Hate Love

by Katie Ford

  I wiped my tears from my cheeks. “You want to go on a trip?”

  “I’ll go anywhere with you,” Mia said kissing me on the lips.

  I was so happy to have found Mia. She was the perfect woman for me. If she hadn’t been there, I would have never opened the envelope and found out about my grandmother.

  Chapter 17

  Mia

  After finding out about Theo’s grandmother, we took a flight to Tennessee the very next morning. I floated on air and felt thrilled to be there for Theo when he really needed someone. The exciting prospect of one day being Mrs. Theo Wainwright became more real every day. Of all people in the world, Theo wanted me by his side as he met his only known relative.

  In our rental car, Theo was unusually quiet. I didn’t want to interrupt his thoughts. We were the same in that way. If something was on our minds, it was best to let us linger in our meditative states.

  Instead of saying anything, I put my hand over his on the stick shift. We shared a meaningful look full of understanding and support. Theo could count on me for anything. With just that look, I conveyed that.

  The quiet car ride gave me an opportunity to think about my own family history. My father was an enigma to me. Always had been. Since my mother had told me very little about him, I wondered if she knew where he was or if she’d had any contact with him in the last nineteen years. It was such a touchy subject. We never had an actual conversation about him.

  Theo thought I’d be mad at him for finding information about my dad. How could I be mad? It was incredibly sweet and thoughtful, but my desire to know about the man who abandoned me was next to nothing. At least, for now it was.

  The trip to Tennessee was my first outside of California. The Great Smoky Mountains stood majestically on the horizon. We drove past the metropolitan cityscape of Knoxville to the small town of Maryville twenty miles south.

  The GPS led us to a dirt road between a thicket of trees that we followed for ten minutes. We’d both been holding our breath on the drive through the woods and finally exhaled in relief when a cute ranch style house appeared. The dirt turned into gravel as we slowly drove up.

  Before we got out of the car, I grabbed Theo’s hand and squeezed. He gave me a grateful smile and kissed me on the lips. “Thank you for being here for me.”

  I spotted a little boy peeking through the curtains in one of the windows. Suddenly, people began to stream out of the front door. As we walked up to great them, a tiny elderly woman with white curly hair smiled at us and waved.

  Theo walked right up to her with his hand extended in greeting. The woman, standing at about five feet tall, raised her arms up and pulled Theo down into a hug. With tears in her eyes, she cried, “I wish I would have known about you sooner.”

  Theo closed his eyes and burst into sobs in his grandmother’s arms. She withdrew to look at him closely in the face. Putting a hand on his cheek, she said softly, “You look so much like Kelly.”

  The other family members crowded around them. A man with Theo’s nose, holding the little boy I’d seen in the window, said, “I’m Anthony, your uncle. This is Bobby.” The little boy smiled quickly before burying his face in his father’s neck.

  Anthony put his arm around Theo. “We’re so happy to meet you.”

  Theo wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. Taking my hand, he said, “This is Mia. My fiancé.”

  It felt amazing to hear him say that especially during this significant occasion.

  Other family members began to introduce themselves to us. Cousin Peter. Aunt June. Cousin Erin. Cousins Oliver and Owen, twins. Aunt Fiona.

  Theo’s grandmother, Reba, sniffled. “Let’s get you both inside. We’ve got a feast waiting for you two!”

  As we paraded inside, Aunt June gushed over my engagement ring. “Oh my! That is the biggest diamond I’ve ever seen!”

  Cousin Erin added, “Mia! Theo gave you that! Wow!” She then squinted her eyes at me. “You look familiar.”

  Theo put his arm around me and squeezed. “You probably saw her in a magazine. She’s a model.”

  Erin’s eyes lit up. “That’s where I’ve seen you! Omigod! You’re so pretty.”

  We walked into the house to a large table full of food: fried chicken, potato salad, coleslaw, barbecue chicken, pulled pork, biscuits, and six different kinds of pies.

  Theo’s grandmother said with open arms, “I hope you came hungry!”

  After chowing down on food and getting to know everyone, Theo’s grandmother said to him, “I’ve got some things I’d like to show you.”

  Erin, Fiona, and June were talking my ear off about everything from fashion, programming, to what California was like. Theo looked over to me and I waved him on. It was important for him to get some time alone with his grandmother.

  With Theo’s family around us, I never felt more at home with my husband to be. This was a new chapter for both of us, and nothing felt more right.

  Chapter 18

  Theo

  The events of the last twenty-four hours played over and over in my head: finding out about my mother and father, then discovering I had a grandmother and flying out to Tennessee, then meeting my grandmother and all my other relatives, aunts, uncles, great aunts, great uncles, cousins, and second cousins. I went from not having any family to having a gigantic family overnight!

  This feeling of fullness in my chest was unbelievable. The amount of love and happiness inside me was enough to make me burst. All had happened with Mia right beside me, supporting me and loving me.

  How did a hapless orphan like me end up here with a loving family and a beautiful fiancée?

  If Mia hadn’t encouraged me, I might not have ever opened that envelope. It might still be at the bottom of my desk drawer, languishing away but always on my mind. She’d given me the encouragement to be brave enough to open it and even braver to actually meet my grandmother.

  Our room at the Sunshine Bed and Breakfast had a stunning view of the mountains right from our bed. The old couple who ran the place were adorable and ever so accommodating, putting us up in the special honeymoon suite after we’d told them we were newly engaged.

  The honeymoon suite had pale yellow frilly sheets, matching floral wallpaper, and a fresh bouquet of daisies. As soon as we walked in, Mia flung herself on the canopy bed and squealed, “I always wanted a canopy bed when I was a kid!”

  She looked absolutely adorable bouncing around on the bed. I took out the photo of my mother that my grandmother had given me. “This is my mother.”

  Mia’s gasped out loud, “Oh Theo! She’s beautiful.”

  I sat down next to her as she held the photograph. My mother was nineteen in the photo. “My grandmother said she had taken off right after graduating from high school. Moved to LA to be an actress.”

  Mia sighed. “She was beautiful enough to be a movie star, for sure.”

  I swallowed recalling what I’d heard just a few hours before. “When she went out there, she eventually stopped calling home.”

  Mia took me in her arms as I continued. “My grandmother lost touch with her. She didn’t come back to Tennessee until five years ago when she was sick with breast cancer, but my mom never told her family she’d had a baby and given him up for adoption back in California.” As I talked, my heart felt like it was breaking. “I’ll never know why she gave me up or who my father is.”

  Mia squeezed me harder helping me keep it together. “I’m so sorry, Theo.”

  I’d cried so much in the past day, but I had so much to celebrate. I wouldn’t know the reasons my mother gave me up, but seeing how loving my grandmother was, I knew that it had to be because she wanted to do the best thing for me.

  My voice croaked, “It’s okay. It’s not important. What’s important is finding my family and finding you.”

  Mia gave me a sweet smile, kissing me gently on the lips. Putting my arms around her, I pulled her down to cuddle her. In my arms, I told her, “I used to think
that making money was the most important thing in the world. That was my only goal, but now that I’ve found my family, money isn’t as valuable as I thought.”

  Mia felt so perfect in my arms. Her intoxicating sweet smell comforted me. She took my hand and interlaced it with hers. “I’m so happy you found them.”

  “I’ve been a billionaire for over a decade with literally the world at my fingertips, but I’m finally happy for the first time in my life, and it’s because of you.” Mia’s grip on my hand tightened.

  Turning to her, I gazed into her beautiful brown eyes. “I want a family, Mia. With you. Only you. I want kids. Lots of them! With the woman of my dreams.”

  She put my hand over her heart. “I want the same thing with you, Theo.”

  Her lips crashed into mine ardently. Suddenly, we were flinging our clothes of each other, our hands running over each other’s bodies as if we’d never touched each other before.

  “I love you so much,” I cried into Mia’s hair as she straddled me, her hair cascading down into my face.

  Bending down, she clutched the sides of my face and kissed me hard making my lips tingle when she pulled away. “I love you, too.”

  Slipping my hard cock into her, she cried again, “Theo, I love you!” A low sensual moan soon followed as she bucked on top of me. Gripping her hips, I guided her up and down watching her face twist into ecstasy. This woman was so beautiful to me, it hurt.

  When her eyes opened wide and she let out an eruptive moan, I flipped her over on her back to thrust into her harder. Plunging into her hot pussy at just the angle I knew she liked, Mia’s pussy exploded around my dick in a torrent of bliss. As she contracted around me, my own desire reached its peak. Spurting my cum into her, I groaned loudly unclenching the tension inside that I’d held onto for so long.

  Looking down at my fiancée, I felt at peace for the first time in my life. All the questions hovering over me all my life were answered and if not answered, no longer mattered. I had everything I needed and wanted in the beautiful woman before me.

  Chapter 19

  Mia

  While we were in Tennessee, of course, the paparazzi found out and snapped some photos of Theo and me. Some of the paparazzi guys were pretty sneaky and had managed to grab a close up photo of my engagement ring.

  Speculation about the cost of my ring became the talk of the town, if the town was the collective media. No matter how many millions of dollars Theo spent, what mattered to me the most was what it stood for. It was a symbol of our love. If he had given me something much more simple, I would have loved it all the same.

  It was true. With it on my hand as I worked at my computer, the sparkle and shine of the rock could be distracting. It truly was a beautiful piece of jewelry.

  Everyone back at Pictogram congratulated me on our engagement except for one person, Penny. She cornered me in the bathroom.

  In a syrupy sweet voice, she asked, “Can I see the ring everyone can’t stop talking about?”

  A little guarded, I quickly flashed my hand at her, but she snatched my fingertips and pulled my hand closer to her. “Well, isn’t that beautiful.” Her face tightened with disdain and her eyes looked stormy.

  Stepping back from her and walking to the door, I said, “Thank you, Penny”

  As I reached for the door, she gave a snide laugh. “You know? I think it’s great you’re going along with all of this.”

  I turned back around to face her. “What do you mean?”

  Her red hair was more unkempt than I’d ever seen it. She usually wore a tight bun, but today, her hair had unraveled, strands of hair fluttering as she spoke. “You do know, don’t you? The only reason Theo asked you to marry him is because the Board told him to.”

  My body felt like it had fallen through the floor. “He would never just listen to whatever the Board tells him to do.” My voice unintentionally quivered.

  Penny’s mouth tightened into a smirk. “Poor thing. You just don’t know Theo like I do. He loves the company and would do anything to save it.” She laughed wickedly. “Even marry you.”

  My anger boiled quickly. “That’s not true! Theo loves me. What we have is real. You wouldn’t know anything about it.” Hating myself for doing it, I added, “We even went to Tennessee to meet his family. We’re in love.”

  Penny shook her head. “That publicity stunt in Tennessee? I have to say that was well executed. The media ate it all up.”

  Doubt began to bubble up inside me, overtaking my anger. Could Penny be telling the truth? Would Theo do that to me?

  “I took notes at the Board meeting, Mia. If anyone would know what is really happening, it would be me.” She cocked her head in mocked sympathy. “Oh no! Have I upset you?”

  Grabbing for the door handle, I spat, “You’re lying. I don’t believe you.”

  Penny clucked her tongue contemptuously. “You’re so predictable! I knew you were going to say that, but unfortunately, Theo and I are a lot closer than you think.” She stepped closer. Her heels clicked menacingly on the bathroom floor. “We’ve been sleeping together for years.”

  My throat suddenly went dry. That couldn’t be true! I was with Theo now on most night. My heart dropped into my stomach. What if they were together on the nights I wasn’t there? What if they were having sex in his office, just like I had?

  Gathering my strength, I managed to say, “That was before we even met.” Theo had never told me Penny and he were ever involved, but I hedged my bets that possibly they once were. It would explain Penny’s rudeness and spitefulness towards me.

  “You might want to check your email, honey. I sent you a juicy clip that you probably want to see.” She cackled wildly. “Or you probably don’t want to see.”

  Hurrying out the door, my legs felt wobbly and unstable. My entire world was crashing down on me. I ducked into an empty conference room. Whatever Penny had sent me it was probably something to be viewed alone.

  Checking my email on my phone, there was an email from Penny with the title: Hate to break it to you.

  My hands shook as I opened the email with a video attachment. I hesitated. Should I watch it? Could I handle what I was about to see?

  Taking a deep breath, I told myself that I needed to know the truth.

  I pressed play. It was Penny and Theo having sex. The video was too grainy for me to decipher where they were, but it was unmistakably the two of them. Conveniently, the time stamp on the bottom said the video had been recorded last Monday. A Monday where I stayed at school working on an assignment with Jill.

  My legs gave out as I collapsed onto the floor in a ball of sorrow. Tears fell from my eyes in a torrent as my heart twisted and cracked in my chest.

  Everything had been a lie. Theo. The engagement. His fake promises. His phony devotion. All of it was built on lies.

  Chapter 20

  Mia

  It had been almost a week since I had seen or talked to Theo. After seeing the video, I ran out of Pictogram immediately. Without giving too much information, I sent Brandon an email that I wasn't feeling well. Even if Theo had lied to me, there was no reason for me to let my team members down.

  It was a full twenty-four hours before I even would talk to Jill about what happened. When I burst into our dorm suite looking undoubtedly like hell, my eyes red and face splotchy from crying, I rushed into my room refusing to answer when she knocked. After some coaxing, I let her in and told her everything that happened with Penny.

  She was, at first, doubtful of Penny's claims. ”Do you think the Board would ask him to marry you?” she asked. “That seems so far fetched. They can't control his personal life, can they?”

  Lying on my bed motionless, I replied flatly, “They can if they want to. I'm sure they can do anything.”

  Jill stood and began to pace. “That Penny chick. She just doesn't seem like someone you should trust. She could be making it up.”

  “You didn't see the video,” I countered. Moving to pick up my phone, I as
ked, “Do you want to see it?”

  “No! I don't want to see it, but what if there is a plausible explanation for it?”

  “Plausible explanation for having sex with his personal assistant?” I mumbled.

  Jill sighed. “I don't know, but Theo asking you to marry him at the Board's request just doesn't seem like something he would go along with.” She stopped pacing. “Request a copy of the board meeting minutes. Then you will know for sure,” she suggested.

  Right away, I requested the minutes and then just waited it out.

  Theo had called, texted, and sent me Pictogram messages since that very night Penny confronted me, but I wouldn't answer. Each day his pleas to talk to me grew more desperate. Long winded voicemails. Lengthy emails about how much he loved me. Flowers. Candy. More flowers. Macaroons express shipped from a French patisserie in Nice, France.

  I would accept none of it, but my heart couldn’t let go. Even when dumping the flowers, candies, and pastries in the dumpster outside the dorm, I still had hope that everything was a terrible mistake.

  Before I could respond to Theo, I needed to see the minutes to know the truth. When the packet arrived two days later, Jill and I just stared at it before opening it.

  Jill sat me down on the couch. “Whatever it says, good news or bad news, don't let it define you. You were a badass before you met Theo and still are.”

  Taking a deep breath, I opened the envelope. Scanning the pages quickly, it was clear Penny had been telling the truth.

  “At the recommendation of the board, CEO Wainwright is to develop a family-friendly persona with the end goal of revamping Pictogram’s image.”

  A cry caught in my throat as the papers fluttered from my fingertips. Unable to speak, I just pointed to the line with a numb finger. Jill saw what I was pointing at and drew in a sharp breath. Hugging me as I cried, she said, “I'm so sorry, Mia. So sorry.”