Fool Me Once... (Part 2)

Part 10

Stevie's POV

I stare at Mia, then I look at Mick, his eyes wide and focused on our daughter. Can this situation get any worse? What else is going to happen? The three of us are silent for a moment, I don't even know what to say. I tell Mia to take a seat and move to the fridge to grab a bottle of water for her.

"Thank you." She says, her voice is so small. 

She's not a teenager anymore, but I doubt she's ready to become a mother. She is too young and she's so immature in many ways. But whatever she decides, I'll be there for her either way.

Clearing my throat, I speak up. I can't stand the silence anymore. "When did you find out?"

Mick looks very uncomfortable, shifting in his seat. I'm sure he wasn't expecting this to be the first conversation he had with Mia after such a long time.

"I just came from the doctor's. I took a test a few days ago and I wanted to make sure." Mia takes a few gulps from the bottle, her eyes seem so empty as she stares down at the table, surely avoiding looking at me or her father.

"How far along are you?"

"Only five weeks." 

"So, when I asked if Ryan got you pregnant and you told me, no -"

"Mom, I didn't know then." Mia cuts me off and I see her bottom lip trembling. 

"It's okay." Mick places his hand on her shoulder. 

Mia shakes her head and her voice comes as only a whisper. "It's not."

I frown, pulling out a chair next to her, I sit down. "What do you mean?" I ask and again, Mia grows silent for a minute, but neither I nor Mick push her to speak.

Mia sniffles, then sighs. "Because... because when I got pregnant, Ryan was away, working." Eyes brimming with tears, Mia looks at me. 

Infidelity runs in the family, I see.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Mick frowns, folding his arms over his chest.

"Ryan can't possibly be the father, he's not." Mia shakes her head. "He was meeting a client in New York. I, uh... I got a call from Brandon, he told me, he just wanted to see me, to have a drink and talk."

"So, you went." I state the obvious and Mia gives a small nod of her head. 

"I miss him." She shrugs. "I agreed to meet up with him and one thing lead to another... I woke up in his bed the next morning."

Running a hand through my hear, I sigh heavily. Honestly, what the hell is wrong with people? Is there nobody left, who knows what loyalty means? What it means to be faithful to your partner? Mia is my daughter, yes, but I'm still disappointed in her. My eyes focus on Mick and he seems to shrink in his seat, turning his head away. Good, he still feels guilty. He should. 

"What are you going to do?"

Mia takes another sip of her water, then sets the bottle down, clearly, prolonging the pause. "I'm going to keep the baby."

"What are you going to tell Ryan?" Mick asks, but I don't think Mia will tell us what we want to hear. 

"I'm going to tell him the baby is his."

Mick and I sigh simultaneously. "You should tell the truth, Mia. I know you don't like hearing this, but Ryan is not the man for you, honey. Brandon is your age, he does have feelings for you. It's his child, I'm sure he'd step up and want to raise the baby with you."

"Here you go again." Mia rolls her eyes.

Trying not to raise my voice, I say. "Don't you think it's a little strange that you two accidentally saw each other and he suddenly realized that he wants to spend his life with you? Don't you think that there's something he's hiding?"

"Like what?" Mia crosses her arms, mimicking her father. 

"I don't know for sure, but I have a bad feeling. I love you, Mia, and I want what's best for you. Ryan seems so different from when I was with him." I hate that I had to say that. "I don't want you to get defensive and try and justify your feelings for him or his for you, but sweetheart... I think he didn't come back into our lives for you. We talked with Lindsey about it and we both believe that Ryan came back for me." This could go wrong really fast.

"Are you jealous or something?" Mia gives me a look and I asked her not to, but she is getting defensive. 

"I'm not. If anything, I'm glad I got out of that relationship when I did. I know what kind of a man Ryan is, and yes, he's charming, he's handsome, he makes you feel like you're the only one in the whole world that matters. I... I know it's hard to not get swept in all of it." I keep my voice calm and soft, I want Mia to listen to what I'm saying. "You're a smart girl. Open your eyes, try and see if Ryan is truly who you think he is. Make sure that what you think you feel for him is real." Mia hasn't stormed out yet, so I take it as a good sign. "Do the right thing, baby. Tell Ryan the truth, first of all, and then make the decision before it's too late. I'm telling you, something just feels wrong. Listen to me, honey, to your mother."

"I second what she is saying, Mia." Mick says, looking at our daughter, referring to me. "Your happiness isn't this man."

Wiping her tears away, Mia nods her head. "Okay. I'll do it."