by Lisa Bilbrey
“Are you ready, Nadine?” Travis asked, looking down at the woman who had captured his father’s heart.
“More than ever.” She smiled. The two of them started across the bridge at a slow pace.
In two years, so much of Travis’s life had changed. After an injury ended his professional football career, he had come home to face his past. At the time, Travis had been prepared to fight with his father about the choices he’d made, yet somehow they had been able to rip off the bandages and expose their wounded souls to one another. With everything out in the open, Travis and Russ had begun to mend their tattered relationship and were now closer than they had ever been.
Travis shifted his attention to Max. He had been the person who brought them all together. Max had come barreling into Travis’s life with a bounce in his step and a positive outlook on life that most ten year olds didn’t have. The moment Travis looked from the boy to Penelope, he’d known Max was his son. At first, he had been angry that he’d missed out the chance to be a father to Max, but when Penelope explained why she hid his son from him, he understood.
Travis had been so wrapped up in achieving his dream of becoming a star football player that Penelope had been afraid of telling him she was pregnant for fear of him resenting her for taking away his dream. As much as he had wanted to deny her claims, Travis couldn’t. He wouldn’t have abandoned her or their child, but he could admit that a part of him would have grown to resent her for trapping him in a life that he had never wanted — or that he hadn’t thought he wanted. At eighteen, he was too dumb to know that he could have had everything.
None of that mattered now, though. Travis had allowed himself to love Penelope again, to be the man she’d always known he was meant to become. He became Max’s father, someone for him to admire and strive to emulate. Travis’s life had endured a couple of bumps in the road, but in the long run, he was right where he was supposed to be: on a covered bridge, walking his soon-to-be step-mother down the aisle so she could marry his father.
“Wow, honey, you look amazing,” Russ said as Travis and Nadine stopped in front of him.
Travis took Nadine’s hand and placed it in his father’s. Shifting his eyes up to Russ’s, Travis told him, “Just love her.”
“I do, boy, I do,” Russ replied.
Travis smiled and moved over to stand by Penelope. She entwined her fingers with his, leaning her head against his shoulder while they watched the pastor from Faith Mountain Fellowship Church begin the ceremony.
“Love is not something to be taken lightly,” the pastor began. “Finding true love once is a gift; receiving it a second time is a miracle. Today, we gather to join Russ and Nadine in Holy Matrimony.”
While Russ and Nadine spoke the same vows that Travis and Penelope had exchanged almost two years before, Travis heard Penelope begin to weep quiet tears. He slid his hand from hers and wrapped his arm around her, nestling her against his chest. Penelope had been more emotional over the last couple of weeks. Travis knew that, with her parents in Colorado, Penelope had become closer to Nadine. She had even helped Nadine with the plans for the wedding.
“I, Russ, take you, Nadine, to be my wife . . .”
Russ went on to promise to love and honor her, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad for the rest of their lives. There had been a time when Travis had felt like his father had disregarded the wedding vows he had made to Travis’s mother. But now, he knew there wasn’t a day that went by that Russ didn’t think about Loralie. He had never stopped loving her; he had just found a way to be happy with Nadine.
“I, Nadine, take you, Russ, to be my husband . . .”
Echoing Russ’s vows, Nadine declared her love for the man whom Travis knew had stopped her from spiraling down destructive path after her husband had passed away. Much like Russ, Nadine hadn’t stopped loving her husband; she had just found a way to love Russ, too.
“It’s an honor to pronounce you husband and wife,” the pastor declared with a smile. Gesturing to Nadine, he added. “You may kiss your bride.”
“Don’t mind if I do,” Russ chuckled before placing his hands on either side of her face, leaning toward her, and placing a soft, chaste kiss upon her lips. “I love you, honey.”
“I love you, too,” Nadine cried. Sliding her arm around her new husband, she and Russ turned and walked up the aisle together with Max following them.
“I’m so happy for them.” Penelope laughed through her tears.
“Me too, baby,” Travis said. “Are you okay? I didn’t think you’d get so emotional.”
Penelope laughed. “Sorry, I always get a little emotional when I’m pregnant.”
“I know, but . . .” Travis’ words hung in the air as he realized what Penelope had just told him. With tears pricking the corners of his blue eyes, he heard the words tumble from his own lips. “You’re pregnant?”
Nodding, Penelope smiled and placed her hands on his face, brushing off his tears. “We’re having another baby.”
Overwhelmed with the emotions welling up inside of him, Travis pulled her into his arms and wept. A baby — they were having a baby! This time, he’d be there every step of the way.
***
Chapter Two
Seeing is Believing
Travis tightened his grip in the steering wheel, and tried to hold back the menacing growl that was resting on the tip of his tongue. If the light didn’t turn green in the next five seconds, he was going to scream. One, two, three, four — just before he counted to five, the green light lit up.
“About damn time,” Travis muttered.
From the passenger seat, Penelope laughed. “You are so tense right now!”
“We’re gonna be late,” he mumbled, feeling his cheeks heat under her gaze.
“I’m already late,” Penelope snickered. “Three weeks late as a matter of fact.”
“Ha-ha.” Travis sighed as he took a right turn. “You know what I mean.”
“I do.” Penelope reached over and placed her hand on his forearm. “Please relax. You’re supposed to be enjoying this. It’s your first pre-natal appointment.”
Travis smiled. Ever since he’d found out that Penelope was pregnant again, he had been on cloud nine. There had been so much he’d missed out on with Max, and now he’d get the chance to do it all.
“I will enjoy it,” Travis said, stopping at yet another red light. Sighing, he added, “If we ever get there.”
Penelope smiled. “We’ve got plenty of time.”
Ten minutes and another red light later, Travis parked his car in front of the Woman’s Health Center where Penelope’s gynecologist was located. Climbing out of the car, he rushed around to her side, offering her his hand to help her out of her seat. Penelope smiled, but didn’t give him a hard time about his chivalry. He couldn’t help it; he’d missed out on being able to spoil her the first time around — he wasn’t taking any chances with this baby.
Dr. Edward Chan’s office was located on the fifth floor. Travis tried to calm his nerves as they rode the elevator up, but when Penelope laughed, reached over, and grabbed his hand, pulling his nails out of his mouth, he realized that he’d failed.
“Sorry,” he mumbled.
“Don’t be sorry,” Penelope cooed. “I think it’s sexy that you’re excited.”
Travis smiled. “I really am.”
The doors to the elevator slid open and they stepped into the hallway. Travis was surprised by how light and comfortable the waiting room to Dr. Chan’s office was: soft, dusty rose-colored walls surrounded a dozen plush, multicolored sofas and arm chairs. Three televisions had been placed around the large, spacious room and a large, oak bookshelf was filled with various books.
“You sit while I check in with the receptionist,” Penelope suggested.
Travis nodded and found a nice sofa in the back corner. A few minutes later, Penelope sat next to him with a clipboard. Balancing it on her lap, she began to fill in the necessary information. Travis l
eaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. On one of the other sofas, a young woman in her twenties was sitting with a little boy with blond hair and big, bright blue eyes. The boy was kneeling on the cushions, placing kisses on his mother’s swollen belly. The woman was smiling as she ran her fingers through his hair.
“He reminds me of Max at that age.” At the sound of her voice, Travis looked over at Penelope. “He was so loving. I swear he would have hugged everyone who walked by if I had let him. He used to scare the crap out of me.”
“Why?” Travis asked.
Penelope shook her head. “Because he was too outgoing. We’d be walking through the grocery store and he’d just take off. It would have been so easy for someone to steal him away from me.” Pausing, she shuddered. “He didn’t understand about bad people; he just saw everyone as a friend.”
“That hasn’t really changed all that much,” Travis chuckled. “He’s still the first one to go up to a new kid at school.”
“Yeah, he is.” Penelope smiled. “Or some crazy guy who sneaks into the pep rally after it’s over.”
Travis smirked. “What kind of loser would do something like that?”
“A handsome one.” Penelope stood up. “But one that’s good in bed.”
“Penelope,” Travis moaned, reaching for her. Before he could touch her, however, she rushed over to the receptionist and handed her the clipboard. Turning to face Travis, Penelope sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and Travis cursed under his breath. She was teasing him and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.
“They said it would be a few minutes,” Penelope murmured, sitting back next to Travis.
“Okay.” Travis slipped his fingers in with hers, bringing them up to his lips.
“You’re trembling with excitement.” Laying her head on his shoulder, Penelope sighed. “Do you think Max will be excited about having a brother or sister?”
Travis smiled. They had made the decision not to tell Max that his mother was pregnant until after her first doctor’s appointment. In fact, Penelope and Travis hadn’t told anyone that they were expecting. Part of the reason was they wanted to make sure that the baby was okay before they told anyone. Also, Travis wanted to make it special. With the exception of a few rare moments, Russ had missed out on the first ten years of Max’s life, too. Nadine hadn’t had children of her own, and while they both loved Max, Travis wanted this moment to be something none of them would ever forget. Penelope had agreed to wait.
“Penelope McCoy.”
At the sound of his wife’s name, Travis stood up, pulling Penelope up with him.
A short, dark-haired woman with thick, black framed glasses on laughed. “You must be the husband we’ve heard about.”
“I am,” Travis admitted, giving Penelope a look. She’d talked about him at her check-ups?
“I told them about you after we got married. Jan,” Penelope gestured to the nurse, “is a huge fan of yours. It didn’t take her long to put it together when I told her my last name was McCoy and my husband’s name was Travis.”
“Oh.” Travis pressed his lips together as his embarrassment flooded his cheeks.
“You never told me that he gets so red in the face,” Jan teased. “Hmm, this could be fun.”
“Jan, be nice,” Penelope admonished.
“Okay, okay; I’ll try.” Jan stepped out of the way and gestured for them to go first.
They stopped at a scale. Penelope gave Travis a look before handing him her purse and kicking her shoes off. When she stepped on the scale, Travis had to bite back his laughter. She had clenched her eyes shut so she wouldn’t have to see the number.
Silly woman, he thought.
“I need to take some blood and get a urine sample,” Jan explained, once she’d written Penelope’s weight down. “Which do you want to do first?”
“Um, urine. I’ve gotta pee like a race horse,” Penelope replied.
Jan laughed. “That’s a visual I didn’t need.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Sorry, but you asked.”
“So I did.” The nurse reached under her counter and pulled out a clear bag with a small, plastic cup with a blue lid inside. “You know where to go. There’s a black sharpie in there. Put your name on the side. When you’re done, just leave it on the back of the toilet.”
“Okay.” Penelope walked down to the bathroom, leaving Travis standing there with Jan.
“So,” she said, drawing his attention back to him. “How about them Sharks?”
Travis laughed. “They had a good year. Back to back champs.”
“They would have done better if you were still playing. But I’ll agree about the good year.”
Travis wasn’t sure what to say.
A few moments later, Penelope walked out of the bathroom looking relieved. Jan checked her blood pressure and temperature before drawing several vials of blood. Travis had to look away; he’d never been good with blood or needles. The combination of both had him feeling nauseated. Once she’d drawn enough, Jan placed a bandage on Penelope’s arm and led them down the hallway to one of the exam rooms.
After instructing Penelope to strip down, Jan grabbed the doorknob and looked right at Travis. “No hanky-panky in here. You’ve already knocked her up from the sound of it.”
“Jan!” Penelope exclaimed.
“I’ll be good,” Travis assured her, laughing when Jan nodded and shut the door. “She’s a firecracker, isn’t she?”
“Just with the guys she likes,” Penelope teased, before stepping behind the mahogany curtain.
A couple of minutes later, Penelope came out wearing a rose colored gown that did nothing to hide her body. Travis let his eyes rake down the length of her, almost unable to keep the moan from slipping out of his mouth. The gown hit the top of her creamy thighs. Of course, since he knew that she was naked beneath it made him crave her even more.
However, before he could take as much as a step, Penelope shook her head. “Don’t even think about it, buddy. You heard her.”
“That was before I saw how sexy you look,” Travis growled, sliding his arms around her. “Come on. I’ll lock the door.”
“The doors don’t have locks.”
Neither Travis nor Penelope had heard the door open so when they heard a deep, male voice behind them, they both jumped. Looking over their shoulders, they saw a tall, muscular Asian man with silky, black hair and deep olive skin.
“Oh, Dr. Chan, we’re so sorry,” Penelope gushed, wrestling herself out of Travis’s arms.
Dr. Chan waved her off and closed the door. “Trust me; you two are tame compared to some of the situations that I’ve walked in on. You’d think when I knock on the door that people would get a clue, but I guess not.”
“You knocked on the door?” Penelope asked. “Where was I?”
Dr. Chan laughed. “Lost in the arms of your husband, from the looks of it.”
“You can’t blame me, can you?” Penelope climbed onto the table. “Look at him! He’s delicious.”
Travis gaped at his wife and felt his checks turn red when Dr. Chan turned to him, letting his eyes trail up and down Travis’s body.
Before Travis could utter a sound, Dr. Chan shrugged his shoulders and said, “He’s cute, I guess. But a little too preppy for me. I like my men on the more rugged side.”
“Hmm, good to know.” Penelope giggled, before rotating back to Travis. Her giggles turned into full guffaws. “Oh, look at his face!”
“Priceless,” Dr. Chan snickered.
“What the hell is going on here?” Travis blurted out.
Penelope reached for his hand. Even though he was a little hurt that she’d been making fun of him, Travis wrapped his fingers around hers.
“Baby, Dr. Chan is gay,” Penelope explained. “But don’t worry, you’re not his type.”
“Worry? Type?” Travis huffed. “Why didn’t you tell me — oh I don’t know — before right now?”
“Because the expre
ssion on your face is amusing.” Penelope lifted an eyebrow in his direction.
“Ha-ha, very funny,” Travis groused.
“To be honest, I didn’t think about it,” Penelope replied. “So he’s gay. It’s not a big deal.”
Travis’s eyes bugged out as he looked from her over to the doctor, shocked by Penelope’s brazen attitude.
“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” Penelope scoffed. “Dr. Chan came out a long time ago. Didn’t you, doc?”
He nodded, smiling. “Out and proud.”
“See? I told you that it’s not a big deal. I didn’t think you’d have a problem with homosexuality,” Penelope said.
“I don’t,” Travis admitted. “At least not until my wife tried to pimp me out to her doctor.”
Dr. Chan laughed again. “He has a point, Penelope. Besides, I’ve told you before that I don’t need you to fix me up.”
“Yeah, yeah; whatever.” Penelope waved him off and turned her attention back to Travis. “I’m sorry for not telling you, but for the record, I wasn’t ‘pimping’ you out. I just suggested that he ogle you. Completely different.”
“Yeah, okay, you just believe that load of hogwash that you’re spouting, baby,” Travis scoffed.
“Speaking of baby, how about we get some work done?” Dr. Chan suggested, sitting down on his rolling stool. “Jan should have your official results back in a few minutes, but considering that you’re very predictable with your cycle, let’s assume that you do in fact have a baby in of you. Date of your last menstrual cycle?”
While Dr. Chan figured out Penelope’s due date — November thirtieth — Travis stood by her side. Jan brought Penelope’s test results in a few minutes later, and indeed Penelope was pregnant. According to Dr. Chan, her HCG levels — or human chorionic gonadotropin levels, which he defined as a hormone produced by a fertilized egg after conception — were very high, which was good. Once he’d taken note of how she felt, and double checked her medical history, Dr. Chan performed a complete physical examination. Travis kept his eyes locked on Penelope’s and tried not to let the fact that there was another man’s hands touching his wife. Even though he knew the man was just doing his job, it still made him feel awkward.