Page 50 of Cursed Luck
Edward watched them argue for a few minutes about the topic of selling the Hemlocks’ home. Mia was saddened by the idea of losing her childhood home, but in the end, she agreed her family had spent more time camping than sleeping in those beds.
He sat quietly, feeling bad for bringing it up, and merely enjoyed having her at his side. He noted the amount he missed her hadn’t really been quantifiable. His life had changed so much since her arrival in it. Over seventy-two hours without her and he thought he was going to burst.
He’d been swamped with a myriad of emotions. He understood for the first time how deeply his father had loved his mother and how there was literally nothing in the world that would have made him walk away from her—not even knowing she would live a short life. Her untimely death had not been a secret, and Edward was sure they had made the best of it.
If Edward and Mia had been in the same shoes, he would have created as many memories as possible to fill the crater-sized hole her death would leave.
Adam shifted their conversation to the topic of fairies, and they listened to all the evidence he and Lily had gathered on the mystical creatures.
In one year, Edward’s life had transformed. He couldn’t help but wonder what the following year with Mia would be like. His mind raced through scenarios of holding her in bed, making love to her, watching her shop flourish, and Mia round with his child.
His body warmed at the last thought. He had only begun accepting Mia in his life because the alternative was not an option. Becoming a father was one can of worms he was not ready to process.
He could not share her with a child now, as he wanted her all to himself. As soon as he was able to separate her from her parents—in the politest manner he could manage—he hoped to end the madness of not being bonded to her.
He did everything possible to ignore the way their waiter had admired Mia. Or the side glances the bus boy would give her when he thought no one was looking. Edward contemplated shoving his foot out but knew tripping either man would only further upset Mia. She had calmed since the misunderstanding, and he wanted to keep their semblance of peace as long as he could.
He would screw it up eventually. It was inevitable. He’d seen his brothers and Ryan fuck up with their women time and time again. Edward would be no different if his past performance predicted his future behavior.
Chapter 22
His hand wrapped around hers, larger and softer than her own. She peered at him as he laughed at her father. Edward had never looked so relaxed. He squeezed her hand, silently acknowledging he could feel her staring.
The day had taken quite the turn. Her return from the forest had left her energized and ready to work. She’d had no plans to satisfy the pull to him when her parents arrived unannounced. Their visit was a wonderful surprise, even as she had vibrated with the need to see Edward.
She was torn between the pain she’d experienced at seeing another woman in his arms and the invisible thread of magic trying to unite them.
She would have never guessed him to be a violent man, but she’d say the same of herself. When Mia had seen Edward holding Claudia unaware, she wanted to vomit, attack, and run away all at once.
After her parents and Edward slipped off to the café, she helped her customer before sitting and listening to her messages.
Hours had passed since she learned the truth. His presence and explanation, backed by the text messages she finally read and a slew of voicemails she finally listened to, had smoothed her frayed nerves.
Her cheeks warmed as she dropped her gaze to the floor. So much pain could have been avoided if she had only allowed him to explain himself. Hell, if they would have argued a few minutes longer, Brandy and Claudia would have stepped out and unraveled the mess of misunderstanding.
“Mia?” her mom called, for not the first time by the look of her concern on her face.
“Sorry?”
“We were wondering if you were okay before we left for the house.” she said.
Mia nodded and gave them a grateful smile. “Much better. I’m so glad you guys decided to come home for a bit.”
Her mom took Edward in, her gaze sweeping down his body. “So am I. I’m thrilled you found your mate. It was a pleasure meeting you, Edward.”
“Thank you for helping me clear this mess up. I owe you everything,” he said and kissed her mom’s cheek. Turning toward her dad, Edward offered his hand. “I’m sorry I tried hitting you.”
Her father pushed Edward’s hand away and pulled him in for a manly hug. “Any man willing to fight for my girl is worthy of my respect. Did you know that in the wild, male animals like the mule deer fight off other males for the right to reproduce?”
“Dad!” Mia whined.
“It’s true, dear,” her mom said. “It’s quite fascinating to watch. So much testosterone…”
“All right, that’s enough,” Mia said when her mother shivered and gave her dad a heated look. “I’m glad we all had dinner. Maybe we can do it again if you two don’t run off soon.”
Mia ignored Edward’s low chuckle. She was very aware of his presence while they told her parents good-bye once more.
He lowered his mouth to near her ear as they watched her parents walk away. “I wonder if they’ll make it somewhere private before tearing off each other’s clothes.”
