Mia's POV.....
"Excuse me, ma'am. Please, is this the Johnsons' home? A friend gave me an address and this seems to be it." I hear a masculine voice say.
"Yes, this is it...."
Wait.......
This voice sounds so familiar, doesn't it?
Like so.....so.....so familiar....
I quickly lift my head to see the person.
What the fuck!!!!
"Jace?" I call out, lifting myself off the railing, wide-eyed.
"Mia?" Jace calls back.
Okay, I'm confused right now....how's he here?
Could I be seeing things?
Have the thoughts about him driven me to start hallucinating too??
How's this even possible?
I must be dreaming....
Wake up, Mia!!!!
"Jace...." I call out again.
"Mia...." He calls back.
My feet suddenly feels frozen that I'm unable to move an inch, my heart hammering inside my chest.
I can't believe what I'm seeing right now. Jace is right in front of me. We're literally looking at each other.
"Hey.....Mia....I had no idea you're out here." I hear Michelle say from behind me.
I'm too shocked to say anything right now.
"Jace, I'm glad you made it." Michelle says.
"Yes, thank you so much. I wouldn't have made it without your help." Jace says.
Did she know about this?
"You're welcome." Michelle says.
I still can't stop staring at Jace in disbelief.
"Hello.....Mia." Jace says.
"I guess I've a little explanation to do..."
"Michelle have you seen....Mia....Jace?" Amber says, interrupting what Michelle was gonna say.
"Hi, Amber." Jace says.
"What's going on here? How're you here? How's it possible?" Amber asks.
"Lemme explain. I only wanted to set things right since I'm the one that ruined it all in the first place. I had reached out to Jace and helped him with the things I could after he had told me that he wanted to come to Boston and sort things out with Mia. I had planned with him to fly here tonight and show up at your birthday party. I'm sorry I didn't mention it earlier but it's supposed to be a surprise and I hope you like it, Mia. This is also to say that I'm really sorry for tearing you and Jace apart." Michelle says.
"Oh...Michelle...." Amber utters.
With little tears clustering in my eyes, I slowly move my legs down the stairs of the porch.
I'm happy to see Jace here but I don't know what to say to him. Looking at him now, I feel more ashamed of myself. I was the one who ignored him for no good reason and yet he's the one who found his way to me, in a way I never imagined.
I slowly step down the stairs, walking towards Jace.
I see him slowly coming closer too.
I stop walking 'cause Jace and I are now few meters away from each other.
"Mia.....you look gorgeous." Jace continues "I know you probably don't want me here and I'm sorry if I'm being an intruder. I haven't been in my right mind, Mia, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I could hardly focus on other things around me because of my thoughts about you. I wake up every morning and all I wanna do is call to check on you and the fact that I couldn't do that devastated me. Given how I've been for the past few days or weeks, I knew I'd definitely go crazy if I stayed another minute without setting my eyes on you and now that I see you, I feel really good. You may choose not to speak to me but looking at those pretty eyes of yours now is enough for me." Jace says.
Exploding into tears, I run into Jace for a hug, making him stumble backwards a little.
"I'm....I'm...so sorry. I'm really sorry. I'm sorry...." I say while sobbing.
Jace pulls me off him by my shoulders.
"Are you crying? Hey, don't cry. You'll ruin your beautiful makeup. Please, don't cry." Jace says.
"I'm so sorry....I.....I....shouldn't have ignored you....I shouldn't have said those things to you.....I'm....I'm...."
Jace cuts me off by pulling me into another hug, a passionate one.
"Don't apologize. You don't have to apologize." Jace says.
As hard as it is to believe, I'm wrapped up in a hug with Jace.
This feels nice....
I guess I should call this a wish come true.
Just some minutes ago, I wished for Jace's presence and here it is.
It feels really magical.
"Girls, thank God! Did you find Mia.....yet? What's going on here?" I hear my mom's voice ask, making me pull away from Jace, but not quickly.
I take Jace's hand and we move closer to the porch where my mom, Michelle and Amber are standing.
"Mom....umm..." I wipe my tears with my thumb. "This is Jace Harris. Jace, meet my mom." I say, sniffing.
"Hello, ma'am." Jace greets.
"Hello, dear. How're you?" My mom asks.
"I'm good, ma'am. Thank you for asking." Jace says.
"You're welcome, child. Mia, I've been looking for you. I didn't know you left the party." My mom says.
"It was gonna be just a few minutes break but then....." I say as I turn to look at Jace.
"Anyway, you should come back in. It's time for you to cut your cake." My mom says.
"Okay, mom." I say.
"All of you, inside.....including our new guest." My mom says.
She's referring to Jace.
"Oh....umm....I'm not really well dressed for the occasion." Jace says.
"It doesn't matter. You're part of us now." My mom says.
What???
"Okay. Thank you, ma'am." Jace says.
"Now, let's head inside. We've got a cake waiting to be digged into." My mom says.
"Alright! Let's go!" Michelle says excitedly.
"Yeah!" Amber says.
They start heading into the house.
Jace and I chuckle lightly.
I take Jace's hand once again and lead him to the front door.
*************
Jace's POV......
I think things have worked out the way I hoped it would.
The familiar voice that had replied to me when I asked if I was in the right place, happened to be Mia. I was really glad that it was her.
After saying a few words, Mia surprisingly ran into me for a hug. It felt like she has been wanting to see me. Her mom seemed cool with me too. She said "You're part of us now"
It looked like she already knew who I was.
All I've felt since I got here is welcomed. Everyone here seems really nice, even Mia's grandpa and her aunt.
I met them too.
It hasn't been bad here at all.
Looking out the window of one of their guest rooms that I had gotten into, I smile proudly at my decision to pull myself together and come here to find Mia. All thanks to her friend, Michelle though, she did a lot.
*************
Mia's POV.......
"Thank you so much, grandpa. Your presence here is a lot." I say.
Party's over, guests are already leaving.
I can see Mr. Richards giving handshakes or hugs alongside with "Thanks for coming" to some of the guests, mostly the one he had invited.
My mom and I are with grandpa and auntie Issa, saying our own "Thanks for coming"
"It's nothing, child. I would be a terrible father and grandfather not to attend such important event. Speaking of....Eve, I'll be waiting for you and my son-in-law to drop a date for your wedding. It should be soon 'cause as you can see, I'm aging so fast." Grandpa says.
"Dad, not that again." My mom says.
"I'm with Dad, except the aging part. I'm really looking forward for a wedding soon.....your wedding." Auntie Issa says to my mom.
"Alright, alright, we'll see what we can do about that and I look forward for your baby shower, Issa." My mom says.
"Baby shower? What baby shower?" I ask.
"You didn't tell her?" Auntie Issa asks my mom.
"Well....your auntie is expecting a baby." My mom says.
"Oh my God!! Congratulations, auntie Issa." I say, excitedly.
"Thanks, honey. I had no idea your mom didn't tell you earlier." Auntie Issa says.
"It's fine. I know it now. I'm so happy for you." I say.
"Thank you, Mia. I'm happy for you too." Auntie Issa comes closer to me "You do have good eyes. The boy is hot and handsome." She says in a low tone, but not to low.
Hearing that, I feel my cheeks heat up in a blush.
"Issa!!" My mom screams.
"Just the fact, Eve." Auntie Issa says.
I chuckle.
"Ah! There's my son-in-law." Grandpa says.
I see Mr. Richards coming towards us.
"Mr. Henderson." Mr. Richards calls my grandpa.
"I told you to call me father." Grandpa says.
"Okay, father. It is a great honor to have you here, sir. Thank you so much." Mr. Richards says.
"You're welcome, son. Will you see me off? I want to speak to you briefly, but not around the women." Grandpa says.
"Right, let the men speak." Auntie Issa says playfully.
We all chuckle.
"Let's be on our way then." Mr. Richards says.
"Okay, thanks again, grandpa. I love you so much." I say, hugging my grandpa.
"I love you too, child." Grandpa says.
"Thank you so much for coming, dad." My mom says, hugging her father.
"You're welcome, Evelyn." Grandpa pulls away from the hug. "I'll see you outside, Issa."
"Sure, dad." Auntie Issa says.
"Bye, grandpa." I say as he's about to leave with Mr. Richards.
"Bye, sweetheart." Grandpa says before heading out with Mr. Richards.
"I guess Mia inherited her good eyes from you. My new brother-in-law is one good looking man...."
"Issa, seriously? You're never gonna stop, are you?" My mom asks.
"Absolutely not." Auntie Issa says.
My mom gives out a light chuckle.
"I should head to the car and wait for the "men" to finish their discussion." Auntie Issa says.
"Okay." My mom says.
"Thank you so much, auntie Issa. You're the best auntie in the world." I say, hugging my aunt.
"You're welcome, love and you're the best niece in the world." Auntie Issa gives me a little peck on my cheek before pulling away from me.
My mom pulls her into a hug next.
"Thanks a lot, sister. It's really nice that you came." My mom says.
"It's nothing, sister." Auntie Issa says.
They pull away from each other.
"Now where are those adorable friends of yours?" Auntie Issa asks.
"They should be....." I catch a glimpse of my friends. "Hey guys! Can you come over here for a sec?" I call out to them.
"What's up?" Amber asks on reaching us.
"What's your name again, sweetie? And you too?" Auntie Issa asks Amber and Michelle.
"I'm Amber."
"And I'm Michelle."
"Okay. It was nice meeting you, Amber and Michelle. I'm heading out now." Auntie Issa says.
"It was nice meeting you too, ma'am." Amber and Michelle says almost at the same time.
"Ma'am is quite old-fashioned. Why not call me Auntie Issa like your friend.....if you don't mind."
"We don't mind, auntie Issa." Michelle says.
"Okay then, bye girls."
"Get home safe, auntie Issa." Amber says.
"I would've loved to see your hot guy but I guess he's not close by. Send my regards to him though." Auntie Issa says.
"Okay, time up, Issa. Be on your way. Lemme walk to you to the car, infact." My mom says, holding her sister's arm in readiness to drag her away.
"Bye, auntie Issa. Say hello to Uncle Mike for me." I say.
Uncle Mike is Auntie Issa's husband. We were told he couldn't make it to the party because of work stuff.
"That I will do. Bye, Mia. I hope to see you again before you travel back to Los Angeles." Auntie Issa says.
She starts walking away with my mom.
"Your auntie is the coolest aunt I've ever met." Amber says.
"Yes. I like her." Michelle says.
"Yeah. She's lovely." I say.
"Speaking of, where's Jace?" Amber asks.
"He's in one of the guest rooms. He wanted to use the bathroom." Michelle says.
Right...I haven't thanked Michelle for reaching out to Jace.
I turn to Michelle and hug her.
"What's going on, Mia?" Michelle says.
"Thank you so much, Michelle. I didn't know you'd reach out to Jace for me. I really appreciate." I say.
"I only did what I had to do to set things right. I shouldn't have ruined your perfect relationship." Michelle says.
"You did well, Michelle." Amber says.
Amber joins into the hug.
We pull away from each other shortly after.
"You should go and find him." Michelle says.
"Yeah, you guys haven't really said anything to each other because of the party." Amber says.
"I'll go find him now but I need to speak to my mom first." I say.
"Okay. Look, she's coming." Michelle says.
"Girls, how's it going? My mom asks on approaching us.
"Good." Amber says.
"Where's your friend, Jace Harris?" My mom asks.
"Uh....mom....about that....I need to talk to you..." I say.
"I know but you should go and find him first." My mom says.
"But mom....."
"I know he's your boyfriend, Mia." My mom says.
"What?" I question.
"He's probably waiting for you somewhere so go and meet him. We'll talk about it tomorrow." My mom says, giving me an assuring smile.
I smile back.
She seems cool about Jace.
"Which of the guest rooms is he in?" I ask Michelle.
"The one closest to your mom's room." Michelle says.
"Okay. Thanks." I say.
I proceed to the stairs to find Jace.
Reaching the guest room, I knock on the door before opening it.
"Here you are." I say on seeing Jace standing by the window.
"Here I am." Jace says with a smile.
Gosh! I've missed that charming smile so much.
"Your house looks really nice." Jace says.
"Thanks....uh....you wanna see my room?" I ask.
"Thought you'd never ask." Jace says.
I smile.
"Shall we?" I ask, stretching out my hand to Jace.
"We shall." Jace says, taking my hand, his smile growing wider.
I start heading out of the room.
"And....this is me." I say after entering my room with Jace.
"Wow, dollhouse indeed." Jace says.
I chuckle.
"This is nice, Mia." Jace says, admiring my pink dominated room.
"Thanks. Please, make yourself comfortable." I say.
"Okay. You've a dollhouse.....like an actual dollhouse." Jace says, looking at the dollhouse sitting on the table few meters from him.
He moves closer to it.
"Yeah. Not that I still play with it, it's just for memory sake. It was a gift from my father on my fourth birthday." I say, moving close to Jace.
"Oh.....it's nice." Jace says.
"Jace?" I call out.
"Yes?"
"Uh....how....how have you been?" I ask.
"Honestly, not really fine. I've been missing you." Jace says.
I utter no word.
"I felt really bad when I went to your apartment and figured that you were no longer there. I thought that going to London would make me feel better and it did make me feel better but not so much." Jace says.
"Did you fly here from London?" I ask.
"Yeah. I couldn't get you off my mind even when I'm with my family. I'd sit in my balcony all day, thinking of a possible way to get to you and I did find a way. I had doubts about it but with the encouragement from Michelle, I decided to do it, I decided to come here and find you." Jace says.
"I'm so sorry for everything, Jace...." I say.
"Alexa told me she told you the truth. Why did you still ignore me despite knowing the truth?" Jace asks.
"I was ashamed of my actions. I didn't know if I could still face you after the things I said and did to you. I'm really sorry for disappointing you by not keeping my word. I'm a coward like you said...."
"No, Mia, you're not. I didn't mean it when I said that. I was just upset that you wouldn't believe what I said."
"You were right. I was being a coward and unnecessarily difficult. I'm so sorry, Jace. I'd take back all those mean things I said to you if I could." I say, almost letting the tears in my eyes drop out.
"Hey....hey....it's fine. It's all in the past now." Jace says, placing his hands on my shoulders.
"I spent the entire time in regret of the things I said. I thought you hated me for that." I say.
"Why'd I hate you? I never hated you for a second. All I did was wish you'd give me a chance to see you and sort things out so we could go back to the way we were before what happened. I love you, Mia. I love you more than you think I do." Jace says.
My tears just betrayed me by escaping my eyes. I'm so touched by Jace's words.
"Oh, come on, not the tears again." Jace says, clutching my cheeks and wiping my tears with his thumbs.
"I shouldn't have......"
I suddenly feel Jace's lips on mine, preventing me from completing my statement.
Jace pulls away shortly after.
I lower my head.
"Look at me, Mia." Jace says.
I lift my head and my eyes lock with Jace's.
I've missed staring into those brown eyes....
"It doesn't matter anymore. The misunderstanding and other stuff, they don't matter anymore. What matters now is you and me, standing right here, passionately looking into each other's eyes, that's all that matters now. Let's forget that the misunderstanding ever happened and live in the moment." Jace says.
I slowly nod in agreement.
"By the way, did I tell you how gorgeous you look tonight?" Jace asks.
I chuckle while sniffing.
"You look so lovely and a bit different too."
"No braids, right?" I ask.
"Yeah" Jace chuckles "I guess that's why I didn't recognize you earlier before you looked at me. I even called you "ma'am"
"I'm sorry about that." I say while chuckling.
Glancing into each other's eyes once again, we stop chuckling.
Jace's hand goes to my waist.
"Happy birthday, Mia."
"Thank you so much, Jace."
Jace pulls me closer and crashes his lips into mine, kissing me passionately.
I feel his second hand go to the other side of my waist.
Wrapping my hands around his neck, I melt into the kiss.
I've been dying to have this moment again, to feel Jace's lips rubbing against mine in a passionate kiss.
I can't explain how happy I am that it's happening right now.
This is awesome!!