Page 38 of Flirtatious

I nod my head and then she adds, “Plus, it seems like it’s not the kind of place you’d want to do alone.”

Mia waves off her comment and says, “You know, cursed tiki things and all of that.”

She sounds sad all of a sudden, so I say, “You could go with your life coach. I bet she’d love a nice vacation like that.”

“I guess. Maybe. It just doesn’t feel like a girls’ trip kind of place. Doesn’t Hawaii always seem more like a romantic vacation to you?”

For a moment, I think about it and then shrug. “I can’t say I’ve thought about it at all, but I guess so. The Bradys didn’t think that way, though. Then again, that mother and father bring their kids and the housekeeper on their honeymoon, so I’m not sure they understand the idea of a vacation.”

Mia elbows me in the side and gives me a look of utter disapproval. “They missed their family. You can understand that, can’t you?”

“Not really. I’m not taking anyone on any honeymoon I go on. That’s for sure.”

Almost as if she forgets about the episode playing on the TV, she turns her body to face me and asks, “What’s it like to have lots of family around you all the time? Is it as wonderful as it seems?”

My initial idea is to say hell, no, it’s not wonderful at all, but suddenly I think I understand Mia’s near obsession with this show. Like my stories about my family, it’s something she wants but has never had.

Then it dawns on me why she keeps her entourage around her for weeks before her tour. She certainly doesn’t need stylists and a personal trainer living here. The same goes for that life coach too. The only one who seems to actually do anything is the choreographer since she and Mia practice with the dancers every day now.

She wants them here so she can pretend like she has the family she’s always wanted.

Maybe being part of a big family isn’t perfect like she wants to believe it is, but now that I think of it, it’s never been so bad either. It certainly seems a whole lot better than what she has with her mother.

I smile and answer her question as truthfully as I can. “You know, it’s not bad. It can be a pain in the ass having all those people thinking they have a say in your life and what you do with it, but it’s pretty great to have them around when it feels like the rest of the world wants to see the worst in you.”

She sighs and nods. “I had a feeling that’s exactly how it is. You’re so lucky, Liam. Never forget that.”

A sense of sadness hangs off her words, and I consider telling her about all the times my family got on my last nerve about something. I don’t, though. Mia’s built up the idea of a big loving family so much in her mind that I doubt she’d believe me anyway.

We don’t say anything after that, and when the episode in Hawaii ends, I feel her head fall against my right shoulder. Turning my head, I see her fast asleep with a tiny smile on her lips and the remote still in her hand.

I move to gently slide it from her hold, but she mumbles something about Alice and the hula dance. Since I don’t want to wake her, I carefully lean back against the headboard and settle in to watch parts two and three of the Bradys in Hawaii.

Mia lightly snores against my shoulder as I wonder if they brought the dog on this trip. Probably.

Nearly an hour later, she wakes up with a start and stares at me wide-eyed. “Did I fall asleep?”

Nodding, I point toward the TV and smile. “You missed their entire vacation. Do you want me to replay it for you?”

She wipes the sleep from her eyes and shakes her head. “No, it’s okay. I’ve seen it a bunch of times. Did you like it?”

There’s something so hopeful and sweet in the way she asks that, like she actually cares if I did enjoy watching the show while she slept, that I don’t tell her the truth. “It had everything, right? Comedy, surfing, an ancient curse, and mystery. Who could ask for anything more?”

But she sees right through my answer and frowns. “You didn’t like it.”

When she hangs her head like my opinion on this show matters to her and I’ve crushed her with my teasing about it, I playfully nudge her shoulder to get her attention. She won’t look up at me, so I nudge her again.

Still nothing.

“Hey, who cares what someone like me thinks? I’ve had to live with a family that size all my life. All that matters is you like it.”

Finally, she nods and looks up at me. “I guess. I better go. Leave everything for the maid to clean up tomorrow.”

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” I say, hating how things are ending with us for another night. “This is your house, after all. Technically, you could make me stay up all night watching The Brady Bunch.”

She stands up, shaking her head. “No, I better go. Five o’clock comes early, I bet.”

I quickly slide off the bed behind her and follow her to the door as a feeling that I don’t want our time to end comes over me. “I liked it, Mia. I really did.”

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