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Because of me.
“Oh, Jason.” She closed her eyes as she hugged him tight. His small arms squeezed around her, and I damn near lost it, so touched and moved by their close bond.
“I’m sorry, Mia. I’m so sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry for whatever I did that made you not want to be there anymore.”
“What?” She reared back, still hugging him but peering down at him. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m sorry I made you mad. I didn’t mean to spill juice on your phone.”
Mia’s brows shot up high. “What?”
“It was an accident.”
She nodded. “I know. But what does my phone have to do with?—”
“Isn’t that why you didn’t want to be around anymore?” Jason glanced up at me, confused. He’d asked me where Mia was, and I gave him such vague answers, not sure how to explain any of this. The decision not to be clear with him was kicking me now.
“No.” Mia shook her head. “No way. That phone was just a phone, a thing I can replace.”
“Then why didn’t you want to be around anymore? Isn’t it because I broke your phone?”
“No.” Mia sighed. “That’s not why.”
“Then why?” he insisted.
“I just had some… things to concentrate on.”
He sniffled. “But… but you aren’t even at the office anymore!”
She hugged him close again until his round of tears faded.
“Jason.” I crouched lower to where Mia knelt and hugged him.
He tucked his face against Mia but rolled his head to face me.
“Mia and I had… an argument. It’s my fault—onlymy fault—that she’s been away.”
Standing straight, he furrowed his brow and scolded me. “That’s stupid. Why would you want to make Mia go away?”
“You know what?” Mia looked around, noticing as I did that we were attracting attention. “Instead of making a scene here…” She stood, taking Jason’s hand. “Come on. Let me walk you home and we can explain.”
Jason smiled up at her like she was the mightiest person in the world. His eyes were still glossy with tears, but he gazed up at her with complete adoration and love.
“Will you tuck me in bed?” he asked in a small, quiet voice.
My heart cracked at how much he loved this woman, how much she meant to him.
“Of course,” she promised him, holding his hand.
Jason lifted his other hand to me, and I took it. He was due for a very stern scolding of his own, to hear me out about how stupid it was for him to run off like that. But it could wait. I imagined Mia would lecture him as well. That was how much she cared about him.
We walked, hand in hand, like a little family.
I glanced at Mia, who looked off to the side like she was fighting tears. And I hated all over again that I’d made her upset. Both of them.
I had a lot of fixing to do.
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