said your dad would have wanted you to give it to someone special. So here you go.” Mia holds out the angel wing patch with trembling hands, watching as his eyes dart from the patch to her face and back again.
“You kept it. All this time, you kept it.” The wonder in Ray’s voice and the way he looks at her, as if she were the best thing he’s ever seen, make her heart swell.
“It was yours.” She shrugs as if it were as simple as that. If only, she thinks to herself. “It was the only thing I had left of you, the last piece of you. Of course I kept it.” She breathes deeply, sighing as she feels like she’s just put down a heavy bag that she’s been carrying for too long. “And now it’s time to let it go.”
“And what if I don’t want you to? What if I don’t want you to let it go, to let me go?” Ray’s voice is quiet, but his blue eyes say more than she would know how to put into words.
“We’ve been through this, Ray. There are too many secrets, too many things that you don’t want to tell me. There’s a whole part of yourself that you won’t let me into. I can’t live like that.” Mia shakes her head and holds the patch out further towards him. “Please, take it.”
“Goddammit, Mia! What do you want from me? My body? My heart? My soul?” He throws his hands up in despair, as if she were asking for the moon.
“All three would be nice. I’m an all or nothing kind of girl.” She smiles sadly at him.
“You already have it, Mimi. You always have. You’ve always had all of me; don’t you see that?” He frowns down at her, his hands reaching out and cupping her face.
She knows she should step away, knows that she shouldn’t let him in, not when she knows how much it hurts. But as soon as he touched her it was like her feet became frozen to the ground.
“I think you’re amazing, Mia. You’re the most incredible person I’ve ever met. You’re the smartest person I know and you have such a good heart.” He lays his hand on her chest, to feel her pulse beating hard. “I’ve seen what you do with these women, how you help them, how much you care. Anyone that knows you could never ask you to give this up. It’s a part of you as much as the curls in your hair.” He smiles sweetly at her and her breath quickens.
In only a few days, Ray has understood something that Eli still hasn’t got after years together. The way Ray sees her, it’s in stark contrast to Eli’s opinion of her, of her work. Don’t compare them, she tells herself; that’s not fair. You don’t just write a list of pros and cons on two men to decide who to be with. But deep down, she knows that’s not what this is. Whatever is between her and Ray goes a whole lot deeper than any list would ever be able to cover.
“But that’s what you asked me to do this morning, you asked me to leave all this behind, to just pick up and follow you wherever you wanted to go.” Mia clenches her fists to keep them at her side, to stop herself from returning Ray’s touch.
“That’s because this morning I was an idiot.” Ray says the words so sincerely that Mia smiles.
“Well that’s something we can definitely agree on.” She rolls her eyes but Ray’s remain serious.
“I haven’t finished yet.” He pins her with that intense gaze of his. “I came back because I couldn’t stay away any more. I need you in my life, Mia. It’s not an option for me. So I’ll do whatever I have to, even staying here if that’s what you want.”
Mia’s eyes widen in shock – of all the things he could have said, she would never have bet on what has just came out of his mouth. “But what about what you said before? That you had to keep moving. What about the Jackals? Aren’t they expecting you to come back?”
At the mention of his MC, Ray’s expression hardens. “That’s not something you have to worry about.”
“Ray, are you in some kind of
“You kept it. All this time, you kept it.” The wonder in Ray’s voice and the way he looks at her, as if she were the best thing he’s ever seen, make her heart swell.
“It was yours.” She shrugs as if it were as simple as that. If only, she thinks to herself. “It was the only thing I had left of you, the last piece of you. Of course I kept it.” She breathes deeply, sighing as she feels like she’s just put down a heavy bag that she’s been carrying for too long. “And now it’s time to let it go.”
“And what if I don’t want you to? What if I don’t want you to let it go, to let me go?” Ray’s voice is quiet, but his blue eyes say more than she would know how to put into words.
“We’ve been through this, Ray. There are too many secrets, too many things that you don’t want to tell me. There’s a whole part of yourself that you won’t let me into. I can’t live like that.” Mia shakes her head and holds the patch out further towards him. “Please, take it.”
“Goddammit, Mia! What do you want from me? My body? My heart? My soul?” He throws his hands up in despair, as if she were asking for the moon.
“All three would be nice. I’m an all or nothing kind of girl.” She smiles sadly at him.
“You already have it, Mimi. You always have. You’ve always had all of me; don’t you see that?” He frowns down at her, his hands reaching out and cupping her face.
She knows she should step away, knows that she shouldn’t let him in, not when she knows how much it hurts. But as soon as he touched her it was like her feet became frozen to the ground.
“I think you’re amazing, Mia. You’re the most incredible person I’ve ever met. You’re the smartest person I know and you have such a good heart.” He lays his hand on her chest, to feel her pulse beating hard. “I’ve seen what you do with these women, how you help them, how much you care. Anyone that knows you could never ask you to give this up. It’s a part of you as much as the curls in your hair.” He smiles sweetly at her and her breath quickens.
In only a few days, Ray has understood something that Eli still hasn’t got after years together. The way Ray sees her, it’s in stark contrast to Eli’s opinion of her, of her work. Don’t compare them, she tells herself; that’s not fair. You don’t just write a list of pros and cons on two men to decide who to be with. But deep down, she knows that’s not what this is. Whatever is between her and Ray goes a whole lot deeper than any list would ever be able to cover.
“But that’s what you asked me to do this morning, you asked me to leave all this behind, to just pick up and follow you wherever you wanted to go.” Mia clenches her fists to keep them at her side, to stop herself from returning Ray’s touch.
“That’s because this morning I was an idiot.” Ray says the words so sincerely that Mia smiles.
“Well that’s something we can definitely agree on.” She rolls her eyes but Ray’s remain serious.
“I haven’t finished yet.” He pins her with that intense gaze of his. “I came back because I couldn’t stay away any more. I need you in my life, Mia. It’s not an option for me. So I’ll do whatever I have to, even staying here if that’s what you want.”
Mia’s eyes widen in shock – of all the things he could have said, she would never have bet on what has just came out of his mouth. “But what about what you said before? That you had to keep moving. What about the Jackals? Aren’t they expecting you to come back?”
At the mention of his MC, Ray’s expression hardens. “That’s not something you have to worry about.”
“Ray, are you in some kind of
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