Chapter 1715:

🍙 🍙 🍙 🍙 🍙

“Please, be patient. Your health means a lot to me.”

Rowland couldn’t do much for his fiancée beyond trailing after her, nudging her to look after herself.

Mia, though, lived by her own rules. If she liked what he said, she’d toss him a quick nod. Otherwise, she’d brush him off without a second thought.

What was he supposed to do? She was his girl—he had no choice but to let her do her thing.

“Got it!”

Even with Mia’s chipper reply, Rowland’s nerves didn’t settle. His tone softened as he said, “Hand the phone to Nola.”

“Your brother’s on the line for you!” Mia handed the phone to Naomi.

Naomi set her work aside and grabbed the phone. “Hey, what’s up?”

“When you two head out, keep an eye on Mia. Make sure she eats—her stomach’s been off today. If she starts feeling worse, don’t ignore it. And if you’re too swamped to watch her, call me. I’ll go get her.”

Naomi grinned, unable to resist a jab. “Wow, brother of mine, I’m your real sister. How come you never fuss over me like this?”

Rowland let out a sigh. “Mia mentioned some young guy at your studio who’s eager to look after you. I’d hate to step on his toes.”

“What young guy? Stop making stuff up. Killian’s just a friend.”

“Oh, so he’s got a name—Killian!”

“I’m done with you. Go back to hovering over Mia. I’ve got work to do.”

“Alright.”

Mia took the phone back, squinting with a little laugh. “See? Nola won’t admit it, but I’d bet anything Killian’s into her. Rowan, should we dig into this Killian guy? Just to be sure?”

“Nola’s got a good head on her shoulders—she can handle herself. I’m not worried about her. You, on the other hand…”

Unforgettable stories on gⱯlnσν𝓮𝓁s․ço𝗺

“Me? What’s there to worry about? I’m stuck here with nowhere to go! You even snagged my passport.” Mia couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

Word had reached Rowland that Calvin was heading back to Freedonia and wanted to meet Mia before she flew back home with him. The second they landed, he had tucked her passport out of sight. She had asked for it multiple times, but he didn’t budge.

“So, if I hadn’t taken it, would you have gone to see Calvin?”

“Why would I? He just sees me as a buddy. You don’t need to get all worked up.”

“Then let’s tie the knot soon, and I can stop stressing.”

Mia chuckled. “I’m off to check out the art show with Nola now. Catch you later!”

“But—I—” Rowland was unable to continue because the call was ended. Every time he brought up marriage, Mia danced around it. Could anyone blame him for feeling a little shaky?

Mia hung up and darted off to look for Naomi. As she got closer, she caught snippets of Naomi chatting with her staff about the exhibition.

“Heavy rain’s rolling in today. Moving the artwork’s gonna be a hassle,” one of her employees said.

Naomi mulled it over for a second before deciding, “Alright, I’ll drive over and help the staff haul the paintings. If anything goes wrong, I’ll be there to sort it out.”

“But there’s a storm brewing! This place gets slammed with thunderstorms,” another voice rang out.

Noticing Naomi wavering, Mia jumped in fast. “Then I’ll go! Nola, you stay here and handle things. I’ll drive over and pitch in. Freedonia gets tons of rain—I can handle a stormy drive!”

“No chance. If anything happens to you, my brother will have my head!”

.

.

.