Page 34

34

MICHAEL

I sat at the head of the long table in the boardroom, but my mind was far from the presentation. My gaze was fixed on the projector’s screen, but I hadn’t absorbed a single word in the last ten minutes. This wasn’t like me. I was always laser-focused on work, especially in the office. Today, I was somewhere else entirely. I was back in my living room replaying a conversation with Mia the other night. She’d returned home after an evening with her brother and found me in the living room.

She’d stopped and smiled. “Hey, I hope you’re not working too hard over there.”

“Maybe I am, and maybe you need to get over here and stop me.”

Her laughter floated around the room, somehow making the space brighter. For a while, I thought I had everything I needed work and family-wise. Then Mia came along and showed me what was missing… this. These moments with her—even the little banter we shared… I had been missing something, and I didn’t even know.

She shrugged out of the top she wore over her dress, rested it on the arm of a sofa, and walked to me. Immediately my mind shifted gears from work to her . I put my devices aside to watch her. Her curves were impossible to ignore because her dress hugged her body in all the right places. The bruise on her left arm caught my attention, and I frowned. It was still slightly noticeable.

Mia’s steps faltered, and her smile dimmed. “What’s wrong?”

I was probably snarling, but it wasn’t at her. The memory of that confrontation with her ex still had me pissed. Each time I saw the evidence of his harassment of my woman, I wanted to murder him all over again. After Mia’s encounter with him, she’d been different. Something was wrong, but I couldn’t get to the bottom of it because she shut down each time I approached the subject.

I took my attention off her bruised arm. “Nothing.”

She knew better of course. Her fingers brushed over the discolored skin, and a flush rose on her cheeks. I immediately felt like an ass for making her feel self-conscious.

“Come here,” I said, patting my thigh.

The uncertainty clouding her eyes lifted as she covered the distance between us to sit on my lap. I had to stop letting my worry and jealousy get the better of me. There was no way I'd ruin this newfound contentment between us. Things were going smoothly considering the complexities around our relationship.

Cupping her nape, I pulled her close to brush my lips against hers. The way she sighed and melted into me gave me some comfort. I didn’t want Mia to drift away after we had bonded in ways I’d never thought I could with anyone, and I’d been worried about that with her periods of detachment lately.

“Did you read Poppy a good bedtime story?” she asked as I tried to give her another peck on the lips.

I paused. Even when I tried to make out with her, she was concerned about Poppy’s entertainment before bed. A laugh escaped me. I’d never have a problem with her making my kid a priority. I appreciated it.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

I gazed at her, probably with blatant adoration. Why hide it at this point? “You really love Poppy, don’t you?” Sometimes, it still amazed me that the perfect woman for both my daughter and me had just walked into our lives.

Mia eyed me as if I had asked her an absurd question.

“Of course you do,” I murmured. “I did, but she seemed disappointed with my acting skills. Nobody will ever top you with story time in that kid’s eyes.”

I felt her stiffen in my arms. She then eased off my lap to perch beside me on the sofa.

“Michael, if I ever had to leave, do you think Poppy would hate me? Would you?”

Her question hit me like a punch in the gut. My entire body tensed, but I forced my muscles to relax. “Why would you even ask that?” My voice rang with confusion and mounting worry.

Her gaze dropped to the floor.

“Mia, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s just… Things happen and…” She huffed out a breath.

A knot tightened in my stomach. I’d never been the anxious type, but there was too much at stake when it came to Mia. Was my fear of her walking away from Poppy because of me about to become a reality? Had I done something wrong in the mere months we’d been together?

Taking a deep, steadying breath, I asked, “Mia, are we okay? I mean you and me. ”

Her eyes flickered up to meet mine. “Of course. Things between us have been great… perfect .”

That was comforting, but her question still had me puzzled.

Days later, it still ate away at me to the point where I couldn’t focus on work…

“... Mr. Hayes, did you have any thoughts on that?”

I blinked and returned to the present. The room was silent, and all eyes were on me. Fuck . I had no idea what I was supposed to have a thought on. I glanced at the screen, hoping to come up with something fast.

“You know what, Steve?” Amber jumped in. “I think Mr. Hayes needs to review the data more closely before making a final decision.” She tapped her chin and nodded. “Yes. Send him the full report by the end of the day.”

There were murmurs of agreement, and the meeting moved on. My gaze shifted to Amber. I lifted an eyebrow and gave her a look which I hoped said thank you. You deserve a raise .

She gave me a look that asked, what the fuck is wrong with you?

I shrugged and leaned back in my chair. The woman who held my heart consumed my thoughts, too.

After the meeting when Amber and I returned to our private domain, she stuck her head into my office. “Hey, boss.”

“Come in, Amber.”

Smiling, she stepped inside and closed the door. “So… What the hell happened to you out there?”

I snorted my amusement because I knew she’d been dying to dig into what happened in the boardroom. “I didn’t get to thank you for the save… thanks.”

“That’s the thing…” She sat on the chair beside my desk. “Since when do you need saving? You’re always on your game.”

“I was just a little distracted this morning.”

“You don’t get distracted.”

“I’m human, Amber.”

“Since when?”

I scoffed my outrage and glowered at her, but the teasing glint was clear in her eyes. “Very funny. And here I was considering giving you a raise…”

Her little chuckle almost made me smile because apparently, I’d fallen in love and turned human enough to get distracted from work and appreciate my assistant’s teasing.

“Michael, I’m your assistant…”

“And a damn good one.”

“Thank you. But you’d say we’re friends, too, right?”

“Sure.”

“I’m a little worried because you’re never… off. Is everything okay?”

I rubbed the back of my neck. Talking about my personal life wasn’t something I liked to do. However, Amber looked genuinely concerned and maybe I needed a woman’s perspective.

“Yeah… No… I mean, I’m not sure.”

Amber leaned back, crossed her legs, and waited for me to elaborate.

“I’m sure you’ve caught on to the fact that Mia and I are…”

She smirked. “You two have been very tight-lipped, but of course, I realize. It’s cute how the two of you try to act”—she made air quotes—“‘normal’ in public. Even the blind could see how into each other you are.”

For a moment, I was speechless because I thought Mia and I were keeping things under wraps so well. “I see.”

Amber chuckled. “What’s bothering you?”

“Things have been good—really great—but there’s something she isn’t telling me. I can’t demand that she tell me because that would make me an asshole…” I glanced at Amber. “Right?” I was accustomed to dealing with associates in my typical detached sometimes, frigid manner. However, I couldn’t be a bossy dick when it came to communicating with my girlfriend.

“You can come off intimidating even when you don’t mean to, so I wouldn’t recommend that approach.”

I quirked an eyebrow. “I figured as much. So as a woman… How would you suggest I handle it?” I was a tad embarrassed having to resort to asking my assistant for relationship advice. “Everything we say stays in this room, got it?” I warned.

She rolled her eyes at my pointed look. “Of course. God forbid the rest of your employees know you’re human.”

I glowered.

“You can’t expect Mia to tell you her secrets if you’ve never told her yours.”

My eyebrows scrunched together. “I don’t have any secrets.”

“Have you told her about Poppy’s mother?”

My jaw tightened. Just the mention of that woman made irritation burn in my gut. “She has nothing to do with my current relationship.”

“Michael…” Amber let out a frustrated sigh as if she were trying to explain quantum physics to a toddler. “You can’t expect Mia to bare her soul when you won’t bare yours. If you tell her about the demon you once dated?—”

I snorted.

“Maybe she’ll feel comfortable trusting you with her secrets.”

“I can simply tell her she can trust me.” However, I didn’t see why she wouldn’t already know that. “My past relationship is irrelevant…”

Amber shrugged. “If you want Mia to trust you, show her that you trust her. It might encourage her to talk. You asked for my opinion, and there it is.”

“Fair enough. Thanks… maybe I will share the story of Poppy’s mother.” I’d avoided the subject for six years. People probably thought Poppy was dropped into my arms by a stork by the way I’d avoided mentioning her mother.

Amber stood up. “I have some emails to send out, so I’m going to get to it.”

“Okay.”

She stopped at the door. “For the record, Mia is crazy about you and Poppy. I doubt you have anything serious to worry about regarding your relationship.”

I wanted to believe that, but doubt still lingered. My deep-rooted skepticism fueled the part of me just waiting for something to go wrong. “Thanks, Amber.”