A Daring Affair (17 page)

“What about you?” she asked. “Aren’t you done for the day?”

Eric shook his head regretfully. “I have a meeting in half an hour with an investor.”

“All right then,” Mia said reluctantly. “I’ll go now. See you at home.”

Eric quickly took her hand and squeezed it before he let her go with a wink.

Mia walked off, grateful to finally be heading back to the condo, so she could put her feet up. Lately, she had been getting more tired easily. Her back ached, and all she wanted to do was lie down. As she walked toward the parking lot, she heard a familiar voice.

“Hi, Mia.”

Mia recognized Charlie as he approached her quickly.

She grinned at him and waved.

“Where have you been?” Charlie asked. “I haven’t seen you in a while. I figured you were busy working.”

“Hi, Charlie,” she said warmly. “I’ve been working and visiting Kauai.”

“Kauai?” he said. “Gorgeous place, but I haven’t been there in a while. I still think Maui is the best - Maui no ka ‘oi, as the locals say.”

“Charlie, it’s been a long day at work. Maybe we can get together for coffee sometime?” she asked, feeling a twinge of guilt for cutting their conversation short.

“Sure, why don’t I meet you tomorrow morning at Whaler’s Village?” he asked eagerly. “There’s a cute café there called Aloha coffee.”

“All right,” Mia agreed. “See you around eight?”

“Great, I’ll see you then,” he said, giving her a shaka sign before walking off.

When Mia arrived back at the condo, she collapsed on a chair, completely exhausted. Perhaps her period was coming, which would explain why she had been so easily fatigued lately. Suddenly, Mia frowned. She had had her period one week prior to leaving for Maui, and she had been in Maui for five weeks now.

Lurching to her feet, she walked over to her purse and took out her mini-calendar to check dates. She always carefully tracked her period, and she bit her bottom lip when she realized she was late - by two weeks.

With her heart thudding strongly in her chest, Mia flew out of the condo to find the nearest drug store. She needed to find out if she was pregnant before Eric came home. Something told her that having a baby was the last thing he would want.

She leaned over the bathroom sink an hour later and stared numbly at the results of her home pregnancy test. It had been the longest three minutes of her life as she had waited. She gripped the stick with her thumb and stared at the two pink lines in the result window, indicating that she was pregnant. She had taken the urine test twice, and it had come up with the same result.

Mia’s brain froze and her heart beat wildly. She didn’t know what to think. A part of her was in shock. She wasn’t ready to be a mother. The father of the baby was her boss, whom she had only really known for five weeks. Their relationship was moving along nicely, but if he found out about her pregnancy, would he break things off with her?

Mia groaned in consternation and covered her eyes with her hands. She had been too impulsive - she should have been more careful, but now it was too late, real life was catching up with her, and she had no idea what to do.

“Mandy, I think I’m pregnant,” Mia said, clutching her cell phone tightly. She sat on the bed and stared at her reflection in the dresser mirror.

“What?! Can you repeat that?” gasped Mandy.

“I said, I think I’m pregnant,” Mia repeated.

“Oh, God.”

“What should I do?” Mia asked desperately, feeling panic well up inside her.

“Take a deep breath and calm down, Mia. It’s going to be okay.”

“Is it?” she asked, her voice coming out in a squeak.

“Are you planning on telling Eric?” asked Mandy.

“I can’t,” Mia answered shakily.

“You can’t or you won’t?”

“I
can’t
, Mandy,” she answered agitatedly. “We haven’t even really talked about our relationship. Things have been going so well between us that we haven’t discussed anything beyond day to day matters. I know he considers me to be his girlfriend, but beyond that, I honestly don’t know how he feels about me.”

“Well, it’s time you found out,” Mandy said firmly.

“I guess I’ve been a bit cowardly,” admitted Mia. “We only have a week left in Hawaii, and I was hoping he’d bring up how he feels about me before we returned to Edmonton.”

“The more important thing now is to tell him about the baby.”

“I know. It’s just that I’m not sure he would want this baby,” Mia said, rubbing her temples.

“Aren’t you on the pill?”

“Yes, but there were several times when he forgot to put on a condom,” Mia answered bluntly. Mia’s doctor had told her several years ago that the pill is not 100% effective - that there was still a chance she could get pregnant.

“I remember when your college roommate got pregnant and she was on the pill. After that, you swore you would still make your boyfriends use a condom.”

Mia bit her fingernails nervously. “Like me, she took them like clockwork and wasn’t on any meds that would have interfered with them.”

There was silence on the other line.

“Do you want this baby, Mia?”

Mia stared at herself in the mirror and saw a frightened young woman. She ran her hands across her mid-section when a sudden, fierce protective wave went through her. Surprised at the emotion, her brain started to function again.

She needed to be strong, she needed to be smart, and she needed to be the mother her child deserved her to be. Strong conviction and clarity filled her mind. No matter what happened between her and Eric, she was going to love this baby with all her heart. After all, she loved the father of her child, and the child would always remind her of Eric.

“Yes, I do. Of course I do,” she answered softly, tears falling silently on her lap. “I’m keeping this baby.”

* * *

Mia sat outside a café at Whaler’s Village and sipped her coffee slowly. She had risen early and had found Eric already gone. He had left a note on the bedside table saying that he had gone surfing. Mia had put on a yellow tank top and a dark brown mini skirt before meeting Charlie at the café.

A part of her was still in shock, but she was determined to keep her secret until they returned to Edmonton. Eric had a right to know, but she wasn’t ready to tell him yet. She wanted her doctor back in Edmonton to confirm her pregnancy, and she wanted to talk to Eric about their relationship. It was imperative that she find out how he really felt about her now. It was her life, and it was her baby, and this time, she wasn’t going to be impulsive in any future decisions.

“Hi, Mia, sorry I’m a little late,” said Charlie as he sat down across from her.

Mia noticed that his blond hair was damp. He wore a beige T-shirt and red cargo shorts.

“Did you go surfing this morning?” she asked.

“Yup. Every morning, as soon as the sun rises,” he answered with a boyish grin. “My buddies and I can’t start the day unless we surf.”

A waiter approached them and Charlie ordered a cup of Kona coffee and Hawaiian sweet bread.

“It’s nice to see you again, Mia. You said you were in Kauai last weekend?”

Mia was able to forget her worries for a while as she told Charlie about her adventures in Kauai. He nodded and listened, interjecting his own stories of past Kauai trips. She had forgotten how comfortable it was to be around him.

“I hope that your Eric knows how lucky he is to be with you, Mia. I knew I didn’t have a chance after seeing him with you at the beach that day,” Charlie added ruefully.

“What do you mean?” Mia asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

“Anyone could see how much he was into you. Slightly possessive too. But, hey, you can’t blame him. I’d be the same if you were mine,” he said, winking at her before he reached for the sweet bread and took a large bite out of it.

Mia rolled her eyes at his teasing. “I can’t imagine you being possessive over anyone.”

“Do you have a sister?” he asked abruptly, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Yes, I have two half-sisters, but they’re too young for you. However, I do have a cousin who just happens to be single.”

“Does she look like you?”

“No, she’s much prettier.”

Charlie’s eyebrows rose. “That’s it. Give me your phone number. I need to keep in contact with you, so I can meet your cousin.”

Mia laughed and shook her head. “You would fly all the way to Edmonton just to meet my cousin?”

He shrugged. “Why not? I’ve got a lot of frequent flier miles.”

Mia laughed again as he took his cell phone out.

* * *

Eric frowned as he watched Charlie and Mia from a distance. He had finished surfing a while ago and had discovered that Mia had left his condo. He found her note on the kitchen counter and had decided to meet her at Whaler’s Village. When he had come upon her laughing and talking to Charlie at the café, he had been less than pleased. Now seeing Charlie put what was obviously Mia’s cell phone number into his phone, he was ready to interrupt their little coffee break. But something held him back.

* * *

“You’re leaving in a week?” asked Charlie sadly.

Mia nodded. “Yes, unfortunately. I love Maui and I wish I could stay.” Suddenly, emotions started to build up inside her and she couldn’t keep the sadness at bay.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked, concerned. He scooted his chair closer to hers and placed his arm around her shoulders.

Mia looked down into her coffee cup and took a calming breath. She needed to get a hold of herself. It was time for her to grow up and accept the consequences of her actions.

“Nothing’s wrong, Charlie. I’ve just been a bit tired from work lately,” she said weakly. Seeing his frown, she smiled at him reassuringly.

“You sure?”

She nodded, feeling him squeeze her shoulder. “Thanks for having coffee with me this morning,” she said, trying to inject a light tone in her voice.

“You’re welcome. Don’t forget to say goodbye before you leave, Mia. I’m determined to meet your pretty cousin one day.”

She laughed and stood. “I’ll warn her in advance,” she teased.

He stood and gave her a warm hug. “Malama pono a hui hou, take care until we meet again.”

“I’m sure we will.”

Suddenly, Charlie leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek.

Thrown off by his unexpected gesture, Mia looked at him in bemusement as he chuckled.

“Couldn’t help it. I never could resist kissing a pretty girl,” he said mischievously before he walked away with a grin and a shaka hand sign.

Mia smiled as she waved goodbye to him, and wondered why she couldn’t have fallen for a more easy-going, carefree guy like Charlie, instead of her complicated and confusing boss.

* * *

Eric’s eyes narrowed as he studied Mia’s expression while she watched Charlie leave. From his viewpoint, it looked like she had a wistful expression in her eyes. A slow burn had churned in his belly as he had watched them together. The kiss Charlie gave Mia made him want to confront Charlie and tell him to keep away from his girlfriend.

He couldn’t believe the jealousy coursing through his body. He had never felt this way over Leilani when he had caught other men flirting with her. It was time to have a serious discussion with Mia about their relationship. He wanted her to know that after they left Maui, he had every intention of continuing what they had started five weeks ago.

* * *

Mia left Whaler’s Village and was lost in thought as she walked down the long, paved, pedestrian path that allowed easy access to all the hotels along Kaanapali Beach. The path faced the ocean, where paddle boarders, swimmers, and kayakers could be seen enjoying the light surf and warm water.

She was oblivious to the tourists and pedestrians walking by when she suddenly heard a familiar voice call out her name.

“Mia!”

She turned at the sound of her name and found Eric rapidly approaching. She felt elated at his sudden appearance but wondered at the grim look on his face. He took her hand gently and led her to a grassy area framed by tall palm trees, away from pedestrian traffic. His face seemed to be carved out of granite as he looked at her sternly, making her smile turn into a puzzled frown.

“What’s going on? Were you on some kind of date?” he asked, frowning.

“What do you mean?” she asked, confused by the surly look in his eyes.

“Why were you with that guy?”

“Don’t take such a belligerent tone with me, Eric,” she scolded. “I was just having coffee with Charlie.”

“Is that what it was?” Eric asked sarcastically. “He had his arm around you, and you looked like you enjoyed it.”

Mia stared at him for a few seconds, stung by his sarcasm, before she glared at him. “Excuse me? Were you spying on me?”

“I wasn’t spying on you. I found your note and decided to join you, but when I found you, it looked like you were having a private conversation with that guy.”

Mia placed her arms on her hips and wanted to smack him for his suspicions.

“What you’re hinting at is completely distasteful,” Mia said heatedly. “Charlie and I were not having some kind of
private
conversation. We were just talking. I don’t appreciate your accusing me of seeing another guy behind your back.”

Eric ran an agitated hand through his dark hair. He continued to look down into Mia’s eyes intensely, but she defiantly stared back at him.

“All right. Maybe I made a mistake,” he said hesitantly, “but I didn’t like what I saw.”

Mia’s annoyance began to dissipate as she realized that perhaps his insecurity stemmed from her not exactly being forthcoming with him regarding her feelings.

“Eric, I would never cheat on you,” she said with quiet conviction.

He paused, his eyes softening. He reached out and touched her face gently, stroking her cheekbone with his thumb.

“I know that, Mia. I’m sorry. It’s just that I don’t like it when other guys come onto you,” he admitted roughly. “You mean a lot to me.”

“Is that right?” she asked, holding her breath.

“You know you do,” he answered, his eyes intent on hers.

Eric opened his arms wide and without hesitation, Mia went into them. She was immediately enveloped into his warmth, and she wrapped her arms around his waist.