A Chance

"Here is what is going to happen. Option one is that Barrett is going to convince me in detail about this misunderstanding and the level of his devotion to Mia and I may let him see her. Or tomorrow, Mia, the twins, and I will board my jet to Niveo where in thirty days according to Niveo law, Mia will be my wife. Making her royalty in Niveo and her children my royal heirs. As in he will never see any of them again.

Nicholas looked Barrett in the eye with an icy stare. "Convince me, Barrett..."

Timothy stared at Nicholas wondering why this man would give him a chance when Mia would not. What did he get from it? Tim understood that Nick was in love with his wife so why would he give up the easy win he had been given?

"Why, you have already won. I know how you feel about my wife so why?" Tim asked with a raspy voice.

Nicholas sighed heavily. "I care more about Mia's happiness than my own. I could take her away from here and we would be all right. Maybe in time we could have something real. However, if there is a chance that it was a misunderstanding. If she loves you and would truly be happier here with you. Then I need to know that too. No one should lose the person they love, especially if it's preventable. It is unbearable." Nick stared at Tim daring him to comment.

Tim started speaking, explaining in excruciating detail what had happened, what Mia had seen and what had happened after Mia ran. Timothy explained everything about his involvement with Luna and what the woman wanted. He talked about Asher attacking Ginger at the school and Luna's constant attempts to get rid of Mia and Ginger. Timothy told him that it was only by luck that she hadn't found out about Sage, or she might've gone straight to violence.

Tim told Nicholas why he had put a tracking chip on Ginger fearing that Mia would run, and he would lose them all again. That Mia had a long history of running when she got upset whether warranted or not. This terrified Tim so he never told her about it.

"Why should I give you a chance to fix this with her?" Nick inquired when Tim stopped speaking.

"Mia is my wife, those are my children, she is pregnant with my child." Tim said quickly.

"Not good enough." Nicholas told him bluntly.

"I just told her I love her." Tim sighed.

"Why doesn't she believe you? She thought you said it for a ploy, why? Nick was trying to figure Timothy out.

"Because I have withheld those words like a bastard. I couldn't make myself say them. They have been true for a long time, but I couldn't say it. I have let her believe that I didn't love her for my own selfish needs, and it has hurt her. I knew it was hurting her, but I did it anyway. I told myself that her knowing I cared for her was enough, but it never was." Tim scoffed at his own foolishness. He looked at Nicholas waiting for his judgement. Jason sighed beside him frowning at Timothy. Caleb sat back and crossed his legs at the ankles, his expression carefully neutral.

"You don't deserve her love but it's not up to me. Do you have any idea what I would do to be the man Mia loves?" Nicholas grimaced. "She is upstairs, last door on the right. Don't doubt me, Barrett, if you can't convince her I will take her to a place where she can finally be free of you." Nicholas leaned forward and poured the two other men and himself another round.

Tim stood unable to say anything to Nicholas but thankful for the chance to speak privately with his wife. He walked across the veranda and entered the house through a set of arched double doors. He was in an expansive sitting room. The room felt cold, devoid of any life, but he knew that Nick and Rachel lived at the hospital. Tim saw the stairs and climbed them slowly and quietly. He found himself in a long hallway.

Halfway down the hall on the left a door was slightly ajar and the sounds of children playing drifted out. Tim snuck a glance and saw Ginger and Sage sitting on the floor amid a mess of toys. It was obvious that at least Ginger had been here before as she had dolls and a dollhouse in front of her. Sage was building something complex with blocks. Tim crept past not wanting his children to alert Mia to his presence.

Timothy found the door at the end of the hall on the right and carefully tried the knob. It wasn't locked so he opened it and quietly slipped inside before shutting the door. Mia was sitting on the edge of a king size four poster bed with her back to him. Her elbows were on her knees and her head was in her hands. Timothy walked slowly toward her trying to figure out where to start. A board creaked and she looked back at him in the dim room.

"Timothy, what are you doing in here?" Then Mia panicked. "The children..." She certainly had a low opinion of him.

"Mia the children are fine. I just saw them down the hall. They are playing and I didn't disturb them." Timothy cajoled her.

"Where is Nicholas? Why are you here?" Mia was frantic.

"Nicholas is fine he is talking with Jason and Caleb cordially. He thought we should talk." Tim tried.

"That makes no sense." Mia wasn't having it.

"Nick wants you to be happy. He let me explain things to him. He said I could have this one chance to explain things to you before you leave." Tim told her stepping a couple of steps closer. They were about ten feet apart now. Mia stood with her hand to her throat eyeing him with mistrust.

"We have nothing to talk about." Mia said sharply.

"Yes, we do. I need you to let me explain Mia. Just let me tell you what happened and if you still want me gone, I'll leave you alone." Tim would never leave her alone, but she could hate him for that later now he needed her to listen. Tim held his hands up placatingly.

"Fine, talk so you can leave." Mia crossed her arms over her chest looking down and Tim took a step forward.

Tim explained about what he had done all morning and when Luna showed up. He told her about how she was acting and what she was wearing. Tim told her about Luna's weird behavior with her phone and then how she tossed her underwear on the floor. Tim told Mia about Luna jumping him right before she had walked in and how she had moved his hand to rest on her ass. Then throwing her arms around him and kissing him.

Tim told Mia how the second Mia had run out Luna had gotten up and gloated about getting rid of Mia and Ginger. That Luna felt she had finally won. Timothy told Mia that he knew it looked awful but it was all a trick to get rid of Mia and Ginger so Asher would inherit Barrett Group.

"You expect me to believe all this?" Mia asked icily.

"Mia it is the truth. I can't live without you. I would never do anything to risk us." Tim said taking two steps forward.

"You say things like that, but it doesn't mean anything. Maybe you have some care for me but it's not enough for me to trust you and stay with you." Mia scoffed with hurt frustration.

"Baby, I love you. I'm sorry I couldn't say the words before. I have never said those words to anyone before today." Mia glanced up at him for the first time.

Mia opened her mouth to speak but then closed her mouth looking for the right words. Tim took another step forward.

"I have been in love with you for a very long time, Mia. I could never admit it to myself. Love was a farce and if it did exist then in my mind, it would make me weak. But you moved into my heart anyway and I could not get you out. I fought against it back before the twins were born but you were there despite everything. All I wanted was you, Mia. I have loved you for so long and I am so sorry I didn't tell you. I thought I could protect myself from weakness if I didn't say the words. But loving you makes me stronger and better. I am so sorry that you have ever had to doubt me." Tim took two more steps bringing him less than two feet from Mia.

"Please baby, I could never do what you think I did. I can't see any woman but you. Please?" Tim reached out a hand and pulled Mia closer to him. She didn't resist. He tipped her face up with a finger seeing the tears that ran down her cheeks.

Timothy pulled Mia into his arms rocking her gently as she processed the pain of today through her silent crying. "Shh... baby. It will be alright. I swear. Everything will be fine. I am here and I got you. We're alright. We will be all right."

Tim continued to rock Mia. He knew she had one hell of a day and she needed to get this out of her system. He had come so close to not even getting to explain what happened.

"Mia say something, sweetheart." Tim implored her. She still hadn't spoken since his declaration of love.

"Are you really in love with me?" Mia asked quietly.

"Without a doubt. You are my life. Without you and our children I am nothing." Tim replied.

"You didn't touch Luna?" Mia spat her name viciously.

"No, absolutely not. Even if you didn't exist, I wouldn't touch Luna. She is foul." Tim told his wife adamantly.

"I have you. I will never need anything else for the rest of my life. Our marriage is sacred to me, Mia. You are the only woman I have ever wanted to be intimate with and you are the only woman I have ever touched. I am proud of the fact that only you know me in this way." Tim told her his voice earnest.

"If you hadn't run, we could have cleared this up quickly. Luna could fake the situation, but she couldn't fake my response to her." Tim said sadly.

"What do you mean?" Mia asked, not sure where Tim was going with his statement.

"If Luna and I had been that close to sex, shouldn't I have been aroused? Because I had absolutely no reaction at all. I could have proven easily that it was a trick." Tim said with certainty.

"I don't know if that would have proven it, but it would have helped." Mia looked up at Timothy. "Luna must be dealt with. She is too dangerous to let run amok."

"I agree completely. We need to make a plan in the coming days." Tim said. Mia nodded. "There are a few things that need to happen first, but she will be dealt with. She will pay for what she nearly caused."