Loving Mia - PUBLISHED

Chapter 4

He helps me put on my seat-belt and by his gesture, my heart soared. He cared about me and the baby's well-being, and made sure that we're safe.

When I look in-front of me, I see that the body-guard is getting in and that there's another man in the driver's seat. He looks at me through the rear view mirror and smiles. He's bald but the bodyguard look suits him.

"Hi," I beam.

They both turn to look at me, nodding.

"Mia, this is my head of security, Ben Gordon," Liam says as he points to the man who opened the door for us, then turns to the man in the driver's seat, "And my driver, Caleb Jones."

"It's nice to meet you both," I say and reach over to shake their hands. "I'm Mia Belle."

They nod and I realize that they don't speak much, really. They don't smile much either. But, I guess this comes with the job. Got to be tough, huh? Clearly that's not the job for me. I prefer making people laugh, and finding happiness in the simplest things in life. What's the point to be sad or bitter, anyway?

I feel hot breath on my neck and I turn to look at Liam, who's watching me intently.

"Mia Belle, huh?" I chuckle and he continues, "Your surname alone tells me how beautiful you are."

I giggle and kiss his cheek. He blushes lightly at that and I whisper in his ear, "Wait until you hear my full name."

~**~

We stopped at the aquarium. I'd always wanted to go there but never had the chance because of school and finance. Well, mostly finance. Zoe could take me there if I wanted to, but I've never been the type of person to depend of anyone for anything. My earlier years had been spent on living at an orphanage and I hated most of it. When I was only a little girl, I had no idea what was going on, but when I grew older, I always felt inadequate having to rely upon someone else for my ever basic need. 

But having Liam take me here, a place that brought some sense of joy and happiness to my life, I was ecstatic. I knew that anyone who'd want to visit there had to make bookings in advance. But Liam probably only needed to walk up to the manager, and he'd be granted immediate access. Nature held a vast portion of my heart. I'd always had an eye for the things in the world that people cast a blind eye to, but were really of great value in our lives. How could someone cast a blind eye to the beautiful creatures of this world?

I looked up at Liam and by the look on his face, he knew what I was thinking. "I've always wanted to come here. This is amazing. Thank you."

He smiled and kissed me and I blushed. It was so simple to be comfortable with him. I'd missed this. Ben opened the door for us and Liam helped me get out.

"I just decided to take you somewhere relaxing," Liam said and my heart soared.

"This is more than relaxing. This is unbelievable. Can we please go?" I ask giving him my famous pout. He nodded and that was all I needed to start my journey into the aquarium.

~**~

Liam Novak

Waking up next to her this morning was like heaven on earth. I hadn't had this much of a comfortable sleep in ages, and I slept so peaceful throughout the night. When she went to the washroom, I decided to take her out so I could spend more time with her. I immediately got dressed, and when she came out and saw me, I saw her frown. She'd thought I was leaving. I quickly told her that I was taking her out to get breakfast and asked her to spend the weekend with me. She'd smiled and rushed off to get ready.

So now, here we are in the parking lot of the New York Aquarium. Zoe had told me how they'd met and how much Mia loved aquariums. I immediately decided to take her, but I never realized how excited she would be. She was literally bouncing up and down in excitement.

When we stepped out of the SUV, I turned around to speak to Caleb, my driver, but when I turned back around, Mia was no longer by my side.

Hearing laughter, I turned around, and my bodyguards were all laughing.

"She's excited," Ben said, pointing towards Mia who was rushing towards the entrance of the building.

I sighed in relief and jogged so I could meet her. "Mia, don't ever run away from me like that again. You'll give me a heart attack."

She pouted and looked towards the entrance. "I'm sorry. I'm just so excited."

I wrap my arms around her and rest my chin on the top of her head. "I understand, sweetie." Noticing that my bodyguards are surrounding us, I nod at them and follow Mia into the aquarium.

I can't control my smile when I see Mia's facial expression as we watch the different fishes. Throughout the tour, she kept smiling and awing at the little fishes. It got me to remember the last time I brought a girl to the beach.

Natalia Roberts.

She was one of my university flings and one day I'd invited her to go out with me. I decided to take her out to the beach, and when we got there, and she saw where we were, Whining 101 began. She complained about the sand in her shoes and between her toes; the sounds the waves made that I thought were soothing; her hair flying in the breeze; the birds chirping; and the date being the worst she'd ever had.

Apparently, I was so frustrated in the first 10 minutes of the outing that I'd taken her home- immediately driving away and never looking back. Ben and the others had laughed so hard when I told them about the date. But this is history.

But we weren't even on the beach, and Mia was this excited. I could only imagine what she would do if I were to take her to my private villa in Florida. She would probably be over the moon.