Chapter 24
TRAVIS
On Mom’s birthday, we arrived at Tate's house later than everyone else. My brother lived in a huge mansion near Lincoln Park. Everyone was gathered in the living room. I went straight to my mom. Dad, Reese, and Kimberly were with her.
"Happy birthday, Mom." I kissed her cheek, hugging her tightly.
She looked at Bonnie as soon as I stepped back. "Darling, you came."
"What's this? I bring Bonnie and you don't even pay attention to me?"
"Oh, I fuss enough around you. It's time to fuss around Bonnie." She hugged her too.
"Happy Birthday, Lena," Bonnie said, handing her the gift she’d bought her.
"You didn't have to get me anything."
"Of course I did."
Mom accepted the present, carefully unwrapping it to reveal a half-moon carved out of wood. “This is lovely and will fit perfectly in my meditation room. I love it! Thank you so much.”
I’d had my gift delivered at my parents’ house, as usual.
"How come you're celebrating at Tate's house?" I asked. Their house was bigger.
“Paisley insisted," Mom said. "She says she wants to show me something in her tree house later on. I couldn't resist."
"And that is the bane of being a grandmother," Gran said, walking up to us. Clearly she'd overheard everything.
"Bonnie, darling, how good to see you." She came over, hugging Bonnie.
My eyes were glued to her, and I noticed her smile was a bit wobbly.
My woman was more and more emotional these days.
Sometimes it was surprising to realize what triggered her, but on the last visit, Dr. Taylor assured us it was all normal.
I could admit that the Maxwell bunch could be overwhelming on a regular day, let alone on a birthday.
"So, you were saying that Paisley talked you into celebrating here?" Gran said. "Oh, I can't wait to see you become a grandmother again. You're going to bend to their every need, you just wait."
Mom shrugged. "That's possible, but I draw the line at not telling the parents when they're hungover."
Gran patted Mom's shoulder in that all-knowing way she sometimes had. Mom laughed but rolled her eyes.
I sided with Gran on this one. Mom literally catered to Paisley's every whim. She might not realize it, but I was sure she’d cover up for her once she got to be a teenager. Then again, she had five uncles and two aunts who were ready to do the same.
"Look, Sam's here. Let's introduce you to everyone," I told Bonnie.
Sam was at the kitchen island with my other brothers. Their significant others—Kendra, Megan, Liz, and Lexi—were also here.
Everyone stopped talking abruptly as we approached them, so I was sure it meant they were talking about us. I introduced Bonnie to everyone right away.
“The cupcakes were fabulous. Thank you so much,” Bonnie said when I got to Liz.
She smiled in return. “I’m glad to hear that. They’re now a staple at the bakery.”
I left Sam for last.
"The famous Bonnie," he said.
"Hi, Sam. It's a pleasure to meet you."
My brother leaned in, kissing her cheek.
Bonnie's eyes widened. Everyone was very touchy-feely in this family, and fuck me, was I jealous of my own brother?
Maybe I shouldn't have given Luke so much shit when he'd gone ballistic back when I flew him and Megan to see a client.
It had seemed ridiculous back then, but now I understood.
The claim I felt on Bonnie was insane. I didn't want a guy within a ten-foot radius of her, not even one who shared my last name.
"It's good to see you, Sam," Bonnie said. "I've heard a lot about you. You’re the doctor in the family."
He nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure this group has a lot of fun gossiping about me when I'm not around."
"Nothing untoward," Bonnie assured him.
"I like you, Bonnie."
"Thanks. I like you, too, Sam."
Sam looked so smug for a specific reason.
"You're going to rub it in, aren't you?" I asked.
"What?" Bonnie asked.
"He was the one who immediately said you were pregnant when Travis received your email," Luke said.
Bonnie's cheeks went red. I realized I'd never told her that my brothers had been there, and I'd read that email out loud.
"Wait, you guys knew?" Her voice was strangled.
Megan pressed her lips together, glancing at me apologetically.
Sam immediately caught on. He cleared his throat. "Only Luke and me, and Megan. We were there in the same room, and he was stunned. We were only trying to help, giving our opinions."
"That was your way of helping?" Luke asked. "You nearly gave the man a heart attack."
"That's me, always the realistic one," Sam said. "A byproduct of being a doctor."
Luke came closer, putting a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Maybe he just wanted to haze Travis. He didn't really believe it.”
Sam narrowed his eyes as if he was feigning thinking hard. "I will not dignify that question with an answer."
"Brother, it wasn't really a question," Luke said.
"How am I the one being hazed right now? We all have to focus on Bonnie and Travis." Sam looked at me, patting my cheek like you’d do to a toddler.
"Dude, what the hell?" I asked.
"He sometimes has a weird temper. Especially with us brothers. But he’s a great guy, right?" Sam asked.
"Yeah," Luke said. "Last year, when he had some time off from his company, he spent a lot of time with family, making up for his workaholic years. He even flew me and Megan to a client."
"What are you doing?" I asked, completely suspicious.
"They're talking you up," Tate jumped in, lazily taking a swig of his beer.
"Why would you think I need any talking up?"
Sam looked at Bonnie. "Tell me the truth, Bonnie. Does he need it?"
"Maybe," she said playfully.
I trained my eyes on her. "No, I don't."
The corners of her mouth tilted up.
"I want a well-rounded picture of Travis, so just saying, if anyone's got any dirt to dish, I'm all ears. Anyone?" She looked around at my brothers, who were all grinning like someone had told them there was free whiskey for everyone.
Liz and Kendra exchanged a glance. Lexi was barely holding back laughter. Bonnie had opened Pandora's box.
I put my hands on her shoulders. "Don’t believe everything they say."
She shook her head. "No, see, that just confirms it. It means there's a lot of dirt on you."
"Obviously, and I have a feeling you're going to hear all of it. It might scare you away."
"Impossible."
"Oh, you'd be surprised," Sam called from behind us. "The thing you have to know about Travis is that you don't need much to convince him to go forward with the most terrible ideas."
Bonnie
"That description could apply to you, too, brother," Travis retaliated.
I looked from one to the other, unable to hold back a grin. "And Luke instigated everything, right?"
"Exactly," Luke said, looking proud as hell. "That was all me."
"Yes, it was. And it was on me to get them out of all the trouble he got them into—not that I managed most of the time. But it was excellent practice to become a lawyer," Declan chimed in.
"And where were you in the middle of this? And you?" I asked Travis and Tyler as well.
"We played it by ear. Mostly sided with Luke,” Tyler replied.
"Of course you did," I said. "Poor Declan. He probably got a lot of heartburn because of all that.”
“I did. And Tate egged everyone on,” Declan added.
We heard footsteps behind us. Turning around, I saw Lena approaching us.
"I need to steal Bonnie," she said. “Travis, don't let them scare her away."
"Nah. My girl's tough."
My heart went into overdrive. I couldn't believe he'd called me "his girl" in front of his whole family.
"Better safe than sorry," Lena said, taking me away from the kitchen. She laced an arm with mine, the way Reece and Kimberly did at the crafts fair.
"I brought some baby clothes," she told me once we were away from the group.
"Really? But it’s your birthday. Today is all about you."
"Nonsense. I worked on them this past week. I knew you'd be here, and I wanted them ready. I left them upstairs. Want to see them?”
“Of course.”
We walked up the staircase leading to the second floor, then went into a room on the right. The clothes were absolutely adorable. They were tiny and varied in color: cream, yellow, and light green. I couldn't believe she'd spent the week before her birthday working on these.
"I love them. Thank you. They’re perfect," I gushed.
"If you like, I can make a few more."
"What? No, that’s a lot of work," I said.
"Oh, darling, please. You can’t have enough baby clothes. They throw up on everything. I know you can buy everything these days, but I’d love to make some more.”
I nodded, pressing my lips together. My hormones seemed to be tied to some waterworks behind my eyes, because I felt misty-eyed, and I had no idea how to hide it. I looked down at my feet, but the effort of holding back the tears was costing me. I was sure my face was completely wrecked.
"Oh, I've made you cry," she said.
I looked up, drawing in a sharp breath. "Everything seems to make me cry these days."
She smiled at me in the mirror, putting her hands on my arms. "I remember that time. It's no fun. Can I just give you a piece of advice? Two, actually."
"Of course. I'd love some advice." I googled a lot, but I wanted to talk to someone who'd been through it, someone I was close to.
"Be kind to yourself during this time. You're going to experience a lot of things, and you're going to feel irrational a lot of times."
“Oh God, yes. That is definitely happening to me. I feel like I have multiple personalities lately."
"Once, I made my husband fly to California to bring me grapes because I wanted a specific type. And the poor guy did it. I don't know how he put up with me."
I couldn't help it as my face exploded in a smile. "Okay, now I see where Travis gets his behavior—from his dad."
"My husband definitely set a great example for our boys. And that's my second piece of advice. Let Travis spoil you."
My smile widened even more. "He does that in spades."