32. Chapter Thirty-Two ~ Mia
Chapter Thirty-Two ~ Mia
I never thought I'd see the day when being away from Big Bear was hard. Even when I moved away it wasn’t nearly as hard. Being pregnant had really done a number on me the month after summer ended. I missed Brayden, I missed Nick, and my mom. I even missed Uncle Joe even though I was upset at him.
After an entire month of being on the road doing book promotions and hosting seminars, I flew back to Big Bear for my first doctor’s visit. I didn’t tell Brayden what day I was coming, I just showed up with a slightly bigger baby bump and a large smile.
“Look at you, you are glowing, girl!”
Mom met me at the airport when my flight landed. She was glowing herself. She'd been completely sober the entire time I was gone and had even landed herself a new gig writing short stories for a small magazine.
“So are you,” I hugged her. “You look great, Mom. How is everything?”
“Everything’s fine. I'm loving my new job, the house is back in order, Nick’s going to school now. I’ve been talking to Trent a lot lately too.”
“That’s awesome! I found a lawyer to help with his case. So far, she says things look good. There were a lot of things overlooked in his first trial. She's going to offer the prosecutors a deal and see if they accept.”
Outside of work, a lot had changed over the course of a month. Especially with Trent. The lawyer said there was a good chance he could be released since things in his case were forged and kept on the hush in the beginning. That meant it would be possible for him to be home just in time for me to give birth.
On the way to Mom’s, we stopped at the fire station so that I could see Brayden. I couldn’t wait a minute longer to wrap my arms around him and kiss his lips. One month felt like one year; I missed my man! I needed to see him. The way he swept me off my feet and bear hugged me was an indicator that he missed me too.
“I didn’t know you were coming in today! I would’ve called off to come and pick you up.”
“I wanted to surprise you,” I said. “What time are you getting off?”
“It’s slow today. I'll stick around for a couple more hours. When I get off, we can all go to dinner. You, me, our moms, and Nick. If he doesn’t hate me too much.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t hate you,” I chuckled. “I’ll let him know; extend the invite. I can’t wait.”
He and Mom said a quick hello before we headed to her place to get settled in. I was surprised to see how much she’d cleaned up the place. There was no more junk outside. The floors were clear of clutter and old hoarded furniture. There wasn’t a single dish in the sink either. The place looked brand new again.
“Wow!” I said. “You really did get it in order around here. Looks good, Mom.”
“Thank you,” she smiled. “When I came to my senses and realized how much of a mess it was in here, I couldn’t believe it.”
Mom and I lollygagged around until Brayden was off the clock and on his way to take us to dinner. We were told to dress in our best and be ready for an exciting night. In my eyes, anything Brayden did was exciting. Even if it was something that would make me angry at him.
When he arrived sporting a stylish suit and a freshly trimmed beard, my insides tingled with pleasure. He was so sexy, if it weren’t for going to dinner and Mom and Nick being in our eyesight, I might have taken him inside for some excitement, alright.
“Good evening, ladies,” he greeted as he opened both of our doors. “What’s up Nick?”
Mom and I greeted him with hugs and kisses, while Nick threw a head nod in his direction. My brother was as stern and stubborn as an ox, but he let his guard down enough to go to dinner with us that evening, and that was all I could ask for.
He ushered us all to a nice steakhouse for dinner. Uncle Joe and Brayden’s mom were already there waiting for us, and she looked as beautiful as ever. She and Mom were so excited to see each other, I nearly burst into tears watching their reunion. I was a little worried about how they would hold up being around each other again, but they both seemed to be in total control of their urges.
“That’s Little Nicky right there, isn’t it?” Uncle Joe asked once we were all seated. “Sheesh! That kid has gotten tall.”
“Yeah, he’s about six feet,” I said.
“Six three,” Nick corrected.
Six foot three inches tall. My baby brother was far from a baby. I thought about the baby growing in my belly and smiled as I looked around the table. My mom was sober. Brayden’s mom was sober. She and Uncle Joe were getting along. I had a loving boyfriend who was just as happy about being a father as I was a mother. And I had a fruitful career that extended me the luxury to do as I pleased. I felt like I had it all.
After years of bearing the weight of my mother’s responsibility, fighting to get to my dreams, and being separated from the two people I loved the most, I finally had it all. I was most grateful for Brayden. He taught me a lot over the summer of our painful reunion. He brought me a lot of tears and anger, but he also brought me peace and gave me a precious gift that I couldn’t thank him enough for.
I was the quietest over dinner. While everyone talked amongst themselves and enjoyed their food and drinks, I sat back and took it all in. The laughter, the excitement to be back in each other’s lives. We were all family. A sometimes dysfunctional and angry one but when it mattered the most, we came together and sorted out our differences.
That was all I ever wanted in life. A safe haven; a feeling that reminded me of home. A loving family and happy relationship, and Trent. I had high hopes that he would come home and claim his spot in our family tree. It was a matter of time.
“I’d like to say a few words, everyone.”
Brayden picked up his wine glass and took a stand at the table. All eyes were on his handsome face and all ears waited in awe to hear him speak. He was so dreamy to look at, my mouth watered when he licked his lips.
“First off, I want to thank everyone for finding the time to come out tonight,” he said. “I feel like we haven’t been a family unit in years, and it feels good to be able to sit down at a table and enjoy something as simple as a meal.”
He looked at his mom and Uncle Joe when he said that, and I looked over at my mom and saw she agreed with him. Everyone did. Even Nick, even though he hadn’t been old enough to know the real depth of our unit.
“With that being said,” Brayden continued. “I think we all know that Mia and I are expecting. It came as a surprise to the both of us, but hey. We're here now and there’s no turning back.”
All of a sudden, my heart started to flutter. I looked around the table to see if anyone else felt what I felt, and it looked like everyone had a secret in their eyes. My heart fluttered more and more. I had no idea what was happening to me or why I felt so anxious, until Brayden turned my chair to face him and got down on one knee. I nearly fainted.
“Mia Norway,” he said. “The most beautiful woman in the world. The woman who taught me so much about myself and nurtured me the best way she knew how. The woman I love and soon to be mother of my child. I’ve thought about this since the first day we met. There has never been a time when I wasn’t sure that you’re the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. I dream about you, I think about you while I'm working; every minute, every second of the day.”
My eyes watered like a garden hose and the sensation I felt between my legs as he spoke made me feel so inappropriate, but I didn’t care. I hung onto to his every word and the feeling of passion that burst through his heart and into my ears. Each word he spoke made me fall deeper in love.
“All that we’ve been through in this lifetime has prepared me for this moment,” he said. “I can’t promise you that I'll do everything perfectly or get everything right, but I can promise you that I will give my all and do my best. All I ask of you is that you be my wife.”
He pulled a tiny black box from his coat pocket and opened it. Inside was a beautiful diamond ring that was made specially for me. The band was silver, my favorite jewelry to wear, and the diamond was gorgeous and shiny. When I put my hand out to him to accept my ring and he slipped it onto my finger, I felt a shock. A good shock. It was as if our souls latched on to each other and rode off into the sunset.
He kissed my lips and then each cheek where my tears soaked through my makeup. I felt like a crybaby sitting there crying in front of everyone. It wasn’t until the entire restaurant erupted into cheers and applause that it hit me. I was engaged.
“Did I just.”
“Yep!” Brayden smiled and kissed me again before I could even finish my sentence. “We’re getting married!”
He pulled me to my feet and lifted me in the air to spin me around. The smile on his face was so large and bright, it made me smile too. I held my tears back that time. The fulfillment of my life seemingly coming together perfectly overpowered them and let me enjoy the magic that was happening all around me.
“Congratulations, Mia!” Mom squealed. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Me too, sweetie,” Brayden’s mom joined the hug. “I knew it would happen someday.”
Even Nick came over to hug me and say congratulations. He even shook Brayden’s hand and gave him some threatening, but not so threatening words of advice.
“Take care of my sister,” he said. “She’s a good woman. I don’t want to have to come hunt you down if you end up breaking her heart.”
“No worries, Nick,” Brayden chuckled. “I promise to always take care of your sister. She's the love of my life.”
Brayden and I were engaged. We had a child on the way, and I had received a text from Trent’s lawyer that he would be home soon. That night was nothing short of magical. In the end, I really did get my fairytale ending.
“Now you can never get rid of me,” he said. “You’re stuck with me for life.”
“That’s perfectly fine with me.” I gave him another kiss to seal the deal. “I never want to get rid of you. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.”
When we were alone that night, Brayden and I made some of the sweetest, most passionate love we ever made. I felt more connected to him than ever before. The life we had planned to make ever since we were kids, was a life we stepped into and vowed to live until the end of our days.
Our love won.