Mia's Heart (The Paradise Diaries) (25 page)

Reece
raises a blonde eyebrow.  “Like?”

“Like
it’s okay to be agreeable.  It’s okay to do things that you don’t really
want to do—if those things are helping out people you love.  I have to
understand that my dad’s job is important and that people watch me.  Gavin
was right about that—I need to suck it up and do my part.  But that
doesn’t mean that I can’t do it in my own way.  I won’t put my nose-ring
back in, but I’m leaving my hair.  It’s not hurting anything.  I’m
compromising on the clothes.  I don’t feel the need to wear black, but I’m
not wearing beige.  Ugh.”

Reece
smiles.  “Hot pink is a compromise?  And fingerless gloves?”

I
nod.  “Yes.  I believe those are fair compromises.”

Reece
laughs. “I like New Mia.  She’s still pretty kick-ass, too.” But then she
gets serious.  “What about Quinn?”

I
stare at her.  “I like him,” I tell her quietly.  “I really like
him.”

She
nods.  “I know.  I can tell.  And he likes you too.  So
what are you going to do about it?”

I
smile.  “Well, there’s one thing that New Mia and Old Mia have in common.”

“And
what’s that?” Reece asks. 

“We
both work hard to get what we want.”

Reece
laughs at that and I laugh with her. 

“Am
I going to have to listen to you refer to yourself in the third person now for
all of eternity?” she asks with a grin. 

“Possibly,”
I tell her.  “I sort of like it.  It makes me feel like the Queen of
England.”

Reece
rolls her eyes and hands me a pair of jeans.

“Well,
come on, your highness. Get dressed.”

 I
pull my pants on and we wind our way down the stairs and into the
kitchen.  I am surprised to find my mother there, along with Dante. 
She’s as casual as can be about eating in the kitchen. 

What
the hell?

“Mom?”
I look at her in surprise. She’s sitting with Dante, nibbling at a croissant
and sipping a cup of coffee.

She
smiles at me and she honestly looks happy. 

My
mother.

Happy.

It’s
a crazy concept, I know.

But
it seems to be true. 

“Don’t
look so surprised,” she tells me.  “I’m not too old to change, you know. I
thought about it a lot last night when I was supposed to be sleeping.  You
might have been right all along. I was too rigid and set in my ways.  Some
might even say that I was being a witch.”  She pauses here, presumably
waiting to have someone refute that.  No one does.  She sighs. 
“I’m probably partially to blame for you rebelling so hard.  So, I’ve
decided to take a page from your playbook and reassess my life.  Changes
will be made.”

I’m
stunned. 

This
is amazing. 

I
gulp, then nod. 

“Thank
you,” I tell her.  “I don’t know what to say.”

“There’s
nothing to say,” she tells me.  “Everything will be alright, Mia.”

And
once again, I believe that to be true.  Everything really will be okay.

“Have
you seen Quinn?” I ask.  My mother nods. 

“He
was here for breakfast.  I think he went outside.”

I
chat for a moment longer before I go outside to find him. Reece stays inside to
talk with my mom and wait for Dante. 

It
doesn’t take me long to find Quinn.  I just head down to the stables and
there he is.  He is truly in his element with that horse.  That is
for sure.  I walk up to the fence and call out a good morning.  He
turns and I inhale sharply.  It looks like a truck has hit his face.

“Holy
cow,” I breathe.  “Your face.”

He
smiles.  “Gee, thanks,” he says.  “Just the kind of reaction I was
looking for.”

He’s
joking and I smile. 

“Does
it hurt?” I ask hesitantly.  He rolls the eye that isn’t swollen. 

“It
doesn’t feel wonderful.  But I’m okay,” he assures me. 

I
gaze at him, at his handsome, sexy face that is now swollen and
distorted.  He smiles.  Or I think he does.  With his cheek
swollen like that, it’s hard to tell.  And then he rolls his eye. 
The un-swollen one. 

“Way
to make me feel unselfconscious, tiny tot,” he tells me wryly. 

I
wince.  “I’m sorry.  It just looks painful.  I’m so sorry that
this happened to you. It’s my fault.  That’s what I was coming to say to
you.  To apologize, I mean.”

He
stares at me like I’ve suddenly grown two heads.

“The
last I knew, Gavin was the one who attacked me,” he tells me.  “Not
you.  So don’t feel guilty at all, Mia. It’s not your fault.”

“If
I hadn’t been so confused, Gavin wouldn’t have felt led on and this entire
thing wouldn’t have happened,” I tell him sadly.  “It
is
my fault.”

He
shakes his head.  “Well, we’ll have to agree to disagree.  But on the
off chance that you’re right and this
is
your fault, there’s something
you can do to make it up to me.”

He
pauses here and grins. Or I think he does.  It’s hard to say at this point
with all that swelling.  I choose to believe it is a grin and so I grin
back. 

“And
what would that be?” I ask. 

“You
can finally teach me to swim,” he answers.  “If I’m here in Caberra,
surrounded by the sea, I think it’s something I should know, don’t you?”

I
smile and start to nod. 

Unfortunately,
I don’t have time to agree because a car rolls to a stop next to the
stable.  A police car from Valese.  I’m startled as two officers
climb out and head over to us.  My heart pounds, although I don’t know
why. We haven’t done anything wrong. 

“Quinn
McKeyen?” one calls out in English. 

Quinn
nods.  “Yes, that’s me.”  He’s unconcerned because he knows that he
hasn’t broken the law.

The
officer pulls out a pair of handcuffs.  “You’re under arrest for the
assault of Gavin Ariastasis.  Son, you picked the wrong boy to pick a
fight with.   Don’t you know who his father is?”

The
officer snaps on the cuffs and I am dismayed and astounded. So much so that I
hear a roaring in my ears.  I’m so flabbergasted that it takes a minute
for me to come to my senses and say anything.

“Don’t
you know whose property this is?” I demand as I chase after them. “This is
Dimitri Giliberti’s property, as I’m sure you know.  I don’t think he’ll
like finding out that you’ve just arrested his house guest.”

The
officer levels a gaze at me. 

“Miss,
there’s one thing about our prime minister.  He’s always fair.  If
his own son broke the law, he wouldn’t step in to pull any strings.  He
believes that the law is the same for everyone.”

I
gulp because I know he’s right.  Dimitri is known for that.

“But
Quinn was only protecting himself,” I attempt.  “I was there. I saw
it.  It was self-defense.  Gavin started it.  And I can’t
believe Gavin would press charges.”

The
other officer interrupts.  “It wasn’t Gavin who came down to the police
station today.  It was his father. You’ll have to take it up with him.”

Eff. 

Gavin’s
father does have a temper.  No one likes to cross him.  In fact, it’s
probably one of the reasons why Gavin has always chosen to be so laid back. He
wants to be the opposite of his high-strung father. 

Eff
again. 

“Quinn,
don’t worry,” I call to him as they put him in the car.  “I’m going to get
Dante.  And my dad, too.”

Then
it occurs to me.  My dad is every bit as important as Gavin’s. So I call
out to the officers. 

“Do
you know who
my
dad is?  I’ll have him down at the station before
you can even blink.  Maybe he’ll even meet you there.”

Quinn
is shaking his head but I can’t hear what he is saying because the door is
closed now.  I’m guessing he’s telling me not to drag my father into it. 
But holy hell.  This entire mess is my fault and I’ve never asked my dad
for any favors.  I think it’s about time to start. 

I
am watching limply as the police car rolls back out when Reece comes to find
me.

“Is
that what I think it was?” she asks curiously. 

I
nod miserably.  “Yes.  And Quinn’s in the backseat.”

“What?” 
She is as appalled as me.  I tug at her hand. 

“Come
on.  We have work to do.”

********

To
my mother’s credit, she drops what she is doing to drive me to see my
father.  I explain the entire situation to her on the way and she actually
seems sympathetic.  I have no idea what has come over her, but I hope it
never goes away. 

And
while I am going to see my father, Dante is going to see his.  We both
tried to call Gavin, but he’s not picking up his phone.  I can’t imagine
what is going through his head, other than he probably doesn’t want to go
against his father. 

But
still.

If
ever there was a time for him take a stand, now is the time. 

My
father is surprised when my mom and I burst into his large office in the Old
Palace.  He is even more surprised after I tell him why. 

“Quinn? 
The nice boy who is Dimitri’s exchange student?” he asks.  I nod.

“Yes. 
And he is a nice boy.  What happened wasn’t his fault. And I’m afraid that
if these charges go through, he’ll have to go back to America.  And that’s
not fair.”

My
father studies me.  “And you don’t want him to leave.” 

It’s
an observation, not a question.  I flush, but I don’t deny it.

“No,
sir.  I don’t.”

I
even call him sir. 

He
thinks about this and stares out this window.  I’ve never asked him for
any kind of favor before.  I’ve never, ever played on his status or
importance.  Not even one time. And I think he realizes that because he
finally sighs. 

“Okay,
Mia.  I’ll talk to Dimitri. But I’ll also speak with Gavin’s father. 
Surely, if it is as you are saying and Gavin started it, he will see reason.”

But
even my father doesn’t sound hopeful about that one.  Gavin’s father isn’t
known for his reason. 

“The
best thing you can do is go wait at the police station.  I’m sure he will
be released on bail today because this is his first offense, correct?”

I
nod.  “I think so.  I’m sure it is.”

My
father nods.  “Good.  Go wait at the police station.  Your
mother can bail him out.”

My
mother looks a bit surprised by daddy’s willingness to help, but she seems
satisfied with it.  I’m overwhelmed by my parents’ behavior today and I
rush at my dad and hug him.  

“Thank
you, daddy,” I whisper.  “Thank you so much.”

I
feel a tear coming out of my eye and I wipe it away.  My father stares at
me in surprise.  I don’t usually cry in front of him.  Or hug
him.  Or show him any emotion at all other than anger. 

I
smile. 

“I
really appreciate this, daddy.”

I
leave with my mom and she drives me to the police station, a place that neither
of us have ever been.  I can’t even believe that my mother, the woman who
just recently wouldn’t bring herself to eat in a kitchen, is now going to walk
into a police station to post bail.  It’s incredible.  And a little
funny. 

I
can’t help but laugh about it, and so when my mom asks what I’m laughing about,
I tell her and she laughs too.

“Mia,
I know that I’ve been a stuck up snob.  It’s easy to get sucked into that
kind of thing.  And I’ll probably always be a bit of a one.  You
can’t completely change a person. But I’ll try to be a nicer snob.  How
about that?”

I
feel like crying again.

But
I don’t. 

Instead,
I smile and nod and my mother and I square our shoulders and disappear into the
Community Police Station of Valese. 

There’s
someone I have to save.

Chapter Twenty
Two

“I
told you,” Quinn tells me yet again.  “I’m fine, Mia.  Don’t stress
about this.  It’s going to be fine.”

The
person who I saved turned out to be quite calm when we rescued him. 

When
he came walking out of the back hall of the police department, I thought my
knees were going to give out.  His eyes met mine and I knew that I would
do anything I possibly could to keep him out of trouble and in Caberra.

With
me. 

It
was an intense moment. 

And
now we’re standing in the Great Room at Giliberti House.  Well, scratch
that. We’re not standing.  I’m pacing around like a mad woman, while Dante,
Reece, Quinn and my mother are all sitting.  Calmly.  Like rational
adults.