Page 10 of Boundless Love
“That sounds great, honey.How is your sister?”I asked, my voice softening as I shifted my attention back to the conversation.
“She’s good,” Sofia reported.“When do you think she’ll say her first words?”
I had lost track of the number of times Sofia asked me that question, and the answer never seemed to satisfy her.“In her own time, honey.If I remember correctly, you didn’t start talking until you were a little older than she is now.You mostly babbled, the way she is.”Olive was barely a year old.We still had plenty of time to go, but Sofia was determined to hear her name come from her sister’s mouth.
“You know Penny is the expert when it comes to stuff like this,” I reminded her as I entered the bedroom.Housekeeping had been in since we left earlier that morning, meaning everything was spotless.Clay spared no expense when it came to training his staff.He held them to the highest standards, almost to the point where I felt bad sitting on the bed and wrinkling the duvet.“She says we still have time.What do you and Monica plan on doing tonight?”Penny’s mom was a godsend, not to mention eager to spend time with a pair of adorable kids.She was staying at the house this weekend and was probably the only person I would trust with my girls while I was in another state.
“I think we’re gonna watch movies and paint each other’s nails!”The excitement in her voice told me she was finished worrying about her sister’s speech development.“What color should I use?”
“Whatever you think looks the nicest.”
Monica called out in the background.“I better go,” Sofia concluded.“We’re taking Olive for a walk.”
“Give her a big hug and a kiss from me.”My heart was a little heavy by the time I ended the call.I missed her, I missed Olive.That was the problem, though it went deeper than this weekend.
Checking my email meant reviewing the prospective put together regarding yet another expansion.it was something that would leave my New York expansion in the dust and that had been a huge deal, monumental, that took months to put together and iron out—kid’s play compared to what I had in mind.It was only a theory, an idea, numbers on a page.I hadn’t committed a single cent yet and might not ever get to that point.
At the same time, ignoring an opportunity like expanding to Portugal seemed like a hopeless mistake—the kind of thing I would kick myself over for the rest of my life.I could have the harbors for a song, or practically as good as, which would mean opening my company to shipping routes throughout the Mediterranean, Europe, and Northern Africa.
My skin tingled, and the hair on my arms lifted at the idea of spreading my brand over the globe.I could see it in my head, that globe, with my logo stamped on one country after another.It was a nice picture.
But it would mean some pretty major shake-ups in my personal life.
Hence, my sinking heart when I remembered what I might miss.Of course, it wasn’t like I had to camp out on the other side of the Atlantic.Technology was a real plus in a situation like this, and the only hiccup would be the time difference when meetings were conducted, but we could easily get around that.
Yet, when I thought back to the amount of time I had to spend in New York, seeing things for myself, speaking face-to-face with contractors and board members, and exploring the facilities rather than trusting somebody else’s opinion, my heart sank further.I needed to see things for myself, to touch them, to examine and ask questions.
That meant spending a lot of time away from my family.Sure, Sofia would be out of school in the summer, but there was no guarantee I could schedule all of this around her school schedule.I wasn’t sure I wanted to be away from them.I grew up with a father I rarely saw.Though, in his case, that was a blessing.The less time I had to spend with him, the better for both of us.And that was before he fucked my ex-wife and changed the course of my life.
“Hello!”A woman unlike my ex in every conceivable way called out as she entered the suite.“I know you’re here.I see your shoes.”
Thinking back on how I looked for her purse, I laughed.“In the bedroom!Where you are more than welcome to join me.”
Her footsteps rang out, getting louder the closer she came until she appeared in the doorway.A pair of shopping bags hung from one hand, and she set them down quickly, her cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkling.“Guess what?I’ve been dying to tell you…” she practically vibrated with excitement, “… but you can’t tell anybody else.I’m serious.”
“What is it?”
“Rowan is pregnant!That’s why she was so, you know, sleepy and low energy last night.And she didn’t drink!”Penny added, almost triumphant.“I knew there was something wrong.Didn’t I tell you?”
She had, though I hadn’t noticed anything wrong.“Are they trying to keep it quiet for now?”
Her eyes went wider as she slowly shook her head.“Spencer doesn’t know yet.”
“What?”Now, I was intrigued.My fiancée had turned me into a gossip hound.That was it.She had officially changed every part of my life.“Why not?Did she say?”
“She just hasn’t told him yet!I swear to God…” Penny laughed, kicking off her sandals and flopping on the bed, “… I could barely wait five minutes to tell you I was pregnant with Olive.I don’t know how she hasn’t blurted it out yet.She was a little queasy during lunch, and that was when we all dragged it out of her,” she concluded.
“Shit,” I murmured, thinking of Sofia and Olive.“We started a trend.”
“We are so cool,” she agreed.“Everybody wants to be like us and have two kids.But they won’t be as great as ours.”I loved the note of certainty in her voice almost as much as I loved the way she considered Sofia as her kid.As far as I was concerned, they were mother and daughter, even though Sofia referred to her by her first name.That was at Penny’s insistence since Nicola was still out there in the world somewhere—awful in every possible way—but she’s Sofia’s mother.
At the end of the day, I knew I was lucky to have found a woman who’d not only accepted my single-parent status but embraced it.
“Oh, not a chance.”I laid down next to her, both of us looking up at the ceiling, clasping our hands.“How was the rest of your day?”
“I bought a few things,” she told me.“A cute dress, a pair of shoes.I already have everything I need for the wedding, but I thought maybe I’d pick up something nice for the rehearsal dinner.”
“Two whole shopping bags for a dress and a pair of shoes?”I turned my head to the side, noticing how she bit her lip.“What else did you get?”
