Chapter Eighteen

“Everyone always talks about how rainy Seattle is,” Ford said as Mia spread out their picnic over the thick blanket they’d brought outside his new house while he uncorked the champagne, “but every time I’m here there’s bright sun and blue skies.”

“Now that you’re officially a local, I guess I can let you in on our secret.” She leaned close and whispered, “Our weather is actually awesome nearly all the time. Don’t tell anyone, okay?”

Of course, Ford took advantage of her closeness to tug her in for another kiss before he agreed, “Okay.”

Their kiss was short this time, but so darned sweet that when he moved back to finish opening the champagne, a disappointed little sigh slipped out of her mouth.

She knew they still had to continue the discussion that had begun in her office, but she wanted to feel steadier before they did, so instead of digging deep again, she said, “This has always been one of my favorite areas of the city. I actually went to school not far from here.” She laughed. “My poor teachers. I was a little hellion, pigtails flying, always talking during lessons.”

“Something tells me you got away with it.”

“I loved learning,” she agreed, “but I also wanted to be outside running and playing. Looking back, my mother was amazing at getting me to do my homework by making it all seem so interesting. As soon as I’d finish with my math or science worksheets, she’d push me on the swings before we’d settle back inside with a book. One day I hope I’m that good with my kids.” It wasn’t until she stopped for breath that she realized she was doing it again—sharing everything with Ford while he just sat back and listened.

“I saw you playing with your nephews and nieces at the wedding. They lit up just being around you. You’re going to be great with your kids.”

“I had great teachers.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to meet your mother or your father at the wedding.”

“My mom and dad are amazing, although sometimes I wish they were a little more clueless like my friends’ parents. Because if you had met them, they probably would have guessed something was up with you and me...and then they would have asked me questions.” She definitely hadn’t been up to the kinds of questions her family would have asked, especially since she absolutely hated lying to her family, and her five-year omission already felt perilously close to a big fat lie.

“Speaking of questions, has my brother Ian tried to contact you?”

“He called me at midnight on Saturday.”

She’d hoped Ian had taken her at her word when she said that she could take care of herself. Clearly, he needed a reminder. She reached into her bag for her phone and said, “I can’t believe he thinks he can butt into my—”

Ford put his hand on hers to stop her from calling her brother and reading him the riot act. “He loves you, so I get why he’s so protective. I’d never want anyone to hurt you, either. Maybe you should go a little easy on him.”

She sighed as she reluctantly dropped her phone back into her bag. “At least tell me what he said to you.”

“Let’s put it this way...he strongly advised me to be on my very best behavior.”

“Or what? He’s going to hop a plane from London to Seattle just to punch you out?”

“Or he’ll be calling your brothers to fill them in on what’s going on with you and me so that they can all take care of the punching.”

She blew out an irritated breath. “If I want them to know what’s going on, I’ll tell them myself.”

“I hope you will, Mia.” His gorgeous mouth quirked up at one corner as he added, “Despite how physically risky a few hours with your brothers might be for the guy you bring home.”

Suddenly, she could see it so clearly, taking Ford home and introducing him as her boyfriend, even though she’d never brought a guy home before, not one single time in twenty-eight years. Her father would be protective but fair to Ford, her mother would likely fall for him at his first smile, and her brothers would take a heck of a lot of convincing that anyone could ever be good enough for their little sister.

“I always envied the kids at boarding school who had siblings,” he said, echoing what he’d said to her after the wedding. “I was sent to boarding school when I was five. My parents probably would have sent me away earlier, but none of the elite private schools would take a kid until he was in kindergarten.”

Even though she was glad that Ford was openly sharing another piece of his past with her, the sad look on his face had her wanting to pull him down on the blanket with her to kiss him until he forgot all about it.

“That must have been hard for you, to have to leave home so young.”

“It was better than staying home with the nannies. At school I had friends to play with. It was coming home at the holidays that was the worst part. My mother and father were strangers to me.”

Mia loved the holidays with her family. Dozens of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter celebrations over the years had been full of laughter and fun.

Obviously, everything she was feeling showed on her face because he said, “Don’t feel sorry for me. My parents might not have given a crap about me, but they never hurt me physically or verbally. No one ever said no to me, either. Not with so much money and influence behind my family name. Me and the chip on my shoulder were never hungry or bruised.”

Mia knew all about pride, and the lengths to which people would go to protect it. After all, when she’d badly needed support from friends and family after she and Ford had combusted five years ago, she’d shut all of them out. God forbid she should let any of them know that she had failed or made a bad decision.

“When we broke up,” she suddenly needed Ford to know, “I told myself all the same things. That I didn’t have an empty stomach. That I wasn’t bruised. That I had a great apartment and career. And I couldn’t stand the thought of any of my friends or family feeling sorry for me. Or worse, thinking I was making a mountain out of a molehill. So I kept it all inside.” She watched a lone ant head back toward a long trail of ants from which it had temporarily broken away. “But the truth was that I did need them. And when I finally had to spill everything to my best friends after seeing you on Friday, instead of feeling like a fool, I felt loved. But even knowing that my friends and family will always love me, no matter what, I still brought that pride chip with me to my cousin’s wedding and worried that people would find out about us.”