Back to You

Ethan

Her hand slowly raises from her side and grips the back of my neck closing the small gap that we between us. Her eyes flutter closed, as do mine and when our lips met, it's a feeling I will never forget. The kiss is soft and slow but it means so much. I bring one hand behind her head and my other arm around her waist and pull her close against my body, I missed the feeling of her in my arms, the taste of her lips and the feeling of her so close.

I don't want this moment to end, it's been months since I've had her in my arms, and I don't want to let go. I pull away from the kiss and rest my forehead against hers. Still not opening my eyes. I can feel her chest rising and falling while she's trying to catch her breath, as am I. I'm glad that she was just as affected by this kiss as I was. I slow open my eyes and notice she still has hers closed.

"Mia" I speak softly as her eyes remain closed. I bring my hand that was tangled in her hair and graze my thumb across her cheek as she leans into my touch. "What time do you start work?"

"Soon" is all she responds, and I chuckle a little to myself. It's like she is in a haze of what just happened, keeping her eyes closed and her fingers in my hair. It's like she doesn't want this moment to end and neither do I.

"I better let you get ready then" but I still make no effort to move away from her and she just nods. I bring my lips back to hers with a soft but short kiss that she returns and then I step back slightly and kiss her forehead. It is only now that her hand drops from behind my neck and her eyes open and I see the emotion behind her chocolate orbs. I continue to caress her cheek with my thumb, savoring this moment.

"Message me when you get home, just so I know you arrived safely" she asks. I nod my head and peek her lips once more "Thank you for today. I'll talk to you soon Mia" and I turn and walk back down the hallway to the elevators.

On the drive home, all I can think about is how I am going to get Mia back in my life. I know that she is still afraid of her ex, but I can protect her. I really need to hire a PI and find this guy so I can get him out of her life for good, not sure how but I'm thinking money could be the answer. I keep replaying the kiss that we shared over and over in my head. The time that we have spend together this last couple of days has taught me that I need Mia in my life. I need her and our baby close to me.

Once I arrive back at my apartment, I send a quick message to Mia to let her know I have arrived home, just as she asked. I don't expect a reply as I know that she will be at work now. Making my way inside I find Jake and Alex on the couch playing the Xbox, pausing the game as soon as they heard I'm home.

"So how did it go?" Alex askes me as I make my way into the living room and settle down in the chair.

"Good" I answer not really wanting to go into detail about just yet as I'm not even sure what is going to happen now, so I don't want to get my hopes up. Both of them just look at me wanting more information. I just sit there and relive the last couple of days in my mind giving them nothing.

"Yeah, only good hey. The goofy grin on your face says it was better than good?" Jake mocks. I didn't even realise I was smiling until he said something. I realise that I can't keep this from them, so I tell them about my time with Mia and how it ended in our kiss.

"I still don't know what's going to happen now. We didn't exact talk about the future or what's next. I know she is still worried her ex will find her and to be honest so am I so I think I'm going to hire a PI to find him and pay him off, to get him out of her life for good, then maybe she might agree to come back here?" I try to gauge their reaction to my suggestion to hire a PI, it is something that I thought more and more about on the drive back.

"I think you need to talk to Mia and see where she is at with everything before taking that route" Alex answers my unasked question about the PI. "Hopefully she will feel the same as you and want you in her life. But whatever happens, just know that we will be here." With that comment it makes me start to think about the what ifs. What if she runs again or doesn't want to be with me. I would not only loss her but my child and I'm not sure how I would handle that. I know that I can provide for Mia and our child and that is what I want to do, I just hope she feels the same.

"Thanks, I'm going to shower and catch up on some work" I stand and make my way up the stairs to my bedroom. Pulling my phone out of my pocket I notice that I have a message from Mia and that in itself makes me smile.

Thank you again for that last couple of days. I hope we can do it again soon Mia xx

Spending this time with her has made me realise that my feelings for her never went away, they never changed after all this time. Yes, I was mad that she ran but I do understand her reasons. Now that I have her back in my life, I do not want to let her go again. She's carrying my child, and that makes me even more determined to keep her in my life. I need her close to me, I want to be there for her, for our baby. I want to be involved in all the doctors' appointments, birthing classes and then once the baby is born the late-night feeds, first steps, first words. I don't want to miss a thing.

I want a family with Mia, I want it all. I never stopped loving her, even though I never got to say those 3 words to her.