I looked up at Luc. This was his world. Things happened and it was another messy blot on the ledger, but the world kept moving. No matter what I felt about what had happened lately, I realized this was my life as well. No pretending, no skirting around the edges. This was what I had chosen, and I would do it again.
"I haven't changed my mind," I told him.
Luc dipped down and brushed his lips against mine and I felt some tension drain away with the tender gesture.
"Are you sure we can't elope?" he asked me.
Chapter Sixty Three
Mia
"Is anyone here today?" I asked Kelly as a precaution once I reached the desk.
"Just you today, sugar," Kelly told me.
Relief flooded me instantly. I had been terrified that I would have a run in with Xavier again and my plan was as detailed asavoid him for as long as possible. Taking a few deep breaths, I walked into Maria’s room. When she looked up, I watched the color drain from her face.
"Are you on your own?" Maria asked me.
I nodded and stood at the foot of her bed.
"Mia," Maria started.
"He deserves to know, Maria."
She closed her eyes and let out a small sigh. "Please sit."
Usually, I sat with her on the bed but this time I pulled a chair and sat beside her.
"There's a part of me that wants to tell him," Maria admitted.
"Then why not just do it?" I asked.
Maria's eyes filled with tears. "How am I meant to tell him that Charlie isn't his Dad? He adored that man. Charlie did everything for him."
"What happened?"
No longer able to contain it, a tear dripped down Maria's face. "A stupid, stupid decision," she said. "Xavier had been arguing with Emilia and he came by to see Charlie. Charlie was out of town on business. Even now I don't know how it happened..." Maria dropped her face into her hands and I waited for her to speak again. "I fell pregnant and Xavier... he wanted me to terminate the pregnancy, but I just couldn't do it. I told him I'd say it was Charlie's baby and Charlie was so thrilled when he found out I was pregnant."
She looked at the scar on the back of her hand. Maria had said that she couldn't even remember why Xavier had done that to her.
"He stabbed you because he thought you were going to say something," I said, putting the pieces together.
"He wasn't willing to lose Emilia. Despite what happened, he loves her dearly just like I loved Charlie."
That had been Xavier's warning shot at Maria. A way to show her that he could and would do worse if he didn’t keep their secret. His words rang in my ears again and Dad’s face flitted across my mind.
"Luc looked so much like me when he started growing up that there was never a question that he might not be Charlie's."
"You made Xavier his godfather," I said. "That's twisted."
"He and Charlie were best friends," Maria explained. "He wouldn't let it go, Mia. It's like he wanted to be a part of Luc's life without telling him. Then the twins came along and everyone got busy. I left Charlie and Xavier only saw him sparingly."
My heart ached with all the information and Luc was in the dark about integral parts of his life.
"And then Charlie," Maria said, choking on a sob. "Charlie died because of Xavier. He always knew what loyalty was."
The bile rose in my throat and I rushed out of the room so that I could be sick. When I returned, Maria's tears had dried.
