Driving away from Mia's home, Colton headed straight to Theodore's place. They both settled on the stool at Theo's bar area. He told Theo everything that occurred over a bottle of whiskey.
"She seems feisty. Do you think she will give in to the marriage?" Theo asked.
"I hope she does. She's my only hope. I know it's easier to get someone else, pay her to pretend to be Mia and all of that but I don't want to be with anyone that's not Mia Edwards."
"I believe me and her have some sort of chemistry between us but she's way too stubborn to admit it. She's such a handful. I'm going to need plenty of strength to deal with her daily troubles."
"I trust instinct bro. If she agrees to be with you, it's definitely because of the threat. And because of that, the first few weeks of you guys being married may not be the happiest as she will still be mad at you for forcing her into all of these. On that note, you will need to be patient with her during those times."
Colton nodded. "I know. I know she's mad at me and she probably hates me right now but I promise to make it worth it. She will be loved, protected, and cherished and she will never lack anything. And if after a year, she's still unhappy while with me, I'm going to set her free."
"But there's one thing I'm very sure of, I want her to carry my child. It's second to none that I've been pressured on giving my parents grandchildren but I've never thought deeply about it. I've always had it at the back of my mind that I'm going to have a son or daughter someday, knowing it will probably be by surrogacy but I never decided when exactly I wanted to be a Dad."
"With everything that has been going on, it just really hit me that I'll soon be 34. I have so many beautiful memories of me and my parents having so much fun. They were still pretty young and energetic when they had me so they were able to do all the fun stuff with me. I would love the same for my son or my daughter. And giving the whole thing a deep thought, the idea of Mia carrying my child sends chills down my spine."
"You love this girl already!" Theodore said.
Colton didn't say anything. He stared at his almost empty glass of whiskey. After a while, he spoke, looking at Theo. "All I know is that Mia and I have this burning fire between us. It's sort of like, we can't get enough of each other. I don't know if it's love, obsession, or lust. All I know is that I want her by my side and together, we shall figure out why we can't get enough of each other. In the end, what will be will be."
Theodore took a sip of his whiskey, he smiled, placing his cup on the counter. "It feels good to see this determined and possessive side of you."
Colt arched a confused brow at Theo.
"Don't get me wrong, you've always been determined with regards to everything you do. And you're always possessive over your loved ones. It's just so refreshing seeing you being this possessive over Mia."
"You're exaggerating. I've always been possessive over the girls I dated."
"True, but not to this extent. I never really understood your relationship with Natasha but you guys were really cheesy, then Tina came into the picture. For me, your relationship with her was that of friends with benefits. And then, here comes Miss Mia, who's making you do things you've never done before."
"Things I've never done before?" He reiterated.
"You never refuse your parents, no matter what. I guess that's why your Mom went overboard to confront Mia and all of that. Also, you never lie to your parents, no matter how small or how big the lie is. You're always very sincere with them."
"Sammie and I tried our best to talk you into dating again but we failed. Mia walked into your life and unknowingly, you did all you could to keep her by your side forever. And now, because of Mia, you've come to realize that you're ready to become a father."
Colton shrugged.
"I'm sorry for all these hardships you had to go through and I'm glad you're learning from your mistakes and at the same time you're trying to make things work." Theo gave Colton's shoulder a light squeeze. "I'll always have your back, bro."
"Thank you!" He said, gulping down the rest of the whiskey in his glass cup.
"How's Sammie?" He asked Theo."I can't believe the last time I saw her was on her birthday."
"She's fine. I'm not surprised about that, she has been busy with work lately but She will be coming over tonight. I haven't told her about Mia though."
"She will surely throw a fit the moment she hears" Colton mumbled.
Theodore chuckled. "Not really. Sammie will be shocked for a while but I'm sure she will come around. And be prepared because she's going to tease you for what you and Mia did on her birthday night."
"I'm definitely not giving her all the details but I hope She and Mia get along, and that she can be there to convince Mia not to be mad at me."
"Sure, they will. Sammie is a very friendly person."
"So dude, you're finally getting married before me, hun? Who would have thought?" Theo said.
"I don't know when Mia would want us to have the wedding. Maybe if you pop the question to Sammie today, you can get married tomorrow and will be ahead of me."
Theodore rolled his eyes.
"But for real, why haven't you popped the question? You both love each other so much."
"Been making plans for it. I want it to be perfect and I want Sammie's parents to be there when I ask her to marry me. When her Mom fully recovers and can fly again, they will come down to New York to witness it."
Colton nodded, slightly thinking about Mia. His heart went out to her. He wondered what she was going to tell her family about being with him.
.............
The moment Colton helped himself out, Mia curled up on the sofa and burst into tears. She felt she needed a good cry because her life was a mess. She couldn't help but think that as old as she was, She was always making decisions that ended up ruining her. From being with fucked up men to falling into Colton's trap. She hated the fact that he threatened her too, knowing she was the type of person that would do anything for her family and couldn't afford to see her family suffer."
Mia finally calmed down after a couple of minutes. She reached for some tissue, wiped her face, then went to the kitchen for a bottle of water.
Wanting to take her mind off her sad present situation, She decided to do some work.
Mia warmed up some leftover pizza, placed it on the tray along with a bottle of water, then she left for the living room. She reached for her laptop and settled on the sofa. She kept herself company with her food while working.
Mia spent the next three hours on that spot, going through some articles that were due to be published on Monday.
Putting her laptop aside and deciding to call it a night, a call came through. It was her Dad, Jack Edwards.
"Hi, Dad!" She said to the other side.
"Hey. How's my baby girl doing?" His cheerful voice came through.
"I'm fine Dad. What about you, How's Brad?" She asked after her elder brother; the second child of the family. They both stayed in Ohio. While she and her sister, Tessie, stayed in New York, along with their youngest brother, Richard.
"Brad and I are doing well. How's everything over there? You sound unhappy, is everything okay?"
"Everything is fine, Dad. I'm just a little tired." She tried to sound very convincing.
"Are you sure? Or do you need me to come to visit you?"
"There's no need for that, Daddy. I'm fine." She replied immediately.
"I don't believe you!"
"I promise you, I'm fine. Tessie can testify to that. She still checked up on me a few days ago. I've been working all day, I'm so tired and sleepy, that's why I sound kind of unhappy."
"I'm glad to hear you're okay. I was starting to get worried. I thought you and Chris fought."
Mia facepalmed, remembering she hadn't told her father about Christoph. She chose not to tell him because he would rush down to New York City, knowing Mia doesn't handle breakups well. Besides, She knew her Dad would be beyond disappointed. He had thought Christoph was truly for his daughter just like Mia had thought she had found the man of her dreams(Christoph).
Deciding it doesn't make sense to keep it a secret, especially now that she doesn't know what turn her life was going to take with Colton in the picture, she spoke.
"Christoph and I are no longer together."
"What?" Her father's shocked voice came through. "When did that happen? Was it you that ended the relationship or him? Sweetheart, are you sure you're okay? I'll tell your brother to arrange my transport to New york. I'll be with you tomorrow."
"There's no need for you coming down here, Dad. I'm fine, I've moved on. It doesn't matter who ended the relationship. Chris and I broke up long ago."
"How long? I know how much you love Chris, God, you must have been so depressed. How can I not know my daughter was going through a rough time? I'll be with you tomorrow morning."
"Please, Dad, don't feel guilty about anything. There was no way you would have known because I didn't tell you. Chris is now a thing of the past. Yes, I used to love him but not anymore. I now love someone else." Mia had made the statement before she realized what she said. She facepalmed.