Chapter Four

"Thank you for choosing this place," Adam spoke before taking a sip of his bourbon.

Mia had taken them to a swing club only a few blocks from her residence. It was the only place she went to without putting up a struggle and would end up here once a month with co-workers. The drinks were great, the atmosphere was chill, and the music was extraordinary.

Zoey was already on the dance floor but was so far out of her comfort zone, it was hysterical. She had no clue how to dance to this music, and it showed. Still, Zoey looked like she was having fun and she'd already found two men to dance with her.

"This is the only bar I go to where I'm not ready to leave as soon as I get here." She sipped her bay breeze through her straw, stealing a glance at Adam as she did so.

He was under-dressed for this club, but they had given little grief about letting him in. The closest thing he could find to go out in was a white button-up shirt they had to steam out in her shower to get out the wrinkles.

"So," she went on when he remained quiet. "When are you supposed to go see your parents?"

Adam leaned in just a little once the saxophone played. "If I told them I was coming back, they would have wanted me to fly into Madison to see them first. I knew it would take forever to get out of there to see you, so I didn't tell them. I'll surprise them next weekend if you don't mind putting up with me for a few more days."

It didn't occur to Mia until now that both their cities had airports and he could have flown into either, but marked hers as his destination when setting up his flight. She had to concede it was a great pleasure knowing that he wanted to see her before his family or friends.

"I don't at all. I'll be at work during the days, but I'll give you a spare key so you can let yourself in and out. If you wanted, I could go with you next weekend," Mia offered. "I could tell my family that I'm bringing a guy home with me."

"Then just show up with me?" Adam asked with a snort. "I'm not sure if you bringing a guy home with you is news enough to get everyone together."

That was true. It would be a biggish deal to her family if she said she was bringing a guy home since she'd never done it before, but getting both families together would need something more exciting. They had dinner together often, but her scheduling one would require a reason. "I could tell them I'm getting married."

Adam's laughter rose at her proposal. "I have to admit, it would be interesting to see how everyone would react, them thinking they're meeting your fiance and then I walk in."

"My dad would take a swing at you." There wasn't a doubt in Mia's mind about that one.

"My dad would ask how long I've really been in town for and ask if I knocked you up."

"My mom would just down her drink and say something like, 'Am I supposed to act surprised?'."

Adam tipped his head at her comment. "You don't think she would be?"

Her mom was the only person in both families who knew of Mia's feelings for Adam. She'd pieced it together after Adam left and Mia fell apart. They never talked about it because neither saw the reason. "Nah," Mia replied before lying her ass off. "She's always had a thing for forbidden love stories. She wouldn't be happy about it or anything, but she'd be the least pissed off out of all of them. How would your mom react?"

Adam looked ahead for a time before taking another drink. "If it were any other woman your age, she'd probably call you a gold digger and tell me to keep it wrapped up because she wouldn't want grand babies from a marriage that wasn't going to last a year." Then his eyes shifted to hers, his poker face as prominent as always. "But me and you? I honestly don't think she'd be all that surprised, either. Especially since you already told her we would get married someday."

That was news to her. "What? When the hell did I say that?"

"When you were five. You did that for a few years, actually."

Mia had no memory of that at all, but it didn't shock her that her crush on Adam began not long after she was born. "Would she be happy, disappointed or not give a shit?"

"I'm guessing she wouldn't know how to feel at first," Adam admitted. "But I think once she got over the near twenty year age difference, she'd be happy."

At least there was that. Not that this situation was real. "So, should we do it?"

Adam's eyes narrowed on her. "Get married?"

Mia smacked his chest with the back of her hand. "Tell them I'm bringing my fiancé home for the families to meet and approve of." She didn't bother to wait for his 'go ahead' before plucking the phone from her purse and starting the message to her mom.

"It's passed midnight, you know."

"She never takes her phone with her to bed, so she won't see it until morning." She went on typing the message, all delighted about her non-existent proposal. But before she pressed send, she looked over at Adam. "Yay or Nay?"

Adam took the phone from her hand and read the message, a grin appearing on his lips as he read. "So long as we own up to the truth before your dad hits me, sure, why the hell not?" Then he pressed 'send'.

Mia took the phone from Adam and set it next to her drink before she took another sip. "So, where are we going on our honeymoon?"

The smile was still on his face when he leaned his back against the bar and looked at her. "Ko Phi Phi in Thailand. Most beautiful beaches I've ever seen. I went there about two years ago and as soon as I saw it, I wished you were there with me. Perfect spot for a honeymoon. Weather is always somewhere between seventy-five and ninety degrees. Simple bungalows, awesome food, breathtaking scenery."

Not a day went by while he was away when Mia didn't think about him. It was nice to know she was in his thoughts every now and again as well. "If I decide I can't go through with the wedding, would you still take me?"

"All you have to do is ask," he told her, his smile fading.

"I did," Mia pointed out. "That was me asking. Just now."

"All right, it's a date." Adam agreed with a laugh. "Anytime you're ready, just let me know and I'll book it."

Mia held out her hand. "Deal."

He took it into his own and shook it, making it official.

Mia's phone buzzed on the counter of the bar, and she grabbed it. "Guess they weren't asleep." She read the message to herself, then handed it over to Adam to read. "My mom is flipping out. I'm already starting to feel bad."

"Of course, your parents are playing cards with my entire family. How much do you want to bet that my mom's half in the bag and talking about that time she screwed some famous musician in the sixties?"

"Which musician?" Mia had been around his family plenty of times when they were tipsy, but never drunk. She was, after all, still the baby of the family.

"Let's just say she was a groupie in her day. A fact I would have happily died without hearing the details of. Anyhow, looks like everyone wants to meet your new fiancée next weekend."

"What's with the lack of fuckery?" Zoey squealed as she trotted toward them. "There's not even an ounce of foreplay going on here."

Adam dropped his head and shook it. "We need to find you different friends."

Zoey nudged him. "Come on, don't you think she's pretty?"

He peeked up again at the review. "Of course I do." He replied as if it were an insult.

But Mia knew what Zoey was up to and had no idea if she wanted to stop her or not; not that there was much she could do about what came out of Zoey's mouth.

"But do you think she's sexy?" Zoey pushed.

Desperate to know the answer to that one, Mia kept his eyes on him and, sure enough, Adam's poker face faltered just a tad. He squeezed his lips together and his pale blue-green eyes darkened. "What's your endgame here, Zoey?"

Though Zoey wasn't used to getting called out, she shrugged off the comment. "Just trying to get my bestie some lovin'. I figured you'd be the best man for the job since you look like you could be a lot of fun in the sack and wouldn't do a damn thing to hurt her, you know, minus disappearing for years. But hey, if you're not up for it just let me know and I'll start looking for someone else."

Before Adam could reply, the music cut off, and the bartender called bar close, something they always did a little earlier in this bar.

"I'll call us a cab," Mia told them as she grabbed her phone off the bar and finished her drink. She went over near the restrooms, which kept her away from the crowds of people making their after bar plans, but still gave her a straight shot of Zoey and Adam as she made the call.

Mia gave the cab company the bar name and hung up her phone before placing it back into her purse. Adam's eyes fell on hers as she went back to join them. "Shouldn't be more than a few minutes."

And it wasn't. By the time Zoey went to the bathroom, and they made it outside, the cab was just pulling up to the curb.

"Shot gun!" Zoey declared before hopping into the front seat. Mia and Adam slid into the back and before the cab driver took off, Zoey turned around in her seat, took Adam's hand from his lap, and planted it on Mia's exposed thigh. "There. That's better."

Her gaze burned into the spot where his hand rested, not noticing anything else around her until Adam removed it. How she would survive a week of him staying at her place if he took her up on her offer, Mia had no clue.

There was a hope that with time, the less than innocent love she felt for him would dissolve. It had progressed from 'maybe it's just childhood silliness' to 'maybe it's just a teenage crush'. But now here Mia was, a grown adult, and hadn't yet talked herself into having any actual relationship. She'd kissed men, dated men and even slept with a couple. But every time she'd done any of those things, Mia felt dirty afterwards.

And now that he was back, he was talking to her as an adult rather than as the child he'd helped raise as her parents built their fortune. It was nice, him regarding her that way, but it would also open herself up to more torment and disillusionment.

Yes, she was an adult now. Yes, he was treating her like one. But it wasn't enough. Mia wanted him to look at her and not just see the adult version of his mini Mia munchkin head, but as a woman. And she knew that no matter how much effort she put in to making that happen, it would only lead to failure.

Despite all of Zoey's efforts and despite all of Mia's aspirations, she would push back that love she always felt for him.

It was better to be his mini Mia munchkin head than to not be his at all, and nothing was worse than losing him over.

Zoey remained uncharacteristically quiet on the ride home and Adam just peered out the window at the passing city, leaving Mia to get lost in her thoughts and the daydreams she always had when it was quiet.

It was just past one in the morning when Mia unlocked her apartment. She hadn't stayed out that long since college, and her body and mind felt depleted. "I'm going to go take a shower."

Zoey went into the fridge and grabbed a container of Chinese. "I'm gonna eat in bed and pass the fuck out."

"Careful with eating Chinese, Zoe. Rice is a bitch to throw up and noodles aren't that much better," Mia pointed out before heading into her bedroom to grab something to wear to bed.

As she pulled out a tank top and pajama shorts from her top drawer, Adam came in carrying what he was wearing before Zoey had guilt them into going out. "Just wanted to ask if you've got a spare pillow and blanket for the couch."

"I've got a king sized bed, Adam. You don't have to sleep on the couch." She didn't want him to sleep on the couch, either. Not only did the light show bright in her living room in the morning, but Mia also wanted to keep him close, even if she couldn't have him close the way she wanted. "Sleep in here tonight and you can have the guest room tomorrow."

"You sure?" Adam inquired, looking skeptical of the arrangement.

"We've slept in the same bed a hundred times before," Mia pointed out. She knew this was different, but it was the only argument she had.

"Only when you woke up from nightmares when I was watching you. And that was years ago, Mia. When you became a preteen, we stopped because it wasn't appropriate anymore.

"And now I'm an adult, so it's not that big of a deal," Mia countered. "But it's up to you. Extra pillows and blankets are in the hall closet. If you'd rather sleep out there, that's fine. You can think about it while I take a shower."

Mia slid her way past him and into the bathroom, closing the door behind her and slipping out of her clothing, then hopped into the shower.