by M. Skye
“He loved you. He was so worried he might lose you. He was out of his mind wondering if you were about to walk away.”
“I wasn’t. I messed up, and I just wanted to know if his last thoughts of me were bad. That morning I was so angry. I was jealous . . . of you.”
“Me? Why?”
“He never said anything to me. Instead of talking to me, he confided in you. When I needed to know what was going on with him, he came to you.”
“He was afraid. He thought I could give him some advice. He was just lost.”
“Well, I should have been the one he came to.”
Mia slid over and pulled Whitney against her chest. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry. I truly understand, and I get why you’re angry. I just want you to know that I’m going to do whatever it takes to fix what’s wrong between us. If I had done better, maybe it would have been easier for you two to talk to each other.”
“Why do you care so much?”
“Because I love you. You’re my niece, but you’re more like my sister. Growing up, your mother was everything to me, and I owe her so much. I know how she’s been feeling not knowing if you’re okay, and I want to be able to assure her that I’m taking care of you.”
“You don’t have to do that. I don’t deserve it. I have been so horrible to you. I’m sorry.”
Mia just held her closer with her eyes closed. She knew what they went through was different, but she and her niece had another bond. She needed to let her know everything would be okay. “Whit, Jude told me what happened to you.” Mia felt her stiffen. “It’s okay. I promise one day you will wake up and it won’t seem so bad.”
Whitney sat up, and Mia could tell she was searching her eyes for answers. “How do you know? How could you possibly understand?”
Since talking to Tyree about it, Mia felt a weight lifted from her shoulders. It seemed like the revelation helped her understand it wasn’t her fault and that she hadn’t asked for it. She just wanted the same for Whitney. She wanted to be her sounding board. What better way to reach her than sharing her equally painful past? “It happened to me too. When it happened, I was ashamed, and I blamed myself. I thought maybe I deserved it for how I treated Ty, but I know now that no one deserves to be violated. No one deserves to be treated that way.”
The tears began flowing freely, and Whitney held Mia’s hand tighter. “I’m sorry that happened to you. I never knew. I just thought you were mad at Uncle Ty.”
“I was so broken, and yeah, I blamed him after I got over blaming myself. I was destructive. I tried to do so many things to numb the pain. I only made matters worse.”
Her eyes widened, and Whitney shook her head slowly. “What did you do?”
Mia hadn’t ever wanted to discuss her suicide attempt again, but she needed Whitney to understand that what she did wasn’t the answer. “I took a bottle of pills. When I felt myself getting tired and I thought it was ending, I went and lay down in my bed. I thought I had died, but two days later, I woke up in the hospital with Jake sitting by my side. I had met him a few times before that. He had offered to help me with Kyan. For me to wake up and see this familiar stranger sitting next to my bed was crazy. I was alone, or at least felt like it, but it was my fault. I had done this. I pushed everyone away, but Jake was there. He never left.”
“But you left him.”
“We were never meant to be that. We were meant to be what we are now. I will never regret meeting and getting to know him, but Ty is my love. Jake and I were meant to save each other and make room for the right people to enter our lives. Mine I already had, and he will find his soon.”
“Save him? What were you saving him from?”
“His wife died, and he wasn’t dealing with it. He was keeping his feelings hidden. When he met me and after what I tried, his feelings of guilt transferred over to me. He didn’t know anything about me other than my son was missing and my husband was gone, but he developed this protective feeling about me and never left my side. I know I was wrong, and I never should have let it get as far as it did, but I let my gratitude trick me into feelings that were never there. I let him get in so deep that he wanted to marry me, and I couldn’t say yes. At the time, I thought it was because I couldn’t commit again, but I think in the back of my mind I knew it was because my love for Tyree never died. I couldn’t marry someone else when my heart was still here.”
“But he was going to. How did that make you feel? I mean, you turned Jake down, but Tyree asked that girl to marry him.”
“It hurt, but could I really blame him? After everything that happened, I was lucky he even gave me another chance.”
“He loves you so much. I wish I were capable of that kind of love.”
“You loved Jude. He loved you back.”
“Yeah, but it wasn’t the same. Jude and I, we worked, but I messed up so much where he was concerned.”
Mia studied her face and realized what she had been seeing and mistaking for sadness was actually guilt. She thought she had an idea of what was going on, but she needed to hear it for herself. “Did you ever cheat on Jude? I mean, I won’t judge you if you say yes. God knows I’ve made my share of mistakes and I—”
“I did,” she said, interrupting Mia. She dropped her head. “It wasn’t anything serious, and he wasn’t anyone special, but I messed everything up.”
“Who? Where?”
“I know what you must think of me, but I swear I never meant to hurt him. I felt horrible after it happened, so I lied. Every time he tried to make me feel better about it, I felt like such a fraud. I never meant for it to get this far or for it to be his last thought of me.”
“Are you still seeing this man?”
“Not intentionally. We met years ago and had a thing, and we met up again just before we moved here. Jude and I held off on sex for the majority of our relationship because of it. This guy, he was rough. He wasn’t gentle with me in the beginning, and it made me afraid of sex. I thought if I pushed it out of my mind, I could go back to when I was a virgin and give myself to the right person, to Jude. That night, I skipped the party because I saw him. He found out where I was.”
“You weren’t raped?”
“No. I was scared, so I lied. This guy, he knows things about me. He knows my weaknesses. He knew exactly what to say to get into my head, and I was stupid. All those years of being with Jude were washed down the drain because I couldn’t say no to him.”
Mia felt the air leave her lungs. She never knew her niece was so vulnerable, that her sense of self-worth was so low. “Whit, what you did, I understand. I know what it’s like to doubt yourself and not feel worthy of anything real. You have to make yourself believe you’re better than that, better than he makes you feel.”
“I’ve made so many wrong choices. I think it may be hard if not impossible to find my way back.”
Mia’s hand touched her face gently. “You can, sweetheart. I’ll help you, and I want you to know you’re not alone. You will always have me, and you have our family. If you let them in, they can be pretty great.”
“After everything I just admitted to you, you’re still able to be around me and not feel like I’m a horrible person?”
“Like I said, we’ve all made mistakes and done things we aren’t proud of. We never expected you to be perfect. We just want you to be happy.”
“It’s going to take a while for that.”
Mia stood and kissed her on the cheek before heading for the stairs. “Good thing we have time.” Mia retreated to the stairs, and then she pushed herself against the wall and sighed. She wasn’t expecting the revelations she had just heard, but she was glad they were making progress.
Making her way into her room, she reached for her purse and pulled out the letter. Now it seemed even more tempting to read, but still, she just held it between her fingers, looking at it before stuffing it back in. She still couldn’t bring herself to open it. Now she wasn’t even sure if she should. It would probably only contain the ha
rsh truths Whitney had just relayed, and she sure didn’t want to think about it again.
Deciding to put the letter out of her mind, she tossed her purse on the bed as her cell phone lit up with a call. Looking at the caller ID, she noticed it was Tyree and picked up. “Hey, you. When are you coming home?”
“I’m going to pop in on Kyan and make sure he’s good at Mom’s, and then I will be there to you. You want me to get dinner?”
He had been incredibly sweet since the talk they had, and he was doing everything he could to make sure she never had to lift a finger. She was grateful, but she was beginning to feel like they should go back to normal, including bringing their son home. She was glad Kyan loved spending time with Karen, Rock, and Kiyoko, but she wanted him home. Honestly, she missed the conversations they had. Things were great between her and Tyree, but she needed him to not try so hard. It could get exhausting.
“No, babe. I’m cooking, so just bring that sexy self home.”
“I can pick something up if you want to rest. I just want you comfortable.”
“I am, and I’ll be more comfortable cooking for my guys tonight.”
“Guys? I thought you wanted Ky with Mom and Rock for a while.”
“I did, and now that Whitney and I have had a talk, it’s okay. Plus, I miss him.”
“Okay,” he laughed. “I’ll get the boy, and I’ll be home.”
“Okay, babe.”
“Love you, kitten.”
“I love you too.”
Chapter Twenty-one
“So I think the flowers should be in silver vases in these corners and black here,” Asha pointed out. “But it is your choice.”
Tyree looked at the pictures she had and nodded. “I agree. Whatever you think is fine. I’m just glad you had time to help me put this together.” He had enlisted his sister in putting together an anniversary party for him and Mia. They had been through so much, and he wanted to reaffirm the love they felt in front of all their family and friends. He was planning to do it in less than a month, so they had to get a move on, and it was proving to be a difficult task keeping it from Mia. She was always so involved in everything he did.
“No problem, big brother. I’m just glad things are good for you. I was worried for a while.”
“I was worried too, but now things are great. I want to show the world how much I love my baby. It’s been hard as hell, but she deserves this party and so much more. I’m so happy, sis.”
Asha smiled and winked at him. “Well, I think it is going to be fabulous, and the fact that you’re having it at Rick’s is very helpful because she doesn’t know a thing. She is going to be so surprised.”
“She’d better be. Her nosy butt has been all up in everything around the house. Hell, I had to squirrel the boy away at Mom’s to keep him quiet, and now she wants him home. I have to talk to him and make sure he knows it’s a surprise because she will definitely grill him if she suspects anything.”
“You know your wife, but Kyan will be okay. He won’t let her crack him.” She laughed and grabbed her bag, heading toward the door. “All right, I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m going home.”
“All right. You be safe.”
“You too. Go home.”
“On my way out.” He watched her leave and made a few phone calls before packing up his things to leave the office. He was well out the door when his cell began to ring. He looked down and saw his home number and smiled. He knew Mia would be calling soon since he hadn’t made it home. He knew she would be antsy after over two hours had passed. He picked up the phone and smiled at the silence he heard at first on the other end.
“Hey, kitten, you ready for this sexy ass to get home?”
“Hmm. So is that what you’re calling yourself nowadays? I don’t know if I like my daughter with someone so vain.”
Tyree gripped the phone so tight he swore something broke off. “What the hell are you doing at my house, Richmond? Where is Mia?”
He heard a loud sigh and found himself speeding up to get to the elevator. “You can rush here if you want, but she isn’t home, and I’m a bit disappointed. I really missed my dove.”
“What are you doing at my house? Do you think this is a game, old man?”
“It’s not a game, son, I can assure you. I need to see my daughter and I will soon. Don’t try to make it here. You will never catch me. Let her know I will be seeing her soon. You need to do a better job at this whole protection thing. Anyone could just walk in this house as they please, just like I did.”
Tyree heard the phone click, and even though he had already pressed the button to hit the ground floor, he pressed it again, several times. Staring at his phone like it was going to explode in his hand, he thought about Mia. He thought about where she could possibly be, and he hit the speed dial to call her cell. He hoped she would answer, that Richmond hadn’t taken her and just called to gloat.
After three rings, he began to get frantic. Finally reaching his car, he almost burst into tears when she answered. He heard his voice cracking and could hear the confusion in her voice. “Where are you, baby?”
“I had to run to the store. I finished all the food and was waiting for you, but you were running late, and I realized we didn’t have wine. You know how I feel about steaks with no wine,” she laughed, but he still couldn’t joke around with her.
“I need you to meet me somewhere. Can you come to the hotel across the street from here?”
“Come to a hotel?” she huffed. “I have dinner cooked. And where does our son fit into that equation?”
“Baby, please. I just . . . Please?”
He heard a pause, and after a deep breath, he heard her voice speak. “Fine, Ty, but I need to go to the house and get—”
“Just come. You don’t need anything. I don’t want you going back there tonight.”
“Is someone anxious to see me?”
“Yes. I need you right now, and I want you to hurry, baby.”
“Just so you know, you’re not off the hook about dinner.”
“I’ll buy you the whole damn cow if you just get here now.”
“Okay, pushy. I’m coming. Order a bottle of wine because I feel like I’m going to need it tonight to loosen you up.”
“Whatever you want, baby. Just be safe, okay?”
“I will, Ty. I don’t like this mood you’re in. Whatever it is will be okay.”
Tyree had spaced out, but when he heard her statement, he focused back in. “Huh? What did you say?”
“It’s going to be okay. Whatever happened, it won’t matter once we’re together.”
As much as he tried to fight it off, a smile appeared on his face. “I’ll see you soon, but do me a favor. Don’t hang up until you’re at my door. I’ll be in our normal room, 315. I want to make sure you get here okay. Hold on. It’s going to get quiet for a little while because I need to make another call, but don’t hang up.”
“It’s not that far, Ty. I’m like fifteen minutes away. I’m sure nothing will happen between now and then.”
“Humor me.”
Switching over to his other line, Tyree called Rock. He answered after two rings, and Tyree quickly went over what had happened and asked that he call Rick and Cassandra. Throughout the conversation, Rock was surprisingly quiet, and Tyree got the sense there was more he didn’t know. At the end of the call, Rock assured him things would be fine and pushed him to spend time with his wife, not worrying about the impromptu visit from Richmond. Rock let him say good night to Kyan and urged him to enjoy the rest of his day. After a few protests, he caved, remembering he had Mia waiting on the other line. When he clicked over, he could hear her in the car, and he smiled. She had followed his request.
He walked into the hotel and got them their room before covering his phone to keep her from hearing what he was setting up. He was worried about her, but he didn’t want to ruin her entire night. He knew any mention of contact from Richmond would make her want to react. She probably woul
dn’t even leave home like he asked. She had told him she wasn’t afraid of Richmond any longer. First, he wanted to do something special before he told her about Richmond. He was tired of having to soften her up for the blow. He often wondered if they would ever have a normal day; if they would ever just be able to enjoy each other.
After getting everything set up and going up to the room, he could hear her in the car singing along to one of her favorite songs. He always loved her voice, and nothing had changed. She was beautiful in every way, and even with all her flaws, she was his perfect woman.
Dropping to the bed, he was surprised to hear a knock at the door. He swung it open expecting to find his wife but saw room service. He hadn’t expected them so soon, but they had arrived with the bottle of wine and the rest of the surprises he had ordered. Pouring two glasses, he sat on the bed, waiting for Mia to arrive. He could still hear her shuffling around on the phone, and when he heard another knock at his door, he jumped up and swung it open.
His breath caught in his chest when he saw her smiling face. He hadn’t realized how tense he was until he saw her. When she reached out to touch him, he pulled her inside. Watching Mia push her coat aside, he felt himself growing crazed with each movement. He pulled her down to the bed and clutched her hand.
“So, now do you want to tell me why you wanted me out of the house?”
He should have known she always knew when something was bothering him. Remembering his promise to her about always sharing, he sighed and wrapped his arm around her small waist. “I got a call from the house just before I called you.”
“So, I guess Whit went back. I thought she was staying with her parents tonight. No biggie. I know you wanted us to have some alone time, so I get that.”
“It wasn’t her. Babe, don’t freak out, but Richmond was in our house. I called Rock, and he’s going to handle it, and Ky is fine. He’s having fun with Mom and Grandma. Rock also called Rick and Cassie. Everyone will be fine.” He saw the fear flicker through her and touched her chin. “Hey, don’t look like that. We’re fine. Everyone is fine.”
