Ready for You (Ready #3)(48)

“Now, what did you bring me?” she asked.

“Well, I brought some muffins from this place Leah had told me about—Phil’s. I told the owner I was a friend of hers, and he loaded me up with so many muffins that I thought I was going to double over. He threw in the casserole for free. I didn’t cook any of it, so you’re safe. I’m a terrible cook.” I was a babbling, nervous mess.

Laura smiled and gave me a wink. “Phil is such a sweet man. He’s got a soft spot for Leah. It would drive Declan mad if Phil wasn’t as g*y as they come. Leah mercilessly flirts with him for free muffins and coffee.”

She put the casserole in the fridge, and I saw several others in there. Then, she pulled out two muffins for the two of us and placed them on pretty floral plates. She brewed some fresh coffee, and we took our matching floral mugs and muffins into the living room.

I took a nibble and then drank a bit from of my cup before I got the courage to ask, “How are you doing?”

She sighed and took a long sip of coffee, holding on to the cup for warmth. Outside, it was blazing from the late summer heat, but inside, there was a lingering chill from the overworked air conditioner. I held my cup as well, savoring the heat.

“It’s getting easier to come to terms with it each day. The loss, however, hasn’t lessened. I’ve been told it never will. It just gets easier to deal with.”

I nodded. “That sounds about right.”

“You sound like you speak from experience,” she said, meeting my gaze.

“What? Oh, I, um…was just agreeing.”

“Hmm…so, tell me about yourself, Mia. What have you been doing? Where has life taken you?”

“Oh, well, um…there isn’t much to tell,” I floundered, picking apart pieces from my muffin.

“I don’t believe that. Surely, you have something special to tell. Or someone maybe?” she asked, her tone even and supportive. She took a sip of coffee and then remained quiet. She genuinely wanted to know about my life.

“There was someone, but it wasn’t right. I wasn’t right.”

“Hmm…” she said again.

We continued to nibble on our muffins and sip our coffees. I looked around the room and noticed the small changes that had been made. New furniture had been purchased, and pictures had been added. Clare’s and Leah’s children had been added to the mantel as well as wedding photos. Time had moved on while I was away.

“He’s been waiting for you,” she said, pulling me from my thoughts.

“What?”

“Garrett has been waiting for you to come back to him.”

I set my muffin down on the small table next to the sofa. My heartbeat had just kicked into high gear, and I didn’t want to risk spilling anything on what looked like brand-new carpet. This was not how I’d expected this visit to go.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“He might not come to me like Clare does, but I’m still his mother. I know him better than he thinks I do.”

Tears stung my eyes, and my voice quivered as I said, “I never meant to put his life on pause.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” she said, rising from her chair to sit with me on the couch. “I’m not accusing you of anything. Love can often be strange, and sometimes, it doesn’t always take the path we expect it to. Whatever or whoever took you away from us, from him, it doesn’t matter now. You’re here now. Make it count.”

“I don’t think this can be fixed or forgiven.”

“It can. If it’s true love, you can move past this,” she encouraged, taking my hands.

I stared down at them as I let the tears flow freely down my cheeks. “You don’t understand. You don’t know what happened.”

She squeezed my hands and I looked up to find her looking at me with those warm green eyes that were so much like her son’s. “I do.”

“No, you—”

“I do. I’ve always known,” she said.

I gasped and tried to pull away, but she kept a firm hold on my hands.

“I found the note in Garrett’s room a few weeks after you left.”

My head fell forward. I was too ashamed to look at her. “You must hate me.”

“I could never hate you, Mia. You were faced with an immense choice, one beyond your capacity to handle as an eighteen-year-old.”

“I chose wrong, so wrong,” I said.

“Whatever you chose, it led you to this moment, sweetheart. Don’t let another opportunity pass you by. Stop living your life in regret.”

I fell into her arms and sobbed. I cried for the child I never knew and the life I lost because of it. I mourned the loss of possibilities because of my poor decisions, and I cried for the kindness I was being given from a woman who should hate me. I’d ruined her son’s life.

“Since that day I said good-bye to Tom, the only thing that gets me up in the morning is the fact that I know we spent every day of our lives together loving each other as much as we possibly could. If I didn’t have that, I think I’d lose myself to regret and grief.”

She stroked my hair as my tears dried up. Our coffee had long since gone cold, but neither of us cared. The sun was setting and casting rays of light on the mantel. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a picture frame catch the sun’s reflection. It was Garrett in a cap and gown on the day of his college graduation. He was smiling, but it didn’t reach his eyes.