“Yeah. I think you’re the only one who knows who I am though.” She tucked the large saber gunblade back into its black case hanging from her belt. The boys, having realized they’d lost her attention, and their chances of getting her to hand over her weapon, went off to another area of the room.
“If Marcus is here, he’ll know who you are,” I told her, knowing Ace’s brother would appreciate her costume almost as much as I did. She’d done an incredible job of replicating the character’s look from the game. I didn’t know what she’d done to her blonde hair to give it that light rose tinge, but it looked great, almost as great as her legs in that damn tiny skirt. I had to force my eyes not to linger there, but it was kind of hard when she was a sexy gamer fantasy come to life. That was so not a good thing.
I hadn’t seen her in the two weeks since I’d picked her up from that party and then spent the night cleaning up her vomit. I’d pretty much gone off on her the next morning, made her cry and then she stormed off, leaving me feeling like an asshole. A confused asshole, because she’d deserved everything I’d said to her. She’d needed a good harsh dose of reality, but still I’d felt like such a dick for being the one to deliver it. Since then I’d done my best to just not think about her, and focus on Katrina and our relationship.
“Yeah, he’s here and he knew who I was. He actually sort of commandeered my date.”
Date?
“Not that it’s a real date,” she added almost as if she’d sensed my negative reaction to that word. “I just brought a friend, well actually you know him. I brought Kris. Not you obviously. The other one. From . . . well I’m sure you remember the night. Anyway, uh yeah, he’s out there somewhere. He’s dressed as Cloud Strike, because he already sort of looks like him.” She was rambling and it was hard not to grin. “He doesn’t know anything about Final Fantasy, but I told him he had to dress up or he couldn’t come, and he really wanted to, but now I bet he’s regretting that since Marcus is, I’m sure, still holding him hostage to discuss which Final Fantasy game is the greatest, and anyway I think you look awesome too. Mad Hatter right?”
“That’s me.” I tipped my hat at her. “Now I have to ask, did you just get this costume for tonight, or is this something that’s been hiding in the back of your closet for a while?”
She bit her lip and gave me a quirky smile, “I may have worn it to Comic Con last spring.”
I shook my head and laughed, “You know, this whole gamer side of you is not something I ever would have guessed at.”
Her playful smile fell away. “The one time I mentioned in front of my mom and the twins that I thought it would be interesting to check out Comic Con, just to judge their reaction, they laughed and said those people were freaks and losers with no lives. So no, I don’t let many people see this side of me. It’s just not what people expect from me.”
“Screw everyone else’s expectations, and I have it on pretty good authority that Boston’s Comic Con is pretty awesome during the summer.”
Her brilliant smile came back, and I wished she could see herself like this, as someone who was interesting and fun, and know that she didn’t have to pretend to be anything else for anyone.
“It was a step just for me to wear this here,” she admitted.
“It’s good that you did. You’ve easily got the coolest costume here. I’m just wondering what your position is on the greatest Final Fantasy game debate? Thirteen?”
“Obviously I’m partial to the bad ass chick with pink hair, and I loved the spin offs they did with her. I think she’s an awesome character. I know everyone argues that six is the best, and I agree that the story, the characters and plot, and the scenes and graphics were great, but I mean, come on, have you seen my saber?” She grinned and partially unsheathed it from its case again.
I laughed, not at all surprised that she felt that way. “I agree that she’s pretty bad ass, and easily one of the hottest female characters out there,” I added before realizing I probably shouldn’t have, and then quickly moving on. “But, I have to side with the majority and say that everything about six was brilliant for that time when it came out. I think the story for six was awesome. The characters had good back stories and I think they were more original and unique in that one. Everything was just done so well and so detailed considering it was the nineties, and then there’s Kefka. He has to be one of the greatest villains from any of the games.”
“I won’t argue that,” she said animatedly. “No other game of that time had the detail and awesome visuals. And the story was really unique with so many characters, and it actually dealt with real world issues.” I chuckled and she blushed. “Sorry, I’m completely geeking out on you.”
“It’s alright.” I wanted to tell her that I loved when she “geeked out,” that I felt like I was seeing the real her, but I didn’t think that was a good idea. “So what has you hanging out in here with the kiddos? Party not crazy enough for you out there?” I joked, but when her face flamed and she dropped her eyes, I realized how that probably sounded. “I didn’t mean it like that, Mia.”
“It’s okay. I know I deserved that. I’m actually hanging out in here to avoid the temptation. I never go to a party with the intention of getting drunk, but it always seems to happen anyway. I swear I really am trying.”
“Look Mia,” I started to apologize for being so harsh with her before, but I didn’t get the chance to finish.
“Hey bro, there you are.” I turned to see Sebastian standing in the doorway. “Katrina is looking for you. Jax came back with Abel. We thought you might have gotten sidetracked. I told her I’d come look for you.” His eyes quickly shifted to Mia and then back to me. It was enough that I could tell he didn’t approve.
“Well, I better go rescue my date from Marcus,” Mia said, slipping past Bas and out of the room. He just eyed me carefully from his position, leaning against the frame of the door with his arms crossed.
“If you’ve got something on your mind Bas, just say it,” I sighed.
“How close are you and Sadie’s sister?” There was so much implication in his question.
“Geez, fuck, not that close. We were just talking about a video game, man. That’s it. She’s dressed up as a character from a game we both play.”
He straightened and uncrossed his arms. “But you know she has a crush on you right? I mean, the whole group knows it, so you have to know it.”
“Yeah, I know she did, or does, or whatever, but it’s nothing,” I insisted. The skeptical look in Bas’ eyes told me he had his doubts. The problem was I wasn’t even sure if I believed it entirely. It should have been nothing. Everything between Mia and I should have been nothing, but it never felt that way, and that meant things I wasn’t willing to consider.
“Just be careful, Chris. She might not be jailbait exactly, but she’s trouble.”
“Don’t tell me what she is Bas. You don’t have a damn clue. You don’t know her at all,” I said as I pushed my way past him, ready for this conversation to be over.
“What worries me, Chris, is that you seem to.”
I ignored his words and kept walking. I needed to get back to Katrina. She was waiting for me. For the first time though, I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I cared about her, a lot, but I couldn’t remember the last time we had a conversation like the one I’d just had with Mia, where we both got so excited about something we enjoyed. Katrina had her passions and interests, and I had mine. I valued and respected our differences; they weren’t the defining part of our relationship, but lately it didn’t feel like we were having very many real conversations about anything. So maybe things weren’t as good between us as I wanted to think they were.
Then there was Mia, and every time I was around her, it felt like there was always so much I wanted to say to her, like everything just flowed naturally between us. Even when I was angry at her, I knew with certainty that the reason I felt so strongly about what she was putting herself through was because I ultimately cared a
bout her. Caring about her was something else that seemed to come so easily. It wasn’t like I had to try. If anything, I tried not to.
I just didn’t know to what level I cared about Mia. Was it just because I saw so much in her that reminded me of myself? Was it because she was just such an easy person to like? Was it worth throwing away my relationship with Katrina?
No, I told myself. I was not my mother.
Katrina and I were more than that, she deserved better than that. Maybe we’d been drifting for a while, but it didn’t mean we shouldn’t be together or that somehow it meant Mia was better for me. I just needed to stop taking Katrina and our relationship for granted. I needed to remind myself of all the reasons I fell for her in the first place.
I would not ever be my mother. I would not do to Katrina what my mom did to my dad. I didn’t ever want to betray someone that way.
Chapter 16
Mia
My stomach grumbled loud enough for Sadie to hear across the table. I just smiled at her sheepishly.
“Don’t worry, she should be here soon. Since having Abel, she’s always running a few minutes late it seems.” Sadie was meeting Jaxyn for lunch and had invited me to join them. We’d arrived a few minutes early and had been waiting for about fifteen minutes, which really wasn’t that long, but I was hungry. I’d already eaten all of the chips and salsa the waiter had set on our table, and had yet to flag down out waiter for a refill. Finally, I spotted Jaxyn’s bright pink and purple head bobbing in the door just over the hostess’ station.
“There she is.”
Sadie shifted in her seat, sticking her arm up in the air to capture Jax’s attention. She spotted us and made a beeline for our table. She looked every bit the rockstar’s wife in her faded skinny jeans, bad ass, black leather boots and cute leather jacket. She did not, however, look like she’d just had a kid a little over two months ago.
“Sorry I’m late guys, you do not want to know about the diaper I had to change. I’m talking defcon status, had to bathe Abel afterward. Ky tried to take care of it so I could leave, but you should have seen him struggling.”
Ky changing dirty diapers was something I had a hard time picturing. It was actually pretty funny to imagine the intimidating rocker cleaning up baby poop. Somehow it made him seem more human and less like the scary Adonis who made me want to pee my pants when he was around. I wouldn’t believe that he had a softer side if I hadn’t seen it come out myself any time he was with Jax.
“The perfect topic right before we eat,” Sadie joked, wrinkling her nose.
“Sorry,” Jax laughed and picked up her menu to peruse.
Our waiter finally returned to take our order, bringing with him a refill of chips and salsa, much to my delight. We all snacked while we waited for our food. This was the first time I’d been around Jax outside of a group setting, so I’d never had the chance to really get to know her. She’d always struck me as being one of those rare, genuinely kind and sweet people, who was interested in everyone. I was glad to find out that I was right.
Even though I had sort of crashed their lunch, she acted like she was glad I was there, and I was pretty sure it wasn’t an act. After the engagement party, I worried about what everyone’s opinion of me was, and had been slightly intimidated when Sadie invited me to join them today. I’d imagined it going much differently, with me sitting awkwardly, nibbling on chips while the two of them visited. That wasn’t at all how it was.
They both included me in their conversations, and Jax asked me a lot of questions about school and my interests. Then she started telling me stories she’d heard from Bas and Chris about their days at Boston University. I listened intently, soaking up every word from the person who had known Chris since he was a kid. I laughed at a lot of her stories, making a mental note to bring some of them up the next time I talked to Chris online.
Two days after the Halloween party, he’d texted me for my League of Legends username and added me so that we could play together online occasionally. It was my favorite online game, and now I was more addicted to it than ever, or I guess I should say I was addicted to the feeling I got every time I saw his username blink online, or a message popped up from him in-game.
It had been over a week since I’d experienced that feeling. He hadn’t been online because the band had two shows in California this week and were shooting a music video on the beach while they were out there. Chris had actually texted me a couple pictures from the beach a few days ago, asking me if I missed the West Coast. I told him no. There were things I missed, like the beaches, but ultimately I was glad to leave everything there behind.
I’d hoped to see more messages from him after that, checking my phone a thousand times a day, but he didn’t send anymore and I wasn’t brave enough to initiate a text with him. Obviously if Ky was home though, it meant they were back now, so I hoped Chris would login to the game tonight.
It didn’t take long for Jax to move the conversation into wedding talk. Jax was almost as excited as Sadie for this wedding, throwing out all kinds of ideas and suggestions. I’d seen the pictures from her gorgeous Hawaiian wedding last year, and even more it made sense for Jax to be Sadie’s maid of honor. I had no idea how to plan anything, but very sweetly Jax gave me her number and said the two of us should get together some time and she would help me with anything I needed when it was time. There was nothing pushy or obtrusive about it that implied she was trying to take over. It was just that kind side of her coming out, and it made me feel a lot better about being the maid of honor knowing that I had Jax to turn to for suggestions.
Sadie showed us so many pictures on her phone of the venue and the ideas she’d found online, and all through the meal we brainstormed everything from cake flavors to song ideas for the ceremony and reception. At one point, I pulled out my phone and had them listen to this awesome, stripped and slowed down, acoustic cover of Stevie Wonder’s As, that I’d heard a while back. They both fell in love with it.
“That’s amazing,” Jax said.
“Yeah, I think I want that to be our first dance,” Sadie said and I beamed, so excited that I’d helped her find it.
When we’d wrapped up the wedding talk and were just sitting, waiting for the check, Sadie asked Jax how things were going being a mommy and if it had been hard while Ky was gone in California. It was the guys’ first time away for more than a day since Abel had been born.
“Of course it was hard. I don’t know how single moms do it. I mean I always had so much respect and admiration for my mom raising me by herself, but now, even after just a week of doing it on my own, that respect and admiration has grown exponentially. It’s also hard because I miss him so much. I love Abel, and our little family is so much more than I ever dreamed of, but it’s definitely an adjustment not having as much alone time to just focus on us. I feel like we didn’t really get the chance to bask in our newlywedness, because I ended up getting pregnant so soon.”
“Yeah, I can imagine how a baby might detract from your guys’ married fun time.” Sadie joked.
“Seriously,” Jax groaned. “If we want any married fun time, we have to be ready to go at the drop of a hat. The second Abel falls asleep for a nap, Ky is usually dragging me upstairs and tearing my clothes off, because we know that by bedtime we’re both going to be too exhausted and we need to cherish every second of sleep we can get before one of us has to get up to tend to Abel. Sometimes he’ll sleep through the night, but those are rare nights.”
“Sounds like you guys need another date night,” Sadie said.
“Yeah, but I don’t want to ask you and Ace to take him again. You guys need time together too now that he’s back, and Bas and Lissa have their own hands full with a newborn.” I’d heard Lissa had gone into labor the day after Halloween, so their new baby girl, Abby, was just two weeks old. I think we were all lucky that she hadn’t gone into labor at the party. That would have made for an unforgettable night.
“Lucy is on bed rest now and
could have the twins any minute, so she and my brother are out, and Vi and Jake are swamped with work. As much as I love Spade, I don’t know if I want to hand my baby over to him for a night. I’d be afraid of what those two might get up to in his bachelor pad. My son would probably come back to me tattooed, and I know his first word would be ‘fuck’.”
All three of us laughed and then I thought about her not having anyone to watch Abel. It was Friday and I didn’t have any plans so I said, “I could watch him for you tonight if you want.”
“Really? You would? That would be awesome Mia.”
“Yeah, umm I could watch him at Ace and Sadie’s if that’s alright with them since babies and dorm rooms don’t really mix. Then you guys could all go out and you and Ky would have a quiet house to go home to after, unless you don’t want to leave him with me all night, which I would totally understand.”
“No, Mia, I trust you, so if you’re willing to keep him all night, we will absolutely let you. Of course you can call us at any time if there’s a problem.” I smiled when Jax said she trusted me. It felt really good to have her trust.
Sadie had no problem with me watching him at their place either. “I don’t know if Chris will be home or not, it will depend on whether or not Katrina is in town or away for work, but I don’t think he would mind even if he is there.”
“I’ll call Bas and see if he and Lissa can get her sister to watch Abby so they can go out with us. I know they probably need it too,” Jax said. Then we made a plan to be at Ace and Sadie’s at five so that Jax could go over everything with me before they went to dinner at six. I was a little nervous. I liked kids, at least I was pretty sure I did. I hadn’t been around very many. Hopefully I hadn’t gotten myself in over my head by volunteering my babysitting services.
Saving Ever After (Ever After #4) Page 15