Filed to story: Mia Bowen and Timothy Barrett Novel
His reaction stunned her.
She seemed to finally sense something.
Mia immediately sensed that something was off. Raking her fingers through her hair, she said, “Nick, ignore whatever Dominic told you in the study. They were just kidding.”
It slipped her mind that Dominic must’ve summoned Nicholas to the study because of what Eva said to her earlier. She was awash in embarrassment.
Clearly, Nicholas hadn’t wanted to develop a romantic relationship with her—their relationship was strictly platonic. Dominic’s meddling was only making things awkward for them.
Nicholas lowered his head and said meekly, “Actually, I don’t think I should ignore it.”
Mia was baffled.
“To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised with what Dominic told me earlier.”
Mia was stunned. Spiraling in bewilderment, she was at a loss for words.
As she studied Nicholas closely, she seemed to notice a distinctive glint in his eyes. It finally struck her that he might have feelings for her. Still, she’d failed to spot anything different regarding his attitude toward her. In fact, Nicholas was more like a brother to her. Not once did her mind ever stray to other possibilities regarding their relationship. However, his response earlier made her realize that certain things had begun to spiral out of her control.
Nicholas’ eyes bore into hers. “Mia, I know you’re preoccupied with Sage’s illness now. But can we talk after he completely recovers after his treatment?”
“Talk?” What is there to talk about? It couldn’t be what she was thinking, could it?
Mia noted the suggestive tone in his words. She was now completely at a loss for words.
She was already feeling quite awkward when Eva attempted to matchmake her with Nicholas, even feeling a bit sorry for him for dragging him into this mess.
She knew how hard it’d be on her future husband, because of her brothers’ standards. They simply wouldn’t be satisfied with anyone. Little did she expect Nicholas to actually have feelings for her, which went unnoticed by her.
Mia faltered and said, “Nick, we’ve always been just friends. Don’t feel like you have to take care of me and the kids just because of something Dominic told you.”
She still found it quite hard to believe that Nicholas liked her. Frankly, she figured that he only agreed to date and take care of her out of respect for Dominic. He never had a crush on anyone before, after all. “Mia, do you think I look like someone who’d succumb to a lifelong commitment just because I was being kind?”
“Actually, you don’t,” Mia replied sheepishly. “But I’ve always treated you as my brother.”
Nicholas sighed. “Well, I haven’t been particularly bold in the past four years. From now onward, I will only be with you as a man.” He closed the distance between them, staring at her intently. “Mia, I don’t want to be your brother.”
Mia was flabbergasted. She thought she had made herself pretty clear earlier, but she was still caught off guard by his candor. What should she do now?
Flustered, she said, “Nick, I really haven’t considered getting in a relationship, and the thought of dating you has never crossed my mind.”
“Take your time to think about it. I’m not in a hurry after all,” Nicholas said calmly.
Mia was utterly speechless. She could only give him a mortified nod. A smile finally spread across Nicholas’ face. “Then you should rest early. I’ll get going first.”
Mia plopped herself down on the couch after she sent Nicholas off. She couldn’t quite snap back to her senses, as she’d always regarded him as a brother and had never thought of anything else.
Eva approached her with a fruit plate. “So, how did things go?”
Mia sprang up. “You knew?”
“Yeah, we all saw how he treated you the past four years. He might not have been very direct, but he can’t hide the way he feels about you.” “Are you kidding, Eva? I’ve never thought that Nick would fall for me. I was completely caught off guard. I can’t really handle this.”
“Is it because you don’t think he’s a good person? You did mention that he’s too busy with work,” Eva asked.
“No! In fact, that’s not the main reason. Nick’s a really good guy, but I just never thought about our relationship that way,” Mia reiterated her intention again.
Eva suggested, “Why not give it some thought? I think Nicholas is quite brilliant.”
Spiraling in turmoil, Mia went upstairs to her room, where she struggled to regain her composure. Peyton called shortly after.
“Ms. Lane, the case against the Jones family brought by Harper has already been brought to court. It’s likely for them to lose the case and be imprisoned. Also, I’ve heard that the Bowen family is about to close the collaboration deal with the Barretts.”
“Is Timothy still in the hospital?”
“I’m not sure about that. Shall I send someone to check?”
“It’s fine. Whether he lives or dies is his own fate. Don’t send someone over to keep watch on him.”
Furthermore, she already told Caleb where Timothy was after finally receiving a call from him. Caleb should’ve found Timothy by now. In that case, Timothy would be perfectly fine.
The next morning, Mia received a call from Caleb as soon as she woke up.
She yawned. “What is it? Didn’t you find Timothy already?”
A deep voice rumbled from the other end of the phone. “It’s me.”
She sobered up instantly once she heard Timothy’s voice. “Oh, it’s you. Aren’t you supposed to have left by now? Why are you calling me?” “You can’t possibly forget about our promise yesterday, can you? You said you’ll arrange for me to visit our child at the hospital today.”
His unexpected audacity stunned Mia. In the end, she gave in. “Fine. I’l let you meet Ginger at the hospital this afternoon. I’ll send you the hospital address later.”
Given how unyielding Timothy was, she figured she had no choice but to let him see Ginger, just this once. She hung up promptly and called Peyton to proceed with the necessary arrangements at the hospital, so he wouldn’t notice anything.
Mia headed straight to Ginger’s room after she woke up. She was still sound asleep.
As she stroked Ginger’s face gently, Ginger stirred in her sleep. She woke up with a yawn, looking at her drowsily. “Mommy.”
Mia hugged her. “Are you awake? Does sleeping alone make you scared?”
“Nope. I’m a big girl now. I can sleep alone.”
Mia smiled and said, “Right, I need your help with something now.” She explained the entire situation to Ginger briefly.
Ginger nodded. “Sure. But Mommy, why are you worried that Daddy will find Sage?”
Mia fell silent momentarily before she replied, “He’ll take both of you away from me if he finds out about Sage’s existence.”
“What if he won’t?” Ginger’s question took her by surprise.
She looked at Ginger and asked, “How would you know?”
Mia scrutinized Ginger, sensing a hint of guilt in her expression. Why did she sound so certain earlier?
Her eyes bore into Ginger’s as she asked, “Tell me, Ginger. How are you so sure?”
Ginger fumbled with her fingers nervously as she muttered, “I just know. Daddy won’t take Sage and I away from you.” He had promised her that he wouldn’t, but that was a secret between the two of them. Mia asked, “Who would you pick if you really had to choose?”
Ginger immediately threw herself into her arms. “Of course it’s you, Mommy.”
A surge of warmth flooded through Mia as she embraced Ginger. She planted a few kisses on Ginger, moved by Ginger’s unwavering loyalty to her.
It seemed like she was merely speculating earlier. Timothy hadn’t met Ginger that often, after all.
“I’ll bring you to the hospital later. Remember to not blow your own cover,” Mia reminded her.
“Alright, Mommy.”
Mia took Ginger’s hand and said, “I promise I’ll find a suitable chance to let Timothy know about you and Sage once Sage gets better.”
She had always wanted to protect her children. However, she also came to realize that her children had begun to develop their own opinions, judging from what Ginger said earlier.
If her children insisted on meeting Timothy, she wouldn’t stop them. Still, all this had to wait until Sage recovered completely.
Mia even role-played a scene where Timothy came to visit after a discussion with Ginger. Given her previous experience, Ginger was exceptionally good this time. Her act should be able to fool Timothy.
Eva didn’t suspect anything when Mia used shopping as an excuse to take Ginger out with her after lunch. Since she mentioned that Ginger had never received treatment from the Lane’s private hospital, she brought Ginger to another public hospital.
Timothy would definitely be suspicious if she suddenly brought Ginger to the Lane’s private hospital. A successful act required meticulous planning, after all.
Mia rang Caleb after she settled Ginger at the hospital. He picked up immediately, but it was Timothy who was on the other end of the phone. “Where’s the hospital?”
Mia took a deep breath and told him the address.
“I’l come over right away.”
“I hope you’ll keep your promise after you visit Ginger. Leave Nord City immediately and don’t disturb our lives.”
“I will keep my word.” Timothy hung up promptly. He would keep his promise, but he never said that he’d stay away from their lives completely.
Caleb glanced over at him. “How did it go? Did you get the address?” “Yeah. I’ll get going now.” Timothy didn’t want to waste any more time. He yearned to be at the hospital now. Apparently, this was the only excuse he could use to see Mia and Ginger.
Caleb remarked, “Tim, you’ve changed a lot. You used to dislike kids, don’t you?”
He cast a quick glance at the gifts Timothy bought. It seemed impossible for them to fit in a car. Last night, Timothy acted like a shopping addict by having nearly bought out the entire baby store at the mall. He’d never seen Timothy in such a reckless and impulsive state.
Timothy got into the car and took out a small toy. He recalled the embarrassment he felt when he only had 500 dollars to spend at a store back then.
“You’ll come to empathize with me once you’ve experienced poverty. I was literally broke, and I couldn’t afford a thing,” Timothy stated nonchalantly.
He never lacked money. However, the hardship of life finally struck him when he felt humiliated for not being able to afford his daughter’s gift. Caleb remembered how Timothy stooped so low to work as a bodyguard in Nord City.
He rubbed his nose. “Well, you’re doing all this to pursue Mia, aren’t you? I told you how it’d turn out back then, but you were stubborn. Now you’re regretting it.”
Timothy met his eyes. “What did you tell me back then?”