Mila (Heartbreaker #3) by Evan Grace Page A

iced tea and then dishes me up leftover spaghetti. The woman is a firm believer that food cures everything.
    “What did you want to tell me?” she asks as she hands me a napkin and then slides the plate of spaghetti in front of me with two huge slices of garlic bread.
    “I talked to Nate and I’m going to go visit him, Cora, and Caitlyn. I just need a vacation, and I’ve never been to the West Coast, so I figured it would be a good to go now. You know, clear my head and just decide what I want to do with my life.” I take a sip of my drink.
    “Baby, what do you mean when you say decide what to do with your life?” Her hand covers mine.
    “I don’t know, I’ve been really thinking about doing the foster parent thing. I started filling out the paperwork and I have to do the classes, but I’ve wanted to give a child the kind of love that you and Dad gave me. I know it’ll be harder because I’m a single man, but I want to give a child who needs a home one.”
    I was thinking about becoming a foster parent long before I met Mila and was just waiting for the right time.
    “That’s wonderful, and you know that your father and I will help any way we can. Becoming foster parents was one of the best decisions we made because it brought us you.”
    Her eyes turn glassy. I get up and pull her into a hug. My mom always gets emotional when she talks about it. We all found each other when we needed each other the most.
    After I finish eating, my mom tells me to go get Dad out of his workshop so she can feed us dessert. How my dad isn’t obese is beyond me. When I was younger, he told me it was because he has a hollow leg. Of course I never believed the man, but I played along to humor him.
    While eating huge slices of chocolate cake with white icing dripping down the sides, I tell him about California and the foster parent gig. I notice right away that they keep looking at each other with concern in their eyes. I ignore it because there is nothing for them to be concerned about.
    As I head out, I kiss my mom and hug my dad good-bye and promise to call them before I leave town.
    Next week can’t come soon enough.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Ten
     
     
    Mila
     
    The blank canvas in front of me is taunting me, begging me to put paint on it, but I can’t do it. Every time I try, nothing happens. It’s like I’m blocked.
    I throw my paintbrush. It hits the wall and then falls to the floor. It sucks knowing what your problem is, but feeling like there is nothing that can be done. It didn’t take me long to realize that I’m falling in love with Brian. It hit me when we were at his martial arts studio. It felt like the sun was beginning to shine and life made sense again, but then he helped the little boy and he was such a natural. I could never give him that.
    Of course, my brother and sister-in-law have both told me over and over again that there are other options for having children, and logically I know this, but a part of me is still bitter and sad at what I’m never going to experience, so I’ve been avoiding them. The past few weeks, I’ve missed Brian terribly. The first week Brian called and texted, but I didn’t respond or answer, and it killed me not to. When the calls and texts stopped, I felt like a part of me had died.
    The gallery is about the only thing that’s keeping my mind off of Brian, but I can only work so much. I focus back on the blank canvas and decide to call it a day. The sculpture that Brian inspired taunts me from the corner. I sit down in front of it. Reverently, I run my hand over it. Then I get up and head to the kitchen. Pouring myself a large glass of wine, I pick up my phone and call the one person who can help me.
    I hear Nico’s SUV pull up in the driveway, set my wine down, and make my way toward the front door, opening it before he can knock. “ Ciao, big brother.”
    He wraps his arms around me and holds me tight. This is what I needed. He stepped in and became