Page 68 of Love Me Forever

He unhitched himself from the door. Coming inside, he sat down at the foot of the bed.

"I can tell you things. I feel like you should know me better.”

He wiggled his eyebrows. “I agree.”

I mustered up the courage and began my life story.

“I grew up near Chicago until I was eight years old. We lived near a farm. I discovered I loved animals at a very early age. Whenever my parents were arguing and I needed to escape, I would just go to the neighboring ranch. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson loved that I’d stop by, and they’d let me feed the chickens or pet the sheep. It was my happy place. I think I always knew I wanted to work with animals from that point on. When my parents divorced, my mom and I moved near Portland. I missed Dad a lot during that time. I was pretty lonely as a kid.”

How much more do I tell him? Should I keep going?I decided not to hold back. “Mom always had a gambling problem. She ended up losing our house. That’s what led to the divorce. I’m not even sure how she ended up with custody of me. Mom couldn't handle being a single parent, to be honest. I think she felt that she’d given up a lot and missed out on a lot of things in her life. Mostly because of having me.”

He looked half horrified, half confused, like he couldn’t possibly understand how any of this was real.

“Oh, when I mentioned my pregnancy, she flat-out told me she hopes I don't expect her to babysit, which I don't."

Travis’s eyes turned hard. "Don't worry. My parents are very eager to babysit. Mom loves kids and is kind of annoyed that none of us have delivered on that end except for Tate, so she won’t be able to get enough of our child. My grandmother too."

"Reese offered too," I said. "That was so sweet of her."

“Is your mom still gambling?”

This conversation was very difficult for me. I could barely bring myself to think about it, let alone talk about it. Saying each word out loud felt like pulling teeth.

“She says no, but her neighbor is keeping tabs on her, and I talk to her about my mother once in a while. She thinks Mom’s still doing it. It’s why I always refuse to give her money. Instead I try to buy the things she needs. She resents me for it. Umm... this conversation isn’t easy for me.”

“I understand. Thank you for opening up. Do you want us to talk about something else?”

“Yes, please.”

I expelled a long breath. It was out there now. He knew I was the proverbial “girl from the other side of the tracks.” Probably not who he'd have picked to be the mother of his child.

"What do you want to do now?" he asked me.

I pointed at the TV. "I couldn't help but see that you've got Netflix. I was thinking about binge-watching one of my favorite shows,Bridgerton."

"Never heard of it," he said.

I gasped. "What do you mean, you’ve never heard of it?" I turned on the TV, bringing up the show. I had checked out the options prior to Reese’s visit. "You've never seen this series?"

"I've seen the previews. Looks like a chick flick."

"It is," I admitted, "but it's fabulous. You're missing out by not watching it. It's got plenty of sexy stuff."

His eyes widened, and he sat up straighter. "Really? Now I'm intrigued."

I rolled my eyes. "Typical man. I bring up sexy stuff and you suddenly become interested."

He shrugged.

"Let's watch it," he said.

I narrowed my eyes. "You seriously want to see this?"

"Yeah. Why not? I've got no plans all weekend, and I want to learn about the things that interest you."

I loved that. Once again, Travis was making me swoon.

"Should we start right away?" I asked.

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