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“But?”
Mia sighed and walked over to Noah. They hadn’t had many talks about the intimacies of his relationship with the redhead, but he valued what she had to say, especially with it being from a different perspective. “You don't need me to tell you what to do. Get ready to fight for it.”
“Little brat won’t run from me.” He knew he sounded more confident than he felt, but he wasn’t giving up on her and the idea of moving forward.
Mia snickered knowingly, “You know she will.”
“Fuck, I know you’re right.”
“So?”
“Do you approve? You’re the only family she’s got.”
“If I didn’t, you wouldn’t be here,” Mia teased. “I haven’t chased you off yet.” Her smile was warm and reassuring. “She’s going to run. From you and herself. Are you strong enough to catch her?”
His chest tightened at the thought of not having her in his life, that wasn’t a reality he wanted. Now or ever. “Lexi is my home. I’ll go to the ends of the earth for her.”
“Lace those sneakers, and don’t let us down.”
THWAPP!
Mia opened her mouth, Noah outstretched his hand in offering. “I’ll go help him move it. No more balls at the window,” he promised. He clapped his hands together, dusting off cookie crumbs. “Thanks, Mia.” Noah smiled gratefully before standing up and heading out the door to rejoin Zander in the pool. He felt less conflicted and quite a bit lighter now that he had someone else's perspective on the situation. He knew what he had to do now; let go of trying to control things and simply follow his heart.
***
If running late was a sport, Lexi swore she’d be champion. No matter how many times she left the apartment early, she’d always end up being late to where she needed to be.
Setting the car time fast didn’t alleviate anything, Mia tried, unbeknown to Lexi a few years ago.
That shouldn’t be a surprise considering her mother used to joke that she was born three days late out of spite. Nobody wanted to be Sagatarious anyway.
Mia already had a coffee waiting when she stumbled in with an armful of linen. “I’d say I’m sorry, but this is just on brand.”
“Oh, don’t I know it.” Mia handed her the mug and Lexi leaned against the counter.
“I talked with Melody on the way over, we have all the shipments and I have a final run with the florist tomorrow to check the centerpieces and adjust the bride’s bouquet.”
“Great. I’m meeting with Ella on Saturday and we’ll be good to go.” Zander darted in from the backyard, pool water trailing behind him through the kitchen. “Did we leave any water in the pool?”
He chomped his teeth together and shot Mia a sheepish grin. “ Ooops ?”
Lexi laughed, sipping her coffee and checking her messages from work. “Okay, mister, it’s time for a shower and you’ve got to pick up your room kid. I’m sure there’s a few furry dishes.”
“But mama, I wanna go back in the pool after dinner!”
“Extra pool time means I get a clean room. So, it’s your choice.”
“No fair.”
“Oh don’t I know it. Please be mindful and don’t wake your sister. Do you want hot dogs or bu–”
“Big burger, please!!” He gave both women a million dollar smile and darted off to his room. Mia sighed with relief when his door never swung shut, a habit he was working to break.
“Hey, I give him brownie poi–” Lexi’s words were cut off by Mia’s hard stare. “What?” her friend was silent and Lexi’s mind skittered to a stop, then started racing as she went through the mental motions of problem solving.
“Stop that.”
“I’m going to need a little more to go on.”
