Too Wilde to Tame

flowers along the walkway. Gardening was Amelia's passion, and Mia experienced a pang of regret for all the times her stepmother had tried to share her love of plants and flowers with Mia, only to have Mia rebuff her attempts.

Releasing a breath to ease her anxiety, Mia slid from the car and made her way toward Amelia, wondering if her stepmother would ever forgive her for being so self-centered and such a spoiled brat as a child. For rejecting the love and affection Amelia had tried so hard to offer her, until finally her stepmother stopped making the effort.

The clicking of her sandals on the walkway alerted her stepmother of Mia's presence, and Amelia glanced up at her in startled surprise. She was wearing a wide-brimmed hat to shield her face from the sun, but the warmth Mia saw in her stepmother's eyes was from a different source entirely. It came directly from Amelia's generous heart, and this time Mia basked in that warmth and kindness like one of the flowers Amelia was planting.

Amelia smiled up at her. 'Hi, Mia. Your father isn't home,' she said automatically.

'I know.' Mia shifted on her feet and swiped her palms down the sides of her jean skirt. 'I stopped by to talk to you.'

'Oh.' That announcement took Amelia off guard, and she stood, tugging off her gardening gloves. 'In that case, let's go inside. I could use a cool drink, and I just made some fresh lemonade this morning.'

Mia followed Amelia into the kitchen, and when she tried to help with the drinks, Amelia gently shooed her away. So Mia sat down at the table, and a few minutes later Amelia set a glass of lemonade in front of her, along with an empty plate and a big basket of fresh baked muffins.

Mia picked one of her favorites from the abundance of baked goods-a French apple streusel muffin-and smiled at Amelia. There were enough muffins in the basket to feed a small army. 'Were you expecting company?' she asked, a teasing inflection in her voice.

'Actually, no.' Amelia laughed and selected a blueberry muffin for herself. 'Sometimes I forget that it's just your father and I. I prepared such large meals for so many years to feed all you kids, the boys especially, and sometimes I slip back into old habits.'

Mia sliced open her muffin and slathered butter on one side. 'You took very good care of us, you know that, don't you?'

'I certainly tried.' Amelia tipped her head toward Mia, her expression curious. 'Where did that comment come from?'

'My heart,' Mia said without hesitation, and because it was the truth. 'I came by today because there's a whole lot of things I need to share with you. Things I should have said and done years ago.'

Worry replaced Amelia's initial speculation. 'Is everything okay?'

'I'm hoping it will be, after today.' Mia took a bite of her muffin, taking the moment to gather her thoughts. 'First, I want to apologize for the way I've treated you, and for not letting you be a part of my life.'

'Mia,' Amelia began softly, and Mia was certain her stepmother was about to smooth things over and tell her it was okay.

But her past behavior wasn't okay, and Mia held up a hand to stop Amelia from speaking. 'I need to tell you this.'

Amelia sat back in her chair, her gaze reflecting a deep understanding. 'Okay.'

Mia pushed her half-eaten muffin aside, her appetite gone for the moment. 'When my real mother died I was only five, and because my father waited a month to tell me she'd passed away, and I didn't go to the funeral, I honestly believed my real mother was going to come back home someday. Then a few years later he married you, and I was in such denial I didn't want to accept you as my new mother. I resented your presence and what you stood for, and I rebelled and took it out on you. I'd lost my mother, and in my mind I felt as though I'd lost my father now, too.'

Reaching across the table, Amelia placed her hand over Mia's. 'Oh, honey, I never meant to make you feel that way.'

'The thing is, you never did. It was all me.' Accepting the blame that was her burden to bear, Mia curled her fingers over Amelia's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. 'Then, as the years passed and I realized you weren't the wicked stepmother I'd imagined you to be, by then I was so certain you wouldn't love me because I'd been such an awful, disruptive child. I certainly didn't give you any reason to love me.'

Mia's voice cracked with emotion, and she exhaled a trembling breath before continuing. 'So it became easier and safer for me to keep my distance from you emotionally, than risking the kind of hurt and pain I'd gone through when I lost my mother. That was something I never wanted to experience again.'

Amelia waved her hand between them. 'First of all, I've always loved you and your brothers as if you all were my own. Even when you were an awful, disruptive child,' she said with a gentle, maternal grin. Then she grew serious. 'Your father and I decided not to have any children together because I was perfectly content with the four of you. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss not having a close mother-daughter type of relationship with you. Then again, I never wanted you to think I was trying to take your mother's place, so I took my cues from you.'

And they'd been angry, selfish cues, Mia knew. 'We've both missed out on so much. Is it too late to ask for your forgiveness, with the hope that maybe we can start out fresh and new from this point on?' This time, there were no fears or insecurities about opening herself up emotionally to Amelia. Mia was coming to realize that without risk, there was no gain.

'I'd like that very much.' Moisture dampened Amelia's eyes-tears based in pure joy. She leaned toward Mia and wrapped her in a warm, tight hug. 'All I ever wanted was for you to be happy, Mia.'

Closing her eyes, Mia absorbed Amelia's embrace. Such a simple gesture that meant so much. Finally, they pulled apart and a smile played at the corners of Mia's mouth when she thought of how far she'd come in the past few weeks-and where she was headed. The confidence she felt was amazing and exhilarating. So was the inner peace filling her as a result of her visit with Amelia today.

'For the first time in my life, I'm very happy,' Mia said and knew she meant every word.

Amelia's soft brown gaze searched Mia's expression. 'Does it have anything to do with Cameron?'

Unsure where Amelia's question had stemmed from, Mia treaded cautiously, not quiet sure what she willing to reveal just yet. 'What makes you ask that?'

'The night of the gallery show Joel made mention that he hoped things worked out between the two of you,' Amelia said as she folded her arms on the table.

Mia was shocked to learn that Joel knew about her relationship with Cameron. She was even more stunned that her sometimes-overbearing brother hadn't said anything directly to her about it. Maybe, hopefully, her brothers were learning that she needed to stand on her own two feet and no longer needed them to shelter and protect her.

'I have to say, I agree with Joel,' Amelia went on. 'Cameron is a good man, and I could see by the way he watched you from afar that night that he cares for you very much.'

Actually, Cameron loved her, Mia thought, reveling in the knowledge that such an incredible man wanted her. And there was no doubt in Mia's mind that she loved him as well. It had just taken her a little bit longer to embrace the emotion, to believe in it, to know it was lasting and true.

'Well, I'm finally in the right place, mentally and emotionally, to give my all to a relationship with Cameron,' Mia said, thinking just how far she'd come in just a few short weeks. 'There were some things I needed to take care of and do on my own first.' Like going public with her stained-glass art and mending her relationship with Amelia. 'And now, I'm ready to be the kind of woman Cameron needs in his life.'

'So what are you waiting for?' Amelia encouraged her, as only a mother could do. 'Go and tell him how you feel.'

Mia planned to. Because she'd learned just how precious an emotion like love was, and she wouldn't take it, or Cameron, for granted ever again.

THE last person Cameron expected to find when he opened his front door was Mia. But there she was, looking like she'd just stepped from the dreams that consumed him on a nightly basis. Dreams of Mia, and what could have been.

She looked like a vision with her silky black hair tousled around her beautiful face and her soft gray eyes staring