‘It’s a different set of rules in Hollywood,’ he said, ‘It’s all about that person. What I mean to say is Lydia is all about Lydia, then if she has time, Hattie might get some attention.’
Miro was studying him. ‘What about you? Did she have any time left for you?’
Avery met her eyes. ‘I think the fact we’re divorced probably answers that.’ He held her gaze for a beat too long and she saw the pain in them.
‘I’m sorry, Avery. She’s an idiot.’
Avery smiled wryly, and tapped his glass against hers. ‘She is that.’
* * *
Avery was starting to look forward to these times, alone with Miro, sometimes they would talk late into the evening. He found her intelligent, funny and smart, her natural warmth enveloping him and Hattie, and bringing a sense of…what was it? Home, he thought, she felt like home.
The day Hattie had led her into the room, something changed in Avery’s heart. This girl, fifteen years his junior, with a haunted look in her eyes had touched him deeply, and her obvious love for Hattie was palpable.
Do not fall for your kid’s teacher, he told himself sharply, but he couldn’t help the way his heart would lift when he saw her, hair messily pulled into a bun, blue jeans and sneakers. There was something so artless, so natural about her. The polar opposite to Lydia and her high-maintenance presence.
And he thought, maybe, Miro was feeling it too. They would talk sometimes late into the night, sitting closely on the couch, utterly relaxed in each other’s company, laughing and fooling around.
* * *
Two months later, the weather changed for the better – spring was on its way and Avery started to spend more time with his daughter and Miro. Thanks to Miro’s help, and Hattie’s patience, he’d been able to finish his book ahead of the deadline and was happy to be able to hang out with them both. He even sat in on a couple of Hattie’s lessons and saw how well Miro was able to instruct his daughter, help her out with math too, most of which was a foreign language to Avery. He held up a textbook in disbelief. ‘When is Hattie ever going to make use of this?’
Miro grinned and looked at what he indicated. Algebra. ‘Hey, don’t underestimate Hattie – she might be an astronaut one day.’
‘Yeah, Dad,’ Hattie shot back, ‘rolling her eyes at him. I might be the first human on Mars.’
Avery held up his hands, grinning. ‘My mistake, I apologize.’
The two of them ganged up on him then, teasing him, and Avery laughed, feeling a sense of contentment he’d forgotten how to feel.
* * *
It was as summer was beginning, that everything changed. A Saturday, late afternoon in June. Hattie had gone to nap, complaining of a headache, Miro sat on the counter in the kitchen, watching Avery attempting to make brownies.
‘Is it self-rising or plain flour?’ Avery said, his brow creasing. Miro rolled her eyes, grinning. There was a question every two minutes.
‘Plain. Also, you mix the stuff in a thing called a bowl.’
Avery glared at her. ‘You’re funny. You and our kid should do a comedy routine.’ He didn’t seem to realize what he said, but Miro felt her heart warm, and didn’t correct him. Instead, she entertained for a long moment the fantasy that this was her family, her daughter…her man. God, the tight feeling in her stomach when she imagined Avery being hers…she knew it was wholly inappropriate to feel this way, but she couldn’t deny her attraction to him.
‘You have to mix it until there’s no flour showing or it’ll taste wrong.’
‘Nag.’
‘Doofus.’
Avery laughed. ‘You’re fired.’
Miro grinned. ‘Again? That’s the third time today. You’d starve without me.’ She hopped of the counter and reached for the bowl. ‘Just let me do it.’
Avery pulled the bowl away from her. ‘Nah, I can do it.’
Miro laughed, and tried to snatch it from his grip. Avery hid it behind his back. ‘You’re not getting it, no way.’
She reached around his waist and grasped it. ‘Give it up, McKenna.’
She met his gaze, the atmosphere changed – god, he smelled so good, and then his lips were against hers, the bowl was forgotten and they were kissing. It was such a natural thing, so obviously right that they both forgot themselves, Miro’s arms curled themselves around his neck, Avery’s hands on her back, then cupping her face as he kissed her.
They were both breathless when they broke away. Miro started to speak but Avery hushed her.
‘Don’t say anything. Just…’ He pressed his mouth to hers again, and Miro lost herself in the sweet sensations flooding her body at his touch. His arms tightened around her waist, and he murmured her name in a way that made her groin quiver with longing.
She had to tell him, though, if this was going to happen…she had to tell him that she’d never done this before, that if she made a mistake, it wasn’t him, it was her…all these things spun through her head, as she felt his hands slip under her t-shirt.
‘Avery…’
But he shook his head. ‘It’s okay…it’s okay…’
He pulled her t-shirt gently over her head, then paused, checking to see if she was good. She smiled up at him – god, he was beautiful – and as he unclasped her bra and dipped his head to take her nipple into his mouth, Miro gasped, feeling herself getting wetter and hotter for this glorious man. More than that, she wanted to be vulnerable in his arms, and when he had stripped her, and was running his hands all over her body, Miro let herself go. Avery picked her up, and laid her down on the couch as he removed his own clothes, and she saw him naked for the first time. His broad shoulders, thickly muscled arms, so often hidden under sweaters, flexed now with his movements. His hard chest and firm stomach felt so good against her soft curves. Avery stroked the hair away from her face. ‘Are you sure?’
She nodded, feeling his cock hard against her thigh. Now. Tell him now. ‘Avery,’ her voice was a whisper, ‘I’ve never…’
His eyes widened in surprise. ‘No? Then, really, Miro, you need to be sure. We can stop, if you’re not ready.’
‘No,’ she took his face between her hands. ‘I am ready. I think I’ve been ready from the first moment I saw you.’
That delighted him, she could see, and he trailed the back of his fingers down her belly. ‘We can take this slow.’
‘I want you, Avery, I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.’
His kiss was rough then, passionate, reacting to her words. His hands slipped between her legs and began to stroke her clit, gentle caresses which sent shivers through her body, and he stroked her into her first orgasm, Milo burying her face in his shoulder to muffle her cries. ‘God, Avery…’
When he had made sure she was ready for him, he slipped a condom on his huge, rigid cock, and hitched her legs around his waist.
‘Darling Miro…if you’re scared, if I hurt you, we’ll stop. Please don’t be afraid.’
But she moaned at him to hurry up, and then he was gliding his cock into her, and Miro felt only elation. It hurt a little, but she wanted him so badly that she didn’t care. Moving together, their bodies entwined, Miro realized she had come home…that here, with this man, was her place in the world.
‘I love you,’ she said, with tears in her eyes, and Avery gazed down at her, his eyes serious as he nodded.
‘As I love you, Miro Harper. You have changed our lives. My life.’
He drove her gently to another orgasm; this time she couldn’t help crying out as she peaked, but she didn’t want him to stop, loving the joy on his own face as he came, feeling his body shudder, the force of his orgasm inside her.
They moved to his bedroom; Avery supporting her as her legs trembled, then as they lay down together, Avery covered her body with his, kissing her gently. ‘Stay with me all night,’ he whispered, ‘all night, my beautiful Miro.’
She felt so safe, so loved in this man’s arms, and wondered how she’d had a life before him, before
Hattie, before this place. The rest of the world melted away.
* * *
The next morning, she awoke, wrapped in his arms. She studied his face while he slept, the dark lashes resting on his cheek. There was a little half-moon scar at the side of his eye, and she traced it with her finger. Avery woke and smiled at her.
‘Good morning, lovely Miro.’
She smiled. ‘Good morning. Listen, do you think I had better go back to my own room before Hattie wakes? She may not be ready to see us like this, and I’d hate to cause any problems.’
Avery kissed her. ‘You always think of everyone’s feelings; another reason I love you. Yes, it might be for the best – but we should tell her soon. Hattie’s not stupid, she already knows I, um, am sweet on you.’
Miro giggled. ‘’Am sweet on me’?’ She broke into more giggles as he rolled his eyes.
‘Her words, not mine. She told me last week that she’d seen the way I look at you. I don’t imagine she’ll be…unhappy.’
Miro smiled. ‘I hope not. Look, I’ll just go check on her.’
Avery stopped her. ‘Wait, before you go…’
He kissed her again, and then their bodies curved around the others, and they made love slowly, drinking each other in.
* * *
Afterwards, Miro slipped from the bed and went to her room to find her robe. She diverted from her path to Hattie’s room to rescue her clothes from the living room. I’m no longer a virgin, she thought to herself in wonder. She felt…changed, but in a good way as if some of the walls she had built up inside her had come crashing down, only to reveal a new, better, more exciting life.
Her body ached pleasantly; her thighs, her vagina all pulsing with the hot blood that making love had sent through her veins. She felt alive in a way she hadn’t since before her parents and sister had died.
She dumped her clothes back in her room then went to Hattie’s. Unusually, the drapes were still shut and Hattie wasn’t awake, her head buried in her book. Miro frowned and sat down on the side if her bed.
‘Hattie?’ She smoothed the girl’s hair away from her hot forehead. Hattie half-opened her eyes and gave a moan, and fear spiked in Miro’s heart. ‘Sweetheart, what is it?’
‘Head hurts,’ Hattie mumbled, her voice so low Miro had to bend to hear her. ‘My eyes are sparkling.’
‘Your eyes?’
‘It’s like glitter sparkling but every time it glitters, it hurts.’
Miro bent to kiss her head. ‘Darling, I’m going to get your dad, and I’ll get something for your pain, okay? Just hang on a sec, for me.’
Miro darted out of the room, fear making her feel sick. Meningitis? Migraine? She found Avery in his bathroom; his smile faded when he saw her expression.
‘I think Hattie’s really sick.’ She told him what Hattie had described, and Avery, his face pale, nodded.
They took Hattie to the emergency room in Portland. By this time, Hattie was completely listless, limp in Mori’s arms as they rode in the back of the car together.
The staff at the city hospital were immediately on hand to help then. Hattie was taken for a CT scan, and Miro and Avery could only wait in the relative’s room. Miro found herself clutching Avery’s hand tightly as they waited. Please, no, not Hattie, she kept thinking, and then there was anger. No, you’ve already done this to me once; you’re not taking her too.
She squeezed her eyes shut to stop the tears, but they fell anyway. Avery pulled her to him, his own eyes troubled and scared, and they held each other.
Much, much later, the doctor came to see them, and the expression on his face made Miro’s heart freeze.
‘I’m afraid I have some troubling news, but I don’t want to scare you. Hattie has what we think is a small tumor in her brain. The actual name for it is Medulloblastoma. Now, before you get upset, we caught it early. Usually, in these cases, the child’s pain is written off as just headaches and ignored until it’s too late, but because you caught it as soon as symptoms began, we are confident that we can operate. But we will have to operate.’
Avery could barely get his mouth to work. ‘Will she be okay, doc?’
‘I want to be honest with you entirely. Her chances of survival for this type of cancer are fifty to sixty percent. If you’d like, we can transfer Hattie to a cancer specialist, but our neurosurgeon here is one of the best in the country. I’ll leave you to talk. You can see Hattie in a little while.’
Miro turned to Avery, and wrapped her arms around him. ‘I’m so sorry, Avery.’
He leaned his head against hers and sighed. ‘I can’t believe this.’
She stroked his face. ‘We will help her get through this, I promise. Avery…I think you need to call Lydia.’
‘God.’ Avery dropped his head into his hand but he nodded. ‘I know.’ He looked up at her. ‘Miro, you should know, with Lydia…she’ll take over everything. She’ll treat you like crap. I won’t let her get away with it, I promise.’
She kissed him. ‘I know you won’t, but this is about Hattie, not me. I can ride out the Lydia storm.’
He took her face in his hands. ‘Just remember I love you.’
Avery had not been exaggerating. Lydia McKenna, in all her sleek, ebony-skinned, long-limbed elegance, swept into the hospital, ready for her performance as ‘the concerned mother’.
Expecting the doctors to fawn over her as they would have done at Cedars Sinai in L.A., she was nonplussed the doctors and nurses here, who seemed oblivious to her fame, ignored her grand-standing. Lydia barely acknowledged Miro’s presence, but Miro could not have cared less. She sat by Hattie’s bed quietly, as Avery introduced her, then listened while Hattie’s parents discussed their daughter’s care.
* * *
When Hattie woke in the middle of the night, the intense pain had dimmed. The smell of antiseptic, pee, and stale food made her feel sick and she screwed up her nose. The room was dark, and she could hear her father’s quiet snores as he slept in a chair. A cool hand took her hand and she blinked, startled.
‘Hattie? Darling?’
Her mother leaned forward, and smiled at her. Hattie couldn’t speak for a moment. A terrible disappointment tore through her, then she immediately felt guilty.
‘Mom?’
It sounded wrong, so wrong. The word stuck in her throat.
‘Darling you’re in a hospital. Did Daddy tell you what’s going on?’
‘Where’s Miro?’
Her mother was quiet and Hattie saw her lips tighten. She pushed a few damp hairs away from her face. There were tubes coming from her arms, machines bleeping. Her head felt muzzy.
‘Careful, darling, careful. You’re very sick, Hattie, my love. When your father wakes up, we’ll tell you what’s going on.’
‘Where’s Miro?’ Hattie asked again.
Lydia made a frustrated noise. ’She’s not part of this family, Harriet.’
‘My name is not Harriet.’
Annoyed, Lydia turned away and prodded Avery hard in the ribs. He coughed, and opened his eyes.
‘Avery, your daughter is awake.’ Lydia’s tone was snippy.
Avery ignored her barbed tone, and smiled at his daughter. ‘Hey, sweetheart. How do you feel?’
‘I’m okay. Where’s Miro?’
Hattie heard her mother make a sound, and her chair squeaked as she shifted in it. Avery shot her an annoyed look before his expression cleared.
‘Miro’s at home at the moment. She’ll be pleased to hear you’ve woken up. She’s not here…well, because the hospital only allows two visitors per patient and…’
‘And, of course, it should be your mom and dad who stay with you.’ Her mother finished in a high voice. Avery saw Hattie roll her eyes, and he grinned.
‘Shall I call her?’
Hattie nodded with rather too much force, which made her groan in pain. Avery squeezed her hand again, and left the room.
Hattie didn’t want to look at her mother. There was an uncomfortable sile
nce.
‘Well.’ Lydia said and fell quiet.
* * *
Hattie was in hospital for just over a week. Lydia had refused to give up her vigil at her bedside enjoying the attention, when the nurses finally praised her devotion to her child. Avery rolled his eyes and gave up his place to Miro a couple of times. Hattie’s joy at seeing Miro did not go unnoticed – neither did Avery’s obvious affection for her – and, one evening very late, Hattie heard her parents arguing in whispers outside her door.
‘She’s not her mother, Avery.’
‘At least she’s here,’ her father’s voice was rigid with anger, ‘she’s more of a mother than you know how to be.’
Her mother gasped and began to cry. There was a silence then Avery sighed.
‘Please, Lydia, stop with the crocodile tears.’
Hattie’s mother’s sobs slowed and stopped.
‘I suppose you think I enjoy being away from my child?’
‘No, I… ah jeez, Lydia…I don’t know what to think anymore. But Hattie’s very fond of Miro, as am I, and whether or not you approve, she is a big part of our lives. I’m not sending her away because of one of your tantrums. Miro is part of this family whether you like it or not.’
Another silence.
‘Oh, my god, you’re fucking her.’
Hattie’s eyes widened, and she craned to hear what her father would say. She heard him sigh. ‘Keep your voice down, Lydia, for Christ’s sake. Yes, Miro and I are in the early stages of a relationship.’
Hattie, despite her pain, raised her arms in triumph, utterly delighted, but then she dropped them. Despite her mother’s abandonment, Hattie still loved her; she was her mother. Just because she didn’t want her and her father back together, making him sad, didn’t mean she wanted her mother to be sad either.
‘Well…you moved on fast.’
‘Do you really want to compare ‘moving-on-fasts’?’
‘That’s not fair.’
‘I think it is. At least we were already divorced when I fell in love with someone else.’
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