Twenty-two

TWENTY-TWO

Mia

"Are you okay?"

That was the second time Brock had asked me that question in such a short time. I'd already told him I was fine, but it was clear he still had some lingering concerns. I couldn't be mad about it. I loved knowing that he cared not only about my physical well-being but that of the baby as well. The care and tenderness he showed was just another testament to the kind of guy he was.

I felt extraordinarily lucky.

We were in my bed on our sides, facing one another, and I wasn't quite sure I'd come to grips with being here. Wanting to offer all the reassurances I could, I placed my palm gently over his pec. "Yes, I'm okay. I already told you that everything was wonderful. You didn't hurt me. In fact, it was quite the opposite. I promise I'm good."

Brock covered my hand with his. "You misunderstood me. Obviously, I care to know that you feel okay physically, which is why I asked that question a few minutes ago. But I wasn't referring to that same thing this time. I wanted to be sure you were okay after everything that happened downstairs just before I arrived and immediately afterward.

Right.

That made sense.

He was worried about everything that had gone down with Todd. After what we'd just shared in this room, in this bed, the incident with my ex felt like a lifetime ago.

I swallowed hard. "Yeah, we probably should discuss that, but I hate to think what we just had is going to be tarnished by a discussion about all of that."

Brock lifted my hand from his chest and brought it to his mouth, where he pressed several soft kisses to my fingertips. When he eased my hand away from his lips and back to his chest, he promised, "Nothing we discuss, whether now or in the future, will ruin what we just had, Mia. Nothing at all is going to take away what that experience meant to me, and what I hope it meant to you."

Relief swept through me.

I'd had so many thoughts and daydreams about us eventually coming to a place where we'd wind up sharing our feelings for one another. I'd envisioned so many possibilities for how it would all go down, and not one of those instances looked anything like the reality. They certainly never included the presence of Todd. I wouldn't have thought it would be possible to have something even remotely close to what I just had with Brock if Todd had been involved.

And while he hadn't been in this room with us—I didn't think about him once from the moment he walked out my front door—I couldn't deny that a lot had been shared as a result of his unexpected visit to my house tonight.

Of course, Brock had indicated he intended to talk to me about his feelings tonight, but I wondered if we would have gone this far if it all happened the way he'd originally anticipated.

"I don't know what part of the situation with my ex you're most concerned about," I finally replied.

"All of it. Anything that bothers you, upsets you, or is something you just want to discuss," Brock returned. "What happened wasn't some small encounter. I walked in and saw him place that ring box in the palm of your hand. I have to believe you've got some thoughts about it."

A rush of air left my lungs, my eyes closing briefly. "Yeah, I guess I do. But I will say that I don't want you to think I thought about him at all after he left. Until you just brought him up, I've only been thinking about us, about how unbelievably happy I feel with you right now."

Brock's hand squeezed mine, a small smile forming on his face. "I'm just as happy about it, too. And I think we should probably discuss all of this as well. I figured it would be better to get the other situation out of the way first."

I offered a nod of agreement and confessed, "I have mixed feelings about what Todd did tonight. On the one hand, I'm horrified at the thought he could believe I'd accept a proposal after the way he spoke to me the last two times we were in each other's presence. To top it off, he hasn't once reached out to me since January for any reason. Not to apologize, not to check on me. He hasn't even asked about the baby. I wasn't necessarily expecting him to, but what happened tonight doesn't jive with what he's shown me for months."

"I'm proud of you for standing up for yourself and realizing that you deserve so much better than what he gave you," Brock said, his thumb stroking slowly over the back of my hand.

"Thanks. I guess that's where I'm conflicted, though. I mean, I know there's not a chance I'll ever go back to him. He proved to me that I can't trust him to protect my heart. It would be miserable for the both of us if I ever went down that path with him again. But beyond that, I wonder about his sudden change of heart. I wonder what prompted it. Like, what was it that made him decide this is what he wanted when he'd been so adamant about not wanting a baby? I don't know. I'm just wary, because it doesn't make any sense to me."

"I think that's wise," Brock said. "In fact, I think it's going to be a great thing for you to have that cautious attitude with him moving forward, especially once the baby arrives. I don't know him well, but based on what I've witnessed, he doesn't seem like a reliable guy without self-serving interests."

"You're exactly right. And that's where the problem lies. Because deep down, I want him to be part of his child's life. Unless it's a case of abuse, I can't imagine any world where one parent wouldn't want the other parent involved. I just hope he's genuine in his desire to be a father."

Following a beat of silence, Brock asked, "Do you truly think it's possible he's not? Would he come over here and propose and make promises about your future together as a family if he wasn't serious about it?"

I'd asked myself that same question, but I didn't have any answers. I sent a look of indifference Brock's way. "I don't know. It's like you said. Todd can be selfish, so it's hard not to wonder if there was another motive or if he was serious about wanting to make a real effort at it."

A look I'd never seen before washed over Brock's expression. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but it was clear there was something he was struggling with. Given the step we'd just taken in our relationship and the declarations we'd both made, ignoring that look wasn't an option for me.

"Tell me what's on your mind," I pleaded with him.

There was a moment of hesitation before he asked, "If he'd been serious about it all, if he was genuine, do you think turning him down was the best option? Do you think you might regret your decision not to accept his proposal?"

As soon as he got the words out, I understood the look I'd seen on his face moments earlier. Brock was worried that the decision I made today would come back to haunt me, that I'd wish I'd worked it out with Todd instead of being honest about my feelings for Brock in this moment.

"I think I'd feel regret over walking away from a man who has shown me what it's like to be treated right," I admitted. "I'm not suggesting people don't deserve second chances. The problem is that Todd didn't put in the effort to get that second chance sooner. Sure, he apologized for, as he put it, freaking out about the pregnancy, but it took him months to do it. I won't lie. He said a lot of the right things. But they were all things I would have wanted to hear when I told him I was pregnant, and if not then, at least within the first few weeks of learning about it. Not now, not seven months into it. Truthfully, I think it was unfair of him to think what he did tonight was the way to go. At this point, I don't think it's wise for me to sit and speculate about his true intentions, because I'll just drive myself crazy. He's going to do whatever he's going to do, and I'm going to just keep moving forward with my own life without any regrets."

Brock smiled and his hand drifted along my arm, up toward my shoulder. He propped his head up in his opposite hand and said, "A life that now involves you and I having said some pretty big stuff to one another."

There was that.

I'd been so caught up in the moment from the second I opened the door to Todd to this very minute. Brock and I had said some rather wonderful things to and about one another, and while I was certain I'd never forget a single word we said, especially the ones he said to me, it hadn't had a chance to sink in just yet.

I returned his smile. "Yes. That is what life is now, and I'm still in a bit of shock about it."

He chuckled. "That makes two of us."

"I'll be honest, I've been very confused over the last several months when it comes to you," I shared.

Brock's bewilderment was immediate and plain as day. "Why is that?"

To ease the tension I could easily see in his expression, I smiled. "I couldn't quite grasp how you really felt about me. There were moments that made me think that you were just being a nice guy and a friendly neighbor. But there were several other instances when I thought you might have some interest in me that went beyond friendship. Of course, no matter how much I wanted to lean into those feelings and hope for something meaningful beyond friendship between us, I always found a way to convince myself that you being interested like that wasn't a possibility. Usually, by the next time I was around you again, I was back to believing you were just being a nice guy who was raised right and enjoyed having some company occasionally."

Laughter filled the air, and Brock leaned down to press a kiss to my forehead. The sweet gesture sent my heart racing. Even though we'd just had sex, we'd also shared our first kiss tonight, too. I wasn't exactly used to soft, intimate touches from Brock just yet.

My heart racing as his lips lingered there, Brock shared, "I've been attracted to you since the day you moved in, showed up at my garage, and introduced yourself. I was immediately intrigued by you. Not only were you gorgeous, but I liked how you were so upbeat and outgoing. Even that first day at the mailbox before your ex showed up, I liked how easy it was to have a conversation with you. Obviously, I tried to not allow myself to get too caught up since you were tied to someone else, but that all changed the day Izzy and I saw you outside and you told her you no longer had a boyfriend."

Warmth moved through me, and I loved it so much, I wanted more. "That was so many months ago. It feels like so much has happened since then."

With his fingers stroking gently across the skin on my shoulder, Brock pulled back and smiled. "A lot has happened since then, but I've loved every minute of it."

I thought back on the last few months, on how much Brock and I had experienced together—our walks, meetings at the mailbox, occasional dinners together, building the baby's crib, watching movies, spending time at the beach with Izzy, and even the block party. The list seemed endless, and each of those moments with him had made me smile.

When the weight of my feelings hit me earlier in the evening when Brock had been standing in my doorway, it was all those things we'd done together over the last several months that ran through my mind.

It was that which made me ask what I did next. "Do you know exactly when it happened for you?"

"What?"

"You said you fell in love with me," I reminded him. "Was there a specific moment when it happened for you, or do you think it was a gradual thing?"

The question was a big one, and I expected Brock would need some time to come up with his answer, but he surprised me and didn't hesitate to respond. "I think falling for you happened over time the more we were around one another, but I remember the moment it hit me."

My eyes widened, excitement surging in my chest. "When was it?" I asked eagerly.

"The day we watched your favorite movies, and I carried you to your bed," he revealed. "The movie had ended, and I looked over at you asleep on the couch, and I felt like Harry."

I froze, my body going rigid. "You felt like Harry?"

Brock's hand floated away from my shoulder and down along my back. I could see the way his mind was working, and I wondered if he was trying to figure out how to explain what he meant by what he said, or if he was giving me time to prepare for it.

Eventually, he said, "I'd had a lot of thoughts leading up to that point about how you were the woman of my dreams or how attracted I was to you. But it was after seeing that movie and hearing that line from Harry when it hit me. I looked over at you asleep on the couch, and all I could think was that I wanted the rest of my life to start immediately, because I'd met the woman I wanted to spend my life with."

Brock's hesitation before sharing this finally made sense. He'd been attempting to give me the time to prepare for what he was about to admit. Sadly, he could have given me warning that it was going to be huge and waited another hour before sharing, and I still wouldn't have been prepared for what hearing him say those words meant to me.

Tears filled my eyes, and it was only by some miracle I didn't burst into full-fledged sobs.

This felt so surreal. It felt impossible to believe.

Brock was making me believe that despite what had happened in my life, I could still have everything I ever wanted.

"Please don't cry," he begged, his voice hushed.

I blinked my eyes rapidly, doing my best to stave off the tears. "I'm trying not to, but I can't help it. I never expected I'd ever have this, especially not with you."

"Well, you do, so just be happy about it. I am. I couldn't be happier if I tried."

"I am happy," I promised.

Brock felt compelled to kiss me again. Only, this time, he went for my mouth. After a few seconds of having his lips on mine, all thoughts of tears flew out the window. Of course, when he tore his mouth away, he said, "I love you, Mia."

I was almost sent spiraling again, but I quickly replied instead. "I love you, too."

"When did you know?"

"Pardon?"

"Was it gradual for you, or was there a specific moment?" he asked, clarifying his question.

He wanted to know when I knew that I loved him. "It's the same for me as it was for you. I've been experiencing thoughts and feelings over you for months now, but it honestly didn't hit me until tonight. Until I saw you standing in the doorway with that look on your face."

"What look?"

I reached my hand up to the side of his face and stroked my thumb along his cheek. "The one that told me you were in agony at the thought of losing me, like your whole world had stopped spinning. All I could think was that I was crazy for wanting to run to you in that moment, but I realized that everything I'd experienced with you was precisely what led me to falling for you. You showed me what love was supposed to feel like. So, I think I've been in love with you for a while, but it wasn't until that moment when it hit me."

"Kiss me, Mia."

Smiling, I lifted my head from the pillow and touched my mouth to his. Brock and I kissed for a long time, neither one of us seeming willing to separate.

But eventually, Brock was the one to break the connection. "You didn't get your ice cream."

I laughed. "No, no, I did not. But I think I got something even better."

"Do you still want it?"

"What?"

Brock inhaled deeply and released that breath before he said, "I'll do whatever you like tonight, but after all of this, I'd love nothing more than to spend the night with you and wake up tomorrow with you in my arms. If you're okay with that, I'll run downstairs, lock up the house, and grab you some ice cream before I come back up. It won't be the same as having it on the deck, but at least we can still enjoy it together."

My heart exploded in my chest.

Brock wanted to spend the night with me, so he could wake up with me in his arms. Was he for real?

"It won't be the same as I imagined, Brock. Your plan is arguably better."

His brows shot up, questioning me. "Yeah? You want me to stay?"

Nodding, I answered, "Even more than I want ice cream."

He grinned.

I smiled back.

And after he kissed me once more, Brock exited the bed, pulled on his jeans, and moved toward the door. He looked back at me in the bed, and something warm stole over his expression. Brock held my gaze for several beats before he walked out of the room and downstairs to lock up the house.

I stayed right where I was and pinched myself. This felt like it had been the best day of my whole life.

And it only got better when Brock returned with ice cream for the both of us.