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“Life comes at you fast when everything’s going good, huh?”
She draped her arms around my neck and kissed me. It was the only thing that made me feel slightly okay with her departure. She won't be gone forever, is what I told myself. But even still, I missed her before she even left.
“I’ll be back in time for the first doctor's appointment,” she said. “That’s almost a month from now. You'll be busy getting back into work, so you won’t even realize I'm gone.”
“I realized you’ll be gone and you’re still with me,” I said. “Nothing can make me forget that you’re not here.”
Instead of moping around and sulking in my feelings, Mia and I made the best of her last two nights at the cabin. We went out for long drives and fine dining. Did some much needed hiking since my legs are much better, we even went to the beach and did some wave catching.
All the fun we had shielded my mind from the thoughts of her leaving for the time being. But, when we were back home the night before her plane took off, the thoughts swarmed in after good sex and lots of cuddling.
“I’ll miss you while you’re gone,” she said. “Probably a lot more than I think I will right now. I keep telling myself I'll only be gone for a month, but it seems so far away.”
“I know right,” I said. “A month isn’t really a long time when you’re doing things to keep busy, but it sure seems like it’ll pass slowly.”
The following morning, I took Mia to the airport to see her off. She cried so hard before boarding, I thought she’d say to hell with going home and stay in Big Bear with me. However, that was wishful thinking. We both had previous lives to sort through before we made any sudden changes.
“Call me as soon as you land,” I said. “And no crying on the flight. You've already cried enough.”
“I’ll try not to cry,” she laughed. “I won’t make any promises because whatever this little bug is in my belly sure does make me a lot more emotional than normal.”
I waited until her plane was no longer visible before I left the airport. It didn’t hit me as hard as it could until I was home alone, and the silence took control. I thought I heard her voice a few times, or that she would call me hours before her flight was set to land, but it was only my mind playing tricks on me.
Three hours passed and I decided to crack open a beer while I waited for the next two hours to creep along. My mom called me during my wait, and I almost didn’t answer her call. I finally said what they hey, and gave her a shot at ruining my day, but surprisingly, she called with great news.
“I finished 30 days of rehab! Isn't that something!”
My heart fluttered in my chest with excitement for my mom. To hear that she’d actually stuck out an entire 30 days in treatment program, was fantastic news. I hadn’t told her about the baby because I feared she’d make a mockery out of it, but after hearing her news, I broke some news of my own.
“That’s great, Mom,” I said. “I guess that means you’ll be ready to be a grandparent when Mia has the baby, right?”
The phone grew so silent I thought she hung up. I could hear the excitement in her breathing, but she couldn’t form the words because she didn’t know what to say. Neither did I, but I was overjoyed to have something great to share with her.
“I’m going to be a grandma?” she finally said. “That’s so precious. I'm so proud and happy for you, Brayden. And I'm happy that it’s with Mia. You belong to her even after all these years.”
It always made me laugh when my mom told me that Mia was my owner. She said she never saw me dating or marrying anyone but Mia. I thought she was crazy the first time she said it, but she proved to be right. I didn’t want to be with anyone but Mia.
“I’ve got myself together now, son. I haven’t left treatment just yet but in another thirty days, I'll trust myself to come home, and we’ll go out for dinner to celebrate the baby and all of your success.”
Normally, I would have brushed away the thought of going to dinner with my mom. But since getting sober and having her thoughts cleared, I realized that she was only human, and she deserved a second chance to be in my life.
“I’d like that,” I said. “I’m not sure what I'm doing with this whole relationship thing, but I know I love Mia and I want to do right by her. Maybe you can help me pick out a ring to surprise her with when she comes back to Big Bear.”
“A ring?” Mom gasped. “That’s wonderful! I know Mia will be so happy. Oh! I'm so happy and proud of everything you’re doing in life, and I can’t wait to meet my grandchild.”
Mom and I talked for a while longer before Mia’s call came through. Luckily, Mom was on her way to an AA meeting, so I didn’t feel bad for rushing her off the phone. Before hanging up, she told me she loved me and for the first time in a long time, I felt like she really meant it.
“I love you too, Mom.”
Chapter Thirty-Two ~ Mia
Inever 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.
