Page 68 of Dirty Little Midlife (fake) Date

“The kids love it,” Bob agrees. “They’ve almost worn me down enough to get a dog.”

Laurie laughs, arranging brownies on a platter before moving it to the center of the kitchen table. Her kind gaze shifts to me. “Any chance you’d want to part with this house permanently?”

Bob puts a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “We’d love to take it off your hands. The bank is more than happy to give us a mortgage…”

I freeze. My immediate reaction is a flash of anger that burns through my chest like a gas explosion. Then I regain control over myself and manage to tilt my head from side to side. “Not sure. I’ll have to think about it.”

“The market is cooling down, you know. Now would be a great time to sell,” Bob starts, but Laurie hushes him. “He’s not interested, Bob,” she says in a low voice.

Mia glances at me curiously, and I feel like she sees everything. Somehow, she can tell what this house means to me. She knows that it’s more than four walls and a roof: it’s a symbol of my emancipation. My independence. It’s myhome. The first one I had after my parents died.

We stay for twenty minutes, catching up on all the gossip in Lovers’ Peak, then head back home.

“Do you ever miss living here?” Mia asks when we’re back on the road.

In my peripheral vision, I see Bailey glance at me to catch my response. I shrug. “Not really.”

It’s the truth. So why is it so hard to consider selling that house?

“He likes Heart’s Cove better,” Bailey says with a satisfied nod.

I smile. “I do.”

Mia watches me for a moment, then looks out her window.

Back at aunt’s mountain mansion, Mia disappears to help Bailey get ready for bed. I find myself in the kitchen pouring a glass of water when Vince appears in the doorway. He watches me for a moment, then moves closer.

“You didn’t tell anyone you were in a relationship.” It sounds like an accusation.

I take a sip of water and shrug. “Yeah. So?”

“Afraid I’d steal her away from you again?” Vince gives me a cruel smile, his eyes hard.

Suddenly, I feel sorry for him. He was given everything: wealthy parents, a doting mother, a devoted wife, a great career launched from his father’s business contacts. Anything Vince could ask for was handed to him over the course of his life. But he still feels the need to be petty, to needle me at every opportunity.

It’s not worth the effort to engage. I’m not desperate for his family’s acceptance anymore. I’m not orphaned, living on the scraps of attention and affection his parents could spare. I’ve moved on.

Mia enters the kitchen then, rubbing her eyes as she yawns like a cute, sleepy kitten. I want to wrap my arms around her and never let go.

She looks at the two of us, reads our body language, and gives me a quick once-over as if to make sure I’m okay. Then her shoulders drop and she says, “I’m going to hit the hay. ‘Night, Vince.”

He straightens, as if surprised by her courtesy. “Goodnight, Mia.”

I drink the rest of the water, put the glass in the dishwasher, and nod to my brother. Then I follow Mia to the basement bedroom that used to be a reminder of how little I belonged here. Now it’s just a room with a bed where I get to be alone with the woman I adore.

I take my time making love to Mia, because despite everything, despite how close we’ve been over the course of the trip, despite all the truths I’ve spilled and the intimacy we’ve shared, I’m not sure if it’s real. It’s like our first kiss; I think this could be my only chance to have her to myself, and I intend to make the most of it.

The next day,Saturday, goodbyes are said, bags are packed, and we head off on our trip back to Northern California. This time, we make our connection. I’d parked my car in the long-term parking lot, so I load the girls up and drive us back to Heart’s Cove. Back home.

Crossing into the town limits, I feel a strange kind of pressure sitting on my chest. It was only a couple of days in Colorado, but it feels like it changed everything—everything with me, anyway. Now that we’re back, will Mia pull away? Will we pretend Thanksgiving never happened?

“You can drop us off in front of the barbershop,” Mia says. “Saves you going all the way around the back. We’ll just walk through the shop.” She glances over her shoulder, a soft smile on her face as she sees her daughter sleeping, mouth wide open. “She looks like such a little angel when she’s asleep.”

I grin. “I think Mav is going to miss her.”

Mia chuckles, glancing at me before turning forward to look through the windshield.

I take the turn onto Cove Boulevard and slow down. My heart starts to thump, as if my body knows that the end is nearing. When Mia gets out of the car, will she shut the door on our relationship too? Was this weekend an aberration in our otherwise contentious relationship? Is this the end?

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