God, how she hated that word. The more she said it, the more it frustrated her. They could’ve had so much more if she wasn’t so scared of her own mortality. Of course, their children might not get her heart condition. But they might. Just like her and Ryan and her father. How could she pull Matt into a relationship knowing everything could go wrong and ruin things between them? She only had to look at how her mother reacted to losing her husband to see what impact it could have on a spouse.
No. Mia wasn’t going to drag a good man like Matt Hope down, no matter how much she wanted to be with him.
Chapter 20
Two weeks later, Matt wandered down to Mia’s shop to see how the renovations were going. The builder was there working on the interior. Mia had had plans drawn up and the job started before she went back to Seattle to start packing up her apartment and make it ready to lease out.
“Hey, Matt.” Russell put down the piece of timber in his hand and tipped up his safety goggles.
“Russell. How’s it going?”
“Pretty good. The apartment upstairs is almost finished. Plumber was here yesterday and everything is connected except the shower, which he’s coming back for. Painter will be here later in the week once I’m done finishing the drywall, and then all the attention will be on the shop.” He pointed at the holes in the wall that led into the next two shops. They’d been cut out last week and now all Russell had to do was frame them up.
“Once this mess is cleaned up, you’ll get a better idea of how it’s going to look. Dave Higgins will be in to do the wiring this week too.”
Matt was impressed with the work. Even in its unfinished state, he could see the look Mia was going for. “Looks good to me.”
“She has some great ideas, that girl of yours.”
“She does. I think this is going to work out very well indeed.” Matt walked around the pile of odd bricks and peered through to the middle shop. A large stack of timber sat in the middle of the floor. “Shelving timber?”
Russell nodded. “Yep. Going along all the back walls. Mia’s shipping a heap of stuff over, antiques and such that she’s collected over the years, she said, and wants me to use them in here. Can’t wait to see it all. Might have to hire her to do my house when she gets a chance.”
Matt laughed. Russell lived in a half finished house with the most basic of furnishings and it had been that way for years. “You’d better finish building your house then.”
Russell laughed. “When do I have time? Too many jobs on the island to worry about my place.” Russell stretched his arms. “So, you and her. You’re a couple, right?”
“I’m working on it, so look elsewhere for someone to clean up after you. Mia
just needs to come to terms with island life and the slower pace of business compared to what she’s used to. Might take a bit but she’s almost there.”
“Good luck, then. She’s pretty nice and easy to work for.” Russell pulled his safety glasses down onto his nose and picked up the timber he was working with. “Back to it.”
Matt smiled and left him to it. He had a date with his sister-in-law for coffee and didn’t want to keep her waiting.
April was already seated outside in the garden when Matt got to the café. He kissed her cheek and gave her a cuddle, mindful of the baby belly.
“Not long now. I swear, if this one doesn’t hurry up, your brother is going to drag me to the mainland.” She rubbed a hand over her back and sighed.
“What?”
“It’s just Braxton-Hicks. False labor pains. I got them for days before Leo was born. They started last night, but don’t tell Drew because he’ll have a nervous breakdown.”
“It’s funny seeing him so stressed out. He’s a doctor and knows how babies are more often late than not. He should be calmer about this.”
“He would be if it was someone else’s.” She shuffled in her chair to rub her foot down her other calf.
“Sore?”
“Yes. I hate swollen ankles.”
Matt turned his chair out and tapped his knees. “Up here.”
April sighed and did as he said, lifting her feet up. “Thanks, Matt. You’re too good to be true.”
“Sure.” It didn’t feel like it to him but if he could help April by letting her put up her feet for ten minutes, he was glad to do it. He loved to make people feel comfortable and taken care of.
April stared at him. “Right. Tell me what’s going on.”
He’d thought long and hard about their options before calling April to get her opinion. “Mia doesn’t want to bear children because she’s got a genetic heart condition. I’ve googled surrogates, egg donors, adoptions and fostering. I want your opinion on each of those so I don’t go and say anything insensitive to her when I see her again. I need to hear things from a woman’s point of view.”
She blinked and her mouth dropped open. “Oh, wow. I hadn’t thought of that. Poor thing. Not a pleasant decision to have to make.”
“No, it’s not but I’ll take any of those or none at all if it means she and I can be together. I don’t care. All I have to do is to convince her I mean what I say.” Matt paused as the coffee he’d ordered came out.
April grabbed her decaf and took a sip. “I hear you. It might be a stretch for her to accept it too. I mean, what man doesn’t want his own child?” April rubbed her belly.
“Me. My
