Mia

Mia sat at the kitchen table of the ranch house, sipping hot chocolate and watching the clouds dance across the mountains. It was a cold, gray late October day where the sky kept threatening rain or snow but never delivering. She didn't feel well, so she was taking it easy while the kids worked in the barn. She hoped she wasn't coming down with a cold or the flu, but she'd never felt this tired in her life. She had never realized just how much energy it took to breathe before.

Carter waved to her from the front yard as he came in from the garage. She smiled and felt her heart warm. She still couldn't believe how successful the fundraiser he'd given her was. They'd raised more than she'd ever dreamed possible and it was making her rethink her dream of starting a foundation. If she could plan another fundraiser like that one, her own foundation to help foster kids wasn't such a pipe dream.

The door to the kitchen opened with a blast of frigid air. Carter stomped his feet outside and came in out of the cold. His cheeks were rosy with the cold, and his eyes sparkled. He came over and kissed the top of her head.

“You feeling okay? Laura was wondering where you were today,” he asked, going to the kitchen and getting a glass of water.

Mia shrugged. “I'll live,” she replied. She could see Laura running in and out of the barn as hay bales were brought in for the horses. There was a lot of hay. “How's Laura doing today? I know she had a rough night with her siblings the other day.”

Carter took a sip of coffee and followed her gaze out the window.

“Better. She's still adjusting to becoming a parent,” he replied. “She went from being a sister to a parent overnight, and none of them are used to it yet. I'm just glad she's back.”

“Having something to do always helps,” Mia agreed. She made a mental note to check in with Laura more. Suddenly becoming the legal guardian to her two younger siblings wasn't an easy thing. She could probably use a friend.

“She says that Lily's been amazing, though.” Carter took another sip of water, finishing off his glass.

“Yeah?” Mia smiled.

“Laura told me she came back to find everything exactly how she wanted it. All she had to do was the things she hadn't taught Lily how to do yet,” Carter told her, coming to stand next to her chair. “She can't say enough good things about Lily.”

“I'm so glad,” Mia said. “Lily has been working so hard to make sure everything's perfect. I'm glad she can go back to focusing on school again. Her teachers were starting to complain that all she wrote for her essays was horse related.”

Carter nodded and stared at the window at the gray afternoon.

“I never want kids,” he said out of nowhere.

Mia spun in her chair to look at him.

“What makes you say that?” she asked.

“I don't think I could handle the responsibility,” he said quietly. His blue eyes kept looking out the window, his face drawn and serious as he watched Laura struggle with an unruly bale of hay.

Mia snorted and gave his hip a gentle push. “You can handle a billion-dollar company, thousands of jobs, and you run a ranch. You literally can snap your fingers and completely change someone's life, but kids are too big a responsibility?”

“I don’t actually handle my company, Ethan does. But, well, when you say it that way, it sounds silly,” he acknowledged. He looked at her. “But, look at Laura. Anything can happen, and kids complicate things. They make every decision different.”

“You know, that's not necessarily a bad thing,” she replied.

“Don't get me wrong, I like kids. Grayson, Alexander, and Lily are amazing,” he said.

“But?”

“But I'm not cut out to be a parent.” He set his empty glass down on the table and sighed. “Have you seen my hours? It's not fair to anyone for me to have kids. Plus, I have death threats. I couldn't risk what happened to Laura’s family.”

Mia nodded, staying quiet. She already knew he didn't want kids, but hearing him actually say the words made her sad. It was a moot point though.

I can't have kids anyway, she thought to herself. I guess that makes us the perfect couple.

Carter's phone chirped loudly, making her jump.

“Sorry, I have it on extra loud since I was in the garage,” Carter apologized. He read the message and smiled. “Brian thinks he has a lead on my security issues.”

“That's great!” Mia told him. “I can't believe he's evaded the police this long. I thought you said the threats died down after the fundraiser?”

“They did,” he replied, tucking the phone back in his pocket. “But, he thinks he has a new lead. I'm going to go see what he's got.”

“Okay.” Mia smiled and looked at her cup of hot chocolate. All she wanted was a nap.

“You still up for dinner tonight?” he asked, heading back to the door.

She smiled and nodded. “Dinner sounds great.”

He smiled at her and headed out with a blast of cold air, waving at her as he passed the window. She chuckled, feeling lucky for a moment, but once he was gone from her sight, the gray melancholy of the day came back over her.

“Why am I feeling so down?” she asked herself. She tried to go through reasons in her head. No one else in the office was sick. It could be the weather. She'd been eating better recently, so it wasn't that. Maybe it was her time of the month? She pulled out her phone and checked her calendar. She was technically a week late at this point, but she'd never been “regular” in her life, so it wasn't that strange.

She frowned and then shrugged. She probably was just going to start her period soon. That would explain the tiredness. That or she was simply catching the flu. She really hoped it was just her period.

One of the security guards walked past the window. She knew this one's name since he usually greeted the kids on their way in. His name was Ben. He seemed nice enough, but there was something sad to him that Mia couldn't put her finger on. He seemed always to be working. She did know that he genuinely seemed protective of the kids, which she appreciated.

He nodded to her as he passed the window and she raised her hand in greeting. It felt like it would take too much energy to do a full wave. He kept going, his face serious as he patrolled the ranch. She watched him for a moment, glad that there were people keeping Carter safe. She hoped Brian's lead was solid. She wanted Carter to be free of these threats.