Chapter 27
Alyssia
“I cannot get over this view,” Uncle Theo says for probably the third time since he and Uncle Owen arrived late last night.
I agreed to move into Travis’ apartment a few days before my uncles arrived.
Uncle Owen comes up to stand beside us as we stare out at the marina.
My skin warms as I lift my face toward the streaming sunrays shining against the clear, blue skies. Perfect weather for our full day of touring.
“This is my favorite part of this apartment,” I tell them both.
“I bet.” Uncle Theo turns to me with a huge grin on his handsome face.
Looking at him, I see glimpses of my mother. A fleeting wonder of whether or not she would have begun greying in her early fifties like Uncle Theo passes through my mind.
My grandmother didn’t start greying until her early seventies. I remember my mom saying that meant she would have good health for a long time.
“She’ll probably live to see one hundred,” my mom used to say.
If only that were true.
“Who’s that?” Uncle Theo asks at the knocking on the front door.
“It’s Travis,” I answer while halfway to the door. “Good morning,” I greet.
Travis isn’t as quick to answer as he’s too busy giving me an entire head to toe perusal.
I grow restless underneath his gaze. I usually don’t wear sleeveless clothing since, for the longest time, I struggled with insecurity of my scars.
Getting the tattoo five years ago helped a little, but it still draws people’s attention to that part of my body.
Today, though, I chose to wear a sleeveless, yellow sundress to match my mood.
Travis’ perusal of me reaches the rose tattoo, his eyes softening and a memory of the way he kissed my shoulder through my clothes the other week blots out my insecurities.
“You look amazing,” he finally says, his tone taking on a slightly breathless quality. He steps closer, dipping his head to press a kiss to the corner of my mouth.
“How are you feeling?” His deep voice is a whisper in my ear, causing a humming sensation in between my legs.
“Great,” I tell him, staring at his mouth.
“Don’t let us interrupt anything.”
“Oh.” I spring out of Travis’ hold at the sound of Uncle Owen’s voice.
When I turn around, both Uncle Theo and Uncle Owen are standing there, arms folded, eyes squinted at Travis. Appearing every bit the Army officers that they used to be.
“You must be the young man who got my niece pregnant,” Uncle Theo says, glaring.
I cock my head to the side. Not even a minute ago he was smiling, joking. Right before that, he couldn’t get enough of rubbing my belly.
“I like to think of myself as slightly more than that,” Travis easily replies, the confident tone matching his easy-going smile.
I duck my head to hide my smile.
Travis exchanges handshakes with my uncles, officially introducing himself.
“Breakfast will be here any minute.” Not two seconds pass before Travis gets a message that his delivery has arrived.
“He’s handsome,” Uncle Owen says a beat after Travis leaves to get our breakfast.
I laugh when Uncle Theo gives him a side-eye.
“What? You see it, too.”
“What I see is a young hot shot who got my niece pregnant.”
“Uncle Theo, don’t be like that.” I wrap my arms around him and look up at him, batting my lashes.
He grumbles. “You can’t do that, niece.” He pulls his arm free and wraps an arm around my shoulders. “You look too much like your mama, and she always knew how to get me to do whatever she wanted.”
For the first time, the mention of my mother sends a slice of pain through my heart.
By the time Travis returns with an insane amount of food, my uncles have set the places and dishes for all four of us on the table on the balcony.
Uncle Theo grills Travis as he spreads a deliciously thick layer of strawberry jam on my onion bagel and hands it to me. My uncle’s coffee brown gaze follows the movement intently.
“Are you sure you’re up for all of the walking we’re planning to do today, niece?” Uncle Owen watches me out of the corner of his eyes.
“I’ll be fine,” I assure him, leaving off the part where my feet have taken to swelling slightly after particularly long periods of walking, lately.
Dr. Dupas assured me it’s normal.
“We won’t walk all day,” Travis says as we exit the lobby.
He holds up a pair of keys with his free hand, because his other hand holds mine.
“Your two-seater won’t fit us all,” I remind him.
He leans in, kissing my cheek. “We’re taking the SUV today, babe.”
“Fancy,” Uncle Owen says, coming up beside us as we step out into the sunlight with Travis’ bright red SUV awaiting us directly in front of the building.
“A little flashy, isn’t it?” Uncle Theo asks in a cynical tone.
“I would apologize, but flashy comes with the brand,” Travis confidently retorts. “I can’t be caught in anything other than an Amato.” He gestures to the yellow and black logo on the side of the car.
My uncle snorts, and I lightly elbow him in the ribs and give him a look.
“Shall we?” Travis asks, holding the door open for me.
I’d had high hopes for my uncles and Travis meeting, and now I don’t know if this meeting will go as smoothly as I wanted.
“Are you sure your feet are all right, Alyssia?” Uncle Theo asks as we explore Monaco’s Exotic Garden.
“She would tell us if she needs to sit down,” Uncle Owen says behind us. “You two get in and take a picture,” he directs right as we come to a stone archway along the trail.
“All three of you get in. I’ll take it,” Travis encourages.
Uncle Owen hands over his camera, but not before giving Travis another round of instructions at what angles to hold it and all of the minor details a semi professional photographer would give.
“He’s got it, Uncle Owen. Come on,” I call out, waving him over.
He holds up his hands as he runs over to me and Uncle Theo. “Alright, alright.”
“He’s so damn picky about his photos,” Uncle Theo gripes.
Travis gives us some direction as I stand in between my uncles, both of their arms around me.
“That’s enough,” Uncle Theo says at least two dozen photos later.
With a laugh, I turn and stare out at the magnificent azure water beneath the cliff that stretches out to meet the equally alluring blue sky.
The magnificence of the two different versions of blue coming together to kiss in the distance, mirrors the fullness in my heart to be here with both of my uncles and Travis.
A sigh pierces my lips, and I look over to see Travis still holding the camera up, snapping yet another photo of me. Just me this time.
When he lifts his head from behind the camera, his sparkling eyes match the glare of the sun’s reflection off of the ocean.
My heart kicks against my ribcage as a flurry of words, colors, and sentiments flit across my mind, moving too fast for me to catch or name them all.
An entire lifetime fills that gaze.
“Ouch!”
Uncle Owen's startled yell captures all of our attention.
“What happened?” I meet up with Uncle Theo and Uncle Owen who are a little farther up the pathway.
“I got pricked by a damn cactus,” Uncle Owen gripes. “No, two, dammit,” he curses.
“Don’t put your finger in your mouth. Who knows what kind of germs are on that plant,” Uncle Theo scolds.
“It’s bleeding,” Owen returns, holding up his finger as evidence. A drop of blood pools from the skin where he just plucked the cactus needle out of. “I don’t have any tissues or a Band-Aid.”
“They have some inside,” Travis says. “Same thing happened to a friend of mine when he came here the first time. I think they keep a first aid kit on hand. If not, there’s a gift store where I’m almost positive we can get bandages and antiseptic for that.”
“Come on.”
“I’ll go,” Travis tells Uncle Theo. “I’ll show you where it is,” he says to Uncle Owen. “You two stay here.”
Uncle Owen waves Uncle Theo off after he asks him if he would like him to go.
I wrap my arm around Uncle Theo’s. He glances down at where I’ve interlocked my arms around his.
“You’re awfully touchy-feely all of a sudden.”
“Oh.” I go to pull my arms free, but his hand on mine stops me.
“Never said I didn’t like it.” He holds out his free hand toward a bench. “Let’s take a seat.”
I follow his lead in the direction of the bench, while also pointing out a stone outcropping that has what looks like a small city.
“That’s where we were this morning. Looks different from this viewpoint, huh?”
Uncle Theo nods as we sit. “Funny how life will give you a different way of seeing things.”
He stares at the plants and the nature surrounding us, but then abruptly turns to me.
“Are you happy?”
I’m not surprised by the question. It’s been apparent for most of the day that Uncle Theo’s had something on his mind. While he hasn’t been outright rude to Travis, he has been standoffish and not his normal, charismatic self.
“I am.” I rub my hand along my belly, realizing it’s not a lie.
He observes me before nodding.
“Do you think my mom would be proud of me?”
The question parts from my mouth before I think better of it, but I don’t want to take it back.
“Proud?” His voice pitches higher a couple of octaves. “Your mom would’ve been all over that school office telling everyone she was about to be a grandmother.”
I chuckle.
“Not only is my baby having a baby, but she done moved to Europe and is working her way up to become the head of the Jacqueline Reed Foundation,” he says in a mock feminine voice.
We both crack up.
“She wouldn’t have done all of that.”
“She would, too,” he counters. “That’s exactly how Owen and I both reacted when we found out you were pregnant. Those people on that ship could not wait for us to get off because we couldn’t stop bragging about our beautiful niece who’s about to be a mother.”
The pride in his voice brings tears to my eyes.
I turn away, blinking so that he doesn’t see the moisture in them. But when I turn back to face him, he’s holding out a handkerchief.
“Uncle Owen—”
“Knew I had one on hand. I think he pricked himself on purpose to give us a couple of minutes alone.”