Anton (Chicago Blaze 1)
Scrolling through my phone was pointless. Nothing—from social media to ESPN—could hold my interest. All I’m thinking about is how much I want this conversation to go well. Martin and Laura are spending the day at my place with Uncle Dix, so all my focus is on Mia.
Adam’s treating her even worse than I thought. When I saw his message to her yesterday about choking her, I wanted to choke him. He’s an inconsiderate asshole; I knew that. But to threaten her that way, to scare her and insult her, is crossing the line.
It makes me wonder what else he’s capable of. I was up late last night, worrying that Adam will find Mia and wondering what he’ll do when he does. Whatever it takes to get her away from him, I’ll do it. Not for myself and my own selfish wants, but for her.
When Mia walks in, I stand up and wait for her to make her way over to the small table for two. She’s wearing a green canvas coat and a matching cream-colored stocking cap and scarf. The color of the hat and scarf accentuate the dark bronze of Mia’s perfect skin. I can’t stop staring at her.
“Hey,” she says, smiling and taking the scarf off as she arrives at the table. “Am I late?”
“No, I was early.”
“Ah.” She pulls off the hat and shakes out her loose, long dark curls. “Are we eating?”
“Yeah, definitely.”
I already ate, but I’m not passing up a chance to share a meal with Mia. I flag down the waitress and she gets Mia a coffee.
“You look tired,” Mia says, frowning.
“Yeah.”
“Did Dix have a bad night?”
I shake my head. “He slept like a baby. I couldn’t sleep because I was worried about you.”
“Oh, Anton. Don’t worry about me. I’m okay.”
A corner of my lip turns up in a half-smile. “No, you’re not. Didn’t we just have this conversation yesterday?”
“It’s nothing that worrying can help, though.”
“I was worried he’d be at your apartment when you guys got back. Or that he’d be drunk and beating down the door in the middle of the night.”
Her eyes darken. “He gets angry when he’s drunk. Me or Anita always lock the deadbolt.”
I shift in my seat, filled with a nervous and helpless energy that’s making it hard to sit still.
“You’ve got to get out of this marriage, Mia.”
“I wish I could find a way.”
“That’s actually why I wanted to talk to you.”
She shakes her head. “I appreciate your offer so much, Anton, truly, but—”
“Just listen, okay?”
She leans on her elbows and hides her pursed lips behind her folded hands, apparently realizing that I won’t let this go.
“I made a call last night to an attorney I know, Kevin Landis. He’s a top-notch family law guy here in Chicago. He represents a lot of celebrities and athletes.”
“But I’m not letting you—”
“I’m not done.”
“Okay, sorry.”
I kind of love how impatient she can be, even if it makes it tough to finish a conversation with her.
“Anyway, he also happens to be a Blaze season ticket holder. Huge fan. And he agreed to take your case pro bono.”
Mia’s eyes widen with shock. “Pro bono? Why would he do that?”
“I offered him upgraded playoff seats and said I’d go to his fourteen-year-old son’s birthday party.”
“You did what?”
“It’s nothing, seriously. I like cake. It’ll be fun.”
She can’t keep the smile from her face. “You do not like cake.”
“I actually do like carrot cake. Anyway, problem solved.”
The waitress approaches the table and we both order breakfast—an omelet and cottage cheese for me, pancakes for her. Once the waitress is gone, Mia dives right back in to our conversation.
“That’s really nice of you, Anton, I appreciate it, but I still have my grandpa’s care to pay for. Once I file for divorce, Adam won’t help with it anymore. And I don’t know how long the divorce would take.”
“I talked to Kevin about that. He said he can help with Adam freezing your joint bank accounts—he can’t get away with that, Mia.”
“Really?” Hope flickers in her eyes.
“Yeah. And in the meantime, I’ve got your back.” I reach into my coat pocket and take out my checkbook. “Tell me how much you need.”
“I don’t want any more money from you.” Her tone is serious.
“You won’t even need it if you let Kevin help you.”
I look on as she thinks this over in silence. “Why are you doing this?”
“To help you.”
Tears well in her eyes. “If you really knew me, you wouldn’t feel the same about me.”
“You don’t think I really know you?”
“Not everything, no.”
“Do you think you ever know everything about anyone?”
Mia takes a deep breath. “Look. There are things about me that, if you knew the truth, would change the way you look at me.”
“I’m not Adam. I’m not some selfish asshole who only thinks of myself. I’ll never make you feel less than perfect, because I’ll never see you that way.”