Chapter 20
EVAN
Evan walked with a heavy heart toward the wedding party. Work hadn’t proved distraction enough, but he would at least try to be a good brother and enjoy Luka’s wedding day with him.
Stepping out into the bright Tuscan sunshine, Evan lifted a hand to shield his eyes and looked around.
While he’d been gone, first talking to Mia and then trying to work, the food had been cleared away.
People were now mingling while the live music was being set up beside a dance floor on the terrace.
Evan scanned the crowd for a friendly face and spotted one of his cousins.
As he made his way over, though, he felt a hand on his arm.
Turning, he saw his mother looking up at him.
“Dear,” she said. “Mia has gone upstairs. She isn’t feeling well.”
“Oh.” Evan’s heart clenched, but he forced himself to nod. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“I thought you might want to go check on her,” Ellen added pointedly.
“I appreciate that, but I get the feeling she needs a little alone time,” Evan said as diplomatically as he could.
He was going to talk to Mia — eventually.
First, he needed to figure out what he was going to say.
Or, more accurately, he needed to figure out the best way to say what he had to, that he would be happy to give her and the baby any financial support they needed, but that was all he could do.
“Did something happen between you?” Ellen pushed. She patted Evan’s arm. “You can tell me.”
“No, it’s fine.” The words came out a little sharp, and his mother’s eyebrows shot up.
“Dear, couples fight sometimes. But you should talk to her, if that’s what’s happening. Your father and I have a rule. When we fight, we give ourselves half an hour to cool off, and then we talk it through. It always works for us. Any longer than that, and we just get angrier.”
“You and Dad fight?” Evan asked, his own eyebrows rising.
“Sure, we do, dear. Everyone does.” She patted his arm again. “Almost no couples avoid fighting all the time. What matters is how the two of you handle it. And we love Mia. I’d hate to see you mess things up, or I’ll have to disown you.”
She winked, and Evan chuckled, but there was a hint of seriousness behind her eyes.
“Well, thanks for the advice,” Evan said.
“Anytime, dear.” Ellen wove away through the crowd toward her sister, and Evan turned away.
He glanced back at the villa, where Mia was in their room even now.
It would be so easy to race inside, take the stairs two at a time, and burst into the room.
He could take her into his arms and tell her… what?
Because even in his imagination, Evan couldn’t imagine telling her that he’d give up his work for her. Reign had been his life for more than a decade. And without giving up work, he’d be the kind of distant father and boyfriend that no one deserved.
Evan wandered aimlessly through the crowd of wedding guests, smiling at people as best he could, but his thoughts were with Mia.
The young flower girl and ring bearer raced by in front of him.
The girl was still dressed in her pink dress and flower crown, but the boy had taken off his little suit jacket and tie.
They were both giggling. The boy managed to tap the girl’s shoulder, and the chase reversed, with her tearing after him.
They were both filled with childlike happiness and joy, and it made Evan think of the baby.
Not the baby. His baby. Their baby. Whether he was involved or not, there would be a child out there growing up with some of his features and some of Mia’s.
A child who raced into Mia’s arms, like the flower girl was doing with her mother now, begging to be picked up.
A child who wore an oversized backpack to pose for the first day of school.
A child who learned to talk and walk, and dance.
A child who went off to college, full of optimism, hugged Mia goodbye in the dorm, and called her “Mom.” A child who might inherit Evan’s mind for business or the famous Hirst jawline.
A child who would almost certainly inherit Mia’s kindness, intelligence, and love of life.
Evan couldn’t imagine giving up his whole career for anyone or anything.
Yet it was also heartbreaking to imagine Mia raising their child without him.
She would be a wonderful mother. That much was clear.
He’d spent the past week admiring her people skills and her ability to make anything fun.
Plus, she was a teacher, so she had experience with young people.
He didn’t doubt her ability to raise an amazing kid.
But when he thought of the two of them together, going to the zoo or reading picture books or playing at the park to learn to ride a bike without him, it hurt. And it hurt to imagine Mia someday finding someone else she loved, someone who could spend the rest of her life with her.
“Hey, Evan.” Evan’s father waved him over. “It was a beautiful ceremony, wasn’t it?”
“Hmm.” Evan managed a smile. “It was great.” But inside, his heart ached.
He was miserable, more so than he’d ever been, and he couldn’t see a way forward.
After all, even if he did try to have a relationship with Mia, he knew he would be terrible at it.
He’d always put Reign first. He didn’t want to fail at being a boyfriend or father, and he would.
His mother’s advice to simply talk to Mia was far too simple.
“Are you okay?” his father asked, looking concerned.
“Yes, I’m great.” Evan put on another smile. “Thanks. I’m going to go get something to drink.”
He wandered off through the crowds again, still thinking about Mia. What was she thinking? Did she feel as unhappy as he did?
Evan was so distracted by his inner thoughts that he almost ran into Sarah, who was talking to an older woman. She beamed at him.
“Evan! There you are. Have you met my grandmother, Grandma Josephine?”
“Not yet.” Evan managed to gather himself enough to hold out a polite hand. Grandma Josephine took it, her fingers thin and her skin papery. She was perhaps in her eighties, with bright white hair and a lavender-colored dress. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“Nice to meet you, too, young man.” Grandma Josephine leaned closer. “Now, what do you think about Sarah taking a… what was it, dear?”
“A trauma fellowship,” Sarah explained. “I’ll work with leading experts in the field of orthopedic trauma surgery and, hopefully, I’ll get better at my subspeciality.”
While this was interesting, Evan was having trouble paying attention. He was still thinking about Mia and the baby. Still, he managed to nod.
“And this fellowship takes a year,” Grandma Josephine said. “In San Diego. Right after she gets married.”
“It does,” Sarah said patiently. “But Luka knows how important my career is to me, and he always supports me. Plus, San Diego is a short flight or a medium drive away, so we’ll see each other all the time. And after the year ends, I’ll be right back in San Francisco.”
Somehow, her words cut through Evan’s fog of distraction.
“Luka doesn’t mind you spending a year in San Diego for work?” he asked.
“He suggested it, actually,” Sarah said with a smile.
“But he always goes after me for working too much,” Evan said, his eyes narrowing.
“There’s a difference.” Sarah patted his shoulder.
“I’m doing this fellowship, but my first priority is still my family with Luka.
We talked about it, we planned it out together, and we found ways to make it work — like meeting at least twice a month, making sure we have the same vacation schedule, planning a year of awesome trips, and that kind of thing.
It may look like I’m putting my career first, but I’m still putting my marriage first, because we decided this together.
And when I’m with Luka, I’m really with him, not trying to sneak off and work all the time.
” She winked at Evan, whose heart plummeted.
“And plus,” Sarah continued, “Luka makes my work so much more meaningful, because I’m not just doing it for myself. And he’s not just working for himself, either. Everything we do is for both of us, for the future we share.”
Evan’s thoughts swirled. He could hardly believe what he was hearing, but one thing was immediately clear: he’d made a mistake. A huge one.
Just then, Luka himself came over. He grinned at Evan, smiled politely at Grandma Josephine, and held out a hand to Sarah. The moment his gaze fell on her, his eyes softened, and he smiled.
“It’s time, my love.”
She took his hand, and, just like that, the two of them only had eyes for each other.
Luka led his bride onto the dance floor as a slow love song began to play.
He took her in his arms, and they swayed together, staring into each other’s eyes as though they held the secrets of the universe.
Sarah looked so lovely in her wedding dress.
And the love between them was so clear and so bright that Evan’s heart ached.
As they danced, Evan thought about what Sarah had said, and his world tilted on its axis.
He’d always looked at couples who cut down on work after marriage and kids as weak or easily distracted.
But now, he saw the strength in it. He saw the strength in seeing something else as more important than a job.
And he saw that his brother and sister-in-law were giving everything to each other, while still keeping their own lives.
Evan thought of the work he’d tried to do that day.
Usually, he was completely absorbed in work, but today, it had felt meaningless.
In fact, it had been easier than ever to put aside work this week and spend time with Mia and his family.
He’d worked less than usual, and nothing had fallen apart.
Reign was still sailing along, as steady as ever.
The music changed, and Sarah and Luka slid from their slow, swaying dance into a quick, upbeat number full of jumps and spins that they’d clearly choreographed and practiced. Cheers rose from the audience as they did a moonwalk toward each other, laughing, and Luka caught Sarah in a dip.
Maybe Evan had been wrong to assume that his brother, and Tyler, for that matter, didn’t care about work at all anymore. Maybe things shifted when people fell in love.
We talked about it. Sarah’s words rang in Evan’s mind. Could it be that simple?
Then Evan’s heart dropped like a stone. Maybe it had been that simple, all along.
Maybe, if he’d talked to Mia, they could have sorted this all out together, the way Luka and Sarah had.
Maybe he could have always given a little of his responsibility to his employees, the way he did this week, so he could have a life outside of work.
Maybe he’d had a chance with Mia all along.
But now, there was no way it was that simple anymore.
Mia had told him she was pregnant, and he had walked away.
Regret flooded him. He’d been a total jerk to her, and she was probably furious.
He turned away from the dance, threading through the crowd as quickly as he could.
He had to get to her. He had to talk to her.
He could only hope it wasn’t too late and that she’d forgive him.
He raced into the lobby, where the receptionist flagged him down.
“Sir, you’re in room 207, aren’t you?” he asked.
“Yes.” Evan glanced at the stairs, desperate to run up and find Mia. He couldn’t wait another second.
“Perfect, I was about to call. Your cab to the airport is here.” He smiled, and Evan’s heart sank even deeper into the earth.
He managed a mumbled “thank you” and took off toward the stairs.
This was much worse than he’d thought. Mia was about to leave, and if she did, it would forever end any chance of a future between them.
A future Evan wanted more than anything. More, even, than his work.
And despite what his mother had said, talking wasn’t going to be enough. He skidded to a halt and turned back to the reception desk.
“Could you hold the cab?” he asked the receptionist. “And please call up to say it’s delayed.”
“All right, sir.” The receptionist picked up the phone, and Evan turned away. Instead of racing up the stairs, though, he went outside, his heart beating a quick rhythm as a plan began to form. He could only hope that this would be enough.