Mia cleared her throat.
"Dad, this is Christopher, Christopher, this is my dad, John."
"It's good to meet you, Mr. Ryder." Putting my hand out to him, he eyed it before applying his firm grip.
"Nice to meet you Christopher," his tone was flat. "Mia, why don't you let Christopher and I have a moment to talk…man to man."
Uh oh. Commence double check for guns.
"Uhm," She looked at me from the corner of my eye. I forced a reassuring smile. "Okay." She rubbed my arm and stepped to the kitchen. My eyes followed her until she disappeared through the doorway.
"Ahem." He deliberately cleared his throat.
"Let's have a seat." He motioned to the couch as he sat in a chair. He didn't sit back. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "So, Christopher, you were on tour with Mia and the girls?"
I nodded. "Yes sir."
"I guess at some point during that time you realized you loved my daughter?" he looked skeptical.
"Umm…yes." As the answer left my lips, my mind flashed back to all of the 'Mia' moments over our time together. I tried to pinpoint that exact moment I fell, the moment I missed the first time. The moment I didn't realize until my fucking therapist had to drag it out of the depths of my messed up head.
"You don't sound so sure, Christopher. Are you sure you even love my daughter?" One thick bushy brow rose. This man was really hairy.
"Dad!" Mia scolded from the doorway.
"Eavesdropping isn't something I taught you," he smirked.
"Look –"
"Mia, please, it's fine," she was about to argue with me, but my deep sigh stopped her. "He just cares about you." I turned looked back to John
"Mr. Ryder," he looked back at me. I made sure to hold his eyes. "I've never been surer about anything in my life." His eyes stayed on mine, reading my face.
"Very well then," he sat back into the chair. "So tell me why my baby is having a baby? Are condoms an inconvenience to you, son?" There went the caterpillar brow again.
"No sir," I cleared my throat quietly. "It wasn't something that was planned. To be honest I wasn't thinking clearly and even though the baby wasn't something either of us expected I wouldn't want to ever take it back."
"So if you could go back and change it you wouldn't? You would still be unsafe and allow her to get pregnant?"
I took a deep breath, sure, he was going to hate my answer, but I figured it was better than lying.
"No, I wouldn't change it. I couldn't want anything else, not now that I know and feel what I do."
"Hmmm…." He was analyzing my every move, my every twitch. "So have you thought about marriage?"
I was quicker with this response.
"She won't marry me," I grinned.
"That's my girl," he smiled proud. With that, he stood up and I stood with him. "Pleasure to meet you Christopher," he held his hand out to me this time. I shook it firmly. Then he leaned in close to me. "Just remember to treat her good because as the Chief of Police I have connections and a legal right to carry and use firearms." I blinked a couple of times. He chuckled on his way to the kitchen.
"You okay?" Mia pulled me out of my hunter versus prey visions.
"Yeah," I smiled and cupped her concerned face. "He was fine."
"Yeah well just ignore his threats. Every boyfriend I've ever had is still alive." She giggled, walking away.
Her comment about 'boyfriends' started to rip a whole in my chest. Grabbing her arm, she turned her head back to me with a questioning expression.
"How many boyfriends are we talking about?"
Mia laughed and shook her head pulling away from me. She hadn't answered me. She assumed I was kidding. I wasn't.
Many horrid visions were going through my head. The little girl with mahogany hair in the photo on the wall with her first crush, junior high Mia when boys started to notice her maturity, high school Mia when guys would be drooling and all over each other to get at her. I had to shake my head and swallow the large lump now in my throat. Just thinking that someone else had been with her, loved her, and held her was making me nauseous. I hated them all without knowing how many there were.
We sat around the dining room table laughing while John and Linda told stories about Mia and the girls. He had a nickname for just about everyone at the table. Mia was baby, Serena was princess, Ryan was Deputy Ryder, Laney was Fast Lane, Kat was Kit Kat, and Linda was Woman. He used them frequently throughout the evening. I wanted to ask the meaning behind some of them, but was pretty sure John and I weren't on that level yet.
John met Elliott the same night and had also pulled him aside for the talk. When Elliott came back in the room, he sat next to me with a stunned expression on his face. He blew out a large breath. I leaned toward him.
"Try being the one that got his daughter pregnant." I grinned and straightened back up.
Elliott smirked, "No thanks, dude".
Once the table was cleared, we went to the living room where Ryan was showing John his new video game. John kept rubbing his head and looking to Mia or Serena for help. Elliott came to his rescue with a pat on the back. He sat down and started to play with Ryan. John gave him a look of gratitude.
Mia was sitting away from me and I hated it. I wanted her close. However, I controlled my urges and stayed in my seat. The conversations changed over to the holidays. The fact they were only a couple of weeks away reminded me to talk to Mia about taking a trip to see Nicholas and Gwen.
After John and Linda left, I pulled Mia away to her room. As soon as we were through the door, I picked her up bridal style, which she yelled at me for. I lay her down and climbed over her body.
"Would you object to going to see Gwen and Nicholas?" She couldn't hide the nervousness and fear creasing her face. "Mia you have nothing to worry about," I smirked. "Nicholas doesn't own guns." She laughed and hit me in the arm. Leaning forward, I kissed her forehead.
"I just…I don't know. I mean you dealt with John, so I should probably do the same for you," she smiled a little and bit her lip with a shrug. She was just too damn cute. I pressed my lips to hers. "Are you trying to bribe me?"
"I may have to since I want to leave this weekend to see them. This way you can be back with your family for Christmas."
"Oh," was her response. "Did you already make the arrangements?"
"No." I pushed stray hairs from her face. "I wanted to talk to you first." She smiled and kissed me back.
After leaving her room, I called Nicholas to let him know we would be arriving on Saturday. Gwen called me a half hour later, over-the-moon about our visit, wanting to know what she should make for dinner, breakfast, etc. She also wanted to have an early Christmas with us. I knew Gwen would adore Mia. Hell, she was already infatuated with Mia. To Gwen, she is the girl that had drawn my attention and changed me. In Gwen's eyes, Mia was an angel.
The drive was mostly quiet, with a few questions from Mia about Nicholas and Gwen. When we pulled down the long driveway, I looked over at her. Her eyes enlarged at the size of the house. This was Gwen's pride and joy. She restored the old three-story Victorian home and decorated it.
Before I could get around to the passenger side of the car, Mia had gotten out and stood holding onto the metal frame of the open door.
"You ready?" I grabbed her hand. She took a deep breath and then nodded. The door opened before we took one-step onto the large wraparound porch.
"Christopher," Gwen cried. She hurried to me with open arms. I held tightly to Mia's hand and used my other arm to squeeze Gwen. She kissed my cheek and hugged me tighter.
"I missed you too, Gwen." With a smile, I kissed her forehead. "Gwen this is Mia, Mia this is Gwen." I motioned between the two of them.
"It's nice to meet you," Mia put her hand out toward her. I chuckled under my breath knowing Gwen wouldn't stand for that. Gwen grabbed Mia into her trademark mamma bear hug.
"Oh it is such a pleasure to meet you Mia," she leaned back and looked into Mia
's face. "Thank you so much." Gwen pulled her close again for another hug. I refused to let go of Mia's hand, so they had to work around that.
"Gwendolyn, let them in before they freeze," Nicholas chuckled from the doorway. Gwen pulled us into the house.
"I'll be right back. I'm gonna grab our bags." I kissed Mia on the temple and went back to the car. When I returned, I placed the bags at the bottom of the stairs and followed Gwen's voice. They were in the sitting room. Nicholas and Gwen were across from Mia on the other couch. I took my place next to Mia.
"So, Christopher, I was surprised to get your call. We usually don't hear from you too much." I shrugged and Mia looked a little confused.
"Well, I guess the impromptu visit would be because of something that I, I mean, we wanted to tell you." Nicholas sat up straighter and Gwen's face lit up.
"Are you getting married?" Gwen beamed. I could see the place cards, guest list, and seating charts in her eyes.
I shook my head and chuckled, "No."
Out of the corner of my eye, Mia seemed become as pale as a ghost does.
"Are you okay?" I cupped her face and pulled her to look at me. She just nodded and half smiled.
"Then…please continue Christopher." Nicholas was trying to mask his nerves.
"Umm…" I rubbed the back of my head. "Well, we're having a baby." I looked at Mia – who put her face in her hands, Nicholas looked angry, and Gwen looked like she would faint from excitement.
"Oh, Christopher!" Gwen hurried over and pulled me into a hug. "Mia." Gwen had tears in her eyes as she sat next to Mia and tried to calm her. "Mia, don't be upset. I'm so happy for –"
"Christopher," Nicholas's voice was stern.
There was no fighting the scowl forming on my face. This tone was too familiar, his disappointment evident.
"Are you sure this is…I mean, can you…are you going to be able to handle this?" Fear laced his words.
"Nicholas," Gwen hissed. "We can talk about that later." She joined me in scowling.
"There's no need to talk about it at all," I said sharply. "I can and will handle everything."
"I'm sorry," Nicholas said quickly. "I didn't mean to sound so…I didn't mean to offend. Congratulations." Regret had moved in.
Gwen continued to talk with Mia about her due date, if she knew what she was having, names, etc. Mia looked a little uncomfortable at first, but soon loosened up with Gwen. However, she didn't have many answers to the questions Gwen asked. I was just happy to have her here with me. To be honest the more I thought about having her in my old bedroom the happier I was to have brought her here.
We talked to Nicholas and Gwen for most of the evening in the sitting room. Over dinner, Nicholas couldn't control his killjoy attitude any longer.
"So, how have your sessions been?"
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Fine," I lied.
"Really? Because I spoke with your doctor and –"
"What are you trying to get at?" The sharpness in my voice caused Gwen to flinch.
"Christopher, you can't just stop your sessions. You need to keep at it."
"Wait," Mia's broke into the discussion. "You stopped your sessions?"
"I've just taken some time away so I could focus on more important things." I glared at Nicholas.
"Whoa there, are you talking about me?" She pushed back from the table roughly, looking intent. I grabbed her hand.
"I'll go back, but I just wanted some time for us, uninterrupted by schedules and appointments." My explanation wasn't hacking it, anger formed in her eyes.
"No, Chris, you need to keep seeing Doctor J. It's important." She looked like she was going to burst into tears.
Growling low, I shot Nicholas one last glare.
"I'll go back after the holidays." Mia put her hands on my face.
"You'll call him tomorrow." The look her face dared me to argue.
"Okay," Conceding, I couldn't argue with her or be the one to make her cry.
"Damn, I love this girl." Gwen laughed and tossed her napkin on her plate.
"I think it's time to retire for the evening." Nicholas stood and took his plate to the kitchen.
After saying good night, we headed up to bed. Showing Mia to my old room, she walked around and examined everything. I never had much stuff, just CDs, DVDs, books, and some pictures. Mia stopped when she came to the one picture hanging over my desk. She turned to me, her finger extended toward the picture.
"Is this…?"
"Yes," I whispered.
"She's beautiful Christopher." Moving to her side in three quick strides, I wrapped my arms around her waist. We looked at the picture of my mother. "And that's you?" I nodded. "You were cute."
"Were?" I turned her around to look at me.
She laughed and nodded.
"Yeah, I don't know what happened." She giggled and tried to walk away. I wasn't having that.
"Where do you think you are going?"
"To get my pajamas," she said as if it should be obvious.
"You won't need them." I smirked and pressed my lips to hers.
"Christopher," she said against my lips. "You're," she paused "Gwen and Nicholas."
"Are on the second floor, at the other end of the house." I smirked again and claimed her lips passionately.
She opened her mouth to me and our tongues began their lustful dance. Mia's pants and shirt were off within the four steps it took to get her on my bed. Her bra and underwear quickly removed. Having her in my bed, bare and open to me, was astonishing. I made sure our first time in this bed erased any other moments we'd shared.
* * * * *
Christopher having to put up with John was one thing I wasn't looking forward to. I knew how he behaved with the boys I'd dated growing up. He liked being Chief of Police; however, he basked in the glory of it when he got to use scare tactics on the guys Serena and I dated. At least the evening went well.
Christopher wanted to go and see Gwen and Nicholas to tell them about the baby. I was a ball of nerves. Unsure how this was going to go, I'd never met Gwen and was unsure how well she would react to this kind of news. Pulling up to the house, I was completely surprise by the size of it. It was a gigantic old Victorian house and it was beyond beautiful.
Gwen met us at the door and I was a little surprised. I hadn't expected such a welcome. It was clear she loved Christopher very much. She was still welcoming us on the porch when Nicholas arrived and ushered Gwen to let us come in out of the cold.
When Christopher walked back out to get the bags, Gwen grabbed both my arms and squeezed me again. She looked directly into my eyes.
"You have brought him back to us my dear. No small feat where Christopher is concerned." She smiled brightly and kissed my cheek.
"I didn't do anything really. He did it."
"Nonsense," she argued. "If it weren't for you, Mia, he would still be in that miserable place that this Christopher was locked away." She took one of my hands and led me to a large sitting room. The furniture was plush and luxurious, but it was also very eclectic.
"She's right, Mia," Nicholas agreed as he sat across from me with Gwen at his side. "You seemed to get through to him when no one else could." A warm blush colored my cheeks.
I was thankful when Christopher finally arrived and sat next to me. That was until he felt the need to jump right into 'spreading the news'. I couldn't help covering my face with my hands. He just blurted it out. Embarrassment didn't even come close.
Nicholas was shocked and angry. I could tell he was holding back. Gwen was thrilled and proceeded to question me about everything that I didn't have an answer. I suddenly felt extremely unprepared. After more conversation, we gathered in the dining room.
It was a very informative dinner too. I couldn't believe he'd stopped going to his sessions. And the fact he was using me as the reason pissed me off. I knew there was absolutely no way we could do this without him working with Dr. J.
Christopher showed me where his room was. My curios
ity took over, examining everything in his room. There wasn't much. He was definitely a minimalist; CDs, DVDs, books, and pictures about summed it up.
I paused when I saw the picture of him and his mother on the wall. I almost cried. My heart ached, taking in his happy childhood face holding hands with his mother. She looked down to him lovingly and proud. Christopher's arms brought me out of my thoughts. His lips and body brought me to his bed where he took his agonizingly slow time sending me over the edge multiple times until we fell asleep wrapped in each other's sweaty limbs.
I woke up early with my stomach churning in an all too familiar way and hurried toward a door in his room, praying it was the bathroom. I lucked out. After getting sick twice, I climbed into the shower and got dressed. Walking out of the bathroom, I noticed Christopher wasn't in the room. Heading down the first flight of steps to the second floor, I could hear raised voices. I tried not to listen, but I just couldn't help it.
"Damn it, Christopher, you aren't thinking clearly at all." Nicholas shouted. "You have JUST started to make progress and now you've thrown another thing into the mix you aren't ready for! Have you even thought of that?!"
"Of course I thought of it! Jesus, Nicholas, why can't you just be happy for me? Why is it that when it comes to me it has to be about the bad or how much worse it can be?" Christopher was shouting back.
"I don't want to think that way, but I've seen so many things push you off track so many times. What if this ends up being one of those times?" Nicholas had gotten quieter but I could still hear them.
"It's not," Christopher growled. "I love her and there is nothing that can mess this up for me, not even ME. This baby wasn't planned but it's a part of her and a part of me. There isn't anything I could want more. Can't you understand?"
I didn't want to hear anymore. I felt guilty for listening. Entering the kitchen, I ran into Gwen standing at the stove. She heard me enter and turned.
"Good morning dear," her face looked stressed.
"Good morning." I forced a smile.
"Don't let it worry you," she turned back to the skillet on the stove. "I've never seen Christopher this way and I'm sure you are the world to him. So is your baby."
Falling Stars Page 34