'God, I really miss you'.
It slips out unbidden and Taylor almost freezes, her hand flying to her lips, when she's stopped.
'I really miss you too, T'.
Travis' eyes crinkle at the corners as he smiles at her through the phone screen, his green eyes gleaming. His quick reciprocation of her feelings has her smiling, too, hesitancy at seeming too forward soon forgotten.
Taylor and Matilda had left Kansas City on Wednesday, undetected the whole time they were there, and Travis was currently in Jacksonville for his first game of the season, and the Chiefs second. Luckily, he was cleared to play, but it wasn't just recovery from injury that had been distracting him this week.
When they'd left, his house had felt strangely empty: no noise from the kitchen, no gentle hum of a musical idea being constructed under Taylor's breath, no baby chatter and noisy plastic toys. He had been shocked all week at just how much he preferred it when they were there, filling his life with noise and laughter.
They had, of course, kept in touch with each other, as was their way. Travis found himself ringing Taylor during the day, too, in an effort to see Tilly on the screen - and he was delighted when his efforts paid off and the baby showed off her gummy smile at him when he'd caught them before she went to bed.
Now, though, it was just the two of them, catching up on their respective Saturdays and their plan for the incoming week. Travis, normally a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kinda guy, was facing a new reality: the type A planner that was Taylor and her life, scheduled for months, even years, in advance.
Not that he'd have it any other way: he was increasingly thankful for her organisation, the way she had installed her calendar on his phone, too, so he knew just how many hours to count down until he could have her in his arms again.
He knew, too, that they were moving fast: they had only really been official for a few weeks, had known each other just a touch longer than that. But isn't that how the saying goes: when you know, you know?
He'd been in long-term relationships before. He thought he had been in love, even, professing it to a few women in his life over the years. But with Taylor, everything was different. She had walked into his life and spun his world on its axis, in such a short amount of time, and he had never been so sure that this was love - true love. He'd finally found what he thought he had before, and he wasn't letting go.
And a happy addition to Taylor was the love he felt for her daughter. Matilda was a little darling: blue eyes, curly blonde hair, a smile that lit up her entire face, and it seemed that she'd taken a liking to him. He'd always been good with kids, being a big kid himself, and he adored his three nieces, squeezing in as much time as he could to be fun Uncle Trav.
But Matilda was different - he'd felt a connection to this little baby, and he found himself thinking of her throughout the day, wondering how she'd slept, if her tooth had finally broken through and stopped giving her so much bother. Taylor told him, too, that her little eyes shone when she mentioned 'Trav' to her, a smile appearing on her face.
Travis supposed it was an extension of his love for Taylor, his bond with her daughter, but whatever it was, he wasn't questioning it. He certainly hadn't expected for this to happen. Back when he'd shot his mouth off on the podcast, he didn't even think Taylor would see it, never mind reach out to him. But here they were: and he wasn't planning on changing a single thing.
Except, maybe, seeing them in person more often. The football season was going to be hard - even harder when Taylor's tour started again - but they had vowed to make it work as best they could.
Except this weekend was an away game, meaning that they'd delayed Taylor's attendance to watch him to next week's outing at Arrowhead against the Chicago Bears - resulting in them spending the whole weekend apart, which was putting Travis in a bit of a funk.
To hear Taylor express the same feelings made him smile, despite their origins. Knowing that she missed him, too, meant that they were on the same wavelength with each other, and he told her as much, smiling as she agreed, her blue eyes sparkling back at him through the phone screen.
'Good luck for tomorrow, Trav. We'll be watching!'
They bid each other goodnight, and Taylor dutifully sends him a picture of her watching the pre-match build up the following morning, sporting a red jumper. The next picture, though - of Matilda, wearing a Kelce jersey, her smile as wide as his - is what provides him all the motivation he needs to go out and have a great game.
He calls her later, after they've travelled back and he's in bed in Kansas City, exhaustion setting in from the long day of travel and the physical nature of the game.
'Hey, T. How about that one, huh?', he greets her, smiling as he notices she too is tucked up in bed in her apartment in New York.
They chat for hours, way too late for either one of them to be awake, but too engrossed in each other's company to notice the time. Eventually Taylor is interrupted by her baby monitor, and Travis hangs on to the call, looking forward to catching even a glimpse of Tilly on the screen.
Taylor brings the baby back into her bedroom, picking up her phone so she can see Travis.
'Hey, Tilly. Are you having trouble sleeping, girly?'
At the sound of his voice, Matilda turns, smiling at the screen, reaching out for the phone. Travis thinks his heart might actually burst out of his chest with happiness, seeing the effect such simple words have had on her.
It hits him then, that in order for him to have this relationship with Matilda, her biological father had to actively reject it, and it's an idea he can't get his head around. What sort of dad wouldn't want a relationship with such a beautiful little girl? An innocent baby? Taylor had told him the details, of how she'd found out she was pregnant after they'd split up (and the cause of that, too), and that while promising the moon, he delivered very little, disappointment etched in her voice every time she spoke of Joe. Travis knew, no matter what happened in the future, he could never do that - disappoint this innocent little girl who still had so much growing up to do.
'She hasn't slept the same since we were in KC. I think she misses her napping buddy', Taylor smirks at him and he laughs.
They fly back in to town the following Saturday, and Travis is antsy- tomorrow Taylor would attend one of his games for the first time, and they would go officially public. But that wasn't what was concerning him, rather, he felt like he was buzzing with excitement to have them back in his arms again, time not moving nearly quickly enough.
When they do arrive, he sweeps them both into a hug, Matilda tucked in between Taylor and Travis, giggling as he starts to tickle her belly.
'God, I missed you both. So much', he whispers into Taylor's hair, and he can feel her smile against the cotton of his t shirt.
'We missed you too, Trav. We missed you'.
