Coming Home by Leeanna Morgan

Author:Leeanna Morgan [Morgan, Leeanna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: small town bride art friendship, auction gala gallery literature, father single parent daughter, heartwarming mystery, clean wholesome love romance, montana family second chances
Publisher: Rogan Press
Published: 2017-09-10T18:30:00+00:00

***

“Stan left in a hurry.” Nick sat at the kitchen table. Silence stretched between them like a sticky web, catching Mia in a tight cocoon until she couldn’t breathe.

“You are very quiet. Is everything all right?”

Mia blinked back her tears. Her granddad didn’t need to see her cry, no one did. She only had herself to blame for tonight. “Annabelle enjoyed herself.”

“She asked some excellent questions. Her mind is sharp, always questioning what she sees. I like that.”

“She’s a great kid.”

Nick nodded. “She has a good father. Stan is a patient man, maybe too patient.”

Mia wiped her eyes. “What do you mean?”

When Nick didn’t reply, she searched his troubled face. “You don’t need to worry about me, granddad.”

“I will always worry about you. I am your pappouli. You are the reason I am glad to be alive on this beautiful planet.”

Mia reached across the table and held her granddad’s hand. “I love you, too.”

Nick’s blue eyes filled with tears. “Sometimes I wonder what our lives would have been like if your mom and dad hadn’t died. We would not have had the same bond.”

Mia couldn’t do anything other than nod. Before she started living with him, he’d almost been a stranger. His Greek ways were as foreign to her as Vegemite on toast. He was eccentric, loud, and emotional—everything her parents weren’t.

“I’m sorry, granddad.”

“What for?”

The scar on her hand burned deep. She’d been holding onto her guilt for so long that it had become part of her nature, part of who she would always be. It was her fault that her parents had died. Her fault that Nick’s life had turned upside down.

“You changed your life for me. You could have gone anywhere, done anything, but you stayed in New York while I finished school.”

“It wasn’t such a hardship.” His smile made Mia’s eyes fill with more tears. “I had good friends, my gallery was considered one of the best in the city, and I had you. That is more than I ever thought I would have, Mia. When you are ready to tell me what is worrying you, I will be here.”

Mia swallowed the lump in her throat. “Thank you.”

Nick’s wide hand patted hers. “It is okay to talk about how you feel.”

It wasn’t okay and it never would be. If her grandfather knew the reason why her parents had been driving at midnight, he would be devastated. She had ruined everyone’s life in one stupid act of independence and it wouldn’t happen again.

Nick rose from the table. “I need a strong, hot, Greek coffee. Would you like to join me, Mia?”

“I’d like that very much.”

With a gentle smile, Nick took a Greek coffeepot out of the cupboard and filled it with water. “Always remember that you are loved. We can work through anything that comes our way.”

Mia hoped he was right, because one day, she would have to tell him the truth.

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