“I’d do anything. You know that, right? Anything, baby.”
Even if we couldn’t get the villa, or my leave had been denied, I would’ve found a way to get Mia alone. I’m feeling this separation from her in my bones. My blood. Fuck, I’m feeling it deeper than that. This goes beyond anything physical.
Just like everything else with Mia. Since the beginning, what I feel for her goes deeper than marrow.
Her lips curl against my neck. “Me too,” she says before leaning back and staring up at me. “What about this weekend, and the boys?”
Luke heaves the duffle over his shoulder. “We’re bringing them down with us. Got their tuxes and stuff for the wedding. And don’t worry. I just spent the last hour kid-proofing the house. There’s baby gates everywhere. Like every ten feet. I put those locks on all the cabinets and stuff too.” He shifts his gaze to me. “You know they make those things for toilets? Those latches? Why?”
“Small kids can fall in and drown. They’re a little top heavy,” Mia informs him, craning her neck to peek at Nolan.
He’s balancing his dragon on Max’s back while he holds his iPad in his other hand, some song I recognize from one of his favorite TV shows playing as background music.
I look back at Luke.
For a second, he looks absolutely terrified, his eyes broadening and fixating on Chase. His bicep trembling and the fingers gripping the strap of the duffle turning stark white.
“I’ll put them on,” he says quietly, looking down. “I bought six, so, we should be good. I can always get more.”
I laugh under my breath.
Luke has two bathrooms in his house. Two. I can tell him one lock is sufficient per toilet. Not to mention a real fucking pain in the ass when you’re trying to take a piss in the middle of the night.
Or, I can stand here and keep my mouth shut.
He wants to be a dad someday, he needs to get used to this constant state of failure and oversight.
Mia squeezes my hand. “I’m going to go say bye to Nolan.” She stands on her toes to kiss my cheek, then saunters across the yard, beckoning Nolan over and crouching down to talk to him.
I turn around and start unlatching Chase’s car seat.
“How’d it go with Angie?” Tessa asks.
“Good. Really good, actually. She’s not pushing anything with him. Unless Nolan asks for her, she’s staying away.”
Still can’t believe it myself.
I thought for sure Angie was going to be a pain in the ass about this, fighting me every chance she got and dragging me in front of a judge, begging for some sort of custody arrangement I wasn’t going to be willing to give. Nothing was ever easy with her. She argued with me for sport.
I was prepared for her bullshit. I wasn’t expecting her to yield.
I wasn’t planning on Mia.
Her presence affecting Angie. Her fire. The way Nolan clung to her like a son seeking comfort from his mother. His real mother.
I was a damn fool, overlooking my wife in that equation.
After working the belt through the slot, I turn around and sit the car seat on the asphalt.
“That’s awesome,” Luke comments, looking as happy as I am about this development. “She was straight-up crazy, and terrible to Nolan. Good riddance.”
Tessa looks from Luke to me, shaking her head. “Wait a minute. Angie just rolled over, just like that? I don’t believe it. She gets off on making you miserable, Ben. No way is she not going to fight you on this.”
I jerk my chin and shove my hands into my pockets, my back pressing against the door of the truck as my eyes narrow in on my entire reason for every fucking thing I do.
Mia kisses Nolan’s cheek and pulls him into her arms.
I look back at Tessa, shrugging. “It was Mia. Seeing her with Nolan messed Angie up. She can’t compete with her.”
“Well, duh,” Tessa says, smirking. “I could’ve told her that a long time ago. Saved everyone the headache.” Her eyes flicker a hair wider. “Speaking of which . . .”
Smiling, Tessa reaches behind her and pulls a photo out of her back pocket, careful of Chase in her arms. “Found this at Mom and Dad’s. Thought you’d like to have it.”
I take the photo from Tessa.
“I’ll be back. Just going to put this stuff inside.” Luke carries both car seats and the duffle up the driveway as I focus on the picture in my hands.
“Holy shit.”
It’s the three of us, Tessa, Mia, and myself, sitting close together on my parent’s back porch, the sun shining down on us and casting our shadows on the cement.
We look young. Really fucking young. I can’t be more than fourteen, fifteen, which would put the two of them close to ten.
Mia in the middle, her and Tessa with their arms over each other’s shoulders and their heads tilted together, both of them with their tongues sticking out and their other hands holding up peace signs.
And me . . . fuck, I’m staring right at her. Right the fuck at her, smiling.
I’m smiling at Mia.
Fuck me.