The jealousy rose up in me and I had to fight to push it back down. Mia was too good for me. That was what Mom wanted to say as if I was not already aware. Mia was not the type of woman who should be slumming it with me when she could be on the arm of a future surgeon.
"But you, Luc," Mom said. She raised a hand and cupped my cheek. It trembled against my face and I placed a hand over it gently. "Something changed in you. Your father used to look at me like that."
"Yeah, and you left him."
"Not because I didn't love him. I just loved you more."
Mia walked back into the room with a cup of tea and placed it on the table.
"Thank you, darling," Mom smiled.
"I should head home," Mia said, ducking her head. "I'm going to call Dante to get me."
Mom squeezed my hand again and I said, "You don't have to go."
Mia looked at me with full attention and I swallowed the lump in my throat. I would never get used to how nervous she made me. "I can give you a ride back; just give me some time with Mom. Since you two already seem to know each other."
"Fantastic!" Mom beamed.
"You're staying?" Mia asked cautiously.
"I'm back... for good," I told her.
Chapter Forty Three
Mia
Iquietly watched Luc as we sat with his Mom. He treated her like glass, so careful in his touches and words, completely in contrast to how he usually behaved. I couldn't get over just how similar they looked. The same eye color, same hairline, same slightly crooked smile.
Eventually, we said our goodbyes and Luc opened the door to his car so I could get in. The entire ride home was stiflingly silent, and I wasn't sure how to break it. I didn't know what to say to him. Luc didn’t attempt to start a conversation with me, his eyes focused on the road. Once we arrived home, he took his bag and walked upstairs without a word.
I’d had enough. I dropped my own bag in the hallway and stormed up the stairs after him. Luc wasn't going to be able to run from me this time and I was intent on getting some answers. When I burst into his room, Luc was sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. He lifted his head slowly and set his green eyes on me.
Any words that I had prepared suddenly failed me and instead of giving him a piece of my mind I walked towards him slowly.
"Mia?" Luc asked as if wondering what I was doing there.
Stopping in front of him, I took Luc's face into my hands before leaning down and kissing him hard. There was no hesitancy in Luc's response. It was a rush of tongues and teeth and tears. Luc pulled away from the kiss.
"Mia," he muttered and wiped the tears away from my face.
"Where have you been?" I asked him, trying my best to hold back on the emotions that had risen to the surface.
"I told you I needed to sort out the mess I caused," Luc gave me his explanation.
"And you couldn't message me?"
"Mia..."
"You couldn't pick up the phone?" I asked, my anger found its way back to me.
"Mia..."
"You didn't think that giving me a response was necessary, Luc?"
"Mia!"
I looked at him properly, a mixture of furious and upset and elated at the stupid, idiotic man in front of me. I wanted to scream and lash out and at the same time, wanted to hold him and never let go.
