Page 70 of Burden to Bear

I inclined my head in agreement and promised to do that before turning my attention to my mom. She smiled brightly at me before hugging me like she believed it’d be years before she saw me again. And as she held on, she whispered, “I really love that this guy is here for you, Mia. He’s a great man, and he adores you.”

My hold on my mom tightened. She wasn’t standing here telling me to take care of myself or that she couldn’t wait to come back when the baby was here. She was focused on Brock, on what she thought about him and the way she perceived him feeling about me. My heart squeezed, because she’d be devastated when she realized that he really was just a great guy and that there’d never be anything between us.

I couldn’t bring myself to speak; I had no idea what to say. So, I remained silent, but that didn’t stop my mom from sending a hopeful look my way when she loosened her hold on me.

All I could bring myself to do was smile at her.

Shifting her attention behind me, she said, “It was wonderful to meet you, Brock.”

“Likewise.”

“We’ll be back closer to Mia’s due date and will have much more time here,” Dad declared. “I think, assuming all goes well with the baby, we’d love to have you join us for dinner one night.”

“I’d love nothing more, sir.”

Dad smiled proudly just as Albert reached his hand out to Brock once more and said, “Thanks for looking out for my sister. We really appreciate it.”

Brock shook Albert’s hand and insisted, “You’re welcome, but there’s really no thanks necessary.”

The next thing I knew, my family had piled into their car while I stood in the driveway with Brock beside me. As they backed out, I couldn’t miss the looks of contentment on their faces. The worry I’d seen in their expressions when they left after Christmas or when I returned home following a visit to Mount Laurel had been replaced with confidence.

Brock was responsible for giving that to them.

I was already indebted to him for all that he’d been doing for me, and this was just one more thing I was going to need to find a way to show my appreciation for.

Brock and I stood there and waved once my dad had made it to the end of the driveway and backed out completely. Then they drove off, and I tipped my chin up to look at Brock.

“Thank you for what you did today,” I said. “You didn’t need to take the time to do this, but it gave them some reassurance that I’ll be okay until they get back here.”

“I think you’ve got a great family, Mia, and I was happy to meet them. Did you have a good time with them today?”

I smiled at him. “I did. It wasn’t nearly enough time, but it was all well spent and very enjoyable. And I know I mentioned this before, but it needs repeating. I promise I only had good things to say about you when I inadvertently brought you up in conversation.”

He laughed. “That was nice of you to do. I’m just glad they were receptive to the idea of me.”

“Are you kidding? They weren’t just receptive to the idea of you. They liked you before they even met you. I don’t think they would have left here until they had the opportunity to speak with you.”

“Well, then I’m grateful to you for saying such good things about me.”

I shrugged. “I only told them the truth. You’re a good guy, Brock. And I’m lucky to have you as a friend.”

Something changed in his expression. I wasn’t quite sure what it was, but there was a very obvious shift. “Yeah. Well, I guess that goes both ways. I think you’re a great girl.”

His voice sounded strange, different than I could ever remember hearing it. Was it bad? I didn’t know. And sadly, I was entirely too afraid to ask.

I allowed us to stand there in silence for several tense moments. Then, I tipped my chin up in appreciation and said, “Back to work tomorrow.”

His eyes narrowed slightly, and a look that I pegged as being frustrated took form. “Yep.”

This was getting more and more awkward by the second. “I should probably head in and get a few things done before dinner and bed.”

He hummed in response. “Yeah, sure. Okay. Well, have a good night, Mia. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah. You, too.”

With that, Brock and I walked off in separate directions, each of us heading to our own homes, and something about it felt so wrong after all that he’d made me feel just minutes earlier.

TWENTY

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