Because This Is Forever (7 page)

Mia smiled
softly. “Yeah, everything’s fine,” she assured him, touched by the concern she
heard his voice. “I just…uh, I’m coming to Chicago this weekend and was hoping
we could meet up,” she finally rushed out.

Silence.

Her
courage and anxiety began to war with each other when he didn’t immediately
respond. “I know this is sudden and I understand if you don’t have time to see
me. I just wanted—”

“I
have time,” he cut in softly. “When will you get here?”

“Tomorrow
night.” She gave him the name of the motel she would be checking into, relieved
he didn’t say anything about it. It was a low-budget motel in a questionable
neighborhood but it was the only thing she could afford on such short notice.

“I
can’t wait to see you,” he said before they ended the call and something in her
stomach fluttered. Would he feel the same way after she introduced him to his
son?

Chapter Six

Nate forced
himself to concentrate on the spreadsheet in front of him. His eyes were on the
computer screen but his mind was miles away. Since Mia’s call last night, he
hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything else. She was the last person he’d
expected to hear from.

Even
after five years, she managed to bring up feelings in him he had thought long
forgotten and buried. He didn’t know why she had finally sought him out and
didn’t care. The chance to be with her again—even for one night—had filled his mind
with all kinds of fantasies. During their brief conversation, she hadn’t
sounded bitter or angry. If anything, she sounded as if she…missed him.

It
had taken some time but he had eventually come to accept that she was no longer
a part of his life. It hadn’t been easy but the ache of losing her had
eventually become bearable. He had spent a lot of time thinking of that night,
wondering what he could have done differently, but concluded his honesty had
been best for them both. He wasn’t going to string her along for his own
selfish needs.

The
only problem with honesty, however, was that someone always ended up miserable.
The year it took for him to stop obsessing over her had proven as much. He had
tried his damnedest to stay away from her but had experienced a moment of
weakness. An overwhelming urge to call her one January had come over him but when
he’d tried, her number had been disconnected. He hadn’t tried again since.

Now
she was back and wanted to see him.

Anticipation
burned in his gut. He wanted to see her too. A lot of time had passed and he
had spent much of it thinking about what was important to him.

Nate
glanced at the time at the lower corner of his computer screen. Time was really
dragging its heels today.

He
couldn’t wait to leave the office but before he could, he had a thorn in his
side he needed to remove.

Stephen
Rhodes, one of their longtime consultants, had gotten the company into a
serious mess and Nate was scrambling to fix it or risk losing a vital client.
McArthur, Murphy and Company was one of the leading management consulting firms
in the nation, which had grown ever since he’d taken charge, but Rhodes was
fast becoming a liability. He had been with MMC for quite some time, slowly
working his way up the ladder, yet since his recent promotion, his incompetence
had become glaring. Nate was annoyed it had taken them this long to realize Stephen
Rhodes wasn’t cut out for the job.

With
this knowledge obvious to them now, Nate wouldn’t risk the company’s reputation
or losing one of their top clients. In order to win back their clients trust, Nate
had to get rid of the problem. That afternoon, he did exactly that.

“McArthur,
you can’t do this,” Stephen said, leaning forward in his seat. “I just closed
on my new house and I just bought my wife a new car.”

Nate stared
at the older man. His obviously expensive suit said he’d been enjoying the
financial perks his recent promotion allotted.

 
“Stephen, your mistake is about to cost us the
Bakersfield account. You of all people should know how important that account
is to the company. That’s not something we’re prepared to take lightly.”

Stephen
ran his hand through his thinning gray hair in agitation. “It’s not my fault.
I’ve been giving Tracy more responsibility and—”

“Stop,”
Nate interrupted, disgusted with the man. He had done his checking before he’d
called Stephen into his office and based on his discovery, the fault had been
completely his. Yet instead of owning his mistake, the bastard was trying to
pass off the blame. “I’m giving you a chance to put in your resignation and
walk away from this with some dignity.”

Stephen
glared at him, his thick brows furrowing deeply. “Do you have a family,
McArthur? Do you understand what you’re doing is not only going to affect me
but my girls too?”

Nate
fixed him with a level stare as Stephen threw him a disgusted glare.

“Of course
you don’t,” he continued. “I can see in your eyes you don’t give a damn that I
have a wife and three girls who depend on me!”

Nate
continued staring at him, his temper and impatience mounting but he didn’t let it
show. “This is your doing, Stephen. Not mine,” Nate said coolly. “If you refuse
to put in your resignation, so be it. Either way, you’re no longer employed at
McArthur, Murphy and Company. ”

A
short while later, an angry and disgruntled Stephen was escorted out of the
building.

Nate
hated this part of the job but it couldn’t be avoided. He spent the last five
years working at the helm of the company, first as Director and now as CEO. His
father had eventually retired and it was now Nate’s responsibility to see to
the growth and prosperity of the company. He had implemented a few changes,
which had resulted in a few department shakeups, layoffs, new hires and a
growing client list. MMC was proving to be formidable in the industry and Nate couldn’t
afford any weak links in his chain.

Now that
Stephen Rhodes was gone, he could concentrate on repairing his business
relationship with their unhappy client.

But
not tonight. Tonight, he would be concentrating on repairing another kind of
relationship.

Nate
picked up his cellphone. He wondered if she had already made it into the city. It
was now after five on a Friday and the office was deserted with everyone taking
advantage of the new summer hours. He wasn’t working on anything pressing and didn’t
look forward to going to his own quiet condo.

He found
Mia’s number and hit the send button, listening intently to the ringing. Maybe
if she was already here, he could take her out to dinner. The polite thing for
him to do would be to let her get settled in, maybe suggest they meet for lunch
tomorrow. Nate rejected the thought. He didn’t know what had brought her back
to Chicago, but he’d waited five years and wouldn’t wait another night.

“Yes?
Hello?”

Nate started
at the young, high-pitched voice that came through the line. For a second, he
thought he had dialed the wrong number.

“Hello,”
Nate replied hesitantly. “Who is this?”

“Mommy
said I shouldn’t talk to strangers,” the little boy said casually, seemingly
unconcerned by the fact that he was indeed talking to a stranger.

For a
moment, Nate was baffled.
Mia had a kid?
He couldn’t help the stab of jealousy that pierced him at the thought of her
bearing another man’s child.

“What’s
your mom’s name?”

“Mommy.”

Nate stifled
a groan then laughed. “Okay…what’s your name?”

“Mikey.”

“Nice
to meet you, Mikey,” Nate said lightly. “Is there a grown-up I can talk to?” At
the brief silence, Nate imagined the little boy was shaking his head.

“I’m
not ’posed to talk to strangers.”

Nate’s
lip quirked. He didn’t want to point out to Mikey he was doing exactly what he
wasn’t supposed to. “Yes, buddy, you’re right. You shouldn’t talk to strangers.
Now can you pass the phone to your mom?”

“Nope.”

Nate jerked
his head back, surprised by the casually spoken refusal. “Why not?”

Mikey’s
voice became a hushed, earnest whisper. “Because Mommy’s having her bath, and
I’m not ’posed to play on the phone.”

For
some reason, Nate felt the need to ease his little worries. “You’re not
playing. We’re just chatting.”

“I’m
not ’posed to do that either.”

“Why
not?”

“I
dunno. Mommy said I’m ’posed to just sit still and watch TV but I hate it here.
It smells like dirt.”

Nate
didn’t know how to respond to that—or what to make of this unusual
conversation. He wasn’t used to dealing with kids or talking to them. He couldn’t
even remember the last time he had been around one.

“Please
don’t tell Mommy,” Mikey whispered.

“All right,”
Nate assured him. “But when your mom gets finished with her bath, tell her I
called. Okay? Can you remember that?”

“Yes,
I’m good at remembering.”

“Excellent.
I’ll talk to you later, Mikey.”

“Okay,
bye!”

When
Nate hung up the phone, he realized he hadn’t given the boy his name. It didn’t
matter. Mia would probably see his number and know it was him calling. But the fantasy
of having a private dinner together came to a bitter halt, along with his hopes
of anything else happening tonight. Not that he had set any expectations but he
couldn’t help thinking up a few ways they could have ended the night. One being
with her at his place. Yet that fantasy certainly wasn’t going to happen now—not
with a kid around.

Do you care about me enough to want a
family?

Those
words echoed in Nate’s head, coming flittering from a past he had worked hard
to forget. Memories of what he could remember from that night flashed in fragments
in his mind. Though it had nearly killed him to walk out on her that night, he
had refused to be forced into something he hadn’t been ready for. Ultimately
that had been the end of something he had never found again.

What if I got pregnant?

A
sudden cold chill ran down his spine as another memory echoed in his head. He
remembered her solemn yet determined eyes, the way she had wrapped her arms
around her middle as if she was protecting…

Nate
bolted to his feet with a vicious curse, sending his executive chair crashing
to the ground.
It couldn’t be!
Mia
wouldn’t do that to him. She wouldn’t keep something like this from him. She
wouldn’t.

Yet
the pieces started to fit and things started to become clear. She had tried to
wrench a long-term commitment from him and when he refused she had ended them. Suddenly
Nate knew, with every fiber in his being, the little boy he had just spoken to
moments ago was his son.

A
flood of emotions began hurtling through him. Disbelief and rage battled for
the lead, as shock tailed closely behind, followed by bitter resentment. Why,
he thought savagely.
Why wouldn’t she tell
me this?

Nate’s
fists clenched and unclenched. It took him a moment but he managed to rein in
his anger. Once he could think rationally, he rushed out of the office. He
wasn’t going to wait any longer. Five years? He had waited long enough.

* * * *

“Mikey,
honey, who are you talking to?” Mia stepped out of the bathroom and glanced
over at her son sitting on the double bed. She could have sworn she’d heard
muffled voices coming from the room. At first she had thought it was the
television but she’d recognized her son’s voice.

Mikey
rushed to hide his hand behind his back and looked down. Mia walked over to the
bed.

“Give
it to me,” she demanded, holding out her hand.

Mikey
handed her the cell phone, still avoiding her gaze. She grabbed the phone from his
small hand.

“Mikey,
look at me. What did I tell you about playing with my phone?”

“That
it’s not a toy,” he mumbled quietly.

“And?”

“And it’s
for emergencies only.” He stared up at her earnestly before adding, “But it was
an emergency, Mommy. I was bored to death!”

Mia
sighed. “Where are your toys?”

Mikey
shrugged his little shoulders. She went to their bags lying open on the second
double bed and realized she’d left the small bag of toys in the car. Well, she
wouldn’t bother with it now.

It
had been a long, exhausting drive to Chicago, which included the stop she’d
made so they could eat and stretch their legs. Once they had made it into the
city, Mikey had become moody from the long drive and Mia had just wanted to
collapse. The hard, springy hotel bed, however, had not been inviting. Actually
nothing in the drafty motel room had been welcoming. She managed to overlook
the dingy walls and furniture while she sanitized the small hotel room and
bathroom as best she could.

With
a bath and light snack, her son had lost his tantrum and she had finally been
able to indulge in a nice long shower.

The
thought of calling Nate had crossed her mind and had been tempting, but she
wasn’t prepared to face him tonight. She would do it tomorrow when she’d gotten
some sleep and her nerves had settled some.

Mia replayed
the scenario in her head for the umpteenth time and still couldn’t think of a
way to approach him. She couldn’t just blurt out—“Hi Nate, this is Mikey. Your
four-year-old son. And, by the way, we need money.”

Mia
scoffed and shook her head.
Then again,
maybe I should call him right now and get it over with.

As if
on cue, her cell phone rang. It was Nate.

Yet
instead of the cool, light-heartedness she had received last night, he was curt
and abrupt. “What room are you in?”