Chapter 21
BONNIE
The next morning, Travis was on the phone when I woke up. He was speaking softly, but I could still hear him through the open door.
"Sure, Gran. Do you need me to bring anything else by? How do you even know Bonnie is here?"
I sat up straight in bed when I heard my name, listening even more intently than before.
"Right," Travis said slowly. "Okay. I'll ask her if she wants to come, and I'll see you in an hour, max."
I heard footsteps approaching and stifled a yawn as he came into the room.
"You're up," he said. "Did I wake you while I was on the phone?"
"I wasn't sleeping that deeply anymore. From what I heard, that was your grandmother?"
He grinned. “Eavesdropping?”
"I heard my name mentioned."
"She asked me to stop by to check on her generator. A few light bulbs went out. There was a storm last night.”
“Oh no. Was it a strong one?”
"Not at all. Gran's just looking for an excuse for us both to stop by. I’ll tell her you need to rest."
“Travis, you’re blowing this out of proportion," I huffed. "The doctor didn’t order bed rest, just that I should take things easy. I’ll come with you.”
“Are you sure?
“Yes.”
“Okay, I’ll let her know.”
“Can you give me tips?”
"Gran is a good sport, don't worry. But I do try not to cross her. And not showing up at her place with you when she specifically asked me to definitely falls into that category."
I laughed. "Well, well, Travis Maxwell doesn’t want to cross his own grandmother."
"I like being in her good graces. Life is so much better."
I dressed as fast as I could, excited to meet Beatrice Maxwell. Travis filled me in on things as I got ready.
Twenty minutes later, we were in his car and on our way. She lived in one of the most beautiful residential areas in the city. I kept looking out the window as we passed the houses. They weren't huge mansions—they were cute and cozy.
"I can't believe I haven't been here before."
"Chicago is a big city," Travis said. "Gran likes it here, says her neighbors aren't as pretentious."
"And she lives alone?"
"Yes. She insists on it. My parents once asked her to move in with them, but she doesn't want to. She gave them an earful. They never asked again."
I got the feeling that Beatrice was a force to be reckoned with.
We parked in front of the smallest house on the street. It was all on one level. As far as I could tell, it had a huge living room and bedroom facing the street and undoubtedly more rooms in the back.
"Dad is here too," Travis said, pointing to the car in front of us.
"To look at the generator?" I asked.
"Nah. This is simply Gran at work. She usually hates it when we want to check on her. If she specifically asked for help, it means she’s got a plan. At least you'll meet my parents at the same time too."
"I was not prepared for this." I looked in the mirror, trying to assess my appearance. What was I doing? It didn't matter anyway. I didn’t have a makeup bag with me, and I didn't want to leave them waiting.
Travis opened my door, and I climbed out.
"Are you okay? Do you think you'll get tired?"
I loved the possessive and protective tone of his voice, but I still teased him, rolling my eyes.
“If I wasn’t tired after all our adventures yesterday, I can manage a visit with your family.” I didn’t tell him I was concerned how they’d react. Yes, his mom was pleasant over the phone, but I was a stranger.
We walked up to the front door—I was surprised Travis didn’t insist on carrying me, but he seemed much more relaxed today than yesterday. He knocked twice.
"Come in," a woman's voice said.
Travis opened the door, ushering me in. An elderly woman with snow-white hair braided on one side welcomed us. She was petite and had a huge smile.
"You must be Bonnie," she said before either Travis or I could say anything.
"Yes, I am. Nice to meet you, Beatrice." I raised my hand, intending to shake hers. To my surprise, she pulled me into a hug.
"Call me Gran. That’s what family does." Her smile seemed even bigger.
She considers me family? But she doesn't know me. I could barely hold my tears back.
"Dad is here too?" Travis asked.
At that same second, two people came in from what I assumed was the living room: a man who was as tall as Travis and had Beatrice's eyes and a woman who had his smile. She was holding a huge bag in her right hand.
"Hi, Bonnie. We're Travis's parents. Lena and Emmett."
I shook hands with both of them. "It's great to meet you."
"What needs to be done, Gran?" Travis asked.
"My generator is acting up, and I've got four light bulbs in the back that don’t work."
Travis frowned. "All of them? Okay."
"I'll check the generator," Emmett said. "You look at those bulbs."
Travis nodded. Emmett took a door to the left that descended into the basement, and Travis went all the way to the back.
"Do you want something to drink? I just made some tea," Beatrice said.
"Sure." She must have baked something delicious as well. Either it was still in the oven or out cooling, because the whole house smelled like cinnamon. We went into the small kitchen, and she poured us tea.
"Do you take it with honey?" she asked me.
"Sure, thank you,” I replied.
“What did the doctor say?” Lena asked, putting her hand on my back.
“It was just a scare, fortunately. She recommended for me to rest this weekend."
"Is my grandson taking good care of you?" Beatrice asked sharply, looking up from the tea she was pouring.
"Oh yes, very good."
We sat down at the small round table in the kitchen with a cup of tea and a cookie each.
"Do you have any morning sickness?" Beatrice asked me.
"So far, no. I'm very lucky. I only had it in the first few weeks after I found out about the pregnancy, and it wasn't even morning sickness. I was simply feeling unwell, like I had the flu.”
"Well, if you do get morning sickness, I have a ginger lemonade recipe that I used during my pregnancy."
"And I used it during all of mine," Lena said. "It really cuts the nausea."
"The boys even used it as a hangover cure once they grew up," Beatrice added.
Lena turned, glaring at her. "What? They always told me they drank it because they found it extremely hydrating."
Beatrice laughed, holding her cup of tea in front of her mouth. "And you really believed it? I always thought you were just turning a blind eye."
Lena blinked, straightening up. "My goodness. I'm now starting to realize how often my boys were hungover. How come you never told me?"
"I'm a grandmother. It's my prerogative to keep their secrets. You keep Paisley’s too."
"Yes, but hers are innocent."
Beatrice winked. "That's because she's a little girl and not a teenager yet. I'd like to see you in action if this little one is a boy." She pointed at me. "Do you already know what it is? Nonsense, what am I saying? It's way too early."
I nodded. "Yeah, that's what the doctor said too. Though I'd love to know."
"Have you already started shopping?" Beatrice asked, looking at me intently, putting her cup down. She'd barely taken a sip, all her attention focused on me.
"Honestly, I haven't had time," I said. "But I figure I still have many months ahead of me, and I do plan to order most of the baby’s things online."
Lena looked disappointed. Beatrice sighed.
"It’s certainly convenient, but let me tell you, I like old-school shopping.
I like touching the fabric, imagining how it'll feel against the baby's skin," Lena said, and Beatrice nodded.
"And don't forget about maternity dresses.
You'll definitely need a few. Thank God it's going to be warmer outside when you start showing.
It's such a nuisance to put on five layers of clothes when you have a big belly getting in your way.
By the way, I could make a few clothes for the baby. "
"You sew?" I asked in surprise.
"Sometimes. It's a hobby of mine. I haven't done it in a while, but I'd like to make some baby clothes, if it’s okay with you."
God, my heart was so happy. I looked back at my cup, murmuring, "Thank you. That would be lovely." I was touched.
I felt their kindness like a physical hug. I'd never had this before.
“By the way, I brought these for you.” She motioned to the bag she’d propped against the wall. “Two dozen onesies from my boys. Tate has the rest. I gave them to him when Paisley was born.”
“Thank you so much.” My voice wasn’t just uneven but downright emotional. I hadn’t been this happy in forever.
Travis joined us a moment later. "I changed your light bulbs, Gran. I used up all your spares, so I'll order you new ones."
"Nonsense. I'll go buy them. There's a small mom-and-pop shop just around the corner. I like supporting local businesses."
"Okay," he answered. "What smells so good?"
"I made apple pie. It's cooling right now, but since you’re all here, I’m going to serve it. Your dad should be done with the generator soon. I’ve got vanilla ice cream too.”
Travis stared at his grandmother. Lena was obviously trying to hide her laughter by looking sideways. I wondered what was happening.
"Sit down. I'm going to bring it out," Beatrice said.
Travis shook his head and sat next to me just as his dad came in.
"Okay, the generator is looking good. In fact, it's looking so good, I have no clue why you wanted me to take a look."
"It's one of her schemes. Don't call her out on it," Lena said in a low whisper.
"What scheme?" Emmett asked looking visibly confused.
"I've made apple pie," Beatrice told him.
He nodded, understanding dawning on his features.
"What's the deal?" I asked Travis.
"That's what Gran does when she wants to question someone. It's her signature dish."
"I heard that," Beatrice said, coming back to the table with a small stack of plates in one hand and the pie in the other.
"Who's being questioned?" Emmett asked.
Beatrice looked at me sweetly and then at Travis. His dad relaxed.
"We were planning on introducing Bonnie to you anyway, Gran," Travis said.
"Yes, I've heard that for two weeks. But you weren't making any concrete plans, so I took matters into my own hands. So, Bonnie, do you like apple pie?"
"I love it," I exclaimed.