Page 33 of Cursed Luck
Mia studied the list of food to be sure, but when it came time to order, she asked for her usual, a portobello mushroom burger with avocado and bacon. Her mouth watered in anticipation of eating it and the sweet potato fries.
Edward ordered the chicken fried steak with sweet potato mash and coleslaw on the side. For the barest of minutes, she debated switching, as she had never considered the mix.
The waitress watched him a second longer than was acceptable before going to the kitchen with their orders. Mia noted Edward had not offered the pretty woman more than a polite smile when they had arrived. His attention was solely on Mia, and she relished it.
She dated often, but Edward was different. Not only was he her mate but he made her feel like the only woman who existed. She had seen how his brothers doted on their other halves. In the beginning, she did not think Edward was capable of such devotion.
“Mia?” he asked, concern in his eyes.
“Sorry?”
“Everything okay?” he asked, leaning in closer.
Mia nodded. “Yeah, why?”
Edward’s lips twisted up in thought. “I’ve tried getting your attention three times since the waitress walked away.”
Heat creeped up her neck. “I’m sorry, I got lost in my thoughts.”
“Anything you want to talk about?”
She shook her head. This was only their first date, and she was not ready to let him into her observations or thoughts. “No, I’m good, just hard to focus when I’m hungry. What were you saying?”
Chapter 15
Edward nodded slowly. He didn’t quite believe her words but decided to let it go. “I was asking if you had any brothers or sisters.”
“Nope, it’s just me! My parents could be described as flighty hippies,” she said before wrapping her lips around her straw and pulling water into her mouth.
The action was innocent, but his damn mind envisioned her lips wrapped around his dick. Edward shifted in his seat as he nodded. “Why are they flighty hippies?”
“Like me, their powers are attached to earth. They’d much rather spend their time in the forest living off nature than raising a child. Don’t get me wrong; they are great parents and love me. They’re just… different.”
“I can’t imagine living like that,” he said.
She shrugged. “Most people can’t. They were present and loved me. Sure, our way of life was a bit unconventional, but it worked for us.”
He could not imagine what his life would have been like if both his parents had raised him. His dad had done his best with the seven of them. The grief of losing his mother had destroyed a large part of him. Now that Edward better understood why his mother died, he could not imagine how helpless his father had felt.
Edward barely knew Mia, yet the thought of losing her or not having her in his life was already something he refused to let happen. He had avoided this sort of attachment all his life, only allowing his family in and, even then, keeping them at arm’s length. Somehow in a matter of weeks, Mia had wiggled her way deep within him.
“What were your parents like?” she asked.
The question was a logical progression from his. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked around the bistro. The words were there but refused to budge. He lifted the glass and drank deeply, hoping the cool water would help him share.
Mia waited patiently as he struggled before her. So many women had asked the innocent question throughout his years of dating, but they had pushed too hard. Not his Mia.
His. She was his in so many ways though they had only shared a few passionate kisses.
Edward swallowed thickly. “Dad—” He paused and cleared his throat. “Dad died just over a year ago.”
Mia squeezed his hand. “I’m so sorry, honey.”
He studied the slight contrast of her olive skin to his tan color. “Thanks… We were told it was a bear attack, but now we know it wasn’t.”
After a second, she nodded. “Ah… How did your mom take that?”
Edward peered into his glass. By now, he would have pulled back from the woman, but the conversation only made him want to pull her into his arms. Mia wouldn’t offer him pity. He did not knowhowhe knew that, but he did. She would give him strength to face the ugly.
