37. Mia
Chapter 37
Mia
“ I ’m so glad you could come to breakfast with us, this morning.” Mr. Gallo, Ian’s father, says to me as we finish up a delicious meal at Ian’s club.
“Me, too.” I tell both his parents honestly.
“We both are.” Ian says as he takes my hand.
The restaurant is packed with everybody who’s anybody in my new town. I hate to admit it, but I’m getting used to having my picture taken, too, because it’s been done about a thousand times since we sat down.
“I’m going to the ladies’ room. I’ll be right back.” I stand just as Mrs. Gallo does as well.
“I’ll go with you, dear.”
“Always in groups. I’ll never understand you gals.” Mr. Gallo laughs.
Mrs. Gallo kisses him on the cheek, “You’re not supposed to, darling.”
We go into the bathroom and handle our business and meet back at the sink. “You look happy, Mia. Are you?”
I nod, “Yes, I am.”
“My son looks happy, too, and it’s been a long time since he has been. You two are good for each other.”
I open the door for her and follow her out. “Thank you. I think so, too.”
“Cynthia!” A lady calls over to her waving her arms frantically.
“Will you excuse me? I need to talk to her about the engagement party.” She winks at me.
I smile, “Of course. I’ll head back to the table.”
I round the corner into the main dining room when I’m approached from behind. “What is the secretary doing in a members-only area? Trash needs to stay with trash.” Mackenzie sneers at me and I can feel her hatred wash over me as I turn to face her.
“I’m with Ian and his family.” Why do I feel a need to justify myself to her?
“You mean your fake fiancé?”
What?! How does she know?
“What are you talking about? This ring looks pretty real to me.” I wiggle my engagement ring in front of her. I’m about done with this chick.
“I don’t know what you’re after, troll, but it’s not going to work. He’s going to get tired of slumming it with you and finally come back to where he belongs… with me, so why don’t you get your skanky ass out of the way and let a real woman take care of him? Hell, your own mother didn’t even want you. What makes you think you could hang on to a man like Ian Gallo?” She laughs at me, and she’s done exactly what she aimed to do – get to my insecurities.
She’s right, though. Why would Ian want me when he could have so much more? Then my brain finally kicks in and kicks my own ass. “Ian and I love each other and I’m sorry you’re struggling with that truth, but it’s a fact. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my fiancé.”
“I don’t think so, bitch.” Mackenzie snarls.
Before I can react, her hand makes contact with the side of my face and the sting is immediate. My head swings to the side as my hand immediately covers where she slapped me. The sting is familiar from my foster days and triggers and almost automatic response. My reaction is instinctual as I grab her by her hair with one hand and twist her arm up and behind her back with the other, pushing her face into the wall. The entire restaurant has stopped what they were doing and is watching this whole thing unfold. Some have their cell phones out and are filming the entire thing and I don’t care.
“Don’t. You. Ever. Slap. Me. Again.”
Suddenly, I’m being pulled away. “Get your hands off my daughter you piece of trailer trash!” A man I don’t recognize yells at me as he pushes me away from Mackenzie. He turns to Mackenzie, “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
Her fake tears start to form in the corner of her eyes. “Did you see that, Daddy? She assaulted me!”
Mackenzie’s father glances between us. “How dare you?”
Ian grabs my hand and pulls me behind him. “Don’t you ever touch, speak to, or even think about anyone in my current or future family, I will destroy not only you, but your entire family as well. Do you understand me, Laughlin?”
“You need to get your priorities straight, Ian. She’ s not worth it, trust me.” He waves at me.
Ian ignores him. “Do you understand me?” He repeats through gritted teeth.
The glare Mackenzie’s father shoots Ian could make lesser men cry. “You’re going to regret this, Ian Gallo. I promise you that.”
“Doubtful.” Ian turns to me, “Are you okay, baby?”
I nod but am embarrassed that this has happened in front of Ian’s parents. I just want to go home where I’m safe from lunatic ex-girlfriends, ex-boyfriends, and reporters. Someone next to us hands Ian an ice pack with a towel wrapped around it and he places it on my cheek. “Here. Hold this; it will help.”
I take the ice pack as a frantic woman comes running over yelling and screaming at me. “Don’t you ever touch my daughter like that again!” She’s trying to comfort Mackenzie, so I suppose this is her mother. Great. More drama.
“Get out of my club.” Ian says to the three of them.
“You can’t do that. We’ve been members here for years. I’m on the board of directors.”
Ian’s face turns to stone, “Not anymore. Get. Out. Now!” He points to the exit and they make a beeline for the door and everyone in the dining room watches as they leave.
Ian takes my hand and pulls me out of the dining room, through a few hallways, and somehow, we end up in his office. I haven’t been in here since my first week of work.
As he closes the door behind me, he turns and pulls me into his arms. “I’m so sorry, Mia. I just couldn’t get to you fast enough and I never thought she would hit you.”
My tears finally fall, and I just cry it out as he holds me. I shouldn’t be embarrassed but I am and now it’s going to be on every television news program, website, and will probably be a meme of some sort by the time we get back out there.
“You have no reason to be sorry,” I hiccup.
He leads me over to the couch and we sit down as he dries my tears with a tissue from the coffee table. “Yes, I do. I should have handled her a long time ago.” He lifts my head, “Here. Let me see.” He looks absolutely devastated. “It doesn’t look like it will bruise. That’s good.”
I give him a small smile and put the ice pack down. “Thank you for what you did back there. I’m sure you think that was completely uncalled for, huh?”
Ian smirks at me, “Actually…” he pauses, “it was kinda hot.”
I laugh at him, “Seriously. Thank you for standing up for me. I’ve not had that in my life before.”
“Always, Mia. I will protect you, always.”
Last night when Ian got home, we had our dessert date on the back patio overlooking the pool. It was too windy to go onto the beach. We’d end up with sand in our food. Instead, we decided to have ice cream cones on the porch where there was some protection from the elements. Ian said it looked like a storm was coming in, but not a hurricane. It’s hurricane season, and if one does comes this way, I’m out of here. I don’t have a death wish.
After our date, he showed me the background check he got on the woman claiming to be my real mother. No matter how hard I tried, even I couldn’t argue that she and I looked exactly alike. Looking at her picture was like looking at my future self.
Not sure why, but it never occurred to me I might have siblings and this woman, Lynn Yates, has two sons, both in the military, although I don’t know which branch. My stomach dropped when I read that I have brothers. Also, the part where she lives practically next door. Well, about an hour north of here. She’s married, too. I wonder if she’s married to my real father.
The report listed her phone number, and it matches the one from the mysterious text messages I received off my old phone. Ian assured me I didn’t need to do anything with all this information, or I could reach out to her. It’s all up to me and that scares the shit out of me.
Two weeks ago, I was a lonely girl, looking for a job so that I could keep eating tuna fish sandwiches for dinner and keep the lights on in my one-room apartment. Now, I’m, technically , engaged to a billionaire, living in a mansion, own my own business, and my real mother is reaching out to me. What a ride.
After dreaming all night about this, when I woke up this morning, I decided I wanted to meet her. All my life I’ve wanted a family of my own and here is my blood relative reaching out. I don’t think I’d ever forgive myself if I didn’t take this opportunity to at least meet her.
When I told Ian this morning, he was completely supportive, but insisted that we get a DNA test. Neither one of us believes she’s not my mother just by looking at her picture, but he’s right, we should at least confirm what she’s claiming.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Ian asks as my finger hovers over the send message in the text I’m about to send to Lynn.
I nod. “If I don’t, I might regret it later.”
“You don’t have to do this now; you can wait and think about it. There’s no rush. Especially after this morning.”
I know he feels bad about what happened this morning, but it has nothing to do with us and everything to do with Mackenzie and her delusions. I just don’t know how to get him to let it go. He’s got nothing to be sorry about. “No, if I don’t do this now, then I don’t do it at all. I can’t live in limbo like this.”
He nods, “Okay, then. Send it when you’re ready.”
I reread the text that I’ve written and rewritten three times already and I finally hit send.
Me: This is Mia McIntosh and my new number.
Almost immediately, she replies.
Lynn: Hi Mia. Thank you for texting back.
I see those three dots pop up and then disappear, then pop up again. Then disappear again and then nothing comes through. I think she’s letting me dictate the pace.
Me: I don’t know how this should go or what the next step is.
Lynn: Me either, but I’d really like to meet you in person if you’re okay with that. I’m sure you have some questions for me. I know I would if I were you.
Me: Ok. That would be fine, but in order to take anything you say as the truth, I’d like a DNA test for verification. I hope you understand.
Lynn: That is completely understandable. Just tell me where and when, Mia. It’s smart for you to be careful.
Ian’s reading our conversation over my shoulder, and I look up at him. “What do I say?”
“Tell her to pick a day and I can have the lab send someone over to do the test.”
“Just like that? You can have someone from some random lab come over to do a DNA test at the drop of a hat? Must be nice being a billionaire.” I tease him.
“It is. You’ll get used to it.” He teases back as he kisses the side of my head and I decide to ignore his comment for now. One monumental moment at a time, thank you very much.
Me: Why don’t you pick a day and time, and we can arrange the test and to meet.
Lynn: How does this afternoon work for you?
Whoa.
Um…
Me: Are you sure? Aren’t you working? It is Monday.
Lynn: I’m off today since tomorrow is the Fourth of July. I took a long weekend. I can come to you or meet you anywhere. It’s up to you, Mia. I’m at your mercy.
I look over my shoulder at Ian. “What do you think?”
“You’re not meeting her without me with you, that’s for sure. Why don’t you have her come here that way security will be tight in case she’s crazy.”
“Well, that doesn’t make me feel any better.” I laugh at him. “Let’s have her in your home…”
“Our home.” He interrupts me.
I just give him the evil eye. I haven’t agreed to move in officially, even though I’m technically already moved in. Another topic for another day. “…whatever. You know what I mean. Let’s have the potentially crazy person come here and we’ll just tighten security.” My nervous laugh escapes.
“If you want to meet her someplace else, we can have her meet us at the club.” He offers.
The more I think about it, the more I hate that idea. The press may be lurking around and the last thing we need is this making the news circuit. “No, if you’re okay with it, I’d rather do it here. Less prying eyes.”
“Good thinking. I’ll let security know.” Ian walks out of the room as I finish my text conversation with Lynn.
Me: Okay. Today works for me. How about four o’clock?
Lynn: Thank you, Mia. I’ll be there. I can’t wait to meet you… again.
I decide not to respond to that last comment and instead I send her the address and then nervously look up at the clock. Four more hours and I can’t tell if I’m excited or nervous.
“Are you ready?” Ian asks as we stand on the front porch waiting for the woman who claims to be my mother climb out of a very large black pickup truck. It looks brand new with one small silver stripe down the side.
“Does it matter? She’s here now; there’s no going back.”
His grip tightens my hand, “It matters. If you don’t want to do this, I can get rid of them.”
Nervously, I laugh. “That sounds like you’d put a hit out on them.”
He smirks. “As we established earlier, I am a billionaire.” He bumps my shoulder with his and then kisses the side of my head. That seems to be a new thing with him, and it does not suck. Not at all.
I turn to face him. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For everything.”
“You’ve got this, sweetheart,” he whispers to me as we watch two people climb out of the black pickup.
The woman, who I suppose, is my mother, waves at me with one hand as she wipes away a tear with the other. Her husband, I presume, walks around the back of the truck and over to her, taking her hand in his as they both approach Ian and me.
Thankfully, Ian takes the lead. “Welcome. Ian Gallo.” He puts his hand out first to her and then to the man with her.
“Lynn. Nice to meet you.”
“Jeff Yates.”
Lynn turns to me. “Hello.”
I shake her hand. “Hello. I’m Mia.” As if they were stupid, but what else was I supposed to say? Turning to her husband, who I still don’t know if this is my father, I shake his hand. “I’m Mia.”
“Nice to meet you, Mia.”
“Let’s get out of this heat.” Ian opens the front door as he ushers us all into the house. Both Lynn and Jeff follow me inside the foyer and then to the living room. “Can I get anyone something to drink?” He offers, but they both turn him down.
All four of us choose a place to sit; Ian sits next to me on one couch as Lynn and Jeff sit across from us on the other. It’s the first time I noticed Jeff was carrying a tote bag and I wonder what’s in there, but I don’t ask.
“Um… I should start.” Lynn says nervously as she places one hand to her heart. “First, I’d like to say thank you for agreeing to meet me,” she turns to Jeff, “us. We know you could have written us off, but…” she tears up. “I promised myself I wouldn’t cry.”
I give her a small smile. “It’s okay.”
She takes a deep breath and starts again as she wipes the tears out from under both eyes and sits up straight. “Okay, I can do this.”
Jeff takes her hand and holds it in her lap as he watches her with love in his eyes, trying to give her some of his strength.
“I was born in a very small town in Tennessee called Cotton Grove. Your grandparents were good people.”
My heart races when she mentions grandparents. I have grandparents. Holy crap. I have a family. It sounds so foreign to me.
“I, on the other hand, was a horrible teenager.” She swallows hard before she continues. “When you grow up in a town of less than a hundred people, a teenager will find trouble if it doesn’t find her first. And I found as much as I could.”
I watch Jeff squeeze her hand in support.
“I did every drug I could get my hands on, which then led to more drugs. Everything was about getting high, stoned, or drunk. Or all three. I didn’t care what it was, I would take it, smoke it, or inject it.” She looks off into the distance. “I broke my parent’s heart so many times.”
“You don’t need to do this if you don’t want.” I tell her as my heart is breaking along with hers.
She shakes her head. “No, you deserve to hear this. Once I turned eighteen, my parents kicked me out. I bounced from one place to another and eventually ended up in Nashville with a guy named Shawn. We were doing every drug under the sun we could get our hands on. Neither one of us could hold down a job, so we did things I’m not proud of all in the name of getting high.”
I notice Lynn isn’t looking at me or Ian when she’s talking about this part of her life. Instead, she’s either looking down at her hands or at the coffee table in front of us. She is embarrassed to be telling us, two complete strangers, her life story.
“One day, I started vomiting. A lot. Shawn freaked out and rushed me to the hospital in a friend’s car. He dropped me off at the emergency room doors and then left me there because he had to get the car back to his friend. I thought he was coming back. He said he was coming back, but I never saw him again. Later on, I learned he was trying to come back to be with me at the hospital, but because he was really high, he crashed the car and died in the accident.”
“I’m so sorry.” Ian says empathetically.
Lynn nods in appreciation for his sympathy. “He also killed a family of four.”
It’s quiet for a few moments while we all ingest what she just told us, but then she continues. “I was in the hospital for a few days for a couple of reasons. First, I was coming down off my high and going through terrible withdrawals, and second, I learned I was pregnant with you.” She looks directly at me.
“Mia, you have to know that not once did I ever think that I could get pregnant. I was such a stupid idiot. It just never occurred to me and Shawn, and we never took precautions. That cost money that was better used on more drugs.” She’s watching me for my reaction.
“So, my father isn’t Jeff. It’s the guy that died in the car accident?”
She nods, “Shawn Smith. Yes. He was your father.” She fidgets with the hem of her shorts. “I panicked when they told me I was pregnant. I was alone, twenty-three years old, broke, and a drug addict. The only thing I could think of was to call my parents.” She looks to the ceiling, “And God bless them, they dropped everything and rushed to my side.” Lynn wipes her tears with a tissue she pulled out of her purse.
“You should know I stayed clean the rest of the pregnancy. It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do, but I did it. But the day you were born…” she shakes her head, “I did not want to give you up once I took one look at you.” She smiles at me. “You had the cutest little nose.”
“She still does.” Ian taps the tip of my nose as I give him a dirty look.
“But, my parents insisted, emphatically, that I give you up. And they were right. They were getting older, and I was in no shape to raise a child. I had no skills, no money, no job, no prospects, and I was jonesing for a hit. So, I gave you to the nurse and watched as she carried you out of my life. It was the last time I saw you and the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
“It was one of the most selfless acts you could have done.” Ian tells her as I sit there in silence, just processing everything.
“Well, after that, I got high a few more times, but hated myself every second of the day. At one point, I contemplated suicide, and that’s when I realized I needed help. Real help. So, I checked myself into a rehab center. Stayed there for a long time. But I got myself clean and have been ever since.”
She looks at Jeff. “Then, I met Jeff one night when I was waitressing at a diner in Georgia. He was the most handsome man I had ever met.” She smiles up at Jeff. “He came to the diner every night to eat pie for a week before he finally asked me out.”
“I was out of Navy bootcamp and just sent to Kings Bay Base,” He turns to Lynn, “and she was just the prettiest thing I had ever seen.”
She smiles lovingly up at him, and you can see that they are still in love after all these years. “After about a year of dating, he proposed, and we were married. Eventually, we had two sons, twins, Jacob and Joshua. We moved to just outside of Daytona Beach and have lived there ever since.”
She looks up at me with an almost apologetic expression, as if she has lifted a weight off her shoulders.
“Thank you for telling us all of this. It’s a lot to process.” I’ve got a death grip on Ian’s hand, and I don’t know why, so I loosen it.
“Honey?” Jeff says to Lynn and then nods towards the tote bag he brought in with them.
She throws her hands up. “Oh! I brought pictures. This entire album is yours if you want it.” She opens the tote bag and pulls out a huge, old looking photo album and opens it on the coffee table between us to the first page. “I’ve been adding pictures to it all these years, hoping I would eventually get to meet you again.”
“You’ve been making this for me all these years?”
She stops and looks directly into my eyes—eyes that look exactly like mine. “Mia, I’ve never forgotten about you and have thought about you and loved you every second of every day since the day I found out I was pregnant. The only way I felt like I could honor that was to make you something that I could give you if I ever met you again.”
“She’s had this photo album since before I met her.” Jeff adds with a smile.
Lynn points to the first picture. “I even wrote notes below each photo, so you’d know who they were and the date and location.” She’s looking at the different pictures and pointing to the notes. “See?”
She looks up at me as I nod. “Thank you.”
The tears finally fall down my cheeks. Even though I didn't know it, someone loved me - I was loved.
I have a family.
My very own family.