Chapter Twenty
Logan
I was already on my way to the hotel when Mia’s assistant called me, letting me know I needed to get there quick. Mia was not okay.
My fingers drummed restlessly against the steering wheel at every red light that kept me from getting to my destination quicker. Of course, the rain didn’t help. We were experiencing one of our lovely Florida rainstorms today, which made every person driving think that the rain was fire dripping from the sky instead of water.
I was glad I’d put the cover on the Jeep this morning; otherwise, I’d be soaked right now. Wouldn’t do good to walk into that hotel, looking waterlogged.
I hopped out of the Jeep, leaving the keys in the seat for the valet, and I walked with purposeful steps to the elevator that would take me to Mia.
She had been fine yesterday. Everything had been going great in her path to being inspired. If she wasn’t okay, something big must have happened. Whatever had happened, I knew she’d be okay and come out of it. But I needed to see what had changed before deciding on the road to take toward healing.
And I would admit, there was a part of me that didn’t like the thought of Mia being distraught in any way. She deserved to smile and feel that peace in her soul. I wanted that for her, and I’d do whatever I could to make it appear again.
Jay was sitting at his desk, drumming a pen on a notepad, looking at his computer but not really seeing whatever was in front of him.
“What’s going on?” I asked, walking briskly to his desk just as his head popped up, and his eyes widened with concern and helplessness.
“No clue, but she has been a complete robot today. No emotions, except saying she’s fine. Something happened, and I have no idea what. I don’t even remember her being like this when her and the ex got divorced or when he married the woman he’d cheated on Mia with. She was her normalpush through, I’m not botheredattitude.” His right pointer finger came up to his teeth, and he nervously chewed on his nail.
“Okay, thanks for calling.”
His words carried new information about her past. The ex was an asshole who had cheated on her and then married the woman. Mia having a not-bothered attitude about the situation showed that she was in denial and refused to deal with the emotions as they happened. Pushing them back into her mind instead of feeling them. That hurt never went away. It was just hiding in her mind until, one day, the dam broke.
My fingers gripped the handle before I let myself in and closed the door behind me.
Mia was sitting behind her desk, typing away on her computer. She glanced up at me, and the smile she gave me was utterly pathetic. Full of lies and uncommunicative emotions.
“How’s it going?” I plopped into the seat, facing her directly, not a smile on my face to help cheer the mood.
We needed to get to the bottom of whatever this was.
“I’m fine. Everything is good.”
“That’s good. You seem to be really coming along in the process. Letting things go, feeling the moment as is.”
Her lips twitched slightly before she gave me that sad smile again. Most people, especially women, had a tendency to feel like they were drowning but would still say they were fine when asked. Like they didn’t wish to burden anyone with their troubles. They’d rather bear the brunt of the pain alone until it consumed them and only them.
Mia was hardheaded and wouldn’t admit to me whatever she was dealing with right now. I’d hoped we had established more trust, but whatever this was, she was trying to push it far back into her mind, lock it in a safe, and then throw it into the depths of her head. It wasn’t healthy, and she would only make herself feel worse by not facing this right now.
The rain battered the windows behind her, and while there was no thunder or lightning, the storm was still a sight to see.
An idea hit me like I’d been struck by electricity.
“Let’s go.” I stood and held out my hand for her to accept.
She tried to grab her phone, but I told her to leave it on the desk. She did so and placed her warm and feminine hand in mine. Trusting me to lead her to what I had next. No doubt she was going to throw a fit, maybe even unleash her Italian fury on me with what I had planned, but any emotions coming from her would be better than this unfeeling woman holding my hand.
The dam needed to be broken. She needed to feel whatever she was holding back.
***
We neared the doors that opened a clear path to the outside pool.
“Uh, Logan, it’s raining outside.” Her hand tightened on mine, and her feet slowed. Her fear of storms was about to go out the window in this moment.
“Right. Your fear. I’ve got this.” I gave her a smile of comfort before letting go of her hand. Then, I dropped my shoulder down to her stomach and wrapped my arms around the backs of her legs. She was up and over my shoulder in a heartbeat before I kicked the door open and started running straight through the rain. I jumped into the pool, cannonball-style, with Mia screaming against my back.
