Chapter 16
TRAVIS
"I know this is a bribe," Reese said with a wicked smile.
I'd taken her out for croissants at her favorite French coffee shop on Lincoln Avenue.
Of course it was a bribe. But I was betting on its effectiveness.
"Let me guess. You want to talk about the CFO job?" she asked.
"Guilty as charged." There was no point pretending with my cousin.
"Travis, you still don't have one?"
"No. I've interviewed a lot of candidates, and I know you're more knowledgeable than all of them. Besides, I would be a much better boss than anyone out there."
"Uh-huh," she said between croissant bites. "You do realize that you just told me you've interviewed a lot of people and none of them were good enough. Kind of tells me that you're the exact opposite of laid-back."
I grinned. "They weren't you."
"Oh, you know how to make a girl feel special. Well, I have to admit, I'm thinking about this really seriously. I'll have an answer for you by the end of the week, okay?"
I hadn't expected this reaction, but I was pleased.
"And since we're talking about you knowing how to make a girl feel special," she continued, "how are things with Bonnie? How do you feel about being a dad? I know we ambushed you back at your penthouse. I'm really sorry about that."
"And this isn't an ambush?" I asked, laughing.
"No. I’m just checking in about how you're doing, how you're feeling."
I was confident in all aspects of my life. There had never been anything I didn’t succeed at if I put my mind to it, but this was beyond anything I'd experienced.
"I don't want to screw it up" was all I said because it was the truth.
Reese frowned. "Can you be more specific? Screw what up? Your relationship with Bonnie or with your future kid?"
"And this is still not an ambush?" I double-checked.
"No, it's advising." She held up a finger. "Actually, you know what? I'm going to call Kimberly. We're always better at advising you together."
I chuckled. "Of course you are. Should I point out that I didn't ask for your advice?"
Reese sighed. "Then we'll just be giving our opinions out loud. I'm sorry, I need to talk about it. It's a big thing to get used to," she said, and I didn't argue with her because she was right.
We looked around, but there weren't many customers at this time of the day.
Reese took out earbuds, giving me one of them before putting her phone on the table and calling Kimberly.
While the phone rang, she finished her croissant as if afraid someone would take it away from her if she didn't eat it quickly. Kimberly answered after a couple rings.
"Hey, sis. Can I call you back a while later when I have more time?"
"Sure. I was just hoping we could bounce some ideas off each other. Travis is here too."
She emphasized my name. I instantly knew it was some sort of code between them.
"Oh, okay. I have time. Yeah, sure. Just wait a second."
I almost burst out laughing. She made time instantly, huh? I was curious how this was going to go.
"Okay, now I'm in our meeting room. Hey, Travis."
"Hi, Kimberly."
"So what are we talking about? What are we doing exactly?"
"It's an ambush, only Reese doesn't want to call it that," I said.
"No, it's not," Reese insisted.
"Yeah, Travis, it's not," Kimberly said. "I'm guessing we want to know how you plan to get in Bonnie's good graces."
"I am in her good graces," I clarified.
Reese looked at me intently. "Yes, but I saw your face at your party. You clearly want more than to be friends who raise a kid together."
I stared at her.
"I can feel you gawking at Reese," Kimberly said unhelpfully.
That time I did start laughing. "Girls, trust me. I'm working very hard on this, but there's nothing you can do to help."
"Oh, so you're working on it?" Reese asked. "That tells us a lot about what you want, and it's good to know you're, well, doing something about it."
"I always work for what I want. And I always get it."
Reese smiled sheepishly but didn't say anything.
Kimberly sighed. "Oh, cousin. I'm sorry, but you have to be prepared. Some things might not work out."
"I disagree," I said.
"How do you feel about being a dad? You do have a lot of practice with Paisley."
"It's different," I said instantly. "I'm the uncle. I spoil her. I annoy my brother. I spoil her some more, and that's it. This is different. I've got to be a role model for that kid."
"No, you don't," Reese said. "You just have to be there. Trust us." She would know, considering their father had been absent for most of their lives.
After Reese and Kimberly’s mother died, Uncle Harvey distanced himself from everyone. He focused on work, and my cousins were with our family most of the time. My mom loved it; they were the daughters she never had.
"Hmm. Let's think about what else you could do to practice being a good dad until the baby is here," she continued.
"Oh, I have a few ideas," Kimberly said.
I liked hearing them talk. It always spurred my own ideas, which Reese knew. I listened to them brainstorming before turning the focus on them.
"How's Paris treating you, Kimberly?"
I could tell a lot about how my cousins were doing by the way they spoke to each other.
I'd learned to pick up on cues over the years.
If they didn't discuss any personal things at all, it meant they were walking on eggshells around each other.
It was a cue that something had happened and they didn't want to talk about it yet.
I never pushed in those cases. If they casually mentioned issues, it meant they were on top of them.
If they avoided a topic, it meant they had issues and were not on top of them, so they weren't inclined to discuss it with me either.
"Paris is fine. I just want to throttle my boss. I don't feel terribly appreciated here."
I sat up straighter. It was the first I'd heard anything about this, and I saw a golden opportunity.
I'd been thinking about bringing Kimberly on board, too, for the expansion of the hotel business.
I wanted to build a chain, and she had international experience.
Although her expertise wasn't in the hotel business itself but in a travel agency.
Still, her skills could be invaluable. But I didn't want to bring it up now. I’d learned a long time ago that it was better to prepare for conversations with my family, especially when I wanted to spring something like that on them.
"As always, I'm expecting all of you to visit whenever you have time," she said. "Travis, might I point out that you had a lot of time over the past year, and you never visited?"
"What can I say? I found ways to keep myself busy."
"Yeah, I know. I'm at the bottom of that list of priorities."
I made a mental note about this. She was resorting to emotional blackmail. That meant she really wanted me there.
All in all, my cousins seemed to be doing okay, which was always good to hear. They chatted a bit more about Paris, and then Reese even brought up considering my job, and Kimberly encouraged her to take it.
My phone beeped, and my eyes locked on the screen. Bonnie was calling. Fuck, it was the middle of the day. My instincts told me something wasn’t right. I immediately answered, even though Reese and Kimberly were still talking.
"Kimberly, wait. Let's be silent. Travis got a phone call," Reese said as I answered.
"Bonnie, are you okay?" I asked instead of saying hello.
"Hi. Ummm… don't panic."
Fuck me. I hated that sentence. Every muscle clenched.
"What's happening?" I asked in a very neutral and calming voice.
"I've had some bleeding, and I'm going to Dr. Taylor's office. I'll be there in twenty minutes."
"I'll pick you up."
"No, I'm in an Uber."
Why hadn't she called me to take her there? I didn't like the idea of her being alone, but it was probably the fastest way.
"I think I'll be there at the same time. Do you want to stay on the phone with me until you get there?"
"Oh, no, don't be silly. I'm sure everything will be okay." Her voice was shaking, though.
"It will be okay. I'll be there right away," I said.
I stood after hanging up. Reese was looking at me with fearful eyes.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Bonnie's having some bleeding."
Reese covered her mouth. Kimberly gasped. I wasn't an expert in the female body, but even I knew bleeding during pregnancy couldn't be good.
"She's going to her ob-gyn, and I'm heading there right now too."
"You want me to come with you?" Reese asked.
I shook my head. I knew Bonnie would just want me to be there. "No, I'll go on my own."
"I’ll keep my fingers crossed, okay?" Reese told me.
I nodded. "Thanks."
Both of them better be okay.
All of a sudden, the thought of not having a family with Bonnie was completely out of the question.