But he’d find a way to get his equilibrium back. And when he did, he’d discover a way to keep Mia at a distance even while he was inside her.
Nodding, he told himself to get right on that.
But not tonight.
Tonight, he wanted a shower, and then Mia.
He opened the front door and stepped into the golden lamplight of home. Then he tore his hat off and tossed it onto a nearby chair. “Mia! I’m home!”
His gaze scanned the foyer, the wide, curving staircase and the hallway beyond. Where the hell was she? Then he heard it. Quick, light footsteps. He grinned, turned in anticipation and felt the air whoosh from his lungs in surprise.
A short, trim woman with chin-length blond hair and fog-gray eyes threw herself at him with a delighted grin. Dave wrapped his arms around her, returned her bear hug and said, “Mom? What’re you doing here?”
Behind his mother, at a slower pace, came Mia. Her gaze met his and he read the worry in her usually sparkling blue eyes. But before he could figure out what was going on, his mother started talking. And once Alice Firestone got going, there was no stopping her.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about Mia,” she was saying, and reached up to pat his cheek just a little harder than necessary. “You should have told me. I’d have come sooner.”
He finally found his voice. “Sooner than what? How long have you been here, Mom?”
Alice patted her son’s chest as she stepped back and beamed at first him, then Mia. “I called to talk to you and when Mia answered and told me the good news, I came right away!”
“She arrived later the same day you left,” Mia said, flashing him a silent “don’t say anything” signal with her eyes.
“Naturally, I had to rush out here and meet my new almost daughter,” Alice was saying. “So I called Tobin and he sent his plane for me. I was here in just a couple of hours.”
Tobin. Damn. Dave hadn’t thought about explaining the situation to either his partner or his mother and now he was paying the price. His mom had been after him for so long to get married and give her grandchildren that she wasn’t going to take it well when she found out the engagement wasn’t real. Perfect. And God knew whom Tobin was telling the news to. Dave shot a look at Mia and could see that her thoughts were running along the same lines.
“Oh, and Tobin said to tell you that he and his wife are so excited for you. They’re planning a trip here to meet Mia as soon as they get back from North Dakota.”
Great, he thought. More explanations to come. That’s perfect.
“David, Mia and I have had so much fun these past two days,” his mother said. “She’s just a delight! Did you know that she’d like to have four children? Oh,” she said, waving a hand in the air, “of course you know. The two of you probably have names all picked out.”
Four children? He fired a look at Mia and she shrugged helplessly, turning both palms up. Marriage. Kids. Hell, this was getting out of control fast.
“Just so you know, I’m okay with whatever names you choose. I’ll just be so pleased to have grandchildren!” Alice gave him a wide smile. “This is so exciting, David.”
Before he could speak, Alice turned to Mia. “You know, sweetie, I’ve been so worried about him. I hated to think of him living his life alone. And then there was the guilt of course, for not exactly providing a good example of a happy marriage—”
“Hardly your fault, Mom,” Dave interrupted. Damned if he’d let her feel guilty because Dave’s no-good father had walked out on them.
“That’s nice of you to say, honey, but a parent worries about their child always.” She reached up and brushed his hair off his forehead. “It doesn’t matter if that child is an adult, the worry doesn’t stop. Neither does the love. But you two will find that out for yourselves soon.”
That noose he’d once felt locking around his throat was back again, tightening incrementally until Dave felt his breathing being choked off. Another glance at Mia and he read her expression easily. Misery and guilt. Well, hell, he knew how she felt, didn’t he?
Damn, all he’d wanted was a shower and some hot, steamy sex with Mia. Now his brain was cluttered with his mother and imaginary children clambering all over his house. Talk about a mood killer.
Mia looked as if she wanted to crawl into a hole, and Dave understood. He should clear this up now, and he knew it. No point in waiting, because if he didn’t cut his mother off at the pass, so to speak, she’d have a judge out at the ranch that weekend, performing a ceremony.