Page 60 of Protect My Heart
‘Yeah, you’re good.’ Nick walks up to me. ‘Be nice to Mia. She drove all this way to help you out.’ He continues to the door and we follow him out to the hall and down the stairs.
Nick doesn’t understand what’s been going on with Mia. None of my brothers do, which is why they shouldn’t be giving me advice. They get to be with the girl they want, the one they can see a future with, the one that makes them feel that spark. I’m not that lucky. The girl I want I can’t have, so why would I keep acting like she and I are anything more than two people who shared a night together?
When we get to the barn, my parents are there, along withUncle Mitch and my four cousins. I look for Mia and see her standing off to the side, looking like she feels out of place. I head over to her, but Nash gets there first.
‘Hey,’ he says, smiling at her. ‘You look kind of lonely over here.’
‘She’s with me,’ I say, coming up next to him. ‘Mia, this is Nash, my cousin from Chicago.’
Nash shakes her hand. ‘It’s good to meet you.’
‘You too.’ She smiles at him.
Nash turns to me. ‘I didn’t know you had a girlfriend.’
‘Mia is just a friend. We met a few months ago at a wedding.’
‘Your brother played in the band,’ Mia says to Nash. ‘He’s really good.’
‘Austin was there?’ Nash asks me.
‘Yeah, I didn’t know until I saw the band warming up. We talked when they had a break. I’m surprised he didn’t tell you.’
‘Nash.’ Callie walks up to him, holding the baby. ‘Can you take her? I need to use the bathroom before the ceremony starts.’
Nash takes the baby, who’s all dressed up in a pink dress and little white shoes. ‘Babe, this is Mia,’ he says to Callie. ‘Jason’s girlfriend.’
She’s not my girlfriend, but hearing Nash call her that is making me have those feelings again, the ones I’m trying to stop.
Mia smiles at Callie. ‘Your baby is adorable.’
‘Thanks! You can hold her if you want. Sorry to run off, but I really have to go.’ She takes off for the bathroom.
‘Here.’ Nash hands Mia the baby.
‘She’s beautiful,’ Mia says, smiling at the baby. She rocks her side to side. ‘What’s her name?’
‘Addison,’ Nash says. ‘But we’ve started to call her Addie.’
‘What a pretty name.’ Mia’s eyes haven’t left the baby and she can’t stop smiling.
Mia and Nash continue to talk about the baby until Callie returns.
‘Okay, I’m back,’ Callie says, racing up to Nash. ‘We should go take our seats. It’s filling up out there.’
Mia hands Callie the baby. ‘She’s really sweet. Thanks for letting me hold her.’
‘Sure! You can hold her again later so I can get a dance or two in with Nash.’
‘Two?’ He smiles at her. ‘We’re doing more than that.’
They go out the door to the orchard.
‘I should go grab a seat,’ Mia says.
‘Mia, wait. I need to say something.’
I can’t take this any longer. I can’t take seeing her sad because of me. I at least need to explain.
