Page 29 of Love Me Forever

Chapter Eight

Travis

"You're doing great, Uncle Travis,” Paisley said.

“Thanks.”

“I kept asking Dad, and he never had the time."

I’d wanted to drop by my brother Tate's house to see my niece ever since I returned. But the week had been insanely busy, so I only managed to visit on Sunday. We were in his backyard, and Paisley had roped me into changing the twinkle lights in the tree house Luke had built her.

I sympathized with Tate. I knew why he kept finding excuses. Usually he indulged his daughter, but this sucked!

I’d promised Paisley, though, and I never went against my word. So here I was, moving about the huge-ass ladder, flexing my fingers so they wouldn’t fall off from the cold as I put the solar-powered fairy lights on the roof of the tree house.

She’d had electric ones for Christmas, but she insisted that she wanted to turn a new leaf. I tried to explain to Paisley that they wouldn't do much for about half the year—Chicago wasn't the sunniest place in the colder months—but she was determined to use a climate-friendly way of lighting up her space.

"This looks perfect, thank you," Paisley said when I came down from the ladder.

I took a few steps back, looking at the lights. I couldn't see them from down here.

"They won’t give much light right now," I told her. I didn't want her to be disappointed.

"That's okay. They will in the summer. Besides, there are a few sunny days coming up. Want to go back inside the house?" Paisley asked. "I asked Gran to make your favorite: shrimp risotto."

I laughed. "Thanks, Paisley."

I still couldn't get over the fact that she was already eleven. How had she grown up so fast? I was very young when Tate had her. When she was born, I could barely believe that my brother was now a dad. There was a big age gap between us, so of course it had seemed outlandish. But even so, Paisley had wrapped me around her little finger ever since she was a baby. That was still true today.

Back inside the house, Paisley led me directly to the kitchen. My brother lived in a huge mansion that had a large backyard. He'd bought it years ago, insisting Paisley would like to have a yard, and he was right. My niece loved it.

I personally couldn’t see myself in a house. I liked my penthouse; the terrace was great. I entertained a lot there, especially in the warmer months.

"There you are," Gran exclaimed. There were plates with risotto around the kitchen island. "How does it look?"

"It's great. I love that I have a climate-friendly tree house," Paisley said.

I glanced at Tate, who carefully avoided my gaze. Reese was here too. She pressed her lips together, clearly trying to maintain a serious demeanor.

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