I leaned against him gently. "Are you having a midlife crisis at 26?"
He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. "No. I guess I miss my Dad today. I'd like to think he's somewhere proud of me."
"I'm sure he is."
"I wish he could have met you, Mia."
"Do you think he would have liked me?" I asked.
"I think he would have been surprised by you. You surprised everyone but yes, I think he would have loved you."
My thoughts strayed to Dad and the fact that we still weren’t talking, and felt a fresh wave of pain hit me. I’d been trying to push past the hurt every day and focus on what my life was now, but it was hard to block him out entirely. Maybe giving him some space before trying again would be the best plan.
"Come on," Luc said. "I've done enough wallowing today. You owe me a birthday present." The devilish glint in his eye made me slap his arm, the sound echoing in the cavernous room.
"Seriously? We're in a church."
"I figure if I'm going to hell anyway, I should enjoy it."
Chapter Fifty Five
Lucas
Later when we both emerged from the shower, birthday present well and truly delivered, Mia said, "I thought we could head down to the beach and spend some time down there."
I sat on the bed as Mia dropped the towel she had been wrapped in and rummaged through her case. Her skin had lost some of the summer glow and a few neat bruises blossomed on her side from where my teeth had nipped her. It was difficult to be gentle with her when I wanted her so desperately the moment we were alone.
"Luc, are you listening to me?" She shot a look over her shoulder, all doe eyed and innocent. Mia had no idea just how tangled I was in her web.
I blinked and a grin slowly spread on my face. "Princess, how do you expect me to pay attention when you're standing there like that?"
Mia flushed pink before pulling on some underwear and sweatpants.
"How does the beach sound?" she tried again.
"Sounds fine to me."
She pulled on a sweater and I frowned to see her covered up. I rose from the bed.
"I'll meet you in the lobby," Mia told me. "I need to do something."
I narrowed my eyes. "What are you doing?"
"Sneaking off to see the love of my life."
It only took a few steps for me to clear the room and pin her against the wall. "I hope you're joking."
I knew she was, but she needed to get a better sense of humour.
Mia's hands were splayed on my chest and she grinned at me. "Not in the slightest. I want to check up on Cerb."
I rolled my eyes and she gently tapped my chin with her fist. "Don't be jealous because I love him more than you."
"I can't believe the bloody dog gets more attention than I do these days."
"I can't believe you're saying that to me after the two weeks we've spent together." As I mused Mia's point, she ducked under my arm and made for the door. "See you down there."
When Mia left, I changed into jeans and a sweatshirt. Before I left, I went to my case and pulled out the small blue box that had taken me and Dante an age to decide on, before pushing it into my pocket. Once I joined Mia, she led me down onto the beach where a small bonfire was already roaring with life.
