"Are you really okay?" Nala's big dark eyes are swimming with unshed tears.
Mairi quickly gets up and gives her a girl a reassuring hug. "Of course, sweetheart. I just need to practice more, that's all."
Nala slowly nods her head. "But next time, Papa has to be with us. He'll make sure you're okay."
"If your Papa's with us," Mairi mutters under her breath, "he'll be sure to laugh at me, too."
I can totally see Mairi's Greek billionaire husband doing just that, and I start coughing in hopes of disguising my laughter, but...
"Papa told me it's your gift," Nala says matter-of-factly. "He says you're very laughable."
Mairi scowls. "Oh he did, did he?"
I can't take it anymore, and I literally end up rolling on the floor laughing.
Nala beams. "See, Mama? Papa's right."
This is exactly what the doctor ordered. This is exactly what I need to hear. This is making me...
"Um, Mama? Raffi's crying now."
Twenty minutes later, and Mairi and I are at a breakfast place across our apartment building while Damen's already taken Nala away to get her ready for her taekwondo classes. Or maybe I'm confused, and the little girl's having Arabic lessons today. Honestly, I've long lost track of all the things Nala's keen to do. The only thing I'm sure of is that a six year old seems to have a better idea of what she wants in life than a woman four times her age.
That woman being me, and oh God, I can't believe I actually ended up laughing and crying in public like that.
"You must think I'm crazy," I say miserably.
"Actually...what Damen and I couldn't help but notice is how sad you seem the past few days. Is everything alright?"
I can feel my eyes starting to water again at Mairi's gentle tone, and I quickly bite my lip to keep it from trembling.
The first time we met, I was prepared for the worst. 'Teacher-turned-gold-digger' was the term I heard most frequently being used to describe her, but mere minutes in Mairi's company made me realize all the rumors about her was just plain b.s.
The only reason people liked to talk shit about Mairi is envy. She had a job she loved, a daughter who was likely to be the next POTUS in the distant future, and a gorgeous billionaire husband who cherished her so much he had once written a book about their love story just to win her back.
Honestly, it should've turned Damen Leventis into a wimp in everyone's eyes, but instead it was the opposite. Women of all ages became even more infatuated with the billionaire, and there wasn't a year Damen didn't rank in all the usual lists for the world's sexiest and most sought-after men.
Mairi's always the first one to say that the chances of Damen falling in love with her was one in a trillion, and so if there's anyone I should ask about the odds I'm facing...
"There's a guy I met when I was on vacation," I blurt out.
Mairi only nods.
"He's not a billionaire or anything, but he's...perfect. And way out of my league."
"And you like him."
I nod.
"Does he like you back?"
"I think so."
"Does he know about Jack?"
"He does."
Mairi blinks in surprise. "Oh."
"He thinks I should just ditch Jack for him."
"I see."
Mairi is clearly fighting back a smile, and I glower at her. "This is serious."
"I'm sure it is," the other woman is swift to say soothingly, "but what exactly is the problem?"
"Jack is good for me."
"And the other guy isn't?"
"Well..." I squirm in my seat.
"Did you at least give him a chance to prove if he is or isn't good for you?"
I slowly shake my head.
"So your problem is...whether you should give him that chance?"
"I guess—-"
"Then the answer is yes, naturally."
The speed of her reply has me smiling despite everything. "Just like that?"
"You do remember you're talking to the girl who flew all the way to Greece to nab herself a billionaire, right?"
I try not to laugh, but it's impossible. "And here I was, worrying over the little things like whether he'd think I might be desperate or something."
"As for that..." Mairi gives me a sympathetic look. "You don't actually have to do anything for a man to think such things about you. We can never control other people's thoughts, but what we can control is what we think and know about our own lives. If you don't give the other guy a chance, it's possible that you'll live the rest of your life wondering about what if..."
I feel like a load's suddenly been taken off my shoulders at Mairi's words, and before I know it I'm already dialing the number listed on the Hartland Police Department's website—-
Oh God.
The phone has only started to ring when someone picks up—-
"This is the Hartland Police—-"
The sound of Aidan's deep, gentle voice makes me close my eyes, and I cut him off, saying right away, "It's me." Whatever the outcome may be, I don't want to give myself the chance to chicken out, and right now...
The taut silence from the other end is killing me.
"Aidan?"
There's another painful moment of silence—-
"It took you long enough to call."
I burst into tears, and Mairi quickly gives me a tissue I can sniff and blow my nose into.
"You c-could've called m-me f-first."
"I wish that was true." Aidan's own voice is rough with emotion. "But it's not. The next move had to come from you."
"I hate you."
But Aidan being Aidan, he just lets this slide. "Tell me how you've been."
A sob claws up my throat at the question, and I can only clutch my phone more tightly.
"Talk to me, baby."
Oh God.
I really thought I'd never hear him say that again, and my chest feels like it's about to burst.
"Have you figured things out?"
"N-no."
"That's fine."
"It's not fine," I choke out. "What if I never figure things out?"
"You will."
He sounds so confident I want to believe him. I want to believe him so badly, but...
"I'm a mess."
"You mean you've reached a crossroad in your life."
"I might want to quit my job."
"As long as it makes you happy."
"I haven't even broken up with Jack—-"
"That pisses me off," Aidan acknowledges.
I can't help holding my breath, feeling like there's a but coming...
"But we both know he's never been the issue between us."
I want to laugh and cry. Only Aidan, of course...only someone perfect like Aidan could actually say that the fact I still have a boyfriend doesn't matter, and the craziest thing about it is that every word he's said is true.
Jack is a problem, but he's never been the issue between us. Perfection has always been within reach, and the sun has always been mine for the taking, and I...