Page 57 of Love Me Forever

I didn't know what possessed me to do it, but on a whim, I snapped a photo of the ultrasound picture and sent it to my mom along with a message.

Bonnie: Here is the first pic of your future grandchild. The doctor said everything looks good.

She wrote back almost immediately.

Mom: Congrats, but I will tell you one thing: I won't come over to babysit. Okay? I've got a lot of things going on.

My stomach tightened.

Bonnie: No, Mom, I'm not expecting you to do anything. I just wanted to share it with you. I'm happy about the baby.

My stomach somersaulted when I saw she was typing back.

Mom: I wanted you to know so you can plan accordingly.

I sighed. By that, she meant planning to do everything by myself. I was going to do that anyway. I’d have been more shocked if she’d offered to help.

The pang I usually felt when Mom brushed me off was less intense. I wasn't feeling alone. I had Ashley, Travis, and Lena. My baby wouldn't grow up the way I did, feeling utterly alone with parents who couldn’t be in the same room without fighting. He'd be surrounded by a loud family. By the way Lena spoke about her sons, I was sure they were going to embrace the baby too. I just had to make sure Travis and I didn’t muddle things, because I didn't want to lose any of this.

Chapter Sixteen

Travis

"Iknow this is a bribe," Reese said with a wicked smile.

I'd taken her out for croissants at her favorite French coffee shop on Lincoln Avenue.

Of course it was a bribe. But I was betting on its effectiveness.

"Let me guess. You want to talk about the CFO job?" she asked.

"Guilty as charged." There was no point pretending with my cousin.

"Travis, you still don't have one?"

"No. I've interviewed a lot of candidates, and I know you're more knowledgeable than all of them. Besides, I would be a much better boss than anyone out there."

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