Page 78 of Connected By Love
Travis
I love you, too.
More than you could possibly know, I silently say, putting the phone in my back pocket.
I grinwhen I end the call with Max’s school later that week, confirming my appointment today. I received an email last week about parent/teacher conferences today. Sophia laughed it off and told me to ignore it since we live together, and I already know how Max is doing.
Without her knowing, I called the school and secured a spot for the last appointment of the day. There was no way I was missing out on this. When she left for work today, she was wearing a black skirt with a white blouse, and when I saw her cute loose bun on top of her head, all my hot teacher fantasies ran through my head. She’s going to sit at that desk and have that meeting with me while I think of all the things I want this teacher to do to me.
“Are you ready to go see Maverick and Bella?” I ask Max as he walks into the kitchen. He didn’t have school today because of the teacher meetings, and I took them up on their offer to watch him if I ever needed help. Luckily, they were available today, and when I mentioned Daisy, Max immediately got excited to bring Nemo over to see his sister.
Sophia and I surprised him last weekend with the puppy and the two have been inseparable. We let Max pick out the name, and I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that he picked it. It kind of suits the reddish-blond ball of fur. He certainly has theneed to explore and get into trouble like Nemo does. I’ve had to puppy-proof the house from top to bottom so he won’t chew on something he shouldn’t.
“We’re ready,” he grins, picking up Nemo and laughing when he licks his face. “You get to see your sister, Daisy, today. Do you think he’ll know that she’s his sister?” He asks, looking up at me.
“I think he’ll know. He’s going to be so excited.”
I lock up and secure Max in the backseat. Nemo sits on his lap, enjoying his attention.
“I’ll probably only be gone for an hour or so. Bella and Maverick said they would take you down to the beach for a bit so you could play with Nemo and Daisy.”
“Nemo loves the beach just like I do. Don’t you, Nemo.” He’s rewarded with licks to the face and a wagging tail.
“I’m sure he does,” I laugh.
I pull up to the yellow cottage on the water. It’s a very cute place with a white front porch and matching shutters. I remember Noah telling me how he helped Emma fix up the place. Glancing down the lane, I see Noah’s white house standing high on the hill. Sophia told me how breathtaking his view was, and I can see why now. At that height, he should be able to see for miles and miles. It’s nice how he lives next door to his best friend and sister.
Bella walks out on the porch with Daisy at her heels.
“Hi, Max. Daisy has been waiting all day to play with her brother. I’m so glad you came over today.” She grins at Max as he runs to the porch with Nemo on his tail.
“Nemo is excited, too! Can we play catch on the beach with them? Dad brought some tennis balls.”
“That sounds like fun.” Bella turns to me and smiles. “Hi, Travis. Don’t worry about Max at all. Mav will be here soonfrom work, and we’re both looking forward to spending time with him. He’ll be in good hands.”
“I know that. I trust you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be standing here,” I laugh. I’m glad he gets to spend time with the two people closest to Sophia. I want them to have a close relationship.
“So Sophia is really making you come in for a parent conference today? Seems a bit unnecessary since you live together.”
“Technically, she doesn’t know I’m coming. Well, she probably does now since my appointment is next,” I laugh. “I wanted to surprise her.”
“Uh-huh.” She hides her smile, but her eyes shine with amusement. “You forget I’m engaged to Maverick. If I were a teacher and he had a chance to have an appointment with me in my classroom, he would be the first one to sit at that desk across from me, fulfilling a hot teacher fantasy.”
“That may have been a small part of why I made the appointment.” I can’t stop the grin from spreading across my face. She sees right through me.
“She’s so in trouble,” she laughs.
“Yeah, she probably is,” I grin wider. “I’ll have my phone on me if you need anything. Thank you again for watching him.”
“It’s no problem at all. We love having him around.” She smiles at Max playing with the puppies on the porch.
“I’ll be back soon, Max. Be good for Bella and Maverick, okay?”
“I will. Bye, Dad.” He’s so distracted by the dogs that I barely get so much as a glance. “I guess he’s good,” I laugh.
“It’s hard to compete with two cute fur balls.”
“I guess so. I’ll see you in a bit.” I wave before getting back in my truck.
