Hearing Theo say my future married name sounded so perfect. So right. I couldn’t believe I had so much doubt about his love for me. Nothing was going to stop us from being together.
Chapter 16
Theo
Two weeks passed since I asked Mia to be my wife. Since then, she had been staying over my place more than ever. Having her home with me was a wonderful comfort.
We hadn’t set a date yet, but we both couldn’t wait until we got married and made everything official. I loved Mia and wanted the world to know it.
And the world did! Thanks to the photographer who captured my proposal.
The media devoured the story of our engagement. The photographer’s photos of us looked spectacular with me down on my knee and Mia stunning in that feather dress looking mystified and happy. Even better were the candid photos of us leaving the restaurant. The paparazzi captured our joy as we walked out with gigantic smiles on our faces.
The photos of us together seemed to eclipse the orgy photos of just a few months before. Every media outlet wanted an exclusive interview with us: the Pictogram CEO and the Picto-famous starlet and recent Marc Janow spokesperson. We became the new golden couple.
The ring looked so splendid on her hand. She seemed to cherish it, constantly holding her hand out and gazing at it. The ring was worth $5.2 million dollars, but all the money in the world wasn’t enough to equal how much I loved Mia.
Eager to show off my gorgeous fiancé, I called Gabe and Marcy right away to meet Mia. They had us over their house in Sausalito, located in the luxurious Yellow Ferry Harbor. We had dinner right on their deck surrounded by the waterfront with a spectacular view of Mount Tamalpais.
Mia had their little two-year-old daughter, Delilah, in her lap. The little girl was fascinated with the shiny sparkling rock on her finger.
“You know that they say? Diamonds are a girl’s best friend!” Marcy said with a laugh.
Gabe chuckled as his daughter touched the enormous rock on Mia’s finger, her big blue eyes fascinated. “Delilah really likes you! She usually is slow to warm up to people, but look at her! Right at home in your lap.”
With a gentle hand, Mia smoothed the little’s girl’s blonde hair. “She’s such a sweetie!”
“Do you two want to have children?” Marcy asked excitedly, looking at Mia and then me.
Gabe kissed her on the top of the head. “Wow, Marcy! Subtle!”
She swatted him away. “What? It’s an honest question.”
Gabe turned to Mia. “Excuse my nosy wife. Don’t answer that.”
Mia grinned, hugging Delilah to her. “It’s okay. I totally want kids!”
Hearing her say that only made me fall in love with her more, if that was even possible. Imagining Mia as a mother to my children made me smile. “I want to have kids too. Lots of them! A whole litter!” I agreed.
Mia looked at me and smiled. “Me too.”
Seeing her with little Delilah on her lap brought up emotions in me I never thought were possible. Mia as the mother of my children? Wow. There was no better person on this Earth to fill that role.
I wanted my children to benefit from having such a strong, intelligent woman as their mother. A role model for both our sons and daughters. An example of a woman beautiful inside and out.
On the ride home, Mia had nothing but nice things to say about my old friends. “Gabe and Marcy are awesome. That Delilah! Such a cutie!”
Grinning, I said, “You’re great with kids.”
She rested her head back on the headrest looking out the window. “I love kids.”
“Does it bother you that our kids won’t have grandparents aside from your mom?” I asked sadly. “That’s a lot of pressure for one grandparent.”
“Not at all!” Mia said happily. “She can handle it. She raised me all by herself.”
My own search for my parents prompted me to ask the private investigator to look into Mia’s deadbeat father. I’d been sitting on the information he’d found for over a week. It was the perfect time to broach the subject.
Clearing my throat, I said, “I hope you won’t get mad, but I asked my private investigator to find out about your father.”