by Wendy Smith
“I’m happy to do whatever you want, little bro. If you guys want to get out of town for the evening, we’ll skip the beer and you can head to my in-laws’ place with me. They said you were welcome to join us.”
“I’ll see what Mia says, but that sounds like a good idea.”
“Honestly, they’ve got some chef cooking for us tonight. Make the most of it.”
I laugh. “I like that plan.”
He nods. “They certainly know how to spoil their daughter. I’m just along for the ride. Besides, Logan and Amelia would love to see you.”
I grin. Drew’s kids are so cute. I love spending time with them.
“Okay. Drink up, and we’ll go and get Mia.”
34
Mia
When I pull into the driveway, I’m so glad to be home. It might not have taken long for word to spread, but I’m so glad I did it.
My relationship with James is out in the open, and my heart is full. We don’t have to hide anymore.
I head toward the house.
My phone buzzes.
Don’t worry about dinner. Drew’s in-laws have invited us over. I’ll finish my drink and swing by to pick you up. Hope you had a good day. Love you.
I grin at the text.
Sounds great. I bought some things, but we can use them for dinner tomorrow. Love you too.
I pull out my key and slide it into the door lock. It doesn’t turn. My stomach flips as I push on the handle, and the door swings open.
It’s not locked.
The kitchen’s a mess. Every cupboard is open, contents all over the floor. Bits of broken crockery litter the lino.
Someone’s in my house. At a guess, it’s Garrett, but I can’t take that risk.
I drop the grocery bags on the floor and pull my phone back out of my bag to call the police.
“Mia.”
I look back up to see Garrett in the doorway to the living room. “What are you doing here?”
He grits his teeth. “I came to see my wife. The one who declared a relationship with a student today.”
I nod. My fingernails scrape my palms so hard, I’ll be surprised if I don’t see blood later. “That’s right.”
“When were you going to tell me?”
“It’s none of your business.” I walk past him into the dining room and drop my bag on a chair.
“I’m your husband.”
I turn. “We’re separated, and our divorce is pending. Get out of my house, Garrett.”
“Our house.”
“Fine. Get the fuck out of our house, Garrett,” I yell.
Pain rips through the right side of my head and I stagger back, tripping over my own two feet. I blink. Everything’s a blur, but I can still make out his hand, fisted and raised above me.
My head hurts. I raise my hand to rub my temple.
When my vision clears, I fix my gaze on Garrett. He’s standing over me, his arms crossed. “Bastard.”
“Now you’re not hysterical, perhaps you’d like to explain to me why you’re fucking a student when you’re married to me.”
Shit. I scan the room for anything I can use to defend myself. How far away is James?
“We’re separated. We were separated for a long time before—”
“Enough,” he roars.
“My relationship is none of your business.”
“You’re my wife. Of course it’s my business.”
“We’re getting divorced.”
He shakes his head. “No, we’re not.”
“Yes. We are. We were before I fell in love with James, and we are now.” I push myself to my feet.
“You love him?” He shakes his head. “Unbelievable.”
“Why? He’s loving and kind. Not nasty and cruel like you are. You just hit me.”
His face falls. “That was a momentary slip.”
“You can’t even say you’re sorry.”
“Mia, I …”
“No, Garrett. You don’t get to do this again. You don’t get to tell me what to do.” My hands shake with anger and fear.
“Mia, you need to listen to me.”
“I don’t need to do anything with you. Get out of my house.”
He takes a deep breath. “It’s our house.”
“Well, you don’t live here anymore.” I raise my hand to my face where he hit me. It’s tender and sore, and I can’t let him get away with it.
We both start at the clap of the door closing.
James walks into the kitchen, looking around before fixing his gaze on Garrett. “What the fuck happened here?” He shifts his focus to me, his eyes narrowing. “Mia? What the hell. He hit you?”
“Yes,” I whisper.
Anger flashes across his face, and he storms toward Garrett. Before he can get to him, I grab hold of James’s arm. “He’s not worth it.”
“He hurt you.” He runs his thumb down my cheek with all his gentleness. His eyes are full of hurt. This is what love is. Not the twisted mess that I had with Garrett.
“Mia.” Drew Campbell’s right behind his brother. “Let me take a look. James, call the police.”
“We don’t need the police,” Garrett says.
“Yeah, we do.” Drew seems to be taking over the situation while James pulls his phone out of his pocket.
Garrett’s mouth opens and closes like a fish. He’s not used to people ignoring his wishes.
“You’re lucky I’m here.” Drew says, flashing me a smile that I’m sure charms his patients. I’m so glad he’s here too as he examines my aching face. He studies me intently for a few moments, his fingers brushing over the skin. “That’s gonna hurt for a while.”
“The cops are on their way,” James says.
Garrett just stands there, staring.
“Good.” Drew catches my gaze. “Ready to press charges? That’s going to be an impressive bruise. He hit you with some real force.”
“It wasn’t like that,” Garrett says. His voice is so quiet.
James takes my hand, and I’m pulled into his arms.
“Just be careful of her face,” Drew says.
“Are you okay?” James brushes my cheek with his lips, and I close my eyes, breathing in the earthy smell of him.
“I am now.”
“I can’t imagine ever thinking it’s okay to hit a woman.” Drew glares at Garrett.
Garrett swallows hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing, but he says nothing. For the first time in, well, ever, he doesn’t look confident.
It’s almost like time stands still. I don’t even notice what’s going on around me until a police officer appears at the door.
James shows him through to the dining room. The man I love takes one look at me, and his chest moves like he’s taking a deep breath. “This is Mia.”
“Hi, Mia. I’m Constable Jenkins, and my partner is Constable Peters. We got a call about a man assaulting a woman.”
Garrett snorts.
Drew’s eyebrows rise. “That’s right.” He points at Garrett. “He punched her.”
“That’s not what happened,” Garrett says.
“Her bruises are gonna say otherwise, buddy.”
“Thank you.” Officer Jenkins addresses me, “Are you okay?”
I shake my head. “I came home to find Garrett, my ex-husband, here. We argued. He hit me.”
“We should get you assessed by a doctor. Make sure you’re okay.”
“I am a doctor,” Drew says. I bite down a laugh. Drew is the sweetest guy, but clearly he feels slighted.
“Oh, sorry, sir.” The officer nods.
“She’ll need an X-ray. I think her cheekbone is broken.”
Garrett’s eyes widen. “I didn’t hit her that hard.”
“So you admit to hitting her?” the officer says.
Drew moves his gaze to me. “I’d say it was more like a punch than a slap. But on second thoughts, I don’t think anything’s broken.”
A flash of anger appears in Garrett’s eyes. Drew’s just got him to confe
ss in front of a cop, and there’s no going back from that.
“I’m going to have to take you down to the station for questioning,” the constable says.
“I want a lawyer.”
“You’ll need one,” Drew says.
I wind up telling my story to the female officer. She’s patient, and even though I just want to cry and crawl away, I get my version of events out.
Garrett scowls as he’s led away by the cop, and I figure he’s just lucky he’s not in handcuffs.
“Right. That’s him taken care of. Let’s call a locksmith and then go to dinner,” Drew says.
“I’m not supposed to change the locks according to our agreement,” I whisper the words before realising just how silly they sound right now.
“Then you won’t. I will.”
James wraps his arms around me. “Let us take care of everything. Go sit in the living room.”
I look up at him, my eyes filled with tears. “I’m so sorry that you have to deal with this.”
“Mia, as long as you’re safe, I don’t care what I have to do. And I can tell you now he’ll never get the chance to get close enough to hit you again.” He kisses me gently before letting me go.
The living room is the same as the kitchen. The whole place is a mess. But I clear a spot on the couch and sit down. I knew today seemed too good to be true, but I never thought it would come to this.
“Shit.” James walks into the room and looks around. He pulls the ornaments that have been dumped off the couch and places a cushion down. “Here. Lie down. The locksmith is on their way.”
I lie on the couch. “Can you check the rest of the house?”
He nods, stroking my hair and giving me a tender kiss. “I’ll go and do that now. I’m sorry you came home to that. If I hadn’t gone for a beer with Drew, I would have been here.”
“It’s not your fault.”
When he disappears up the hall, Drew takes his place. “Let me take another look at you.”
I don’t think I’ve ever felt so cared for.
When the locksmith’s changed the locks, I sit up again and survey the damage.
The few ornaments I had in here are shattered. There’s glass on the carpet, and some of the cushions have been torn.
I guess at least now James and I get to start fresh.
Garrett never made it up the hallway. The bedrooms at least are fine, and we can sleep in our own bed tonight.
“Shall we go to dinner?” Drew smiles.
I shrug. “I’m not sure if it’s a good idea.”
“We’re not going out to a restaurant, if you’re worried about people seeing the bruising. Sonya’s got some chef working for her tonight as a treat for us. It’s just a dinner, but what rich families do.”
I laugh. “I’d still like to come if the invitation is there, then. Sounds amazing.”
“It will be. Besides, Hayley will want to mother-hen you.”
“She’s like that.” James laughs.
Drew nods. “James is one of her chicks.”
“I like Hayley. I’d love to see her again.”
“Well, you might see her more often now you’re part of the family,” Drew says.
I grin. Part of a family. Despite our weekend away, I didn’t completely feel it before. I do now.
And it’s pretty damn good.
35
Mia
“He did what?” Hayley’s mouth falls open as we walk into the house behind Drew. She shifts her focus to me. “Oh, Mia. I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
“Thanks to James and Drew, I’m fine.”
Drew straightens. “It was me who got Garrett to confess to what he’d done.”
I nod. “Yes, it was.”
“Want a medal or something?” James asks, slipping an arm around my waist.
“No, he’s just trying to impress his wife.” Hayley snuggles into Drew’s chest. “Not that he needs to.”
“I’m already impressive?”
“Sometimes.” She laughs.
He dips his head and kisses her, and it’s so warm and affectionate. I love how much they clearly love each other. That kind of relationship’s what I always wanted. It’s what I have with James.
“Anyway, come through. Mum’s got this chef cooking dinner, and there’s going to be a ridiculous amount of food. I’m so glad you two could join us,” Hayley says.
“It sounds amazing,” I say.
“I’m so glad I have you to hang out with. Mum can be a bit out of touch, and it’s so good to have a woman closer to my age around. Oh! I hope you guys can come and see us in Hamilton more often.”
Grinning, I nod. “I’d love to. I haven’t been to Hamilton in forever.”
“Come up for the weekend. We’ll leave the twins with the boys and go shopping.”
“That sounds great.”
Logan and Amelia walk into the entranceway, hand in hand with an older woman who I assume is Hayley’s mother.
“Here are my babies.” Drew squats and holds his arms open. They both run toward him, and I smile at those little legs running.
“Dad!” Logan yells.
“Dad!” Amelia follows suit.
Drew picks them up, balancing one on each hip. “I’m not sure how I’ll cope when I can’t hold both you guys like this.” He laughs, planting kisses on the top of their heads. “Did you miss me?”
Amelia nods, resting her head in Drew’s neck.
He leans his chin to rest on her head. “Oh, I love you two.”
My heart swells watching them. I wanted children early on, but Garrett wanted to wait. And wait. By the time I’d had enough and walked, I knew I wouldn’t have any of my own. But at the same time, I was glad I hadn’t had any with him. It would have made everything so much harder.
Now I have the right man, but it’s too late for me to start trying. I’ve known that for a while. Apart from the potential medical issues for me, there’s a much higher chance that something could go wrong for my child. I can’t risk that.
“Come on, guys. Let’s all go through here,” Drew says and walks through a doorway to the right.
We follow him through to the living room. I can’t get over how massive this house is. James had told me Hayley’s parents were rich. It’s breathtaking.
There are photos and ornaments everywhere. I sigh. My poor broken house.
“You okay?” James asks.
I nod. “I’m fine.”
“Mia, this is my mother, Sonya,” Hayley says. I turn to smile at the woman who’d appeared with the children a minute ago. An older man walks in behind her. “And this is my father, David.”
“It’s so good to meet you. Hayley was just filling us in on what happened. Are you alright? Do you need anything?” David asks.
I shake my head. “Thank you so much, but I’ll be fine. I think I’d just like to forget about it for the night.”
Sonya smiles. “That we can hopefully do.” Her gaze moves to the side of my face. I’m sure it’s swollen and probably bruised. I must look a sight. “I’ve got a cold pack if that would help.”
“It might be a good idea, Sonya,” Drew says. “Mia had a rest before we left, but we didn’t put anything on it.”
“And you call yourself a doctor.” Sonya taps him on his arm before disappearing through a door.
I laugh.
“She loves me, really,” Drew says.
All I can do is smile.
Dinner is amazing. It’s supposed to be five courses, but we struggle after three. There are a lot of leftovers.
“You’re welcome to take whatever you want home,” Sonya says. “Then you won’t have to worry about cooking.”
“I’d love that. Thank you,” I say. “We’ve got a lot of cleaning up to do.”
She frowns. “Let me know if you need any help. I’m so angry on your behalf.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Why don’t you go and get some fresh air before dessert?”
“The
re’s dessert?” Drew asks.
Sonya laughs. “We’ll skip the last two courses and take a break, and then there’s dessert. Trust me, you won’t want to miss it.”
“Are you trying to fatten me up, Mum?” Drew asks.
Hayley slaps him on the arm, and he shrugs.
I look down the table to the two high chairs. Amelia’s picking at her dinner with her fingers. Logan is covered in what looks like the pureed potato we had with the second course.
“Those two are enjoying their food.” I nod toward them.
Hayley laughs. “They’ll be straight in the bath after this.”
“Logan looks like he’s having a lot of fun.”
She sighs. “He’s the one who likes playing with his food. He’ll have eaten plenty too, though.”
I smile. Logan and Amelia are so gorgeous, with their big blue eyes and dark hair like their parents. It does make me wonder what my children would look like if I had them. But I can’t think that way.
It’s too late.
James stands, and takes my hand. “Want to go and get some fresh air?”
“I’d love to. If I can walk.”
He laughs, pulling me to my feet, and we walk out to the back deck.
“This place is beautiful.”
“I’ve never been out here,” James says. He wraps his arms around my waist, and I lean back against him.
“Really?”
He shrugs. “Drew and Hayley usually visit me. I hope tonight wasn’t too stressful after what happened with Garrett.”
I shake my head. “No. Everyone’s been wonderful. And I love how peaceful it is out here.”
“Sonya said we could stay the night if we wanted.” James lets me go as I turn.
“Really? In that mansion?”
He laughs. “They have a spare room or two. I’m not worried. I had a glass of wine earlier, but nothing since so I can drive home.”
“I kinda like the idea of staying. Going back to the house doesn’t feel that good right now.”
James presses a gentle kiss to my lips. “I’m sure. We could always find another place to live for a while if we have to. Now we’re out in the open.”
I grin. “I feel so free.”