true love between them, but whatever. Roxy was right, love is vain.
When John makes his way to his office, I follow after him, a plan in my head. Knocking on the large, double oak doors pf his office, I hear his baritone voice beckoning me to enter.
“Mia,” he starts, looking surprised to see me.
“I’m sorry to bother you like this, but I didn’t know where else to go.” I start, looking uncertain and lost. I make sure to keep my voice low with a slight tremble, my eyes wide, oozing faux innocence.
He stands up from his chair, rounding his desk.
“No, it’s okay,” he says with a small smile. “Please, come on in.”
“Thank you,” I murmur, discreetly looking around his office. There are dark bookshelves stacked to the brim with books upon books. The bibliophile in me almost sighs in appreciation, though I think these hardbacks aren’t steamy romance novels. “You read a lot?”
He watches me, silently nodding. I want him to think I’m nervous, this will go over much smoother if he thinks that.
“Wow, I’d never have thought that of you,” I say and he chuckles.
“Well, I’ve been known to be a bit of a scholar,” he says with a charming smile that I’m sure did it for my aunt and every other woman he ever paraded around his sons when they needed him the most.
“Wow,” I say with awe. “So, you’ve read all these volumes of books?”
He chuckles, shaking his head. “Not all of them, though I think my son Julian has read every single one of these, let alone the ones in the library.”
Julian reads?
Holy shit, my heart just did a dance and I swear my core is throbbing. There’s nothing sexier than a complete athlete who has a body as cut and defined as his, and he likes to read? WHO MADE HIM?
“You have library in this house?” I croak, then clear my throat. “I didn’t know that.”
“That’s my fault, I should’ve given you a tour of the house, though I thought your aunt would do that for you.”
Yeah, she tried to get me interested in that, but I did all the discovering I needed to do with the secret staircase.
“Mr. Fitzgerald…” I start but he cuts me off.
“Please Mia, we’ve been over this. Call me John.”
“John,” I smile, looking up at him. “I need your help with something.”
He sits at the edge of his desk, watching me seriously.
“Anything.”
“I…” I stutter, “This was a bad idea. I don’t think you can help me with this.”
“Mia, I’m sure whatever it is, I can definitely help.”
I’m sure you can.
“Oh, I don’t know, see this is something I thought my dad would help me with but he…” I trail off, closing my eyes. A lone tear falls down my left cheek and when I look up, I see concern on John’s face. He straightens up then, watching me with a tight expression on his face.
Gotcha.
“Mia, I assure you I will move Heaven and earth to fix whatever’s broken or break whoever or whatever hurt you.”
Music to my ears…
“My aunt will kill me if she finds out I’m here right now, asking you for this…”
“She doesn’t have to know,” he smiles. “I know how to keep a few secrets from her.”
I’m sure you’re good at it too.
“Are you sure?” I question, keeping that meek expression on my face. Fuck, I could go to Hollywood with this shit.
“Yes of course,” he says. “Now, what can I help you with?”
“Julian.”
It’s as simple as that. He tilts his head to the side, watching me.
“Did my son hurt you in any way?” he questions, his voice suddenly low and clipped.
Yes, he did. But you’ll never understand how.
“Well, not really,” I start, looking down at my shoes. “It’s just, he…”
“What happened?”
“Well, the whole thing is silly, really,” I start, chancing a glance at him. “See, we got in a heated argument.”
“Yes?”
“It was about family legacies, you see.”
He visibly exhales, his facial features ease and I realize he was holding his breath. Hmm…
“Okay, what about it?”
“You know how my mother is loved world over for her dance skills, the way she interpreted ballet, bringing a whole lot of magic on stage with the dance?” I start, pain slicing me seven ways to hell in my chest. “I want to do that.”
John is silent for a moment, waiting for me to collect myself.
“I want to keep my mother’s legacy alive, especially with how everything is right now.”
“That’s admirable, Mia,” he starts, his voice deep and cultured. “Your mother