Chapter 23 - Laura
I set Michael's cereal down and watch him take a bite. He was extra quiet this morning, and I'm unsure why. When I left my office, I knew I could hear Michael saying something to the guy, but I wasn't sure what it was, and it seemed neither he nor Miles wanted to tell me.
"Did you sleep well?" I asked, taking a sip of my coffee. I clutched the mug tightly, letting the mug warm my fingers.
Michael nodded, rubbing at his eyes. "I did."
I gave him a soft smile, leaning back against the counter. I held my coffee close and swallowed. "Are you mad at me, Michael?"
He paused and slowly chewed the bite in his mouth. He shrugged. "I'm not sure."
I thought about the other day when he ran off when he caught Miles and me kissing. I had caught up to him, but he refused to talk to me.
I chewed on my cheek. "Do you want to talk about it?"
He shook his head, taking another bite of his cereal.
I looked at the fridge, thinking of something to change the subject. I then spotted his school calendar.
"You guys have a field trip today," I pushed off the counter, looking closer at the date. "At the museum? That must be exciting. You love field trips."
Michael nodded. "Yeah."
I turned, expecting him to be excited. Michael had always loved school and everything included. "Why don't you sound like you want to go?"
Michael shrugged, and I scowled. My worry over everything was only beginning to grow. "Michael, tell me what's on your mind. You love field trips and learning. You would normally be excited about this and be talking my ear off."
Michael looked up from his bowl. "Because I'm angry. That's all I am. And I can't be excited about it."
I walked over, placing my hands on the counter. I sighed. "At me? Are you angry at me?"
He looked away, which told me my answer. I leaned further down, being sure to get back in his eye view.
"Michael, you can be mad at me. I'm okay with that. But I don't want you to let the anger consume you. You don't want that." I reached out, brushing some of his hair back. "And you don't have to talk about it right now. But I do want you to enjoy yourself. Can you at least promise me you'll do that? Don't let the anger consume everything."
He nodded.
I pulled my hand back, grabbing my coffee once more. "Good. Will you tell me about it after school? We can get ice cream and talk all about the school trip."
I watched his eyes sparkle for the first time in days, and I felt a little relief. I knew that since everything started, Michael had been unable to figure out what he was feeling. He'd refused to tell me about school besides that. It was fine, while before, Michael used to get into detail about his day. He told me about class and what he learned.
I missed it, and if this were any other person besides Miles, I would have pulled back a while ago. But this was Miles. This was his father. I wanted him to have someone besides me to lean on.
After I got dressed, I could hear the school bus coming. Michael grabbed his backpack, and I fixed his hair at the door. "Alright, I'll see you after school. I get off a little early, so I'll be home a little after you get here. You just head over to the neighbors, and I will come grab you when I get home."
"And ice cream after?" he asked.
I nodded. "And ice cream after."
He smiled happily, and I kissed his forehead, opening the door. He hurried off, and I leaned on the doorframe. My stomach twisted, and I wasn't sure why.
I immediately headed to work, finding all the guys standing around the kitchen. As I came up the stairs, Ayden was cooking and flipping pancakes.
"Morning," they all said in unison. I couldn't help but smile. I'd grown so used to seeing them every day. They were always chatting and teasing each other.
"Morning," I said, stopping next to the island.
"You want some breakfast?" Owen asked, grabbing the coffee and pouring himself a mug.
I shook my head. "No, I ate before I left. But I would like coffee."
"Suit yourself," Owen said. He poured me a mug and handed it to me before taking a seat.
"What is your guy's plan today?" I asked, unsure of where everyone was going to be.
"We have a meeting," Ayden said, tossing a couple of pancakes onto a large plate. "So, Owen and I will be gone for half the day. Cayden will be leaving town for a couple of days, so he's not in this afternoon. Lucas and Miles are on cleaning duty. They are scrubbing every inch of this kitchen. Wesley and Thomas are going around the south side doing some safety inspections that need to be done. There is some paperwork from last week on your desk."
"Sounds like you all have a fun-filled day ahead of you." I gave them all another smile before heading into my office. I took a seat at my desk and sighed.
I tried to focus on work. I had plenty of paperwork to catch up on and emails to respond to. When it came to public activities, I pretty much had full control over the guys' schedules. Ayden and Owen had officially asked me to take over since neither of them had the time for it anymore.
I was just finishing my mug of coffee when I heard a knock at my door. I looked up and found Miles standing in the doorway, holding a plate with a sandwich on it.
"What's that for?" I asked, setting my coffee down.
"It's almost one, and you haven't left your office since you got in. Not even to pee."
I raised an eyebrow. "It's a little scary, you know that."
"I've been in the kitchen all morning and would see if you came out." He set the plate down. "And I know you don't eat breakfast in the morning that often, so I know you will be hungry."
"Thanks," I said, smiling at him. I sighed, leaning back. "Do you want to tell me what happened yesterday?"
He made a face. "What happened?"
"With Michael," I added. "I know something happened, and neither of you wants to tell me."
Miles shrugged. "He's not a fan of me."
I scowled. "What did he say?"
Mile took a seat in the chair across from my desk. "Nothing bad. He just isn't a fan of mine, but I know it will take time for him to come around."
I frowned, knowing there was more to the story. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"
He shook his head. "There is nothing more to say, Laura. I know he's just having a hard time understanding."
"I'm sorry. I put us in a shit situation." I run a hand over my face. "If I had just told him, maybe things would be different."
Miles tilted his head. "What do you want?"
I looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"
Miles raised an eyebrow. "What do you want out of this? Setting aside how Michael feels, what do you want?"
I froze. I never set Michael aside. He was a huge part of everything. "That's not possible."
Miles made a face. "Laura, just because you're a mom doesn't mean you don't get an opinion."
"I'm not saying I don't, but when you become a mom, my decisions don't just affect me. They affect him, too. And clearly, look at what's happened."
Miles waved a hand. "Set that aside for just a second and think about what you want." He frowned. "Do you even want me around, or is it just for him?"
"What?"
"I mean….do you want anything to happen between us because if you don't, then maybe we are going at this the wrong way. If you don't see anything between us…"
I didn't want him to finish the sentence. "Please stop," I said, placing my hand down.
"I do want something," I admit. "I don't know exactly where we stand, but I do want this." I waved a hand between us. "As messy as it is."
His eyes sparkled, and I suddenly realized that Michael had gotten Miles's look. He rounded the desk and pulled me into a soft kiss. He smiled, "You have no idea how happy that makes me."
I blushed. "What about Michael? Just because I want this doesn't mean that's how it will happen."
"I can win him over," he said. "It will take time, but I'm sure I can."
I felt like maybe things were going to be okay and that we could figure this out. Miles leaned to kiss me again when the bell started to ring, and we both froze.
My stomach dipped, and Miles pulled back. We rounded the desk, hurrying out towards the fire trucks. Lucas was already gearing up with Wesley next to him.
"Where?" Miles asked, grabbing his gear and stepping into it. He hoisted the suit up and over his shoulders.
"Museum," Lucas said, his suit already on as he grabbed his helmet.
My stomach sank, and my entire body stiffened. My mind went blank, and I couldn't breathe.
"Aren't there kids doing field trips there today?" Miles asked, grabbing his helmet. He looked at me and froze. "Laura?"
I pulled a hand up, shaking my head; tears built up. The words got caught in my throat. I now knew why my stomach was so off this morning. It sensed something was going to happen.
"Laura," Miles reached out, taking my shoulders. "What's wrong?"
"Michael is there. He has a field trip," I said in a whisper.
I watched horror fill Mile’s eyes, and the guys moved even faster. My heart was beating quickly, and I swallowed. He was fine, right. He had to be fine. I looked at Miles. "You can feel him, can't you? Is he okay? Is he panicked?"
Miles shook his head. "I'm not close enough to him. I can't tell."
Tears broke free as I watched them all hurry onto the truck. Miles grabbed my shoulders. "Laura, breathe. You have to remain calm."
I took slow breaths, trying to calm myself. Miles hooked my arm and hoisted me up onto the truck.
I sat down, and Miles buckled me in. "Lucas, you can go," he said into the helmet as he tightened my belt. He sat down next to me, his hand wrapped around mine.
"He's going to be okay," he said, his hands squeezing mine.
I wanted so badly to believe him, but somehow, my body didn't agree.