A Game of COURAGE

by Lena Hart

  Leah straightened in her seat. “What do you mean?”

  Mia gave her sister a brief detailing of her meeting with Mr. Freeman and the insurance company’s decision. The news, however, didn’t seem to faze her sister. Leah lifted her head with resolve. “I’m still leaving,” she said. “I have some of my own money saved up and I’m ready to live my life.”

  Mia didn’t like the resentful tone in her sister’s voice. It was accusatory and…bitter. “Last I checked,” Mia retorted, “no one forced you to stay here.”

  Her sister leaned toward her over the table, gripping its edge, as fire burned in her large brown eyes. “I stayed because Mama asked me to stay. You strolled in here pregnant and pathetic. You think she wanted to be saddled with you and a baby at her age? In her condition? I knew I couldn’t leave, especially not after she got sick again. But it’s time for me to do me.”

  Her sister’s words rolled through her and Mia couldn’t speak through her pain. Was I really a burden to you, Mama? The thought made her throat clog as tears burned her eyes.

  She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. “Then I would hate to stand in your way,” Mia whispered stiffly, looking away. “Please don’t let me or my baby stop you.”

  “Whatever, Mia,” Leah snapped. “Don’t try to guilt trip me. You know I love Mouse and would do anything for him, but he’s your son. You need to start thinking about what’s best for him.”

  Leah’s last comment riled her like nothing else could. How dare she? Everything she did was for Mikey. “My son always comes first. Everything I do, I do for Mikey.”

  Leah raised a brow. “Right. So is that why he doesn’t know about his father? I bet the next thing you’ll be telling him is that you’re his mother and his father, right?” Leah scoffed. “That may have worked when Mama said it, since our deadbeat dad chose not to stick around. But no one knows why Mikey’s dad isn’t around.”

  “Because it’s no one’s business,” Mia said through gritted teeth. “And it certainly isn’t yours.”

  Mia had been lucky that she didn’t have to explain to Mikey why he didn’t have a father. Her son asked once, but she easily sidestepped it by reminding him he had a different kind of family that included only Mommy, Auntie, and Grandma. But when he got older, and eventually entered school, she knew the questions would come again.

  Leah rose from the kitchen table and dropped the stack of bills down. “You’re right,” she said. “It isn’t any of my business. But it’s Mikey’s and, good or bad, he should know about Nate. Especially when the man can afford to take care of both of you.”

  Though Mia hated to admit it, her sister’s comments forced her to acknowledge her decision to keep Mikey from Nate. She had always stood by her actions, believing she was giving Nate the space and freedom he obviously wanted while protecting her son. She remembered the way he had declared with cold finality that he did not want children, and she would die before she let anyone make her son feel rejected or unwanted.

  Yet a strange guilt began to plague her as she realized she was purposely keeping father and son from knowing one another. She entertained the idea of going to Chicago, then immediately dropped it. Just the thought of going back to confront Nate about this was daunting and caused her stomach to clench.

  But another, persistent part of her wouldn’t let the thought go.

  Mia spent the next several days making phone calls, trying to postpone the bank from putting up the foreclosure notice. With the help of legal aid and her own minimal knowledge from law school, she was able to negotiate a ninety-day postponement on the foreclosure.

  Now she had until the end of September to pay the bank, but still didn’t know how she would manage to get all the money.

  Unless she went to the one man she had vowed never to go back to again.

  Mia immediately repelled the thought, then shoved her pride aside as she rationalized her approach. Whether Nate wanted children or not was irrelevant now. He had one and the least he could do was ensure they didn’t go homeless. What she had to do was cast her feelings aside and ask for his help.

  The next day, she began making arrangements for their trip to Chicago. She was moving without feeling, mentally preparing for the most important—most unnerving—reunion in her life. A million scenarios crossed her mind as she thought about their initial meeting. None of them were comforting. She wouldn’t back out of this though.

  “Auntie!” Her son’s shriek signaled her sister’s arrival. Mia turned as Leah strolled into the kitchen carrying a giggling Mikey in her arms.

  “Look Mia. I caught us a mouse.”

  Mia smiled over her son’s giggles. She reached for him and held him up. “Hmm, what should we do with him?”

  Leah’s eyes sparkled. “I think we should eat him.”

  Mikey’s dark eyes widened in horror as Mia brought her face down to his tummy.

  “Mommy, no!” he shrieked, but Mia continued her soft nibbling as his little body squirmed, wiggled, and shook with laughter.

  She smiled over her son’s wild, carefree laugh. Mikey was the best thing that could have happened to her—the one thing she and Nate got right—and she would do anything for him. She hoped she was doing the right thing by taking him to Chicago.

  Later that night, after she had put Mikey to bed, Mia went into the living room where her sister sat painting her nails. Mia fell into the seat beside her. “I’m going to Chicago tomorrow,” Mia blurted.

  Her sister looked up at her with a faint smirk on her lips. “Going to finally tell your ex he’s a daddy?” she drawled, recapping the nail polish and waving her hand in the air.

  Mia shrugged. “That and ask him to help me save the house.”

  Leah lost her mocking grin. “Why? You should just let the bank take it.”

  Mia gaped at her sister. “And go where? This is our home.”

  “Not anymore,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “Not without Mama.” Leah glanced away, but not before Mia saw the tears glistening in her eyes.

  “Why don’t you just get him for child support?” her sister suggested. “That way, the money you’ll get over the years will be more than what this house is even worth.”

  “No,” Mia said curtly. “I don’t want this to turn ugly or drag Mikey through the middle of some legal battle. Having a home for him is more important to me right now.”

  Leah shrugged then returned to polishing her toes. “And what if he refuses to help you with the house?” her sister asked. “You’ll have to go after him for something. Mouse is his son too and he should help.”

  Mia looked down at her hands. She didn’t want to have to think about that. “I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.”

  Leah shrugged. “Well good luck with that.”

  “Will you be okay here by yourself?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Leah said, rolling her eyes. “I’m not twelve.”

  Yeah, but sometimes her sister could conjure up trouble without even trying. Like when she had decided to borrow their mother’s car without permission one night, supposedly to pick up a friend from the airport. Leah had ended up stranded far from the airport, with the car stolen.

  “Anyway, Jackson will be out soon so I’ll probably end up spending my time with him.”

  Mia groaned inwardly. There Leah went, conjuring up trouble. Jackson had always been bad news. But whatever she had to say about him, her sister wouldn’t listen, so Mia didn’t bother.

  “I’ve booked a motel for us to stay in. I don’t know how long we’ll be gone, maybe a few days, but I’ll leave you the address before I go.”

  That done, Mia went to her bedroom and began making a list of things they’d need for their trip. She didn’t want to forget anything. The drive would be hard on her son, but Mia wanted it to be as comfortable for him as possible.

  It didn’t take her long, however, to realize she was just putting off the inevitable. Pushing the notepad aside, Mia went searching for the navy b
lue address book she kept Nate’s number in.

  She stared at the number for a long while. What if the number didn’t work? What if he wasn’t even in Chicago anymore? Before Mia could talk herself out of it, she grabbed her phone and dialed his number.

  Her heart pounded and her palms grew sweaty as the other line began to ring. Even her tight grip couldn’t steady her hold on the phone and as the seconds ticked by, another depressing thought struck her. What if he was with someone right now?

  Nate was an attractive guy and it was late enough. He could easily be entertaining company at this hour. Before she lost her courage and slammed the phone down, a low, deep voice answered.

  “Hello.”

  Mia’s voice lodged in her throat as the warm, masculine voice sent a wave of intense emotion that rocked her to her core. God, I miss him.

  Silence crackled over the line between them while she tried desperately to rein in her wild emotions.

  “Mia?”

  She nearly dropped the phone at the sound of her name softly spoken. His voice had been like a gentle caress. She tightened her grip.

  “Hi Nate.”

  Silence filled the line for a heartbeat before he replied. “Hi Mia.”

  More awkward silence filled the line before she asked, “How’d you know it was me?”

  He chuckled softly. “I don’t get many calls from Michigan, especially at this hour.”

  Mia unconsciously glanced at the bedside clock. It was a little after ten. Nine o’clock, his time. “I’m sorry for calling this late,” she rushed out. “I hope I’m not—”

  “I wasn’t complaining,” he interrupted gently. “It’s actually nice to hear your voice again, baby.”

  Mia’s heart lurched and she closed her eyes as the warmth of his words coursed through her. Excitement and longing sprang up in her, followed by guilt. She knew it was dangerous territory, but she’d like to think maybe he missed her as much as she did him.

  “Is everything okay?”

  Mia smiled softly. “Yeah, everything’s fine,” she assured him, touched by the concern she heard his voice. “I just…uh, I’m coming to Chicago this weekend and was hoping we could meet up,” she finally rushed out.

  Silence.

  Her courage and anxiety began to war with each other when he didn’t immediately respond. “I know this is sudden and I understand if you don’t have time to see me. I just wanted—”

  “I have time,” he cut in softly. “When will you get here?”

  “Tomorrow night.” She gave him the name of the motel she would be checking into, relieved he didn’t say anything about it. It was a low-budget motel in a questionable neighborhood but it was the only thing she could afford on such short notice.

  “I can’t wait to see you,” he said before they ended the call and something in her stomach fluttered. Would he feel the same way after she introduced him to his son?

  6

  Nate forced himself to concentrate on the spreadsheet in front of him. His eyes were on the computer screen, but his mind was miles away. Since Mia’s call last night, he hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything else. She was the last person he’d expected to hear from.

  Even after five years, she managed to bring up feelings in him he had thought long forgotten and buried. He didn’t know why she finally sought him out and didn’t care. The chance to be with her again—even for one night—filled his mind with all kinds of fantasies. During their brief conversation, she didn’t seem to be bitter or angry. If anything, she sounded as if she…missed him.

  It took some time, but he had eventually come to accept that she was no longer a part of his life. It hadn’t been easy, but the ache of losing her had eventually become bearable. Nate had spent a lot of time thinking about that night, wondering what he could have done differently. Ultimately, honesty had been the best for them. He wasn’t going to string her along for his own selfish needs.

  The only problem with honesty, however, was that someone always ended up miserable. The year it took for him to stop obsessing over her had proven as much. He had tried his damnedest to stay away from her, but had experienced a moment of weakness. An overwhelming urge to call her one January had come over him but when he tried, her number had been disconnected. He hadn’t tried again since.

  Now she was back and wanted to see him.

  Anticipation burned in his gut. He wanted to see her too. A lot of time had passed and he had spent much of it thinking about what was important to him.

  Nate glanced at the time at the lower corner of his computer screen. Time was really dragging its heels today.

  He couldn’t wait to leave the office but before he could, he had a thorn in his side he needed to remove.

  Stephen Rhodes, one of their longtime consultants, had gotten the company into a serious mess and Nate was scrambling to fix it or risk losing a vital client. McArthur, Murphy and Company was one of the leading management consulting firms in the nation, which had grown ever since he’d taken charge, but Rhodes was fast becoming a liability. He had been with MMC for quite some time, slowly working his way up the ladder, but after his recent promotion, his incompetence became glaring. Nate was annoyed it took them this long to realize Stephen Rhodes was not cut out for the job.

  With this knowledge obvious to them now, Nate wouldn’t risk the company’s reputation or losing one of their top clients. In order to win back their clients trust, Nate had to get rid of the problem. That afternoon, he did exactly that.

  “McArthur, you can’t do this,” Stephen said, leaning forward in his seat. “I just closed on my new house and I just bought my wife a new car.”

  Nate stared at the older man. His obviously expensive suit said he’d been enjoying the financial perks his recent promotion allotted.

  “Stephen, your mistake is about to cost us the Bakersfield account. You of all people should know how important that account is to the company. That’s not something we’re prepared to take lightly.”

  Stephen ran his hand through his thinning gray hair in agitation. “It’s not my fault. I’ve been giving Tracy more responsibility and—”

  “Stop,” Nate interrupted, disgusted with the man. He had done his homework before calling Stephen into his office, and based on Nate’s discovery, the fault had been the other guy’s completely. Yet, instead of owning up to his mistake, the bastard was trying to pass off the blame. “I’m giving you a chance to put in your resignation and walk away from this with some dignity.”

  Stephen glared at him, his thick brows furrowing deeply. “Do you have a family, McArthur? Do you understand what you’re doing is not only going to affect me but my girls too?”

  Nate fixed him with a level stare as Stephen threw him a disgusted glare.

  “Of course you don’t,” he continued. “I can see in your eyes you don’t give a damn that I have a wife and three girls who depend on me!”

  Nate continued staring at him, his temper and impatience mounting, but he didn’t let it show. “This is your doing, Stephen. Not mine,” Nate said coolly. “If you refuse to put in your resignation, so be it. Either way, you’re no longer employed at McArthur, Murphy and Company. ”

  A short while later, an angry and disgruntled Stephen was escorted out of the building.

  Nate hated this part of the job, but it couldn’t be avoided. He spent the last five years working at the helm of the company, first as Director and now CEO. His father had eventually retired and it was now Nate’s responsibility to see to the growth and prosperity of the company. He had implemented a few changes, which resulted in a few department shakeups, layoffs, new hires and a growing client list. MMC was proving to be formidable in the industry and Nate couldn’t afford any weak links in his chain.

  Now that Stephen Rhodes was gone, he could concentrate on repairing his business relationship with their unhappy client.

  But not tonight. Tonight, he would be concentrating on repairing another kind of relationship.

  Nate
picked up his cell phone. He wondered if she had already made it into the city. It was now after five on a Friday and the office was deserted with everyone taking advantage of the new summer hours. He wasn’t working on anything pressing and didn’t look forward to going home to his own quiet condo.

  He found Mia’s number and hit the send button, listening intently to the ringing. Maybe if she was already here, he could take her out to dinner. The polite thing for him to do would be to let her get settled in, maybe suggest they meet for lunch tomorrow. Nate rejected the thought. He didn’t know what had brought her back to Chicago, but he’d waited five years and wouldn’t wait another night.

  “Yes? Hello?”

  Nate was startled at the young, high-pitched voice that came through the line. For a second, he thought he had dialed the wrong number.

  “Hello,” Nate replied hesitantly. “Who is this?”

  “Mommy said I shouldn’t talk to strangers,” the little boy said casually, seemingly unconcerned by the fact that he was indeed talking to a stranger.

  For a moment, Nate was baffled. Mia had a kid? He couldn’t help the stab of jealousy that pierced him at the thought of her bearing another man’s child.

  “What’s your mom’s name?”

  “Mommy.”

  Nate stifled a groan then laughed. “Okay…what’s your name?”

  “Mikey.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mikey,” Nate said lightly. “Is there a grown-up I can talk to?” At the brief silence, Nate imagined the little boy was shaking his head.

  “I’m not ’posed to talk to strangers.”

  Nate’s lip quirked. He didn’t want to point out to Mikey he was doing exactly what he wasn’t supposed to. “Yes, buddy, you’re right. You shouldn’t talk to strangers. Now can you pass the phone to your mom?”

  “Nope.”

  Nate jerked his head back, surprised by the casually spoken refusal. “Why not?”

  Mikey’s voice became a hushed, earnest whisper. “Because Mommy’s having her bath, and I’m not ’posed to play on the phone.”

  For some reason, Nate felt the need to ease his little worries. “You’re not playing. We’re just chatting.”