“What are you doing out here, Derek? You should be inside with your friends. Your family.”
I wasn’t about to let her push me away. I may not know Mia’s every secret yet, but I knew her well enough to know that this was her default setting. If someone was getting a little too close to the truth, too close to making her feel something she didn’t want to feel, something she wasn’t ready to deal with, she’d pull away, as far and fast as possible. Not tonight. Tonight I wasn’t letting her go anywhere.
Cupping her face in my hands, I looked into her eyes, not letting her glance away. “I’m right where I should be.”
“Oh.”
She folded. It was as quick and as painless as that.
Without thinking, I dropped on the cold, aluminium bench seat and pulled her into my lap, wrapping my arms around her tiny waist. When she wiggled her bony bum on my thighs, I couldn’t stop the groan from escaping, earning me a deliciously devilish giggle.
“You’re a witch woman. You know that?” I reprimanded as menacingly as I could with a shit-eating grin plastered across my face.
“Yeah, but you love me anyway,” she retorted without missing a beat.
Burrowing my face against her neck, I realized how incredible she smelt. I had no idea what it was, it was something I’d never smelt before, but I knew that no matter where I went, it was a scent I’d never forget. A scent I’d always associate with Mia. “Yeah, I do,” I admitted as I pulled back and looked into her eyes.
We sat for a while just us two, alone in the night. When she shivered, I pulled off my jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Even though it covered up all of that deliciously sexy skin, to me she’d never looked more beautiful. Maybe it was because while she wore my jacket she was claimed as mine. Mine. The thought of Mia being mine did things to me that right now, it was not the best time for.
“So, are you going to tell me or am I going to have to drag it out of you?”
Bewildered, I looked up into her face. With her face full of makeup, she was dangerously sexy, but then again, I’d seen her without it all and she was just as hazardous. “Drag what out of me?”
“Come on, Derek. Don’t play dumb. It really doesn’t suit you. When were you planning on telling me, and Zoe, for that matter, that you’re moving back here? Do you think we wouldn’t support you?”
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! She knows. I don’t know how or if she’d spoken to Zoe about it, but I didn’t like it. It wasn’t like I wasn’t going to tell them, I was just waiting until the right time. Until I had all the details finalized. That’s what I’d been doing while I was here. Figuring it all out.
“I was going to tell you, you know.”
“I know you would have. Eventually. But why the big secret?”
“It wasn’t a secret exactly. I just, fuck…I just didn’t want to say anything until it was all sorted out. And…”
“And what?”
“And I’m a chicken shit, okay? Zoe’s doing so well. I didn’t want to fuck that up.”
“You’re right about one thing, Zoe’s doing well. She’s healing Derek. Isn’t that what you wanted? She’s always going to love Spencer and she’ll always miss him, but she’s doing her best to move on. She wouldn’t want you stuck in the same place, thinking you can’t do the same. Frankly, if she had any idea of what you just said she’d kick your ass.”
“Yeah, she probably would.”
“And she’d do a fantastic job of it. After all, I trained her.” Mia looked so pleased with herself. “So, tell me the rest.”
“The rest?”
“Yep, the rest of it. Get it all off your chest right now. We’re the only people out here and I want to know it all.”
“You sure?” I wasn’t. The things I needed to say might terrify the girl. Frankly the feelings I was fighting would scare anyone to death. Especially the one girl, the one woman who was inspiring them.
“Hit me with it.” There was a challenge there. I knew it was fake. She was putting on a front. Pretending to be ready for whatever. I felt it in her body. She was tense. Holding every muscle tight, ready to spring away at any moment.
I took a deep breath then let it go, all the words went with it. I told Mia about the job which would start in three weeks. That I’d be moving back into the house next to the station. I explained exactly what I’d be doing and how long the contract would be. I confessed my fears at telling Zoe and then leaving her. I told her about the incident with the cutting, although she wasn’t entirely surprised by that one. I told her about Spencer and our dreams for this town. And I talked about Kane. He was a sore point. A regret I’d never be able to let go. I wish I could have done more to help him. I knew something was up, but I’d never pushed. Now his life would never be the same. Part of me felt responsible for it all. It happened on my watch and they were my best friends. My brothers. Nothing would ever be the same again.
“You’ll be amazing, Derek. I believe that.”
“You really do, don’t you?”
“Of course.”
