush of affection for him.
"That's very thoughtful," I said.
"How are you feeling so far? I was so surprised when Travis broke the news."
"I bet it was a shock," I said, biting my lower lip. What must she think about me?
"Kids are always a blessing. Sometimes they just come when we're not prepared for them."
"I've always wanted kids, but I have to say, I didn't plan on it happening like this," I admitted.
"Well, we adapt, don't we? Truth be told, I only planned four of my kids. The other two decided to pop up," she said, laughing. “But what can you do? I'm glad for each and every one of them."
Hearing her talk was filling me with warmth. She seemed to be a peaceful, kind, and very loving mother.
"My boys were a handful growing up." Her voice was full of nostalgia.
"I bet Travis was the leader of the pack." I was eager to test his theory.
"Oh, no, actually he was one of the easier ones."
Huh? So he's only domineering and stubborn with me. I must bring that out in him. "And the rest of your boys?"
"Oh, Declan is the oldest one. I think he became a lawyer because he had too much practice getting his siblings out of trouble growing up.
Luke, the second one, was mostly the one responsible for getting them into trouble.
He had a knack for convincing people to do what he wanted.
And the youngest ones were especially eager to join him.
The pregnancies were hard, especially after I had several kids. By the way, do you want more kids?"
Her voice had changed slightly when she asked me that. It sounded almost suspicious, and I wondered why.
"I want lots of kids," I said. "We'll see how this goes. I'm not sure I'm ready to plan too far in advance."
"I was just curious," she said.
"Did you have any problems?"
"Oh, sweet Lord. I had morning sickness. With Sam, I also actually had hyperemesis. I couldn't keep anything down. They had to hook me up to IVs."
I shuddered. "That sounds terrible."
"It was. I had five rambunctious boys, and I couldn't even move without getting sick. I also had bed rest with some of them."
"I feel lucky so far."
"That's good, but take care of yourself, okay? Pregnancy is a time to spoil yourself and to allow others to fuss around you."
"Well, your son did. He sent me something I told him I wanted to have for dinner, plus my favorite dessert."
"Did he now? Well, I'm proud of him. I raised him well."
I smiled to myself. "Yes, you did.”
"Bonnie, I'd like to meet you face-to-face, if you're okay with that. I've saved some of the boys' clothes from since they were babies. They're probably not fashionable now, but I always think you can't have enough onesies. If you want, I'd love to give a few of them to you."
"I'd love that," I whispered. My throat wasn't working properly. Emotion tightened it. Why was I making such a huge fuss of this? I cleared my throat. "Sure. Just let me look over my shifts for the next week, and I'll tell you when I'm free, okay?"
"That sounds perfect, darling. Have a great evening."
I was smiling from ear to ear after hanging up. I couldn't believe she was just embracing me and the baby like that. No accusations of wanting to trap her son or any backhanded comments. She was simply happy.
I didn't know what possessed me to do it, but on a whim, I snapped a photo of the ultrasound picture and sent it to my mom along with a message.
Bonnie: Here is the first pic of your future grandchild. The doctor said everything looks good.
She wrote back almost immediately.
Mom: Congrats, but I will tell you one thing: I won't come over to babysit. Okay? I've got a lot of things going on.
My stomach tightened.
Bonnie: No, Mom, I'm not expecting you to do anything. I just wanted to share it with you. I'm happy about the baby.
My stomach somersaulted when I saw she was typing back.
Mom: I wanted you to know so you can plan accordingly.
I sighed. By that, she meant planning to do everything by myself. I was going to do that anyway. I’d have been more shocked if she’d offered to help.
The pang I usually felt when Mom brushed me off was less intense.
I wasn't feeling alone. I had Ashley, Travis, and Lena.
My baby wouldn't grow up the way I did, feeling utterly alone with parents who couldn’t be in the same room without fighting.
He'd be surrounded by a loud family. By the way Lena spoke about her sons, I was sure they were going to embrace the baby too. I just had to make sure Travis and I didn’t muddle things, because I didn't want to lose any of this.