Totally Different

Travis sat in his car outside of Taylor's condo, gripping the steering wheel as he tried to gather his thoughts. He had no idea how this conversation was going to go, but he knew it needed to happen.

With a deep breath, he finally got out and headed inside. Taylor was already waiting for him, sitting on the couch with her arms crossed. She had a feeling this wasn't going to be a good conversation.

"What's going on, Trav?" she asked, watching him closely as he sat down across from her.

He ran a hand over his face, exhaling. "I don't know where my head's at, Tay. I feel like I've been all over the place lately, and I don't wanna keep pretending like everything's fine when it's not."

Taylor's face remained unreadable. "Okay... so what does that mean?"

Travis hesitated. "I love you, Tay, I do. But I don't know if I've been fair to you. My focus has been on the kids, and Kayla's been-"

"Don't," Taylor cut him off, shaking her head. "Just say it, Travis."

Travis looked down at his hands. "I don't know what I feel for her. I don't know if it's just us co-parenting or if there's still something there. And I don't wanna lie to you."

Taylor was quiet for a moment before nodding slowly. "So, what do you want?"

"I don't know," he admitted, his voice strained. "That's the problem."

Taylor let out a deep sigh, standing up. "You need to figure it out, Trav. Because I'm not gonna sit around and wait while you sort out your feelings for another woman."

Travis swallowed hard. He knew this was exactly what Jason and Kylie warned him about.

"I know," he murmured.

Taylor grabbed her phone from the table and looked at him. "I need space, Travis. Take your time, but don't take too long."

He nodded, standing up to leave. "I'm sorry, Tay."

She didn't say anything as he walked out the door.

⸻

Over the Next Few Days

Travis found himself spending more time with Kayla and the kids. At first, it was just about being present for Hartley and Scottie, but the more he was around, the more he realized how much he missed this-missed them.

One afternoon, Kayla was in the kitchen making lunch while Travis was in the living room playing with Hartley. Scottie was sitting in her baby bouncer, babbling away as Hartley giggled.

"You're so silly, Daddy!" Hartley laughed as Travis made a goofy face.

Kayla peeked into the room, shaking her head with a smile. "You're just a big kid."

Travis smirked. "And you love it."

Kayla rolled her eyes but couldn't fight the small smile on her lips.

Later that evening, after the kids were asleep, Travis lingered a little longer than usual.

"You don't have to stay, you know," Kayla said, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"I know," Travis said, looking at her. "But I want to."

Kayla sighed. "Travis... don't do this if you don't know what you want. I can't be your backup plan."

"I'm not trying to make you that," he said softly. "I'm just... trying to figure everything out."

Kayla studied him for a moment before shaking her head. "Then figure it out before you make a mess of everything."

Travis knew she was right. But the problem was, he wasn't sure if he had already made a mess of it all.

⸻