Page 61 of Not So Fast
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Mia was grateful for her clean clothes as she and Xander walked up to his parents’ house, but her mind still chewed hard on their conversation in the laundry room. Xander was right—she’d always been the one who’d say anything, but that was far easier when she was talking about the other person. When it came to whatshewas really feeling? Much harder. That was so deeply filed away in her brain that getting it out seemed hard. If things became more serious between her and Xander, she would need to get better at that. But the whole idea of serious made her want to roll up into a tiny ball. She’d never had a broken heart, but it was widely regarded as the worst possible thing someone could have. A broken heart as a result of Xander Bishop? Surely it was at least twice as bad.
“Hello! I’m home,” Xander called when they stepped into the foyer of his parents’ house. It was lovely and cozy with wide wood-plank floors and a buttery color on the walls. The heavenly aromas of a home-cooked meal filtered through the air. “You can leave your shoes here.” Xander toed off his sneakers. Dressed in a light blue dress shirt and dark jeans,he was the picture of perfection. Mia couldn’t have been any more smitten if she tried.
A young man Mia recognized from Xander’s family photos as his brother came down the stairs. “Freya’s on her way in a minute,” Oscar said. “She’s primping. She’s very excited to meet you, Mia.” He extended his hand to shake hers. “I am, too, but you’d think the bloody prime minister was coming over.”
Mia laughed quietly. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Mia Neal!” a young woman’s voice called from the landing above. “I can’t believe you are in our house right now. Pinch me!” In a flurry, she ran down the stairs and flung her arms around Mia, squeezing tight. And to think Mia had been worried Xander’s family might not like her.
“Mia, my brother Oscar is the calm one and my sister Freya is the one accosting you. I apologize,” Xander said.
Freya released her hold and stood back, dressed in all black, with bright pink cheeks and a radiant smile. “You know, when I first heard your podcast, I thought you were a bitch. I mean, a cool bitch who I totally wanted to be best friends with. I just couldn’t stop listening, even when you were saying saucy things about this guy.” She gestured to Xander with a nod.
Mia cringed and lightly slapped her forehead. “That will haunt me forever.”
“But it kept people listening. I loved the episode you uploaded today. It was great.”
Mia relished the positive feedback, especially since things had gone a bit sideways after she’d done that interview with Claudia.
“It was a bit rushed. Probably not my best. But I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“Of course, as soon as I found out you and my brother were involved—” Freya put air quotes aroundinvolved“—I went back and listened to the episodes about Miami and later and I can tell exactly when you first met, when you met the second time and then I guess I can tell when—”
“That’s enough, Freya,” Xander interjected. “Thank you very much. I’m sure Mia doesn’t need to hear the entire history of her podcast. Now, where are Mum and Dad?”
“They’re upstairs. Dad’s helping Mum get dressed. She wanted to put on something nice to meet Mia.”
“Bad day?”
“She didn’t sleep well last night. Her legs were bothering her.”
Oscar turned to Mia. “Our mum has MS.”
“Xander mentioned that. I’m so sorry.” Mia was struggling to keep up—clearly Xander had told his family about her since Oscar knew who she was without an introduction and Freya had taken to conducting a forensic investigation aboutNot So Fast.
“Probably not a good time to talk to Dad about your house, Oscar,” Xander said.
Oscar grumbled. “No big surprise there. It’s on perpetual delay.”
“Dad’s focused on caring for Mum. You’ve got to be patient,” Freya added.
“I’ll find a time, O. I promise.” Xander’s voice carried a familiar tone of stress and strain. Clearly, his family meant a lot to him, but Mia knew from experience there was a price for that closeness.
“Oscar just wants a place to shag his girlfriend in peace,” Freya said.
“I love her, Freya. But thanks for saying that in front of Xan’s girlfriend,” Oscar countered.
Freya shrugged. “I just want her to feel like she’s part of the family. Now, let’s get dinner out of the oven.” She flitted off toward the back of the house with Oscar in her wake.
Xander looked at Mia with kind eyes. “I’m sorry. I know that was a lot.”
“No. No. It’s okay. She seems awesome. They’re both great.”
“Thank you for tonight. It didn’t seem right that you’d spend all this time with me and not meet them.” He reached down and took Mia’s hand, wrapping her fingers in his. She realized this was the first time he’d ever done that while they were in the presence of other people. He even squeezed it a little tighter as they stepped into the kitchen. And he didn’t let go.
“Mia, are you going to be at Silverstone?” Freya asked as she set water glasses on the table.
