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I lean my head down towards her. “Listen, can I talk to you for a sec?”
Mia takes a step back to look at me, furrowing her brow. “What’s on your mind?”
I bite my lip. “I haven’t told anyone about us.”
“Um,” she swallows nervous laughter. “Thanks?”
“Yeah…” My composure falters as I proceed. “But I think Ryan needs to know.”
She furrows her brow even harder, looking like my suggestion is causing her physical pain. “What on earth made you think about that?”
I feel like I’m being stared at like I’m a two-headed calf. Mia looks at me with such disbelief that I start to doubt myself. Taking a deep breath, I compose myself and feign the confidence I’m lacking.
“He’s my brother, Mia,” I explain, forcing myself to sound calm. “And this is important.”
And her expression softens into a mixture of compassion and pity that makes me feel miserable, but I refuse to show it.
“I thought we agreed we would just have fun, Ethan. Oh, my…” her voice is fleeting, and she feels her forehead, averting her eyes from me. “I’m sorry.”
She offers her apologies again, but this time, I don’t take it. I bury words I don’t want to say in a bite of my donut, wash it down with coffee, and take a deep breath.
When she apologizes again, I just frown. “You keep on saying that. It has lost meaning,” I say with nonchalance.
When I look at Mia, I notice that I’ve rocked her off her balance. All I want is to apologize and make her feel better, but I’ve already made a bigger fool of myself than is possible to encompass on a Tuesday morning.
Mia lifts her head and gives me a forced smile, destroying me even further. “Good luck at your next game. I hope you win.”
“Thanks,” I answer with the strained voice of a destroyed man.
“Ethan, what kind of donut did you get?” Raphael comes with a giant cup of coffee and a bear claw in hand, kicking his luggage ahead of him as he approaches me. I’m grateful for the distraction.
“Chocolate glazed,” I say, with a mouthful. “Mia, do you—?”
But when I turn around, Mia is no longer by my side. She’s fleeing to the gate, eager to be the first one at the airplane’s doors.
I officially blew it.
Chapter Eleven
MIA
Avoiding Ethan is proving to be a challenge. It feels like every time I turn around, there he is with Senna.
After games or practice, Ethan and Senna usually end up in the wives’ room, playing arcade games, or doing something else that tugs at my heart.
Today, I’m hiding out in the kitchen, pretending to assist the caterers with snacks for the kids. The aroma of freshly baked cookies is a welcome distraction from my racing thoughts. I hear Ethan’s laughter mixed with Senna’s excited shouts from the arcade area, and I can’t help but peek.
There they are, playing a racing game, completely absorbed. Ethan’s face is lit with joy, a stark contrast to the awkwardness of our last conversation. My heart aches, and I force myself to focus on anything else.
I step into the arcade area, checking that everything is running smoothly.
“Mia, are you alright?” Amanda’s voice startles me, and I look up to find her standing beside me, concern etched on her face.
“Yeah, just making sure everything is being replenished,” I reply, forcing a smile.
Sarah raises an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “You’ve been zoning out a lot lately. Is everything okay?”
“It’s just… work has been so busy,” I murmur, unwilling to admit the real reason behind my distracted state. How do I explain that Ethan Matthews, of all people, has turned my carefully controlled world upside down?
