Page 51 of Love Me Forever

"Are you trying to flatter me?"

"Obviously. You've got your boss face on. That means you're ready to chew off anyone's ass. I'm just trying to make sure it's not mine." She winced. Marjorie was still feeling guilty about the email mishap with Bonnie. I'd been sharp with her about that, but I'd been fucking pissed off.

I appreciated her loyalty. If it had been anyone else making the mistake with the email, I would've thrown them out without a second thought. But I had a soft spot for Marjorie.

"Everyone's already in the meeting room," she said. "Six of them. I've printed a set of files for each one of them. Do you want one as well?"

I tapped my temple. "No, I've got everything here."

She nodded, then pressed her hands together in front of her stomach.

"Travis, I know I've said it a hundred times, but I'm really sorry. I want to make it up to Bonnie."

"I'll think of a few ways you can do that."

She perked up. "Really? Thank you."

We walked side by side to the meeting room. My brothers were all in their offices. I knew they were eager for me to come back. To be honest, I was eager too. For the past year, I’d felt as if something was missing. I needed work in my life. It defined who I was. Creating a business was my passion, and this was no different.

Entering the meeting room, I took a good look around. Everyone stood up straighter when they saw me. I had an authoritative leading style. Some people, especially those I was close to personally, couldn't fathom it because I was always up for a good joke and liked having fun.

I sat opposite Tim and began.

“All right, everyone. Great seeing you all here. Here's how this will work. We’re going to go through the slides, and by the end of the meeting, we’re going to create a detailed operational plan for the first three months. The goal for the hotel is to be one of the top in the city within the first year. I won’t accept anything less than excellence.”

***

The meeting lastedfour hours. I left the building the second it was over, not wanting to risk being late. I was meeting Bonnie directly at the doctor’s office. She’d texted me the address, insisting I didn't have to pick her up. I was choosing my battles for now, but I was going to bring up the car issue again. I wanted her to have all the comforts money could buy.

I hopped into my car, typing the address into the navigation system. I roughly knew the area, but I never liked driving without the GPS on. It showed the most efficient way, and I didn’t like wasting time.

The arrival time was ten minutes before I was due to meet Bonnie. I made a split-second decision to make a pit stop on the way. She might not let me give her a car—yet—but she wouldn't say no to this.

Forty minutes later, I arrived at the address she’d given me. The doctor's office was on the ground floor of a residential building. Bonnie was sitting on a bench in front of it, fiddling with her thumbs.

"Hello, gorgeous," I said.

She jumped to her feet, eyes wide, licking her lips. Fucking hell, I wanted to kiss her right here, right now for all of Chicago to see she was mine.

Damn it. Friendship, Travis. Friendship. It’s what Bonnie needs, and it’s what's best for the baby.

“Hey.” Her eyes zeroed in on the cupcake I was holding, and she lit up. “Is that for me?” she asked.

Laughing, I handed it to her. “Ice cream takes the edge off your nerves, right? I wanted to get you ice cream, then googled that it might not be safe during pregnancy. Thought the cupcake might do the trick.”

“Oh, it will. I can’t believe you remember all that!” She nodded, immediately starting to eat it. “It’s delicious.”

She ate it in record time, tossing the paper cup in the nearby bin.

"Thanks." She pushed a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear. But then a gust of wind blew and shot her hair in all directions, including into her face. "Oh, that's great," she said nervously, trying to shove her hair out of her face.

I pushed it away for her. Her skin was soft, her mouth so damn inviting. Resisting the temptation to kiss her was growing harder by the second.

"That's it. All done," I said, skimming my thumb right under her lower lip.

She expelled a breath that caressed my skin.Fucking hell.I took a step back.

"Want to go inside?" she asked, "The appointment is in ten minutes."

---