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Mia and I laid in bed together silently after getting Sophie off to sleep. We both seemed to have a million thoughts running through our minds, but neither of us seemed to feel like saying them out loud.
“Chloe, I can’t bear the thought of you leaving. Before you say anything, hear me out,” Mia begged. “Victoria made an appointment for tomorrow with her judge friend so you could get all your paperwork done quickly. This way, you could come back as often as you want.”
“I don’t want to leave either. It’s been so good having a family and a person like Victoria like a mother.” I took Mia’s hand in mine. “You’ve always taken care of me. You’ve been my mother and my father, and now I’m so happy you have Victoria and Henry.”
“You could have them too. Sophie already calls her Grandma,” Mia said. “Why won’t you let me help?”
“My and Sophie’s home is in Sydney,” I said. “This is your home now and it’s a great one, and I get that and I’ll miss you so much, but I gotta go. I can’t let Jimmy do this. Please understand. I have to do what he wants and then get him to release her.”
“Why by yourself, we can handle it from here?” Mia asked. “Why? Because of Trey? I know you’re in love with him.”
“Well, that doesn’t matter, now does it? There’s a plan in motion that can’t be stopped,” I said. “Besides, if he wanted me, he would have said so, and he didn’t.”
“Did you tell him how you feel?” Mia asked, sitting up to look at me. “Yeah, I didn’t think so.”
Mia’s cell chimed with a text. “I know I can’t change your mind about leaving, but can you at least meet with Victoria’s judge friend and get your paperwork done?” Mia asked. “Just do it for me so I can at least know that you can come back often. Please, Chloe?”
“Even if I said yes, it’s too late. Our flight is tomorrow night,” I said. “There’s no time to get it done.”
“If I told you that Victoria already made an appointment for three p.m. tomorrow just in case, would that change your mind? Would you go?” Mia asked, twirling her hair in her fingers.
I sat looking at my daughter sleeping so peacefully. I wanted her to know what it was to have a grandma, even if it wasn’t her real one. I looked over to Mia to see tears in her eyes.
“Yes. I’ll go to the appointment tomorrow before we leave.”
Chapter 79
Trey
“It’s time, Trey,” Parker said from the doorway, “you don’t want to be late.”
“I don’t know if I can do this, man,” I said. “But I literally begged Mom to do this for me. I mean, she got you the right girl, and Kellan. I have to trust her. Right?”
“It’ll be okay,” Parker said, pointing to the door.
“She even managed to find a girl for August!” I exclaimed, remembering the twin fiasco. “Okay, well she found a girl for Asher, but August got her. Same difference with those two.”
“You’re stalling and I don’t know why. You asked for this, as you said.” Parker stood directly in front of me.
“Why did I have to go and meet Chloe?” I asked. “Why now? It’s like the gods heard me say I wanted a Mia. Not your Mia, but someone great like her. Then Chloe shows up, and she is Mia, but yet not Mia. She’s my Mia, and she’s perfect for me. Like Mia is perfect for you.”
“You asked for a Mia?” Parker laughed. “That’s a little weird, Trey. Glad I didn’t know this before today.”
“No. Yes. Not exactly,” I winced. “Yes, to be exact, I told Mom I wanted a Mia.”
“Chloe has a lot on her plate right now, including an ex that’s refusing to let Sophie go, and trying to have her arrested. She also lives in Australia,” Parker said. “Just go inside. Get married. It’ll all work out. I promise.”
“You think?” I asked, clutching the ring box in my hand. “Wait a minute. What did you just say?”
“I said ‘Chloe has a lot on her plate’,” Parker confirmed.
“After that. You said ‘arrested’ and ‘Jimmy’.” I urged him to speak. “Explain that.”
“I shouldn’t have said anything. See what your nervousness is doing to me?” Parker groaned.
“Tell me, Parker,” I demanded.
“I’ll tell you, but you have to keep it between us,” Parker pleaded.
