Ch.98

Ch.98
Travis' POV

The moment I got home, I retreated to my study, needing some quiet after a long day of work. Managing a company wasn't easy, but I had responsibilities, and I couldn't afford to slack off.

I knew Ayanna had returned home, but I had been too caught up in my work to welcome her properly. I figured I'd make it up over dinner.

Every now and then, I could hear Irene giggling in the living room. That sound alone made all the stress worthwhile. I had missed so many moments in her life, and now that I had the chance, I wanted to be there for everything.

A knock on my study door pulled me from my thoughts.

"Daddy, are you done?" Irene's small voice came through the door.

I smiled and stood up, opening the door to find my daughter standing there in her pajamas, her arms crossed in a tiny pout.

"Aren't you going to come eat with us?" she asked, looking up at me.

I knelt in front of her, ruffling her hair. "I'll be there in a minute, princess. I just have a little work left."

She pursed her lips. "You always say that!"

I chuckled, lifting her into my arms. "Alright, alright. Let's go have dinner."

Her face lit up instantly. "Yay! Mommy made my favorite!"

"Then I definitely can't miss it, can I?"

She shook her head excitedly as I carried her downstairs.

Ayanna was already waiting at the table when I arrived. She looked up at me and smiled, though something about her expression seemed off.

"Honey, you came back and didn't bother to inform me," I said, pressing a kiss to her forehead before taking my seat.

She shrugged. "Yeah, I didn't. I passed by your study and saw you were busy, so I decided not to bother you."

I studied her for a moment, sensing there was more on her mind.

"So, how was your day?" I asked, trying to ease her into the conversation.

"It was okay," she replied, but her voice lacked the usual enthusiasm. "I spent time with Jenny, and we talked about a lot of things. Oh, and I kinda bumped into Henry again at Jenny's store."

My grip on my fork tightened immediately.

"What?!"

That guy again.

"What was he doing there? I swear, I need to file a restraining order against that guy."

She sighed, clearly exasperated. "There's no need to be so possessive. He was just picking up a dress for someone."

I didn't trust Henry. He always seemed too conveniently present. But I didn't want to ruin the night by getting worked up.

"Oh, I see," I muttered, keeping my thoughts to myself.

Ayanna changed the subject, suggesting we finish dinner and get some rest. I agreed.

Afterward, we sat together in the living room, watching Irene's favorite cartoon. These were the moments I cherished the most-just the three of us, feeling like a real family.

Eventually, Irene fell asleep, curled up against Ayanna.

"I'm going to put her to bed and then come meet you in the room," Ayanna said softly.

"Want me to help?" I offered.

She shook her head. "No, it's okay. I can handle it. You go on ahead."

I kissed Irene's forehead before standing up. "Alright. Don't take too long."

By the time Ayanna came to bed, I was still awake, scrolling through some emails on my phone. The moment she climbed in, I put it away, giving her my full attention.

"Did I stop you from working?" she asked.

"No, of course not. I was just chatting with my secretary, that's all," I assured her.

She hesitated, clearly nervous.

"Travis..."

"Yes?"

"I wanted to discuss something with you."

I turned fully to face her. "Go ahead."

She took a deep breath. "Would you like to be a father again?"

I frowned, caught off guard. "Didn't you say you can't get pregnant again?"

She nodded slowly. "I was thinking... Jenny suggested that we could have another baby through surrogacy."

I immediately tensed up.

"What the hell? Aya, I'm not having a baby that isn't from you."

"Wait, wait, wait, Travis," she rushed to say. "That's what I thought at first too. But I could get checked to see if I still produce viable eggs. The baby would still be ours."

I narrowed my eyes. "But another woman would have to carry the pregnancy in your place."

She nodded. "Yes, since I physically can't."

I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. "No. No, I don't accept that."

"Why?" she asked, frustration evident in her voice.

"It's dangerous," I snapped. "We wouldn't even know the woman carrying our child. What if she turns out to be an enemy's pawn, a thief, a gold digger? What then?"

Ayanna opened her mouth, then closed it, clearly struggling with her emotions.

"Don't worry about it, Aya," I said, softening my tone. "I'm okay with just having Irene. I've already accepted that I missed out on all her firsts, and I won't get them back. But I'm fine with that. Irene is enough for me."

"But what if it does work, Travis? What if-"

"And what if it doesn't?" I cut in. "Then what? You'll raise your hopes for nothing."

She didn't say anything. She just stared at me, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

I sighed heavily and ran a hand through my hair.

"You know what? I'll sleep in the other room tonight."

Ayanna's face fell. "What?" she whispered.

"Stay here, Aya. I need to clear my head. We'll talk tomorrow."

She didn't try to stop me.

I walked out, shutting the door behind me with more force than I intended.

Standing in the hallway, I let out a shaky breath, rubbing my temple.

I didn't want to fight with her, but I couldn't support this idea. 

The thought of bringing another child into this world through someone we didn't know made me uneasy. I didn't want to risk our family's peace for something uncertain.

But the look in Ayanna's eyes before I walked out?

I woke up the next morning with a dull ache in my head, the weight of last night's conversation still pressing heavily on me. The room felt cold, and I instantly regretted walking out on Ayanna.

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed before deciding to return to our bedroom.

When I stepped inside, I found Ayanna already dressed, tidying up the room. We had housemaids to handle the cleaning, but for some reason, she always insisted on doing these small chores herself.

"Good morning, Ayanna," I greeted, hoping to start on a good note.

She didn't respond. Instead, she turned her back to me, acting as if she hadn't heard me.

I sighed. She was still upset.

Without pushing further, I headed straight to the bathroom for a quick shower. By the time I came out, she was gone.

Maybe she went to see Irene.

I dried off, got dressed, and sat on the edge of the bed, running through my thoughts. As much as I hated the idea of surrogacy, I knew this meant a lot to Ayanna. Last night, I had reacted out of fear and frustration, but deep down, I knew denying her this would only hurt her more.

Before I could dwell on it further, the door opened, and Ayanna walked back in.

Without wasting another moment, I approached her from behind and wrapped my arms around her waist, pressing a soft kiss to her neck.

"Ayanna, can we talk?" I asked gently.

She hesitated before responding. "What is it?"

I turned her around to face me, cupping her cheeks. "I'm sorry for yelling at you yesterday. I didn't mean to go overboard or walk out on you."

She remained quiet.

"If this is truly what you want," I continued, "then it's fine. We can go see the doctor today."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

"Of course," I reassured her. "Since you're already prepared, just grab your bag. I'll have my assistant book an appointment with the doctor. By the time we get there, everything will be set."

A wide smile broke across her face. "Thank you so much!" she squeaked excitedly before planting multiple kisses on my cheeks.

I chuckled at her enthusiasm. Seeing her happy like this made me realize just how much this meant to her.

We arrived at the hospital within an hour. My assistant had already arranged everything, and we were led directly to the doctor's office.

"Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair, please have a seat," Dr.Albert greeted us with a warm smile.

We both sat down, and Ayanna wasted no time getting to the point. "Doctor, I want to know if I can go through surrogacy."

Dr. Albert nodded, adjusting his glasses as he pulled up her medical records. "I understand. Let's go over some details first."

He glanced at me. "Mr. Sinclair, are you comfortable with this decision?"

I exhaled slowly before nodding. "If this is what Ayanna truly wants, then I'm willing to support her."

Ayanna glanced at me with a small smile, squeezing my hand.

"That's good," Dr. Albert said. "Now, let's discuss the process."

He explained how they would first run some tests to ensure Ayanna was still producing viable eggs. If the results were positive, they would retrieve them and fertilize them with my sperm before implanting the embryo into a surrogate mother.

"As for the surrogate, there are two options," he continued. "You can either choose someone you know and trust, or we can help you find a medically screened candidate through our agency."

Ayanna turned to me, waiting for my reaction.

I sighed. "I don't like the idea of trusting a stranger with this, but if we're doing this, I'd prefer we go through an agency. At least they'll be screened properly."

Dr. Albert nodded. "That's a reasonable choice. We ensure all potential surrogates undergo extensive psychological and medical evaluations to prevent complications."

Ayanna seemed relieved. "So what's the first step?"

"We'll need to conduct some fertility tests on you, Mrs. Sinclair," the doctor explained. "Once we confirm everything is in order, we'll proceed with the retrieval process."

She nodded eagerly. "Okay, let's do it."

Dr. Albert smiled. "I'll have the nurse take you for the necessary tests now. In the meantime, Mr. Sinclair, if you have any concerns, we can discuss them while we wait for the results."

I watched as Ayanna followed the nurse out of the office, excitedly.