Not only was I behind but now I was lazy, too.
And the kicker was that I didn’t care, not one f**king bit.
I was just sitting in my chair, counting down the minutes until I could run for the elevator and leave.
So, this was what the rest of America felt like?
It was boring.
For the first time since starting my job, I realized it was nauseatingly boring. I’d always hated it, but I’d just been too busy to care.
My phone chirped, and I checked it. A text from Liv appeared, saying she’d just arrived at Mia’s and she was feeding her.
I smiled, glad that Mia wasn’t alone and was being taken care of. I hated the thought of her being by herself today after what she had gone through.
I could have killed Brent Malcolm with my bare hands. I always knew he was a jerk, but yesterday, he’d proven he was a Grade A ass**le. Not being one to listen in on high school gossip, I’d never known the rumors floating around about Mia. Had I known, I would have protected her as best as I could.
A knock on my office door pulled me out of my thoughts, and I found Kara walking in. Her pencil skirt and tight blouse did nothing for me as she neared, but I suddenly wondered what Mia would look like dressed like this.
Is this how she dressed for work in her old life?
I couldn’t picture my Mia in an office, working files and pushing numbers.
My Mia.
It had been less than two days, and I’d already fallen back into my old ways.
“Hey, Kara.”
“Hey, just came in to check on you.”
“Huh?” I asked in confusion.
“You were sick, and I wanted to make sure you were feeling better.”
Oh, that. Visions of taking Mia on the kitchen counter came to mind—her body reacting to my every touch, shattering as she pulsated around me.
Best sick day ever.
“Right. I feel much better, thanks.” I might have thrown a little cough in there for effect.
“Great!” she said brightly. Her hands folded together, and she lingered. “I was also wondering if you wanted to grab a bite to eat.”
“What? Now?”
“Well, it is lunchtime.”
Her eyes were hopeful, and she bit her lip as she waited for my answer. When Mia did this, it would drive me to my knees, but I felt nothing seeing Kara do the exact same gesture.
“Kara, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. I’m seeing someone.”
“Oh.” Her eyes were downcast, and the look of defeat was clearly written all over her face. “Is it serious?” she asked.
I answered honestly, “She’s the one.”
Her eyes softened, and she smiled. “I’m happy for you, Garrett.” She sounded genuine and sincere.
“Thank you, Kara,”
“Do you still want to grab some lunch? Friends only, I promise,” she asked, throwing her hands up in defense.
I laughed but declined. “Actually, there’s someone I’d like to visit.”
Twenty minutes later, I had a bag of food, and I was once again knocking on a door. Lately, it seemed to be my thing.
Declan opened the door this time, and I heard Lily yell in glee.
He grinned. “That better be for me.” He pointed to the huge bag of greasy food.
“Sure, but you’ve got to share.”
He shrugged and invited me in.
“Leah’s not here, if that’s who you are looking for. She had to work.”
“Nope,” I answered, as I walked through the double doors, “ I came to see you actually.”
I followed him into their massive kitchen and pulled out the food as he set out the plates. While I placed the food on the plates, he set Lily down. She was now happily eating Cheerios in her high chair, blowing raspberry with her tongue.
“So, the food really was for me,” he said with a grin, “Nice.”
We made quick work of our food. Being men, we didn’t talk much as we ate. We just shoveled food and washed it down.
Once I was sure I’d eaten an entire cow and a field of potatoes, I broke the silence. “Can I ask you something?”
“Are we going to have a heart-to-heart, Garrett? Because Leah will be home in, like, an hour, and she can totally take care of that shit.”
I grinned. “What I need to ask, only you can answer.”
“Okay, shoot.”
I took a deep breath. “Were you ever able to forgive Connor’s mother?”
Leah and Declan’s oldest child was his from a previous relationship. Declan hadn’t known Connor existed until a couple of years ago when Leah met Connor in an ER after his mother had been killed in a car accident. They had managed to put two and two together several months later. Heather, his ex-girlfriend, had chosen to keep Connor a secret from Declan.
Declan leaned back in his seat and stretched his neck, obviously giving himself a moment to think it through. “Eventually, yes, but it took a while. What she did was wrong, but it didn’t make her a bad person.”
“Even though she betrayed you?”
He nodded. “I didn’t say it was an overnight revelation. It took a while. But we all have to make tough decisions, and when faced with extraordinary circumstances, even the greatest of us can choose wrong.”
I let his words sink in. I’d never allowed myself to step into Mia’s shoes. I’d never wanted to. From the time she’d left, it had been all about me—my feelings, my wounds, and my pain. I’d never stopped to think about her feelings, her wounds, or her pain. How much had she suffered over the years?
“What is this all about, Garrett?”
I told him everything. I told him about Mia and my love for her. I explained the pregnancy and our shock but elation.
“Becoming teenage parents hadn’t been our plan, but we were going to make it work—together.” I explained. Declan silently listened as I finally came clean about my past. I told him about the note that had destroyed me and how conflicted I’d been since Mia’s return.
“And now?” he asked.
“I don’t know, but I can’t lose her again.”
“Then, you’ve got to let it go, man. Love is pure. Don’t let something like doubt or anger work its way in and taint it from the beginning. You’ll never recover.”
“I want to, more than anything. It’s always been her. I just can’t seem to find a way to get past it.”
Lily chose this moment to bang on the tray of her high chair, sending Cheerios everywhere. A few landed in my hair, and Declan laughed.