I pause while it sounds like he and Uncle Owen get settled into wherever they are.
“We’re in our cabin room now,” Uncle Owen tells me.
“And you’re on speaker.” That’s Uncle Theo.
“I’m pregnant,” I blurt out, like ripping off a Band-Aid to not prolong the discomfort.
“Pregnant,” Uncle Theo repeats.
“That’s not all?—”
Before I can tell them about my big move, a knock on the door startles me.
“Sorry, housekeeping must be at the door,” I tell them as another pounding knock sounds.
Anger shoots through me.This isn’t the most luxurious hotel, but sheesh, they don’t have to be so persistent.
“I have to go, but I promise to call you back later on to tell you everything,” I tell my uncles.
There’s protest on the other end but the knocking on the door has me yanking the door open ready to correct the hotel employee on the other end.
Except, it’s not hotel staff.
Travis stands there holding up an open hand.
“Did you know that our baby is the size of a palm? From crown-to-rump that’s five or more inches and somewhere around five ounces.”
I don’t have an answer to his question because I’m too thrown off by the fact that he’s standing here. When I’d texted him that I would most decidedly not be living in his apartment, I’d mentioned staying in a hotel until I found my own place.
But I hadn’t mentioned which hotel.
That was yesterday afternoon.
“H-How do you know that?” I inquire, instead of asking how he knew where I was staying.
The sardonic smirk coupled with the spark in his eyes causes my heart to skip a beat. I quickly shake the feeling off.
It’s just the hormones.
Travis holds up his phone. On the screen is the cover of the bookWhat to Expect When You’re Expecting.The updated edition.
“Apparently, this is one of the best books on pregnancy. I also bought one written by an economics professor, so it’s statistics heavy, and kind of flies in the face of a lot of conventional wisdom. Got a lot of reading done on my flight back home.”
“You’re reading about pregnancy?”
He gives me a funny look. “Do you want to know what else these books say?”
I raise an eyebrow and then watch as he confidently slips past me to fully enter my hotel room.
I stand there, door open, staring at his back as he does a sweep of the room, assessing it.
My hand slowly falls from the handle, allowing the door to shut on its own. At the sound of the closing, Travis turns to me, smile completely gone.
The spark in those seafoams remains, however.
“Rest,” he says. “The books say rest and low stress are important for a healthy pregnancy.”
He takes a step in my direction. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up. My body becomes tight with the smallest hint of tension from his unexpected nearness. I warm from the inside out. And for absolutely no reason at all, reminders of that night in Travis’ bed come to mind.
