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She had a point, but he still didn’t enjoy hearing it.
Especially not right now when she was all naked and warm in his arms.
“Okay, no more about me. Tell me about you. What’s it like being a neuropsychologist?”
Groaning, she fell back against the pillows. “I have a love-hate relationship with my career. I love the challenge and learning new things, and working in the lab is beyond fascinating.”
“But...?”
She sighed. “But... I don’t know. Lately I’ve been... restless.” Then she paused. “No, that’s only partially true.” She told him about her friend Eleanor and the conversation they’d had. “It was like once she put it all out there like that, I was no longer content with my life. She made me look at things in a way I never had before and I’m not sure it was a good thing or a bad thing.”
All he could do was nod.
“That’s why I took the vacation time. I just needed a break; some time to sort of test her theory and just re-evaluate.”
“Where were you going to go?”
“That’s just it. I had no idea. I was just planning on winging it. And believe me, that is a huge deal for me because I am someone who thrives on schedules and lists and a well-detailed itinerary. I kept expecting inspiration to hit, but...” Turning her head, she smiled at him. “Now I’m glad I didn’t make any travel arrangements.”
For a woman who had been incredibly bold all night, she suddenly looked shy.
“Sienna?”
“I was being a little presumptuous,” she explained. “I have no idea what your schedule is like beyond tonight, so I don’t want you to feel obligated to... you know... drag this out if you have other commitments or things to do or... people to see.”
Ah...now the look was making sense.
Rolling toward her, he took her hand in his and kissed her palm. “For the record, I have no other commitments, absolutely nothing to do and no people to see. To be honest, I’m sort of in the same boat as you. Things are a little quiet right now with the business. This is the calm before the holidays and I planned it that way, even though there was no real reason to. It’s not like I had anywhere to be.”
“What about your family?”
“What?”
She looked up at him again. “Your family? Do you spend any time with them?”
That was the when it hit him just how much of their lives they’d missed.
Quietly, he cleared his throat. “Um...my mom passed away last year,” he said, his voice catching slightly. “Ovarian cancer.”
“Oh, Michael...I’m so sorry.” She snuggled closer and placed a kiss on his chest. “And what about your dad?”
Crap. This so wasn’t the conversation he wanted them to have right now, but...
“My father and I haven’t spoken in years. Twenty-three, to be exact.”
Sienna sat up and looked at him in shock. “Oh, my goodness. What happened?”
He shrugged. “He was pissed that I took off to L.A. He wanted me to take over the family business, but you and I both know I never wanted to be an electrician. Hell, I was always extremely vocal about that.”
“I know, but...twenty-three years is a long time to not speak to one of your parents. What about when your mother died? Didn’t you have to see him then?”
“They were divorced,” he told her. “Fifteen years ago. It was the best thing my mother could have done. She had fourteen years of happiness before she died. I finally got to spend time with her and took her on a couple of tour stops with me.” He smiled at the memory. “Turns out she was a huge music fan. Any music, really. She loved the atmosphere and enjoyed seeing the world.” Pausing, he took a moment to get his emotions under control. “I’m glad I got to do that for her. We were in a really good place when she died, and it meant the world to me to be there with her.”
“I don’t even know what to say,” Sienna said quietly as she settled back down beside him. “I hate that you had to go through all of that. Your mother was always so sweet.” She kissed his chest again. “I know you must miss her a lot.”
Nodding, he knew he wanted to change the subject. Needed to.
Placing a kiss on the top of her head, he pulled her in close. “If you want to spend your vacation with me, I would be honored to spend it with you.” Placing her hand over his heart, he said, “I’ve missed you.”
