words. The feeling of admiration for him invades me.
"What made you adopt her?" I ask, interested in learning more about his love for her.
"Well, my mom was left having to take Amanda to her surgeries and therapies. It was a lot for her to do on her own, so I'd often accompany her. I became drawn to Amanda, and we started creating a bond. Eventually she ended up spending more time with me at work and sleeping over at my house. She even became friends with my neighbors' kids. Eventually, she was more at my house than she was at my parents'. I asked her if she wanted to come live with me," he says, his face lighting up. "And we've been inseparable since. Amanda asked me to be her dad, it was her decision. She's the second best thing to happen to me." His last statement speaks directly to my heart. It feels like he reached into my chest, took my heart in his hands, and spoke directly to it. I want to ask him what his first best thing is, but I'm afraid to hear his response.
Unsure how to respond, I announce that I need to use the restroom. Getting up with weakened knees, I head inside.
Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, I attempt to give my heart a pep talk. “What are you doing, heart? This is not the time to start acting a fool. Find your composure. You haven't even broken things off with Rich. You don't even know if you want to break things off with Rich. Okay, fine , you do. But you have too much to deal with right now. You can't do this.”
“But he's gorgeous. He's so amazingly gorgeous. He adopted his brother's daughter. What man does that? A gorgeous, kind, and selfless one does,” the little voice from within interrupts. Taking long breaths in and out, I convince myself that I need another glass of wine.
Making my way back outside, I catch my mom and Travis laughing, and I'm stopped dead in my tracks. Watching him laugh sends a chill from the tips of my toes all the way to the top of my head and even down to the tips my fingers. I’ve missed that laugh.
My mom calls me over and I'm broken from my trance. After I snap out of it, I bustle over to the table. Travis grins slyly at me. Shit , he must have seen me staring at him. After sitting, I take a sip of wine, and it immediately helps to control the fluttering.
"Are you staying at home, Ames?" my mom asks.
"No, I stayed at The Clift last night." I shrug. "I don't know where I'm going to stay while I get my life back together. I just know that I don't want to be at the house another day. It's Rich's house and I don't want to be there."
"Don't stay in a hotel, honey. Come stay with me. I could use some company, and the house is certainly big enough for the both of us," my mom intercepts.
"I couldn't do that to you, Mom. I'll find a place to stay."
"Really, Ames. I could use you here with me. I'd love for you to stay here with me."
I'm quickly reminded about my mom being so sic k— that she has only a matter of time left. I swallow hard at the thought and force a smile, nodding. While trying to push the thought out of my head, I reach for my phone to look at the time and notice that it's still powered off. I turn it on and my phone chimes, listing that I have four voicemails. "He won't leave me alone. And he got Sarah pregnant," I blurt out before I can even stop the words from forming. Oh, the wine has certainly started to take an effect on me. Damn it, Amy.
"Sarah, Laura's sister?" Travis says, in shock.
"Yeah. Can you believe that?"
"Goodness," my mom responds, shaking her head with disappointment. "I’m so sorry you have to deal with that."
I raise my eyebrows and shrug. "Just think, I was the one to get her a job at his firm a couple of years back."
"I thought he fired her though?" my mom questions.
"I―well, I thought he did too. I don't even know if he did. I don't know if he recently got with her, or what. The text messages that I found from last year were with someone named Olivia, so I don't know," I say, shrugging. Travis and my
"What made you adopt her?" I ask, interested in learning more about his love for her.
"Well, my mom was left having to take Amanda to her surgeries and therapies. It was a lot for her to do on her own, so I'd often accompany her. I became drawn to Amanda, and we started creating a bond. Eventually she ended up spending more time with me at work and sleeping over at my house. She even became friends with my neighbors' kids. Eventually, she was more at my house than she was at my parents'. I asked her if she wanted to come live with me," he says, his face lighting up. "And we've been inseparable since. Amanda asked me to be her dad, it was her decision. She's the second best thing to happen to me." His last statement speaks directly to my heart. It feels like he reached into my chest, took my heart in his hands, and spoke directly to it. I want to ask him what his first best thing is, but I'm afraid to hear his response.
Unsure how to respond, I announce that I need to use the restroom. Getting up with weakened knees, I head inside.
Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, I attempt to give my heart a pep talk. “What are you doing, heart? This is not the time to start acting a fool. Find your composure. You haven't even broken things off with Rich. You don't even know if you want to break things off with Rich. Okay, fine , you do. But you have too much to deal with right now. You can't do this.”
“But he's gorgeous. He's so amazingly gorgeous. He adopted his brother's daughter. What man does that? A gorgeous, kind, and selfless one does,” the little voice from within interrupts. Taking long breaths in and out, I convince myself that I need another glass of wine.
Making my way back outside, I catch my mom and Travis laughing, and I'm stopped dead in my tracks. Watching him laugh sends a chill from the tips of my toes all the way to the top of my head and even down to the tips my fingers. I’ve missed that laugh.
My mom calls me over and I'm broken from my trance. After I snap out of it, I bustle over to the table. Travis grins slyly at me. Shit , he must have seen me staring at him. After sitting, I take a sip of wine, and it immediately helps to control the fluttering.
"Are you staying at home, Ames?" my mom asks.
"No, I stayed at The Clift last night." I shrug. "I don't know where I'm going to stay while I get my life back together. I just know that I don't want to be at the house another day. It's Rich's house and I don't want to be there."
"Don't stay in a hotel, honey. Come stay with me. I could use some company, and the house is certainly big enough for the both of us," my mom intercepts.
"I couldn't do that to you, Mom. I'll find a place to stay."
"Really, Ames. I could use you here with me. I'd love for you to stay here with me."
I'm quickly reminded about my mom being so sic k— that she has only a matter of time left. I swallow hard at the thought and force a smile, nodding. While trying to push the thought out of my head, I reach for my phone to look at the time and notice that it's still powered off. I turn it on and my phone chimes, listing that I have four voicemails. "He won't leave me alone. And he got Sarah pregnant," I blurt out before I can even stop the words from forming. Oh, the wine has certainly started to take an effect on me. Damn it, Amy.
"Sarah, Laura's sister?" Travis says, in shock.
"Yeah. Can you believe that?"
"Goodness," my mom responds, shaking her head with disappointment. "I’m so sorry you have to deal with that."
I raise my eyebrows and shrug. "Just think, I was the one to get her a job at his firm a couple of years back."
"I thought he fired her though?" my mom questions.
"I―well, I thought he did too. I don't even know if he did. I don't know if he recently got with her, or what. The text messages that I found from last year were with someone named Olivia, so I don't know," I say, shrugging. Travis and my
Similar Books
