Finding Her Joy

Return The Favor

*A/N- Happy reading! Enjoy!

(CHAR POV)
"Mia is always doing nice things for me and buying me things, I need to do something for her." I thought to myself. I was thinking about her upcoming visit and feeling awful about never getting her anything.

In my mind, it would mean more to her if I made her something from scratch. She had enough money to buy whatever she wanted, and she had everything already. Making her something would be more memorable, even if it was something small.

I decided on sticking with the accessories route and make her a bracelet. Just a little beaded one out of her favorite colors, and then I spelled out my name on it, too. It was my sneaky way of claiming her as mine. Maybe if others saw it, then they'd stop hitting on her as much.

She was mine, and I was ready to take the next step with her by making our relationship official. It's hard to know who should make the first move in situations like these. We did both just get out of really long relationships, but we hadn't really been IN them for a while. I'd spent the last few years separating myself from my husband, and I'm not sure how long she'd done the same with Reece.

We'd taken our time, but had we had enough? I wasn't sure if I should say anything to her. She had been through more than me, so maybe she needed more time. Mia said she would wait until I was ready, but right now, I needed to do the same. She should hold on the power in asking me.

I'd just finished tying the ends together when Mia called. "Hey, you. Where have you been today?" I asked as I answered.

She smiled when she heard my voice. "Hello, Sweetheart. I'm sorry. I've been swamped today with work and planning."

"Planning what?"

"It's a surprise. I can't tell you." She laughed when I faked an upset look. "Oh hush. You'll find out soon enough. What have you been up to all day?"

I gave a cheeky grin and mocked her, saying, "It's a surprise. I can't tell you." She rolled her eyes, which made me laugh. "I've really not done much today. Just done a bit of tidying and thinking about your visit tomorrow. I do hate that you're only going to be in town for a couple hours."

"I know, Sweetheart. I wish it wasn't like this, but we're making it work. This won't last forever. It's just for a little while longer." She said sweetly.

"Do you have an idea on when you'll be home for good?" I asked. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but I was praying that she'd have an answer.

"Not sure, but I'm hoping for the beginning of October." I frowned and wasn't able to hide it. I couldn't wait that long. She noticed this and told me, "I'm still going to come back to see you, and I'll be here if you need me."

I tried to smile at her, "It's fine. You don't have to make me feel better. I know you're still figuring things out and have a lot to handle." I didn't want to make her feel bad about it, so I tried to change the subject, "Did I tell you Roger wants to meet with me tomorrow afternoon?"

Her face dropped. "He what? W- why? Did he tell you what it was about?" She asked quickly, almost nervously.

"No?" I questioned. "The last time I met with him was a year ago, and it was a performance review. Marjorie was there, but this time, he said he wanted a private meeting. Must be important." I'd not thought much about it. He normally didn't speak to me directly, but he was technically my boss. It was bound to happen eventually.

"You're not going by yourself. I'm texting Reece right now to go with you." She said frantically.

Not understanding what was going on, I let out a nervous laugh, "I'm a big girl. I don't need Reece to babysit me for a meeting with the owner. It's probably nothing."

"No." She said firmly, making direct eye contact with me. The seriousness of her tone took me off guard, and I gasped. "Do not go to that meeting alone. Roger is... just don't do it."

She'd never acted like this before. I could tell she was tense, she looked scared, and she was being very stern with me. Normally, she was sweet and gentle (in conversation), but now it was almost the opposite. She was holding her breath. "Okay, I'll take Reece with me."

Mia breathed out slowly and looked around her room. I think she was really trying to hide how she felt. "Thank you." She whispered.

I trusted her completely, but I couldn't stand the secrecy of it all. "You have to tell me why. I know I said that you could wait until you were ready to let me in, but if you're acting this scared..." I paused for a moment. "Nothing scares you, but something had been going on lately, and I can tell it has you terrified. If you want this to work, then I can't be the only one making myself vulnerable here. This has to go both ways. I trust you with everything. Do you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you. That has nothing to do with this. I'm just trying to protect you from everything that's been going on." She pressed her fingers to her temple. Mia always did that when she was frustrated trying to figure out what to say.

"Mia," I said softly. She looked back at me. Her eyes seemed deeper and full of emotion. "Relax, please. I just think it's time you tell me everything. I don't need you to protect me. I can handle more than you think."

"I know, baby. You need to know. I just don't want to have this conversation over the phone. There's also the fear that Im going to lose you if I do explain everything that's been going on." She threw her head back out of frustration. "Ugh! Why is this so hard for me?"

It was hard seeing her like this. It was like her heart wanted her to let me in, but her mind wouldn't allow it. I just wanted to be there with her to hold her and let her know it would all be okay. "Amelia Roberts, look at me." I said firmly. She did as I said, "Nothing you tell me is going to scare me off. Unless you tell me you've killed someone. Now, that would have me running out the door." I laughed.

She relaxed and laughed too. "I haven't killed anyone. Not that I know of anyway." She said jokingly. "I am going to tell you. I just want to wait until tomorrow. One more night of peace before you get sucked into this mess."

"I can't wait," I smiled at her. I checked the time before speaking again, "It's getting late. I should take a bath before it gets even later."

"Oh, okay. I guess I can go get some more work done, and you can call back later if you like." She was hurt and trying to hide it again. We could spend the whole day on the phone and still not have enough of each other.

Now, it was time to be cheeky. "You don't want to join me?" I asked her. I set my phone up on the sink and started to undress in front of her. Her eyes locked on me. "I was going to let you watch, but if you really want to go, then I'll just call you back later." I went to end the call, and she half yelled at me.

Her eyes traced my figure, and she said, "I can't leave now. No, ma'am. Not happening. I'm staying right here." She's no better than a man sometimes, I swear.

"You know, it's probably best I do hang up. I know you're just going to be mad that you aren't here." I laughed.

She glared at me, hiding a grin as best she could. "Don't remind me. It's the hardest thing I have to deal with right now, and you're not making it any easier when you look like that."

"Darling, I don't know what you mean, but I guess you can stay." I winked at her, and I knew it was driving her wild.

Driving her crazy like this will never get old. Her reactions to me even doing the simplest of things were always the best. My Darling Amelia.

*A/N- I wonder what's going to happen during her meeting with Roger. Do we want to see it?