But, for Ava’s sake, I supported her decision.
We watched as her brothers stepped out, their eyes widening at her protruding stomach. They looked so much like her, it was almost impossible to deny who they were. They ran and gave her a massive hug, doting on how good she looked and how they had missed her. I shook their hands and they clapped my back, then I introduced her brothers to mine.
Then, I looked over and saw her parents step out of the car.
Their eyes were hard on me as we all stood around Ava. The last thing I was going to let them do was ruin this for her. These family cookouts were supposed to be a stress-free time for all of us to get to know one another and update each other on our lives. It was a time for Ava to get to know my family and for me to get to know her better. And I wasn’t going to allow her bullshit parents to ruin that for us.
I’d drag them off this property with my bare hands if I had to.
“Hey Dad,” Ava said.
The sea of men surrounding her parted as her father and mother approached us. Their eyes raked up and down her body, clocking her stomach and drawing in deep breaths. I watched their faces closely, ready to pounce at a moment’s notice in case anything went south.
But then, a smile bloomed on her mother’s cheeks.
“You look gorgeous, sweetheart,” she said.
Ava and her mother embraced as her father rubbed her back. Ava soon threw her arms around her father’s neck, holding him close to her. I watched in partial shock as her parents embraced her, but the moment was pierced with the sound of another car coming up the driveway.
And I gawked when I saw my parents behind the wheel.
Ava rushed to my parents, hugging them tightly as they got out of the car. We all embraced as the steaks rested on the grill, with Jasper running into his cabin to get more food. My parents were introduced to Ava’s and tensions slowly dissipated. My anxiety and my protective stance turned into one that was welcoming and warm, and I was shocked as to how my father and her father got along.
Despite all the bullshit those two had gone through with their companies, it was shocking how much they had in common. They talked about their golfing trips and their experiences traveling abroad. They both had a love for Barcelona and classic literature. The two of them talked like they were old friends, sipping from beer bottles while Jasper cooked up more steaks. I held Ava close to my side, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.
“Did you ever think you would see this?” I asked.
“What? My father getting along with yours? Not a fucking chance,” Ava said.
“How do you feel about all of this?”
Ava turned her gaze up to mine as she stood to her toes, her lips hovering in front of mine.
“It feels like home,” she said.
I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her deeply as Jasper continued to cook food behind us. Leo was bonding with her brothers, cracking lewd jokes and bragging about his sexual escapades. Our parents were laughing over memories and talking about future ventures for their companies, and I was holding my world in my arms.
The mother of my child and my unborn daughter.
Nothing could get better than this.
“I love you, Ava,” I said into her lips.
“I love you, too, Travis.”
Dr. Boss
A Doctor Billionaire Romance
By Ivy Blake
1
Bryce
“We’re expecting a drop of market prices after the new year,” Daniel, one of my backers said as he flipped through the pages of the documents in front of him.
“Daniel is right,” George, his colleague, added, glancing at me over the rims of his glasses. “Take a shot after the new year. This is your perfect chance.”