Page 56 of Too Little Too Soon
He blew out a breath. Fuck. He needed to come clean.
This was too much. It wasn’t fair. Mitch was going to be disappointed if this went sideways, but he needed to—
Her phone vibrated in her hand. He glanced at her face. She stared at the screen like the device might suddenly turn into a rabid animal and bite her fingers.
“You okay?” he asked.
She shook her head. “It’s my father. He never calls. Like, literally, this is the first time in my adult life his name is showing up on my phone.”
Uh-oh. “You going to answer it?” he prodded when she continued to sit there, unmoving.
“Right. Uh…” She pressed the button on the screen and lifted the phone to her ear. “Hello?”
Travis was sitting six inches away and her volume was turned up plenty loud enough that he could hear both sides of the conversation.
“Ava? This is your father. I-I didn’t know who else to call. I-I need your help.”
Ava clutched the phone so tightly, her knuckles were white. “You need help?” She made it sound like the man never asked. From what little she’d told Travis about her home life, he knew this to be true. They’d both had a shitty childhood. Different versions of shitty, but shitty nonetheless.
Yet another reason they were so perfect for each other. They got it, and they were both in a place to move forward, to make their adult lives better. Happier.
“Your mother…”
Ava’s entire body tensed. Hell, so did Travis’s. This did not sound good.
“She had a heart attack. She’s in the hospital. They said it was mild. That she’ll recover, but…I don’t know what to do. Can you… can you call your sisters? Ask them to come home? And can you come home too? I really think she’d like everyone here. It will help with her recovery.”
Ava glanced at Travis.
He nodded.
Looked like they were about to exchange their tickets.
They were headed to Washington for their break.
ChapterTwenty
“You don’t haveto come with me,” Ava said for the tenth time.
Just like the previous nine times, Travis ignored her. The ticket agent announced the total charge to change their tickets, and Travis handed over his Amex.
“And you definitely do not need to pay for our airfare.”
He pushed her hand holding her credit card away. “We’ll work out the logistics later, okay? Just let me do this so we can get down to the other end of this airport before boarding starts.”
She’d called her sisters, and while they’d both grumbled, they were also diverting their plans and heading back to their hometown.
Ava was not looking forward to this impromptu family reunion. Heck, a month ago, she’d made deliberate plansnotto go home over the course of the next year.
As soon as the agent handed over their new tickets, Travis turned away from the desk. “Okay, let’s go. Boarding starts in ten minutes.”
She wasn’t even going to have much time to stress over this new change of plans. Probably not a bad thing.
They speed walked through the airport, arriving at their gate as boarding was announced for passengers in section two. Since Travis had sprung for first class, they were able to get right into line and were soon situated in their cushy, roomy seats with cocktails in hand. Her phone vibrated with a message in the group text she’d started with her sisters.
Holly:It's going to take us a minute to get there, since we’re already in Missouri and there are no direct flights from here. But we booked the treehouse where we stayed for Grandmother’s funeral. It’s two bedrooms, so if one of you wants to stay with us, you’re welcome.
Maria:Oz and I are already here. We were supposed to drop off Riley and then go back to LA to spend time with his kids. Instead, we’re staying here with Vic. There’s also plenty of room, Ava, if you want to stay here. Totally your call.
