Page 57 of Burden to Bear

To know that she wasn’t on edge, that she was comfortable enough with me to let her guard down to the point she could fall asleep with me here, felt good. It reinforced that I was doing the right thing by taking this slow.

And as I watched her sleeping, all I could think was how much I wanted this. All of this. Just like Harry had said, I wanted the rest of my life to start as soon as possible, because I’d found the person I wanted to spend my life with.

I’d had months of getting to know her and spending time with her. There wasn’t anything about her I didn’t like or want in my life on a day-to-day basis. All that came with her—even her baby.

My eyes drifted down her body and over her sleeping form. God, she was beautiful. I could have stayed right where I was all night long and watched her while she slept. But since Mia and I were technically still just friends, I didn’t think that was the wisest idea.

So, I gave myself another ten minutes to just sit there with her and imagine what my life would be like, what our life could be like, if things went the way I hoped they’d eventually go.

When I hadn’t gotten quite enough, but knew I wouldn’t leave if I stayed any longer, I turned off the television, stood, and lifted Mia in my arms. Whether it was divine intervention or that she was truly that exhausted, Mia didn’t wake.

I climbed the stairs and walked to her bedroom. Instinctively, my eyes moved through the space. This was where she slept every night.

Not wanting to get caught up in another ten or twenty minutes of fantasizing as I held this woman in my arms, I crossed the room toward the bed and gently placed Mia down in it. After making sure she was covered and settled, I left her room, descended the stairs, and grabbed the keys to her house. I found a piece of paper and a pen and wrote Mia a note letting her know I locked up and took her keys to do it, so she’d know where to find them tomorrow.

Then I turned off the lights, walked out, and locked up.

And as I made my way back to my place, I wondered if the time would come when I’d be able to spend the night with Mia instead of having to walk away.

SIXTEEN

Mia

I felt like I’d been in a perpetual state of happiness all day.

Technically, it had been days I’d been feeling so good, and it would have been difficult not to be so happy when I’d just had the best weekend of my life.

It was all thanks to one man.

The constant state of joy began on Saturday when Brock came over to my house to have lunch, build a crib, eat dinner, and watch movies with me. He had gone well beyond the call of duty that day, giving me far more than just a built crib in the end.

The good vibes continued when I woke in my bed the next morning, knowing I hadn’t walked there myself. Of course, it was possible that pregnancy brain was impacting me, but that seemed a bit too far-fetched. And fortunately, I realized I wasn’t losing my mind entirely when I descended the stairs for breakfast yesterday morning and saw Brock’s sweet note waiting there for me.

I thought I’d get a reprieve on Sunday afternoon from the utter bliss I’d been feeling and have some time to try to settle down, but apparently, I wasn’t done receiving all that I was meant to have. Because once I walked over to Brock’s to get my key after I ate breakfast yesterday, we had a chat about the movie I’d fallen asleep during. That discussion led to Brock reminding me he didn’t have any side work that needed to be done that day and ultimately asking if I’d like to spend the day with him.

It didn’t seem to bother Brock that I needed to get some grocery shopping done, quickly volunteering to be my chauffeur, and taking me wherever I needed to go.

So, that’s what we did.

We also had lunch together while we were out, went for a walk around the neighborhood when we got back, enjoyed dinner on my deck afterward, and closed out the evening by watching one of Brock’s favorite movies, which was a clear departure from the romantic comedies from the night before.

The entire day had been unbelievably fun, and best of all, it was casual between us. I hadn’t felt one ounce of awkward tension between us, and I really did my best to just lean into how great it felt to have someone in my life with whom I enjoyed spending my time.

And now, it was Monday, and I’d just turned onto my street after leaving work. Even without having seen Brock all day today, I hadn’t managed to come down from the high of the weekend.

Maybe that was the result of the weekend being just that good, or it could have been the prospect of seeing Brock when I got home. It was entirely possible it was a combination of both, but I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Brock was responsible for the way I’d been feeling lately.

As I made my way down my street, I saw Brock’s truck at the end of his driveway. My heart started beating a little faster, and the smile on my face grew.

When I pulled my car to a stop at the end of my own driveway and got out, I was even happier that Brock seemed just as thrilled to see me as I was him.

“Hey, Mia. How was work today?”

“Great. Very productive. How was your day?”

As I made it to my mailbox, where Brock had also stepped closer to, he answered, “That’s a great word to describe it. Productive.”

I smiled brightly at him. “Can’t complain about that, am I right?”

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