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Chapter Thirty:
Stop in the Name of Love
Finally.
I didn’t know if I had her back fully or not, but at least she was here, and that was enough for the moment. I let her inside and put her bag in the bedroom, then kissed her once, twice, as many times as I could before she pulled back. “Talk to me, Mia. I know what I did wrong, but tell me how to fix it. Please?”
She didn’t seem to know what to say for a few moments. “You already are fixing it, Ollie. I’m just nervous, I don’t want to be one of those breakup to makeup couples. I don’t want to fear you’ll try to leave me every time life gets hard.”
“Can I explain?” I asked gently, taking her hands and sitting down on the edge of the bed. “I’m an idiot.”
“Didn’t I tell you to stop being stupid the day we met?” There wasn’t any bite in her words, just exhaustion and a small smile to let me know she remembered that day clearly.
“That’s like asking the rain forest to suddenly become a desert,” I deadpanned. “Look, leaving you is the last thing I want to do. I’m serious. I’m just so fucking used to people not being able to handle me being a fucking moron that I thought I’d give you the out. You already have like five kids, baby. You don’t need another one.”
Mia moved to straddle my lap, but it wasn’t sexual, not yet. She needed to be close to me, I could feel it. “I chose everything in my life, Papí. I choose you.”
I wrapped my arms tightly around her so she couldn’t escape, then grinned cheekily. “Then I’m suddenly questioning which one of us is the idiot.”
She laughed at least. “Idiots in love. Sounds about right, I mean if you’re not stupid in love with your partner are you really in love? Or are you just content?”
“Both is better. Contentedly, stupidly in love.” I kissed her, but I wasn’t ready to switch gears yet. “Can we talk about you? That weekend I spent in a cell gave me a lot of time to think. As usual, I came to the wrong damn conclusion, but I’m thinking clearer now.”
I felt her tense slightly. “Yeah. That weekend was shit. Anthony showed up Friday night drunk and demanding to see Rio.”
The instant fury that rose in my chest had me taking a couple of deep breaths. It wasn’t my place yet. “I’m so sorry, baby. What happened?”
“Nothing more than that. It was ten at night, Rio was already asleep so he doesn’t know. He just shoved at the door and called me a puta but once I said I’d call the cops, he left. I could tell he’d been out for a bit and he never once tried to see Rio until he knew it would be too late to actually see him. Rio’s getting older though, sometimes he’s still awake at ten on weekends. He just happened to fall asleep early reading. I don’t know what I’d tell him if he’d seen.”
I kissed her nose and held her a little tighter. “It’s not my call, but if it was ... I’d say you should tell him the truth. It might hurt, but Rio is smarter than hell. He’d pick up on it one way or the other. Better the truth comes from you than him finding out the hard way.”
Mia held onto me a little tighter, but ultimately nodded. “You’re right. He’s not a baby anymore, even if that’s what I see when I look at him. Jago ran out to try and fight him and he shouldn’t have to do that. I wish he didn’t know where we lived. Then if he ever decided to be a father, we could meet up somewhere neutral or something — not that that would happen. I just hate that he can show up there any time, you know?” She huffed. “You’re not the only mess here, baby. Sometimes I think you’re the crazy one for wanting me and all my baggage.”
“Hush. Your baggage just impresses the hell out of me. I may not know Carlo, Valentino and Alex very well yet, but I can say with certainty that you and Dinora are doing something amazing with Jago and Rio. All on your own.” I brushed her hair out of her face with a soft smile. “Just tell me how I can help. I don’t want to sit here and act like I’m the solution to all your problems for obvious reasons, but anything you need and want me to provide, I’ve got you. Anything.”
“I appreciate it, Ollie. And you already help, every day ... except when you try to dump me, of course.”
Part of me wondered if she’d ever let me forget that, and all of me hoped she didn’t. “To be fair, I was telling you that you should dump me, not actually doing it. Bold of you to assume I had that kind of strength.”
I felt her head shake before she leaned back to look me in the eyes. “No, it was bold of you to think I’d ever let someone as amazing as you slip away. You’re mine.”
“Two halves of a whole dumbass.” I lifted her up and carried her back out to the kitchen, then set her tiny, thick, gorgeous ass down on my counter. “We’re not done talking yet and you were giving me that look. I have more questions for you, Mia Camilla Perez.”
“What look?” She faked innocence and crossed her arms. “Ask away, Oliver Bishop.”
I shivered. “You’re not allowed to full-name me, stop it. You think I didn’t notice I’m Ollie when you’re all playful and amused by my antics and Oliver when you’re ready to give me a titty-twister?“
“Good, you were supposed to notice.” She instantly reached out for my nipple, and this time, I just hissed and clenched my jaw as I let her do it.
“You get one, baby. I deserved that,” I said, rubbing the poor little thing. “Okay. Now. I’m gonna ask you a question and I don’t want you to hesitate when you answer, okay? Don’t think about it, don’t try to answer a certain way, just open your mouth and let words fall out.”
“That makes me nervous but okay. Let’s hear it.”
I kissed her face twice, I couldn’t help it. “If you could have anything and do anything with nothing in your way, with guaranteed success, where would you be five years from now?”
“A middle school teacher,” she answered without hesitation. I wasn’t even sure if I’d finished the question before she responded, but I didn’t see an ounce of hesitation in her gaze.
“Okay, follow-up question. Other than time, what’s standing in your way?”
