Page 56 of Mending Hearts

Last night, I hid some of her favorite things around the house once she left my room. She never slept beside me. I tried not to let the arrangement bother me, tried to remember she was skittish. Tried to decide how far I wanted to nudge her to draw us closer together.

Since she wasn’t really showing, other than looking as though she’d put on a few pounds, I hadn’t been sure how big the surprise party should be. In the end, I decided on smaller instead of bigger, and only invited people Mia trusted. The baby news needed to be under wraps, and she was so much more relaxed around people who knew everything. So, I hadn’t invited her mother, and I still wasn’t sure if I’d made the right choice.

She rarely talked about Laura, but once or twice, I caught her scrolling through photos of the two of them on her phone. Maybe if I were a better man, I’d try to bridge that gap, but I preferred it to expand. Could Mia ever give up on her mother and the life they built together? Any time the topic came up, she said her time in Little Falls was a break from her mother, not a breakup. The distance was for the baby, no other reason.

At the counter, Sabrina Kim fumbled through ringing up my order and then disappeared into the back to get the industrial-sized containers I’d ordered.

“That’s a lot of sparkling mint-lime iced tea,” a wry female voice commented from behind.

I stiffened and then half-turned to see Katie. Of course, I’d known people were waiting in line, but I’d been so deep in thought about Mia and her party, I hadn’t looked around since I’d arrived. “Who can resist that combination?”

She pushed her purse further onto her shoulder in a move that was both familiar and foreign.Eight years. She moved out of the house we shared and across the country to some lateral nursing position, as far as I could tell, on a whim. Poof. Bags packed. Gone.

“I’ve never tried it. You’d recommend it?” That hesitant smile tugged at her lips.

Out of my pocket, I produced a lollipop and carefully removed the wrapper, focusing on the crinkling plastic. “It’s Mia’s favorite. Today’s her birthday.”

“Oh.” Katie rocked back. “Of course. Right.”

“I—” I took a deep breath and glanced toward the counter, wishing Sabrina would be faster. “I’m sorry about some of the things Mia has said to you and your dad.”

She avoided meeting my gaze and shrugged her shoulders. “She’s young. Clearly, a bit insecure.” After a beat she said, “Did you enjoy being on her tour? You always had big plans. I was sad to see you didn’t follow through on those.”

My jaw tightened involuntarily, and I slipped the lollipop into my cheek, hoping to ease the tension. “It was good, yeah. As for the other stuff, I’ve got my shop.”

“Eight years ago, the shop was a compromise.”

I shook my head and scanned the café to see who was watching and listening to our exchange. The last thing I wanted was for a chance meeting to get back to Mia on her birthday. “You know it was. And then, it became my life.”

Sabrina banged back through the swinging doors, an enormous plastic container dangling from each arm. “Why are theseso heavy?” She complained coming around the counter. “Be careful. They’re so heavy, Tyler.”

With my head low, I concealed my smile as I picked them up easily. Katie’s eyes were on me as my muscles flexed with the weight.

“Can we—could we maybe get coffee sometime? Either while Mia’s here or once she’s gone?” Her expression was hopeful.

I suppressed a sigh as I stared into her light-brown eyes. They’d always tugged at something deep inside, and I wished this moment was different. But the vulnerability I saw in her made me want to agree to coffee at least.

As though sensing my weakness, she added, “To catch up. As friends.”

“I’ll let you know.” Denying her outright was harsh, and maybe when Mia left, I’d need some kind of distraction from the fallout. Who knew? Rehashing the past might not be such a grenade in a few months. Maybe the conversation would be a balm.

“I hope she loves whatever you’ve got planned. You always arranged the best surprises.” She averted her gaze and stepped up to the register before I could muster a response.

Emily and my mother, Joanna, were filling up balloons with the helium tank and trying to wrestle them into groups while Amir, Emily’s son, sucked in gas from a stray balloon and sang to the playlist I’d created just for the party. Twenty-one of Mia’s favorite artists and songs.

Her passion for music was one of the things I loved about her. Any time I could get her talking about what songs, songwriters, or musiciansshe loved, I was guaranteed an education. She lit up. Creating the playlist had been a no-brainer, and since I paid attention the last couple months about which songs and artists she never tired of hearing, the hardest part had been narrowing it down to twenty-one.

“You’re quiet,” Emily commented while she passed another balloon to our mother to tie.

“I’m mulling something over.”

“Something Mia-related? You two seem like you’ve gotten close. The Pretty Boy nickname the other night got quite a laugh. Why do you call her Mini?”

“Long story.” Some things I wanted to keep sacred, and those nicknames were meant for just us.

“I hate when you get like this,” Emily said.

“Like what?” I’d been staring at the wooden island and lifted my gaze to meet hers.

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