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Why the hell did she have suitcases?
“What’s going on, Angel?” I asked, trying to process what I was walking in on.
I cut my workout short because I wanted to get back to the house to check on Mia. She was so quiet on the drive home from work that I was worried she wasn’t feeling well again. I couldn’t stop thinking about it as I was lifting weights.
“Please don’t call me that,” she said, and tears began filling her eyes.
“Answer my question,” I said, my stomach twisting with the worst possibilities.
“I…I can’t…do this anymore . . .” Mia trailed off, and I felt my heart drop.
“Are you leaving?” The question came out of me as a fearful demand.
“I have to.” She bit her lower lip, her expression full of emotional pain. “I can’t stay here anymore. I’m sorry, but I can’t do this with you any longer.”
“Wait a minute.” I stepped into the foyer, closing the door behind me. “What the hell is going on? You were about to leave without telling me?”
“No. I mean, yes.” She wiped away a tear that escaped the corner of her eye and swallowed hard. “I don’t know. I just can’t stay with you anymore.”
She might as well have punched a gaping hole in the middle of my chest. I thought things were going so well between us, better than I ever expected. Why would she want to leave?
“Well, that’s too bad,” I said, falling back on my tendency to be an asshole when I was angry or upset. I knew it was an unhealthy habit that wouldn’t help the situation at all, but I didn’t know how else to react when I was freaking the fuck out inside. “We have a contract, so you can’t just leave. That’s not how this works.”
She jutted her chin out stubbornly. “To hell with the contract.”
I gaped at her. “What is wrong with you?”
“You!” she suddenly yelled, releasing the handles of her suitcases and walking forward, her face turning red.
I’d never seen her so angry before, and it was shocking—and it momentarily rendered me speechless.
“You’rewhat’s wrong with me. Taking care of me when I need you and sleeping with me and showing me a playful side of you that I never even knew existed. None of that was supposed to happen.”
She was right in front of me now, and I reached out, putting my hands on her shoulders. I didn’t know why I did it. Maybe I thought that making contact with her would diffuse the situation somehow.
I calmed down and spoke gently. “Mia, you’re not making any sense. Just talk to me, damn it.”
“I can’t stay because…” her eyes dropped to the floor. “Because I’m crazy about you.”
I was caught so completely off-guard that I didn’t react right away. When she finally looked up at me, I saw new tears swimming in her brown, angst-filled eyes.
“You don’t have to say anything. I know this wasn’t a part of the deal,” she rushed on to say. “But I love you, Logan. And that’s why I have to leave. I’m sorry about your inheritance, but I just can’t keep pretending that this situation is fake for me or else it will destroy me when you’re ready to end things.”
She stepped backward until she was out of my reach, and I felt the cold tendrils of dread creep over me. All of my fear of commitment, my doubts about the future, and my determination to stay out of a long-term relationship were nothing compared to the reality of losing Mia. I already knew I’d be half a man without her by my side. Lonely and miserable and tragically unhappy.
I couldn’t let it happen, or it would be the biggest regret of my life.
“No.” I followed her movements until I could grab ahold of her wrist and pull her in until she was flush against me, my arms holding her tight. “You’re my wife, and you’re not going anywhere.”
“You mean, not for six months,” she said, her voice filled with sorrow.
“I meannever.”
Cupping the back of her head, I lowered my head to kiss her. I tried to pour everything I was feeling into that kiss, all the emotions that I’d never communicated to anyone before. But when Mia shoved against my chest and pulled away, I knew that the words needed to be said or I would lose her forever.
“I can’t let you go, Angel,” I said, even though she made no attempt to leave. “You’ve broken down my walls. I can finally fully be myself with someone, and it’syou. I’ve never been in love before, but this has to be it. I don’t want a fake wife anymore, damn it. You’re right. To hell with the contract. I’ll tear it up, and you still won’t have to worry about money ever again. Just don’t walk out that door.”
A slow, beautiful smile lifted her lips and her eyes shone with emotion. “You love me?”
