Yours Truly

Chapter 17

Mia opened her eyes and stretched as she yawned. Getting out of bed she headed to the bathroom then once she was done, she opened her bedroom door yawning again. Frowning when she smelled coffee, she headed down the stairs and gasped seeing Owen shirtless at the stove cooking.

"Afternoon Darling, sleep well?" Owen asked without turning around. "Lunch is almost ready."

"Huh?" She asked still standing in the doorway in shock and confusion.

"Sit," he said as he flipped the bacon before turning off the stove. Setting the bacon on a plate covered in paper towels, he started making her club sandwich. "Do I need to repeat myself?"

Without thinking about it, she hurried over to the table and sat down. "You came over last night and stayed," she said as memories came back.

"I did," he confirmed as he walked over and sat the plates down then went to make drinks. "You were beyond exhausted that you couldn't care for yourself properly. Once I got you in bed you wanted me to join you, so I did."

"What about work?"

"You said you were off today, and I had my meetings over the phone while you caught up on your sleep," he explained as he handed her a napkin.

"Thank you," she said after swallowing her bite. "Is your family okay?"

"They are," he nodded. "They are worried about you."

"You shaved," she noticed.

"I did," he confirmed, "I had Gabriel bring me some clothes so I could take a shower while you slept."

She frowned, "I would have heard you taking a shower."

"Normally yes," he nodded, "you are a light sleeper but I'm assuming since you left you have had trouble sleeping like I have. With as exhausted as you were, your mind must have put you in a deep sleep, so you didn't wake until your body got enough rest."

"When did you wake?" she asked. "If you haven't been getting enough sleep, why did you wake up before me?"

"I took a nap with you after my meetings," he admitted, "and I don't work as many long hours as you."

"That's true," she nodded. "So, what now?"

"You finish eating then I clean the kitchen while you go take a bath or shower," he shrugged. "It's your day off so you relax."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it," she pushed the plate away, so he took it and put it in the dishwasher after rinsing it off. "What now, Mr. Blackbourne?"

He sighed, "I don't know, Darling." He admitted as he turned around, leaned against the counter, and crossed his arms over his bare chest. "I want you back, you know that. You are still my girl, my heart, my life. You are still mine, that hasn't changed, even after you left me."

"Can you blame me?" she asked. "After what your brother and wife did?"

"Ex," he corrected. "You could have talked to me instead of running. Communication is key, Mia. That's how it works, having open communication. I could have proven she was lying from the start. Sean could have investigated and handled everything at the hospital. All that time lost could have been prevented."

"I'm sorry," she sighed as she looked at the table.

"Me too," he sighed, "I'm sorry you felt like you couldn't talk to me."

"You know my first response is to run, Owen," she said softly. "I told you that at the beginning. I don't handle confrontation well. Run first, think later. And you have to admit you can be a little intimidating at times with your stare and cold persona toward others."

"I know," he nodded, "We will keep working on it."

"How mad are you?"

"I'm not mad at you, Darling," he shook his head. "I understand, I really do. We had the agreement that you could end it whenever you felt, and you did. I don't like it and I want you back but it's on your say. You know you have the final say."

"What about your ex-wife?"

"She's in jail. Corey and Victor did some investigating because Kota remembered something in our prenup. We agreed to give her a monthly allowance on top of a baby allowance and if we were to ever divorce, we would have sole custody of the child with the agreement she would get spousal support until we remarry. It slipped my mind because she was never pregnant to begin with but she admitted to her lawyer that she was running out of money and thought that if she managed to get pregnant and ruin any relationships we may have she could use tampered paperwork to get money from us. She even planned on using an abusive relationship story because she knew Dr. Green has a soft spot for babies and would try to convince us to at least take in the child, hence the monthly allowance."

"You sure know how to pick them," Mia shook her head.

"It was purely out of obligation," Owen shook his head.

"Did you even love her?" Mia asked dreading the answer. "I mean you must have if you had a relationship with her at one point. You know what? Never mind, don't answer that."

"No," He pushed off the counter and strode over to her. He crouched down and gripped her chin, "We're having this conversation. I'm erasing any sense of doubt you have for my feelings for you. What I felt for her was NOTHING compared to what I have for you, Mia. I thought I cared for her at one point, hence the obligation to marry her when she said she was pregnant, but I could honestly go days without talking to her or worrying about her or even thinking about her. I can't even go an hour without thinking about you and wondering if you managed to eat yet or got plenty of sleep or craving having you in my arms or watching you spend time with my family. I can go the rest of my life without her, but I NEED you in mine. It has been torture living without you. You are my heart and my life, Mia."

She whimpered as tears filled her eyes, "Daddy..."