Page 47 of Burden to Bear

“I think most of her thoughts right now are on her pregnancy and the baby,” I said.

Chris didn’t hesitate to share his concerns. “That doesn’t sound good. At least, not for you, anyway. I get that her focus is going to be on the baby. It absolutely should be. But you don’t sound confident about how you might fit into her life. Do you think you might be setting yourself up for heartbreak, given where her life is right now?”

It was entirely possible that was the case.

Having watched my brother go through it when Izzy was first born, I realized just how much work Mia had in store for her once the baby arrived. The chances were high that I could spend the spring and most of the summer growing attached to this woman, and as soon as the baby was here, Mia was going to be occupied.

Would I be willing to help her out if she needed it? Of course.

Did I think I’d never see her again? Obviously not.

But her priorities would shift—as they should—and it was likely I’d be on the side wishing for more with her.

I certainly couldn’t predict the future or where things would go, but I had to prepare myself for the possibility of this not going where I wanted it to go.

“I don’t know where I’ll end up in this, Chris,” I admitted as I made the final approach toward my street. “But I like her too much not to put in some effort.”

“What if the ex comes back into the picture? Do you think she’d take him back?”

Thinking about that didn’t leave me with any good feelings. It had been a few months since he’d left her, and he hadn’t come back yet. But as it got closer and closer to her due date, it was possible he’d change his mind about everything. I didn’t know him well enough to know what he would do. Sadly, the same could be said about how well I knew Mia.

“I’m not sure. I hope not. But he is the father of her baby, so I think I’d be foolish if I ruled that out as a very real possibility.”

As I turned onto my street, Chris sighed. “You’ve got to be careful, Brock. I get that you like her, and I truly hope it goes the way you want. But be cautious, because it’s risky. I don’t want to see you get yourself caught up in something that’s going to leave you a mess.”

My brother’s words hit me square in the chest as I drove down the street toward my house and my eyes landed on Mia, who was reaching into her mailbox for her mail. When I was only two houses away from mine, she glanced up, saw me, and smiled brightly as she waved.

A new feeling hit me in the center of my chest. It was warm, and I felt like I was tingling all over.

My brother was right.

Continuing to pursue Mia was a gamble, but if I got her in the end, if I got this woman smiling brightly at me as I drove home from work as the reward, I thought she was worth the risk.

“Brock?”

Chris’s voice echoed in my head. “Yeah?”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. I just… I just got home, so I need to get going,” I answered. “But I promise I’ll keep what you said in the back of my mind.”

I could hear the amusement in his tone when he said, “She’s there, isn’t she?”

There was no use in lying. “Yep.”

“Alright. I’ll talk to you later. Let me know if you need anything.”

“I will. Give Izzy a kiss and a hug from me.”

“Will do. Later.”

I said goodbye as I pulled into my driveway and disconnected the call. After bringing my truck to a stop, I got out and saw Mia had made her way toward my mailbox. “Hi, Brock.”

“Hey, Mia. How was your day?”

“Good. Great, actually. Two of my kids at work had breakthroughs today, so I’m feeling extremely happy about that,” she said.

“That’s awesome. Congratulations.”

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