Page 120 of Apparently, I’m Trouble

Mia sighed and thumped her head on my chest. Her voice was muffled by my shirt as she said, “I hate this. Kira is miserable, and it’s my fault. If I didn’t drag you to that bookstore, none of this would’ve happened.”

“We’ll work it out. It’ll be okay.”

“Are you sure? I mean, really sure? Kira is your whole world. I know that. Is being with me worth it? I don’t know if I can act like–”

“Mia,” I gently cut her off. “I know my daughter, and she’ll come around. We just need to give her time.”

She grunted into my shirt as I kissed the top of her head.

“But you’d better get on my table before May figures out what we’re really doing in here.”

She dragged herself away, and this time, I let her go. Once she was arranged on the table, I put her through her routine. When we were done, I helped her up and held her hand as we walked into the hallway.

She hesitated, then put her head on my arm, and I let her. I didn’t care about the odd looks we’d get in reception.

But what I did care about was the shocked, slack stare my daughter pinned me with.

Fuck.

Kira stood in the waiting area, still wearing her navy school uniform. Her backpack slipped from her shoulder, landing on the ground with a small thud. Her face was slack, mouth open like she’d just seen something from a horror movie.

And I couldn’t blame her.

Mia pulled her hand from mine and stepped back. I didn’t try to stop her. Instead, I saw what Kira must have seen. All the shit she was dealing with, all the shit that was my fault, was right here in front of her, in one of the only places she felt safe.

Guilt strained my chest. This was the kind of thing I was supposed to protect her from.

“Kira, I know how this looks. But we should talk about this.”

Kira’s eyes narrowed, and I didn’t like it, but I liked the edge in her voice even less. “I don’t want to talk to either of you.”

“Fine.” I could see where this was going, and this wasn’t the time or place for it. “Then wait for me in my office.”

She pressed her lips together, grabbed her bag, and stomped between Mia and me, muttering, “I knew you didn’t give a shit about me,” as she went.

The whole thing lasted only a few seconds, but the look on Mia’s face–she looked like she’d just been slapped.

“She must’ve left school early,” I said, reaching for her hand. “I’ll talk to her.”

But when Mia met my gaze, something changed. She turned and stared at the door my daughter disappeared through.

“God. Am I that stupid?”

Surprised, I tugged on her hand. “What?”

She pulled away from me, muttering, “I actually thought we could do this.”

“We can.”

She shook her head. “No. This isn’t going to work.”

My heart picked up speed as I studied her face. “What do you mean?”

Mia waved a hand at my office door. “Kira. She thinks I–Theo, I can’t do this. Not if it hurts her this much.” She spoke more to herself than to me as she said, “I can’t believe I thought we could.”

A hot, slimy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. I gestured for her to follow me outside, then shut the door to my practice. A few curious patients turned in their chairs to watch us through the glass, so I stepped back until we were out of sight.

This time, Mia let me touch her. I held her shoulders and stared into her face. She met my eyes, looking so miserable that it stunned me.