Dad wasn’t too thrilled about me flying out to California with Travis, but he didn’t suspect for a minute that I had plans to speak with Mason. I just told him that I wanted to catch up with Amanda and some old friends, and he seemed to accept it after his initial protest.

Travis, on the other hand, seemed thrilled as soon as we arrived at the airport. It was the first time he had seen so many people in one place, and when he stared out of the airport windows and watch a plane land for the first time, he started jumping up and down and flailing his arms around.

“You’re going to ride in one of those,” I told him.

“Realwee?” he asked.

“Yes, really.”

The first couple hours of the flight went well, but after hour 3, when Travis got anxious and his in-flight movie ended, he started whining and doing everything possible to annoy me. I didn’t bring a car in my carry on, but thankfully I had a Snickers bar, and that was good enough to bribe him into being a good boy for the rest of the flight.

“Wowwww! Look at you!” Amanda said when she met us outside of the baggage claim. “You look so good!”

“Oh, stop it,” I said, flicking my hand at her. “Look at you. Is that real gold?” I lifted a thick golden necklace that was draped across her cleavage—which she still apparently loved showing off—and matched the golden earrings and bracelet that she was wearing. Clearly expensive.

“Yes, it’s real. My old man got them for me.”

“Is he with you?”

“No, he’s in New York on a business trip. I’ve got the whole house to myself.” Amanda kneeled down and pinched one of Travis’s cheeks. “And look at you. Last time I saw you, you could barely walk.” Amanda opened her arms. “Come give Aunt Amanda a hug.”

Travis looked up at me, seeking approval. I gave him a nod, and he moved in for the hug.

“Mommy, I’m hunggyyyy,” he whined.

“Aw, look at him. He’s hungry. Let’s go get him a bite to eat.” Amanda said.

Amanda drove us out to Beverly Hills in her immaculate Mercedes, just a few miles from her home, and pulled into the parking lot of a fine Italian restaurant.

“This doesn’t look like some place I can afford,” I warned.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got the old man’s credit card.”

Okay, so maybe I was more than a little jealous at her little arrangement with her boyfriend. Clearly she had it made.

The restaurant tables were covered in white tablecloths, and the food was delicious. Amanda had Ravioli, I had a small pizza, and Travis chose spaghetti. By the time he was halfway done, I think he had more food on the tablecloth and his face than he actually got in his stomach. He enjoyed it though, sucking the spaghetti noodles quickly between his lips, causing the sauce to splash all over the place.

“So are you ready for this?” Amanda asked.

I knew exactly what she was talking about. I had already told her about my frozen call to Mason’s shop. “I think so. I mean, I’m as ready as I’m going to be.”

“What do you think he is going to say?”

“I really don’t know what to expect. Maybe shock? Maybe anger? I hope he doesn’t take it out on Travis.”

“Oh, he wouldn’t do that. He always seemed like such a nice guy, even when he… you know… with that other girl.”

“Yeah, but I was just a toy to him, and now he has a baby with me. Men do not like surprise babies. Haven’t you ever watched Jerry Springer?”

Amanda almost choked on her Ravioli as she burst into laughter. She grabbed her napkin and started to wipe sauce off the side of her lips. “Do you want me to take you there today?”

“No, let’s wait until tomorrow. I’m still adjusting to the fact that I’m back in Cali, and I need to get mentally prepared.”

We spent the rest of the day at Amanda’s and her boyfriend’s pool house in Beverly Hills. It was basically a two story mansion, with plenty of room for Travis to run around. He had fun splashing around in the pool with floats on his arms as Amanda and I relaxed in the sun and caught up on old times.

We giggled and laughed, but the whole time I felt on edge. I knew what was coming the next day and that it would be one of the biggest days of Travis’s life, even if he didn’t know it.

Maybe even one of the biggest days of mine.