Mia

“Are you okay, Mia?” Grayson asked, tugging gently on Mia's hand as they walked to the barn for their Wednesday work session.

“Hmm? Oh, I'm fine,” she replied, giving herself a shake and smiling down at him. Her thoughts had been on the baby growing in her stomach.

“Carter says that you can't let your thoughts wander when you're working with the horses,” Grayson informed her. “You need to use your full brain.”

Mia chuckled. “It's a good thing I'm not working with the horses today then, huh?”

On impulse, she knelt down and pulled the little boy into a hug. Grayson happily hugged her back. She took a deep breath in, pulling in his strawberry scented shampoo mixed with the sunshine in his hair. It smelled like innocence to her. He would never be this little again. Tears welled up in her eyes.

“You sure you're okay?” Grayson asked, pulling back. He frowned a little, and she realized she'd hugged him for a long time.

“I am,” she promised. “Go catch up with your brother and sister. I need to go talk to Carter.”

“Okay,” he agreed before sprinting off down the path and into the barn.

Mia blinked back the sudden surprise tears and tried to gather herself. The hormones had her crying at everything it seemed like. It made what she was going to do today even harder. She knew she needed to tell Carter about the baby.

“I don't want kids.” Carter's voice whispered through her mind. The conversation rippled through her head, telling her that this was a bad idea. He didn't want to be a father. He wouldn't want this life growing inside of her.

Tears threatened to fill her again. She wanted this life. And she knew she needed to tell him. It was the right thing to do.

Why tell him now? A voice in her mind whispered. What if you miscarry? Why not wait until things are more certain?

She sighed. She'd had this conversation with herself for the past twenty-four hours nonstop. She wasn't sure what was the right time to tell him was, but she knew that the sooner she did, the less she'd stress over it. Honesty was the best policy. That's what she told her kids, so she needed to be a good role model and do it herself.

Even if she was scared shitless. She needed to tell him.

Before she could back out or change her mind, she pulled out her phone to text him. But, just as she opened the message app, her phone buzzed with a message from him.

The similarity to what she was about to write made her chuckle. She was the one with a real surprise. She wondered what he wanted to show her since she was fairly certain he wasn't about to tell her he was pregnant.

She glanced to the barn to make sure all three kids were safe and with Laura. Grayson was giggling, and the other two wore big smiles that told her they were happy. They loved it here, and she hoped that they could continue to come even after the baby came.

Her lip was between her teeth as she thought about it. She wasn't sure what was going to happen in a little less than eight months. To be honest, she didn't want to think about it. She was going to have to take time off work, but these kids were her work. She wasn't sure how she was going to make sure they stayed together when she wasn't their social worker because she was on maternity leave.

She shook her head. That was a problem for another day. Today's problem was telling Carter. She could worry about the rest tomorrow.

The walk was somehow fast yet seemed to take forever. She knew it was just nerves. She was fairly sure that Carter would react well, but the possibility of him reacting negatively was what she was afraid of. What if he didn't think the child was his? What if he asked her to get rid of it? What if he never wanted to see her again? The what-ifs were the worst part.

She swallowed hard before knocking on the door and stepping inside. The garage was nice and warm, giving the place a cozy feel after the coolness outside. Carter stood from his desk, grinning from ear to ear as she came in.

“You said you have a surprise?” she asked. After he showed her his, she would tell him hers. Hopefully, he'd be in a good mood, and everything would go well.

He grinned and motioned to the side of the garage. There was a car covered by a white sheet that was new. She frowned slightly at it as he went over and pulled it off.

The vehicle underneath the sheet was a small SUV with shiny black paint. It took her a moment, but then she recognized it from the model and the designs he had shown her of the car he was designing.

“Is this what I think it is?” she asked, stepping forward to touch it. It was beautiful and sleek. She could barely believe it was real.

“What do you think?” Carter asked. He crossed his arms and then uncrossed them as he waited nervously for her opinion on the car.

“It's amazing,” she whispered. “I didn't think it was ready yet.”

“It's not,” he admitted. “This is a prototype. I wanted to show it to you.”

She looked over at him with wide eyes. “I get to see it?”

“You signed an NDA,” he reminded her with a shrug. “Besides, I trust you.”

He went to open the driver's side door, and she just stared at him. He trusted her. Just as he'd trusted she wouldn't get pregnant. Guilt nibbled on the edges of her mind.

“Carter,” she started, needing to get this secret off her chest. But he didn't let her finish.

“Come here,” he said, pulling her to the door. “I want to show you how it turns on. I need your opinion on if there are enough cup holders, too.”

She paused for a moment, trying to decide what to do.

Now isn't the right time, she told herself. She knew he wouldn't be able to focus on her right now, not with the car here. She wanted to have his full attention, and besides that, he was so happy and excited to show her the car. She didn't want to take this moment from him.

So she pushed her secret back down and smiled. “I'm sure I can always use more cup-holders.”

Carter laughed and held the door open for her to get in. As she did, he ran around to the passenger side and got in.

“Here's the startup screen,” he said. “The software is still being installed, so it's not as complete as it will be, but when it's done it will tell you how many miles of charge you have, the weather, traffic conditions, and it can sync to your calendar.”

“Wow,” Mia replied. The seat was insanely comfortable, and she loved the visibility of the car already. “This is incredible.”

“You like it?” Carter asked. She loved that he wanted her opinion.

“Very much,” she assured him. “I can't believe you brought it here.”

He smiled. “There is just one more thing I need you to test out for me.”

“What's that?” she asked. There were certainly enough cup holders, and everything looked like it was the perfect family vehicle.

“Come to the backseat,” he said, opening up her door and helping her out. He opened the passenger door and helped her in. She slid easily along the leather backseat, and he followed her in.

“What am I testing for?” she asked, looking around. The backseat had a good amount of legroom and was comfortable, but it was exactly what she expected out of a backseat.

“This,” he replied, catching her chin in his fingers and kissing her. He covered her mouth with his, slipping his tongue in at just the right moment to make her gasp. Desire filled her fast and strong. Her hand moved to tangle in his soft hair, wanting more of his kiss.

He chuckled, the sound low and sensual. With an easy grace, he twisted and reached for her leg, pulling her across his lap, so she straddled him. She pulled back, surprised with how easy the motion was.

“You've done this before, haven't you?” she asked, her voice light.

“What, made out in the backseat of a car?” He grinned. “Maybe once or twice. But never with a girl this pretty.”

He reached up and stroked her cheek, making her smile.

“I'm sure you say that to all the girls,” she murmured, leaning forward and kissing him.

He took a small kiss before shaking his head. “Nope, not all the girls. Just you.”

Then he curled his hand around the back of her neck and drew her to him. Nothing could have stopped her from kissing him now. She moaned softly, swaying toward him, wanting much more than just a kiss.

She rocked her hips against him, feeling him harden beneath her. The idea that she could turn him on so completely with just a kiss and a hip rock made her feel powerful and sexy as hell. She rolled her hips again, loving how he rose to meet her and the low, lustful groan that escaped his perfect mouth.

“Do that again,” he begged, his hands going to her hips. She rolled her body, pressing her hips to his and watching his eyes dilate with pleasure. “Don't stop.”

She kept rocking herself against the growing pressure in his jeans. It felt amazing, even through her pants. She was already thinking of ways to get them off.

She slid her hands under his shirt and slid them up along his muscular chest. She loved the strength she found there. He was firm and hard in all the right places as she coaxed his t-shirt up and over his head.

His arms were still in the t-shirt as it came up over his mouth. She held him there, arms tangled in the sleeves and blindfolded by his own clothing. He grinned with that sensual mouth of his, and she took the opportunity to kiss him.

He let her kiss him, gyrating his hips to the tempo of her kiss for a moment before freeing himself of the t-shirt. He tossed it on the seat next to him and looked up at her with those beautiful blue eyes that did her in every time.

With their eyes locked, he reached forward and undid the top button of her dress shirt. She didn't plan the low gasp of desire that escaped her, but she did love the way it made Carter grin. He undid another button.

She tipped her head back, closing her eyes and focusing on the sensation only to bump her head on the roof of the car.

“Ouch,” she whispered, sitting back up and rubbing the back of her head. She chuckled and looked at the designer of the car. “There's something for you to fix.”

“Raise the roof,” he replied. “I'll put in on the list. I'm sure it will be a major selling point.”

She chuckled, leaning forward to kiss him again. He felt so good against her body. Everything about him felt good. She let her body take control.

He undid another button, and she shivered with desire. She loved how he teased her. She loved everything about him.

He reached for the last button on her shirt when the knock came. Mia pressed her open shirt up against his chest as they both froze in their compromising position. The knock came again. Mia couldn't see who it was because they'd steamed up the windows.

“Mr. Williamson?” Brian's voice called out. “You asked me to notify you when the director of marketing was available. He's on the line.”

Carter's made a bitter face. “So, of course, he's available now,” he said quietly. He cleared his throat and raised his voice. “Thank you, Brian. Give me a second.”

“I'm guessing it's important that you make this call,” Mia said, still pressed up against him. She pulled back slightly to look at him better, making sure not to bump her head on the car ceiling.

Carter nodded. “It is. He was supposed to be busy for another hour.”

“It's okay,” Mia promised. She kissed his nose. “Take care of business, and I'll wait here.”

He sighed. “This call is going to take a while. I probably won't be done until late tonight.”

Mia thought for a moment, then smiled at him. “Take care of business,” she said. “I'll still be here tomorrow. And I won't have the kids. No distractions.”

He looked at her, and a slow smile filled his face. “Have I told you how amazing you are?”

She grinned and shrugged. “Just yesterday. But feel free to tell me again.”

“You're amazing.” His eyes danced across her face as if he were taking her in and couldn't get enough of looking at her. “You are the best thing that's ever happened to me.”

Mia's chest swelled, and her heart nearly burst with joy.

“You are the best thing that's ever happened to me, too,” she whispered leaning forward and kissing him.

That's when the guilt hit. She should tell him, but she couldn't find the words. She shifted off of his lap, moving to the seat beside him as the kiss ended.

“Carter, there's something...” Her words faltered, and her courage to tell him failed him. Now wasn't the right time anyway.

“What?” Carter asked, his head popping out of the shirt as he put it back on.

“It can wait until tomorrow,” she said, putting on a smile. “Go take your phone call.”

He looked at her for a moment before nodding. “Okay. Thank you for understanding.”

With a smile and a quick kiss on her cheek, he opened up the car door and stepped out. Brian was still standing off to the side with a phone in his hand. Carter took it and held it up to his ear, somehow transforming into the businessman in front of her eyes.

She slowly buttoned up her shirt and exited the car. Carter was at his drafting table, having an animated discussion. He turned when he heard the car door close, and he smiled at her. She nodded and waved before leaving the barn to go collect the kids.

Tomorrow, she decided. It had to be tomorrow.