Page 66 of Beautiful Trauma
“You met her the other night,” she protested.
“That was Mya.”
“It was still me.” At what must’ve been my skeptical look, she replied, “None of it was fake except for my name, hair, and eyes.”
“Then let’s fill in the gaps.”
She smiled. “Okay.”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-five.”
“The same age as me.”
“When will you be twenty-six?”
“Two weeks.”
I smiled. “You beat me. My birthday is in a month.”
“Really?”
Nodding, I replied, “Maybe we can have a joint birthday party.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re joking, right?”
“Not at all.”
“After everything that has transpired between our families, you expect them to come together to celebrate our birthdays?”
I grinned at her. “Of course not. We can throw a party and not invite them.”
A laugh burst from her lips. “I like that idea.”
“Then let’s do it.”
“Good.”
“Speaking of birthdays, you get to be the cougar in our relationship,” I teased.
“Which is interesting since I’m usually attracted to older men.”
I scowled at the reference to her and other men. “Is that right?”
Amusement danced in her eyes. “Don’t worry. It’s textbook "Daddy Issues.”
Tilting my head, I asked, “What do Daddy Issues look like in men? Because after the father I had, I sure as hell have to have some.”
Chewing a bite of salad, Mila replied, “I’m not sure.” Holding out her hand, she asked, “Let me see your phone.”
After unlocking it, I handed it over. Her fingers flew over the keys. “Hmm, trust issues, repeated behavior, and difficulty with intimacy are the top ones.”
“Sounds familiar.”
Mila shook her head. “From what little I know about him, there’s no way you have any behavior of your father’s.”
“Oh, I can assure you I have trust issues.”
