“I see those chick flicks have really benefited you.”
He finally stops torturing me and pulls me in close. “It was the only way to feel close to you for those six months. But after Drew caught me crying alone in my room toThe Notebook, he basically stripped me of my man card.”
“So, then is this the part where you ask me to slow dance in the rain and gaze into my eyes and say sweet nothings in my ear all night long?”
He chuckles, presses his lips to the shell of my ear, and whispers, “I told you I’m not like those guys in your romance books. I’ll say exactly what I want, and what I want is to bend you over this kitchen table and fuck you until you count to ten. Or until the table breaks, whichever happens first.” I feel his cocky smirk against my neck, but I know he’s dead serious.
“If our baby comes out swearing filthy words, I know who’s to blame.”
“I’ll plead the fifth.” He leans down and kisses my mouth.
I wrap my arms around him and pull him closer. “How did this happen?” I ask, breaking the kiss but staying pressed against him. “How could I leave you for six months? Why did you wait for me?”
The emotions I feel for Travis are becoming too much for me to handle. They’re overflowing, and I have been feeling more and more guilty for what I’ve put him through. Everything that happened between us, from being kids to teenagers, to where we are now. Some days I wake up and can’t understand how we made it here.
“Why are you crying, Princess?” He rubs his thumb over my cheek and catches the tears.
I shrug because I know the words won’t come out right.
“Everything that happened needed to happen so we could make it to where we are right now. Happy, in love, about to have a baby…” He smiles so wide that it makes me start tearing up all over again. “I can’t even be mad how it went down because look how things ended up, Princess. You, me, our baby. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
“You truly are perfect, Travis King. Do you know that?” I wipe away the rest of my tears and smile up at him, admiring how good he looks tonight.
“Only when I have my other half does it feel like my life is perfect, and that’s only thanks to you.” He tilts up my chin and presses his lips to mine once again. Damn him. I could stay here with him all day, and never tire of the way he kisses me.
“I have to finish getting ready,” I groan against his lips. “I don’t want to show up looking like a bloated, fat whale.” I make a face as I step away, and he pats me on the ass to hurry it up.
Once I’m dressed, my hair is curled, and my makeup is done, I’m nearly out of breath. That took more energy than I anticipated, and now I’m ready for another nap.
“This baby is sucking every ounce of life out of me, and it’s not even born yet,” I whine, grabbing my purse off the table and slipping into my flats. No heels for me.
“He’s just preparing you for when he’s here, and you’ll need to function on only a couple of hours of sleep a night.”
“I’m telling you...it’s a girl,” I say as he opens the door and he follows me out.
“I guess we’ll find out soon.”
It’s been years since I’ve seen Travis’s mom and dad. I was expecting it to be awkward as hell, but surprisingly it felt like old times. Just like everything with Travis, it felt as if no time had passed at all.
His mother is ecstatic about the baby, and I know she’s going to make every effort to come and visit us once he or she is born. His father has lost weight, and he’s pale and noticeably weaker. I feel for Travis, and although their relationship has been anything but a solid one, I hope they can mend it enough for the sake of our baby. I’d love for his father to form some kind of relationship with our child since his days are going to be numbered.
Once we finish dinner, we order dessert and start talking about baby names. His mom gives us a list of family names, in case we needed any inspiration. I wish I could say that we plan to take the list into consideration, but I can’t fathom naming our baby after Travis’s great uncle, Seaman Gaylord King.
After dinner, we part ways. It’s almost 9:00 p.m., and I’m not sure I’ll even be able to make it to midnight to open the gender reveal envelope together. Drew is working, and Courtney is partying with a few other friends, so we have the house to ourselves, but I just want to lounge on the couch and read until I fall asleep. However, Travis, as usual, has other plans.
“Please tell me where we’re going!” I beg from the passenger seat. He keeps his eyes on the road and his lips in a taunting smirk.
“We’ll be there soon. Just be patient.”
“I hate surprises,” I groan, getting a smile out of him.
Travis pulls into a suburban neighborhood and parks on the side of the road in front of a large Victorian house on a small hill. The streetlights glow over the sidewalk, and I can’t place exactly where we are.
“What are we doing?”
He slides out of the car, and I watch as he walks around and opens my door for me. “Come on.”
Confused and a little skeptical, I step out and let him take my hand. As he pulls me up, he shuts the door behind me and weaves his fingers through mine.