The door opened, and in walked several more men wearing suits, along with Ellen Pierce, Alex, and Johnathan, as well as Teresa Somerhaus’s father, Charles. They eased into the room and came to stand behind them. Damien’s eyes roamed from one face to another.
“Welcome to the hard way,” Mia told him. “We didn’t feel the need to hold out. We’d like to introduce you to our legal team. As well as the upstanding citizens who are willing to testify on our behalf. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ve got some things to take care of.”
“Did I mention we’ll be asking for legal fees?” Phoenix added, glancing behind him before meeting Damien’s bewildered gaze. “And this is going to cost you.”
Mia pushed her chair back and got to her feet, Phoenix and Tarik standing with her. Mia didn’t bother looking at Damien as they walked out. The last thing she heard was one of Damien’s lawyers asking if they could have a few minutes alone with Phil.
»»»»»♥«««««
TARIK FOLLOWED MIA and Phoenix out of the room. He only released her hand so that she could move in front of him as they exited.
“You did well,” Phoenix told Mia when they went into Phoenix’s office.
Tarik closed the door, effectively shutting out everyone else who was now filing from the conference room behind them. He knew some of them would want to talk, but for now, he wanted a moment alone with her and Phoenix. They had agreed to wait for Phil, knowing that he would finish up the meeting with the lawyers regardless of the outcome, otherwise Tarik would’ve suggested they go back to the condos.
“Do you think he’s going to drop everything?” Mia asked as Phoenix led her over to his desk.
Stepping behind her, Tarik placed his hands on her shoulders and urged her to lean back against him. He suddenly needed to feel her.
“I don’t think he’s going to have a choice. Damien Landry is a bully. His first mistake was thinking that I wouldn’t come back with something. Proof that he doesn’t know me very well. Nor did he know my father.”
“Sidney would’ve buried Damien in debt if he were alive,” Tarik informed Mia. “Not that Landry hasn’t done a good job of that already.”
Phoenix perched on the edge of his desk, holding one of Mia’s hands. “Now, I will say that according to Phil, there is a good chance you could win a countersuit against him for the ten million,” Phoenix informed her. “Even if he does drop all of it, we can still go after that.”
“No,” Mia said adamantly. “I just want him to go away. I didn’t want his money when I asked for the divorce, and I don’t want it now. I want to move on with the rest of my life.”
Tarik really liked the sound of that. Although he wasn’t quite sure just what that entailed, he had a few ideas.
A knock sounded on the door, and before he could move, Phoenix called out that it was unlocked.
Phil stuck his head in the door. “Can I talk to you a minute?” he asked Phoenix.
“I’ll be right back,” Phoenix told them both before following Phil out into the hallway and once again closing the door.
Tarik turned Mia in his arms and pulled her against him, resting his chin on the top of her head.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice muffled as she buried her face against his jacket.
“I’m not sure what you’re thanking me for,” he said, pulling back and tilting her head so he could meet her eyes.
“I know you did this. I know you’re the one who called Harrison, and you’re the one who convinced Phoenix to file a countersuit if Damien was going to keep moving forward. So, thank you.”
“I don’t need any thanks, Mia,” Tarik told her.
“I know why you did it,” she said softly, her small hands coming up to cup his cheeks. He leaned into her touch, his eyes locked with hers.
“Why’s that?”
“Because you love us.”
Tarik shifted his gaze away from her, unsure what to say to that.
“Look at me,” she said, her tone just as soft but much more commanding than before. “You can pretend that’s not the case, but—”
“I’m not pretending, Mia,” he told her sadly.
“Maybe not, but I’m here to tell you that this” — her hand slid down to rest just over his heart — “this feeling you get when the three of us are together, that’s love.”
He swallowed hard.
“You might think it’s a foreign emotion, but it’s not. You feel it just the same as we do. You didn’t grow up with someone showing you what it was to love someone or even how to do it, but you figured it out on your own. You’re a good man, a strong man. And you feel from here.” Mia patted his chest again. “You might not understand it, but that’s love.”
“I…” Tarik had no idea what to say to her.
“You love me,” she said, a smile forming on her pretty pink lips. “That’s all there is to it. You love me and you love Phoenix. You might as well admit it now, because I won’t rest until you do.”
An answering smile formed on his lips because he couldn’t help it. This woman, she had found a spot inside him, and she’d burrowed there, filling him with that unnamed emotion that, yes, might be love. She and Phoenix had made him feel things he didn’t understand.
Mia’s face turned serious once more. “I know what it’s like to have your heart shattered in a million tiny pieces, Tarik. It sucks big-time. But what I didn’t know, until you and Phoenix, was that those tiny pieces could be pulled back together. Only when they do, the bond is stronger, more solid. That’s what I feel for you and Phoenix. I love you both. With my whole heart. Every single one of the million tiny pieces that it once was. It’s whole again. Stronger than ever.”
Tarik rested his forehead against Mia’s, closing his eyes. If she could tell him all that, her heart in her beautiful eyes, then he knew he could tell her just the same.
“You’re right, Mia. I do love you. And I love Phoenix. But it is foreign. It’s not something I’m familiar with, but I can promise you that I’m working toward it. Getting comfortable with it. I want to get there, to be able to express it in words—”
“You don’t have much of a choice,” Mia countered. “Because I plan to spend the rest of my life making sure you tell me how much you love me. After all, I have every intention of telling you how much I love you. Every single day.”
The door opened once more, and Tarik reluctantly pulled away from Mia. He turned to see Phoenix standing there, a solemn expression on his face. The door closed behind him, and Tarik noticed that Phoenix turned the lock on the knob.
“What’s the matter?” Mia asked.
“It’s done.”
“What’s done?” she inquired, her voice rising slightly.
“Damien’s dropped all of the lawsuits. Phil is putting together paperwork for him to sign stating he won’t pursue this in the future.”
“So why do you look upset?” Mia questioned him.
“I’m just trying to figure something out.”
Tarik’s brow furrowed as he attempted to follow where Phoenix was going with this. If it was all over, they shouldn’t have anything else to figure out.
Phoenix thrust his hands into his pockets, glancing down at the floor as he headed toward them.
“Why is it that you,” Phoenix said to Tarik, his face grim as he lifted his head, “told her that you loved me. Before you told me?”
Silence followed Phoenix’s question, and then it sank in for both him and Mia. She laughed, slapping Phoenix on the arm, probably for making her worry.
“Because I didn’t know until her?” Tarik suggested.
“She’s good like that,” Phoenix stated, glancing down at her. “But I already knew that.”
Mia moved into Phoenix’s arms, snuggling up to him the same way she was still holding Tarik, and then Phoenix reached up, cupping his hand on the back of Tarik’s neck, pulling him closer. Their mouths were just a hairsbreadth away when he said, “I love you. But you already knew that, too.”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear it,” Tarik said, the honesty in his statement surprising even him.
“And I’ve already told you.”
“No, you haven’t,” Tarik countered, hating himself for arguing.
Phoenix’s mouth touched his. “You own me, Tarik. I’ve told you that already. In my eyes, it means the same thing.”
“So let me get this straight,” Mia said, taking a step back and forcing Tarik and Phoenix apart.
“You own him. He owns you. I love you. I love him. You love me. He loves me. Did I get it right?”
Phoenix grabbed Mia, lifting her up and planting her on his desk before his lips met hers. “That’s the gist of it. Now what do you say we do what you said you wanted to do earlier?”
“Which was?” Mia asked, glancing between them.
“Move on with the rest of your life.”
“And how do we do that?” Mia asked.
Phoenix glanced down at his watch. “Well, we’ve got a plane to catch in just under two hours.”
“That’s not much time,” Mia replied.
“Agreed,” Tarik said, looking at them both. “So what do you say we start the rest of our lives by joining the Mile-High Club?”
The pretty pink blush that spread up Mia’s neck to her cheeks told Tarik just what he wanted to know.
She was game.
“But first,” Mia said, her smile widening. “We have to go talk to my mother.”
Phoenix’s face went pale, and Tarik felt his stomach drop to his feet. Talk to her mother?
“You didn’t think we’d move forward without telling her, did you?”
Well, it had crossed his mind.
Chapter Forty
“MOM! WHERE ARE you?” Mia called out as soon as the three of them stepped inside the elegant home that she said her mother lived in.
Phoenix’s heart was pounding a mile a minute, his palms sweating and his ears ringing. The last time he’d met a girl’s parents… Well, shit. The last time would’ve been in high school. Yet here he was, and he felt like that same bumbling teenage boy all over again.
“You’re still pale,” Tarik told him, chuckling.
“Shut up. So are you.”
“You wish,” Tarik retorted, following Mia as she disappeared down the wide, tiled entryway.
Phoenix remained where he was, taking a look around, doing his best to calm his nerves. It was a little ironic that he could stand up to grown men, both on the rink and off the rink, without blinking, but he was having heart palpitations because he was about to meet Mia’s mother.
“Phoenix? Are you coming?”
Phoenix looked up to see Mia smiling back at him from down the hall. She was obviously waiting for him, so he put one foot in front of the other, stopping only when he reached her.
“Don’t worry. We surprised her, and her boyfriend’s here. I haven’t met him yet, so I’m sure she’s just as nervous as you are.”
Right. Like he was buying that for a minute.
Mia took his hand, and Phoenix followed her into the kitchen, where he saw Mia’s mother, the woman who looked so much like Mia, sitting at the kitchen table with an older man, both of them drinking coffee.
“Mom, this is Phoenix Pierce and Tarik Marx. Phoenix, Tarik, this is my mother, Clarice Cantrell.”
Clarice stood and offered her hand. Phoenix could see the blush that was creeping into her cheeks as she looked at them both. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Phoenix said.
“This is … uh…” Clarice glanced over at the older man still sitting at the table.
“Her boyfriend, Al,” Mia supplied. “I’m sorry to be the one to introduce you, but it seems my mother has misplaced her manners.”
Al grinned behind his coffee cup as he watched Clarice’s face redden.
“Very nice to meet you, Al,” Mia said cheerfully. “I just wanted to stop by, introduce you. We’re going to be out of town for a few days. Phoenix owns the Austin Arrows, and they’re playing tonight in Buffalo, New York.”
“Against the Sabres,” Al mentioned.
“That’s right,” Mia said quickly.
It was obvious to Phoenix that she was hurrying through the introduction, probably as eager to get out of there as he was before Clarice began asking questions. He was all for answering them, but he needed a little time to prepare. Like, maybe a year. Possibly two.
“Well, we’ll be on our way. Our flight leaves in an hour, so we have to head to the airport. It was so nice to meet you, Al. Maybe the five of us can plan to have dinner sometime in the near future.”
“The five of us?” Clarice asked.
Mia’s face turned as red as her mother’s. Phoenix didn’t move. He couldn’t. He flipped his gaze over to see Tarik standing stone still watching the entire thing as it played out in front of him.
“Yes, Mom. The five of us. We really should be going.”
Mia moved quickly, herding them both toward the door. Phoenix’s feet didn’t argue as he moved with her. He’d seen the millions of questions that were forming in Clarice’s mind as they flittered across her face, and he really didn’t want to stick around to answer them. Not today, anyway.
“Mia!” Clarice called when they made it to the front porch.
“Give me a minute,” Mia whispered, pushing them down the steps. “I’ll meet you in the car.”
Tarik turned back and said, “It was very nice to meet you, Clarice.”
“You … uh … you, too.”
Phoenix laughed, but it was strained. He didn’t know what to say. Wasn’t even sure his voice would work, so he kept going, offering her a wave as he climbed into the passenger seat of the Escalade. Tarik joined him, and they sat there watching Mia have a conversation with her mother.
He had no idea what they were saying, but when Clarice’s eyes widened, her gaze landing on the Escalade, he had an idea.
“Oh, shit,” Tarik muttered.
“Exactly.”
Neither of them said anything more until Mia joined them a few minutes later.
“Well, that went better than I thought it would.”
Tarik’s laughter bellowed through the car as he reversed out of the driveway.
“Oh, and we’ll be having dinner with them next Wednesday. I’ll let one of you pick the restaurant.”
Oh, hell.
»»»»»♥«««««
“YOU SERIOUSLY HAVE a bed back there?” Mia asked, glancing over her shoulder toward the back of the private jet that Tarik and Phoenix had steered her onto a few minutes before. After leaving her mother’s house, they’d stopped by her condo and given her a few minutes to pack. When she’d started searching through her closet, Tarik had offered a helping hand, while Phoenix had chuckled at her after she’d started picking out clothes that obviously weren’t even remotely warm enough for New York — his words. When she’d questioned what they would be wearing, she’d been informed that their things were already on the waiting plane.
She’d thought they were kidding.
Evidently they weren’t, because when she’d walked into the cabin, she’d noticed their coats, which they hadn’t brought with them, were being hung up by a man who’d been introduced to her as William. When she had questioned her own outerwear at that point, Phoenix had gifted her with a new coat and gloves, which were so beautiful she’d nearly sobbed as she’d thanked them. Tarik had assured her it was their pleasure, not to mention necessary since what she had wasn’t going to cut it.
And now, here they were, sitting in the plush cabin of Phoenix’s private plane, buckled in and ready for takeoff. William, the flight attendant — at least that’s what she assumed he was — even came by and offered them drinks while the pilots finished with their procedures. After downing a vodka and Sprite, she was feeling a tad more relaxed than she had since that morning.
But her interest continued to be drawn to a door at the back of the plane.
“Relax,” Tarik told her, placi
ng his hand over hers. “I promise, once we’re in the air, we’ll make sure you get very acquainted with that room.”
Heat pooled in her core at his words. Swallowing, she sat back in her seat and tried to relax. She was strung tight, a nervous energy pulsing through her. So much had happened, and the day wasn’t even over yet. Now they were about to take a flight to New York, of all places, so they could go to a hockey game. It seemed surreal.
The captain’s voice came over the speaker, and he introduced himself and the co-pilot. He rattled off something about the temperature and the flight time, but Mia blocked it all out as she closed her eyes and willed the plane to get in the air.
She wasn’t nervous about flying.
That wasn’t it.
No, she was anxious to… Well, she was anxious to join the Mile-High Club, as Tarik had put it.
Twenty minutes passed before the captain’s voice came back on, informing them that they were free to move around the cabin.
“Ready?” Phoenix asked, leaning over her and unbuckling her seat belt.
She hadn’t even seen him stand up.
Mia slid her hand into his, her nerves rioting as she followed him to the back of the plane. She shot a look over her shoulder to see that Tarik was behind her, a sexy smirk fixed on his sinfully delicious mouth.
Once inside the room, Mia looked around.
Well, there was a bed. That was about all that fit in there, but it was definitely big enough to fit the three of them, and that was all that mattered. Despite being on the cramped side, the room was nicely decorated. Very similar to Phoenix’s condo with its black-and-chrome theme. There was a giant television on the wall.
“Did you want to watch TV?” Tarik asked, pressing up against her back.
Mia shook her head. Television was the last thing on her mind.
Phoenix had climbed onto the bed, fully dressed. He looked as though he didn’t plan to remove his clothes.
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