by Zavi James
"I can't imagine either of your sons getting this quite right," I agreed.
I gently pulled the brush through Maria's hair, freeing it of any knots.
"No, neither can I," Maria told me, laughing. "Though, I would probably put my money on Stefan doing a better job. Dexterous hands."
Stef's ambition was surgery, so I saw her point. I had watched him take knots out of my necklace with such patience and ease that he could probably manage hairdressing as well with his nimble fingers.
"How is your side?" Maria asked.
"Scarred but okay."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that."
I shook her head. "It wasn't anyone's fault."
Maria put her hands out in front of her and pointed to a scar on the back of her left. "I got that when I went to dinner with Charlie and he and Xavier Moretti got into a disagreement. I can't even remember what it was over. Xavier stuck a knife straight through my hand."
"That's awful," I said, looking at the scar.
"Charlie wanted to kill him." A silence settled between us. "You can ask questions if you want, Mia."
It was eerie how Maria could tell what went through my head and I blushed, continuing to run the brush down the length of her hair.
"I'm just thinking, it must have been difficult for you," I commented, trying to figure out the best way of vocalizing my thoughts.
Maria gave a small, slow nod. "It was but I loved Charlie so dearly. He would have done anything for me. A lot of men say that, but Charlie meant it."
"Why did you leave?"
"I loved Charlie and he loved me but having Lucas in that environment... I didn't think of children. There are people out there who won't think twice to get children involved."
"So, you left?"
"If Lucas split his time between Charlie and me, it meant that he wouldn't be there all the time. The little bit of protection I was able to offer him. Then I had Stefan and focused a lot of time on him."
I could fill in the gaps. With Maria married and having a baby, Luc must have spent more time with Charlie. Even if he hadn’t, Luc would have been poised to take over after Charlie passed away.
"I understand.” Sweeping Maria's hair into a bun, I took the pins out of my own so that it could be held in place. When I was done, I held out my phone with the camera open so Maria could look at herself.
"Thank you so much," Maria said and hugged me. I took in a deep breath and let the familiar scent bring me some comfort.
"Mom?"
Chapter Forty Two
Lucas
Mia broke away from Mom to see me standing at the end of the bed.
"Son!"
"Mia?" I asked, locking eyes with the woman I’d been unable to shake from my thoughts.
"Luc," Mia breathed. Her skin was covered in goosebumps as she took me in.
"What are you doing here?" I asked her. "You know who this is?"
I was utterly confused. The last thing I had expected to see was Mia hugging my Mom. She looked like a deer caught in headlights, eyes wide and conveying the same shock that I felt. This was not how I had envisioned our reunion.
I had spent a month away, wanting everything to calm down. When Dante had told me about Mia and Stefan spending time together, I knew I would need to go back home, and when Mia had said she needed me, all of my resolve had broken. I’d arrived back over the weekend and stayed at Dante's as I tried to get my head together and figure out just how I would fix things between us.
"Stefan's been bringing her here," Mom said. "It's been nice to have some female company. I don't understand why you didn't bring her sooner."
I finally turned my attention to Mom, taking in her words. Stefan had brought Mia there. He would. He wouldn't split his time trying to hide it all when he could just show her his life. Looking at them both now, I wondered why I hadn't just done the same. I’d gotten so wrapped up in worrying that Mia would pity me and that things would become complicated that I didn’t realize I should have taken the plunge and dealt with the consequences after if there were any to deal with.
"Mia, darling, would you get me another tea?" Mom asked her.
"Sure," Mia said, still slightly in shock. She took the cup from the table and left the room as quickly as she could, not looking at me as she whisked past.
"Glad to see you back, Luc," Mom said.
I walked over and gave my Mom a tight hug. "I'm sorry. I needed to get away for a bit. I had Kelly keep me up to date."
"Would it have anything to do with that young lady that I just sent to get me tea?" Mom asked.
I had never had to discuss a girl with my mother. Never once had I gone to her for advice regarding the opposite sex because there had never been a reason to, but she had hit the nail on the head. I sat on the bed and held her hand.
"I'm surprised, Lucas," Mom told him.
"Why?"
"When Stefan brought her to meet me, I assumed they might be an item. He seems rather taken by her." Mom squeezed my hand. “She doesn’t seem to be the type of woman you would associate with.”
The jealousy rose up in me and I had to fight to push it back down. Mia was too good for me. That was what Mom wanted to say as if I was not already aware. Mia was not the type of woman who should be slumming it with me when she could be on the arm of a future surgeon.
"But you, Luc," Mom said. She raised a hand and cupped my cheek. It trembled against my face and I placed a hand over it gently. "Something changed in you. Your father used to look at me like that."
"Yeah, and you left him."
"Not because I didn't love him. I just loved you more."
Mia walked back into the room with a cup of tea and placed it on the table.
"Thank you, darling," Mom smiled.
"I should head home," Mia said, ducking her head. "I'm going to call Dante to get me."
Mom squeezed my hand again and I said, "You don't have to go."
Mia looked at me with full attention and I swallowed the lump in my throat. I would never get used to how nervous she made me. "I can give you a ride back; just give me some time with Mom. Since you two already seem to know each other."
"Fantastic!" Mom beamed.
"You're staying?" Mia asked cautiously.
"I'm back... for good," I told her.
Chapter Forty Three
Mia
I quietly watched Luc as we sat with his Mom. He treated her like glass, so careful in his touches and words, completely in contrast to how he usually behaved. I couldn't get over just how similar they looked. The same eye color, same hairline, same slightly crooked smile.
Eventually, we said our goodbyes and Luc opened the door to his car so I could get in. The entire ride home was stiflingly silent, and I wasn't sure how to break it. I didn't know what to say to him. Luc didn’t attempt to start a conversation with me, his eyes focused on the road. Once we arrived home, he took his bag and walked upstairs without a word.
I’d had enough. I dropped my own bag in the hallway and stormed up the stairs after him. Luc wasn't going to be able to run from me this time and I was intent on getting some answers. When I burst into his room, Luc was sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. He lifted his head slowly and set his green eyes on me.
Any words that I had prepared suddenly failed me and instead of giving him a piece of my mind I walked towards him slowly.
"Mia?" Luc asked as if wondering what I was doing there.
Stopping in front of him, I took Luc's face into my hands before leaning down and kissing him hard. There was no hesitancy in Luc's response. It was a rush of tongues and teeth and tears. Luc pulled away from the kiss.
"Mia," he muttered and wiped the tears away from my face.
"Where have you been?" I asked him, trying my best to hold back on the emotions that had risen to the surface.
"I told you I needed to sort out the mess I caused," Luc gave me his explanation.
"And you couldn't message me?"
/> "Mia..."
"You couldn't pick up the phone?" I asked, my anger found its way back to me.
"Mia..."
"You didn't think that giving me a response was necessary, Luc?"
"Mia!"
I looked at him properly, a mixture of furious and upset and elated at the stupid, idiotic man in front of me. I wanted to scream and lash out and at the same time, wanted to hold him and never let go.
"You better start talking, Lucas," I told him. All of the silence between us had been suffocating.
"I'm so happy you're alive, Mia," Luc said to me eventually.
"Are you sure about that?"
The comment was a verbal slap and Luc shrunk back slightly. "Mia, I'll always be glad you're alive. Always."
He put his hands on my hips and pulled me so that I stood between his legs. As Luc rested his forehead against my stomach my hands found his hair. Luc's hand trailed to the edge of the sweater I wore and lifted it gently, but I pulled it back down.
"Please," Luc said.
The way he looked at me made me stop. He pushed my sweater up again until he could see the scar on my side. I closed my eyes. The skin was twisted and pink and I didn't want to see Luc's reaction to it or know what he thought. Perfection was something I never strived for, but this would place me at the other end of the spectrum. My eyes snapped open when I felt Luc's lips press against it gently. He pulled away and let my sweater drop before his arms were around my waist.
"Are you mad at me?" Luc asked.
"I'm furious," I told him, not bothering to sugar coat it. The truth was that I was more than just furious. I was overwhelmed and elated and terrified that he would leave me again.
Luc's grip loosened and he pressed his forehead against my stomach. "I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry."
My hands were back in his hair and my fingers ran through the locks.
"I should never," Luc said. "You should never have gone through that. It's my fault and I know that you're going to want nothing to do with this or me, Mia. I know but God, I've missed you."
Luc's fingers dug into me now as he held on for dear life. I stroked the back of his neck, unable to respond to him because of the lump in my throat. He thought I wanted nothing to do with him but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
"When I thought I could lose you..." Luc choked on the words and I tugged his face up to look at me.
I never thought I would see Luc cry. Everything about him led me to believe he was incapable of that level of vulnerability. Even when he had come home having ended someone’s life, he was withdrawn, but now I watched as his eyes filled and began to spill over. I wiped them from his face and Luc caught my hand and kissed the palm and then my wrist.
"I can't do this," Luc said and dropped my hand from his grasp. He pushed me back and stood from the bed, running his hands through his hair. He dug the heels of his palms into his eyes. "I should never have let it get this far."
"You don't mean that." The words tumbled out from me. I hadn't known what to expect when he came back home, but I felt like I couldn't keep up with him. Luc seemed as lost and confused as I was.
"Mia, I can't do this with you. If anything were to happen to you... Do you understand?" Luc held my upper arms and looked down at me with such intensity that I had to fight to keep eye contact.
I placed my hands on his chest and said, "I'm not Isa."
Luc closed his eyes tight and took a moment before looking at me again. The silence stretched between us before he spoke again. "She was like a sister to me. Isa, she was Dante's cousin, around your age. She'd visit us in the summers."
I didn't say a word, worried that if I replied he would close up again.
"Mia, I couldn't do anything to save her. I wanted to. I wanted to save her so badly. For me, for Dante, for Stefan. We barely knew anything back then. Just starting to learn and pick it up properly. Didn't even see them coming when they shot her."
Luc dug his palms into his eyes again and I pulled them away.
"She saw it coming before we did and pushed me out the way. She didn't think twice about what it meant for her. That was Isa."
“I’m so sorry.” It was a whisper that felt like it was swallowed by the room. My apology felt insignificant against the weight of the memory.
I felt my heart break for all of them. Luc had walked around with that burden on his shoulders for years. For a short moment, I was surprised that he and Dante were as close as they were considering the loss. The depth of that love and loyalty ran so deep that not even Isa's death had shaken them.
"I won't let you be a part of all this," Luc told me clearly. "I won't let anything happen to you."
"You can't make those decisions for me," I retorted.
"I killed for you, Mia. Do you understand that?" Luc asked me. The dead look that chilled my insides was back in his eyes. "I would do it again in a heartbeat. If anyone so much as came near you with ill intention I would kill them, and I wouldn't think twice."
I had watched the scene unfold that day. I saw the way Luc had stalked after Marco and fired his gun without hesitation. Each shot was a shot to kill. It should have terrified me that Luc was capable of everything the rumors said but instead I wanted him close to me. I should have been horrified that this man could kill without a doubt plaguing his mind.
Maria's words swam in my head. Most men said they would do anything for you but how many of them really would?
"This is my life.” Luc looked me directly in the eye as he spoke. "I can't change any of that. I'll do things you don't agree with. My hands aren't the cleanest. I'm late for things and I have a temper..."
I took both of his hands in mine and laced our fingers together. "I already know these things. You need to stop cutting me out of your life, Luc. Let me in. Please."
Because despite everything he was telling me, everything that should have made me walk away, I wanted Luc. I was ready to accept that this would be a life with him. My life.
After a moment he said, "I can try."
"That's all I'm asking." I felt a little light headed and took a deep breath before I continued, "You left me." That was what had hurt me the most. "After everything that happened with Marco, you left me. You didn't even say goodbye when you were leaving."
"Mia?!" Stefan's voice drifted upstairs as he arrived home from his lab.
"I'll be there now!" I called back, realising I hadn't messaged him after the hospital.
"I came to see you, but Stefan said you didn't want to see me," Luc explained. He looked exhausted for the day’s events. "When I told Lydia, she said maybe you needed some time to calm down."
"What?" I asked him.
"I left because I didn't want to make you any angrier. If you weren't ready to see me and talk to me then I wanted to respect that and give you space."
"No, wait," I said, my eyebrows knitting together as I realized what he had told me. “I told Stefan to find you. I wanted to speak to you."
"What?" It was Luc's turn to be confused.
"I was desperate to see you when I woke up after surgery, but it was only Stefan there. I asked if he could find you and bring you to my room. He came back in and said you didn't want to see me. I thought you were mad at me for leaving."
Luc didn't stop to hear any more. He wrenched his hands from mine and moved out of the room with such speed that I found myself running after him.
"Luc! Wait!"
I raced out of the room after him, but Luc’s stride was longer, his purpose more focused and I was at the top of the stairs, looking down at the entrance hall. Stefan stood in the hallway, sifting through the mail. "You didn't message me after the hospital." When he looked up he paled, realizing that it wasn’t me but Luc.
"Lucas!" I called his name, moving down the stairs. I hadn’t quite reached them when Luc swung for Stef, all his weight behind the punch. "Luc! Stop!"
He either didn’t hear or more likely didn’t care because Luc did not stop. He was livid that S
tefan had lied to us both. I watched in horror as Stefan turned back towards him and threw a punch in return.
"Stop!" I grabbed Luc’s arm and pulled him so that he took a few steps back. I knew how bad Luc’s temper could get, he had just admitted it to me, and I didn’t want to put it to the test against his own flesh and blood.
"She wanted to see me!" Luc spat at Stefan.
"She had no clue what you're like," Stefan yelled back.
"She is standing right here!" I reminded them both.
Stefan looked at me for a moment and I could feel Luc tense, ready for another round with his sibling. "You lied to us both! What was the point, Stefan?" Luc demanded an answer to his actions. My relief that he had chosen to talk instead of hitting Stef was only momentary as Luc ripped his arm out of my hold. I took a step back and pulled out my phone, knowing I couldn’t contain this alone.
"I didn't want her to end up like Isa," Stefan told him, eyes narrowed.
"None of us wanted that to happen to Isa."
"I loved her!" Stefan yelled. "And she died trying to save you. Only look at you—what a waste. She saved a murderer and a liar and if you had your way, Mia would do the same. You're not going to get a chance, Luc," Stefan told him. "Whether it was because of me or not, you left her. We've spent more time together."
Stefan had made himself an opportunity. It had been a ruthless move on Stefan's part, and I hadn't realized what he was capable of.
"Mia, tell him," Stefan said, turning to me as I put away my phone. "You would have kissed me Friday night if we hadn't been interrupted."
I shook my head slowly, "It wasn’t like that."
Stefan believed that night had come from something deeper, but the reality was that it felt like an obligation for him being there for me.
"She's not a replacement for Isa.”
"She belongs with me, Luc," Stefan told him confidently. "Even you know that. You're never going to be good enough for her. If she stays with you, she ends up six feet under."
Those words were enough for Luc to bolt at Stefan, tackling him to the ground.