Chapter 569: Us

Mills patted the side of her bed, and Drax crawled in beside her. He gently brushed his fingers over the bandage on her wound, while she kept her eyes closed. They did not exchange words, because it would have ruined the moment for them, but as life would have it, a nurse came to administer antibiotics. The woman seemed unfazed by the intimate display, and after injecting the substance into Mills' drip, she left.

"I am sorry," Drax said, making Mills' eyes flash open. She accepted his apology, and closed them again. "What about you?" Mills shrugged, and Drax propped his head on one of his elbows. "What about you?" he asked again.

"What about me?" Mills whispered out. She kept her eyes closed, breathing steadily as if she were falling asleep.

"Do you really need me to tell you?" The woman nodded and Drax answered her with the name of her ex-girlfriend.

"Oh, her? She broke up with me," Mills said calmly, and Drax's mouth hung open.

"Mills, you started a new relationship without even breaking up with me first. You can't not see that as a problem." Mills opened her eyes.

"Do you want me to tell you what you've done?" Drax stiffened. He had not slept with anyone, but he came close more times than he wanted to admit. "I didn't think so." The man was quiet as he watched the woman close her eyes and snuggle up to him.

"Does this mean you are giving me another chance?" Mills shook her head, and Drax felt his heart drop down into his stomach.

"I'm giving 'us' another chance." Without really thinking Drax kissed Mills with enough passion to make up for all the time he had been without her, but he suddenly stopped, remembering her hurtful words at the hospital.

"Was it really for the best?" Drax did not want to ask, but needed to hear Mills' response.

"Yes, but not for the reasons I said." Mills cupped Drax's face, kissing him before she responded. "It was for the best because we were not ready."

"Will we ever be ready?" The woman nodded, and Drax hugged her tightly. "No more hiding things from one another. No matter how big or small, let's tell each other everything." Mills smiled as she took Drax's hand into hers and slipped a ring onto his finger. His heart thumped as he noticed the ring perfectly matched the one he had gotten for her, except it was for men.

"From the moment I met you, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I have already lost you, and I never want to lose you again." Drax felt wetness on his face. Mills remembered what he said, and now he understood why she cried when he proposed to her. He smiled as she kissed his tears away. "Drax… Will you marry me?"

----

Mina could walk, but after Doctor Witt saw her limping, he insisted that she use a wheelchair to get to Mills' room. Mina did not mind the man pushing her around, but she was constantly weary of giving him the wrong impression. He had told her many times that he did not need further clarification, but he did not stop complimenting her any chance he got.

When they stood outside of Mills' room, Mina gestured for the man to stop. Although she knew it was wrong, she listened into the conversation between Drax and Mills. They were barely speaking at a whisper and she had to stand to get a closer listen to the pair.

As soon as Drax said yes to Mills' proposal, Mina screamed in glee. She limped into the room sobbing in delight as she laid over the man and woman hugging them tightly to her. When she saw Drax with red eyes, she cried even harder, and Doctor Witt wondered aloud if he should call for a nurse to sedate her.

"I am so happy you are back together. I cannot wait to meet Little Drill, Max and Ida."

"Who?" Asked President Lee, who had somehow found his way into the room.

Mina ignored the man and snuggled into the laughing pair, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders that she had not known was there. She, in a lot of ways, felt guilty as the cause of Drax and Mills' relationship problems. She believed that if they had never come to visit the Lee mansion for her birthday, they would not have gone to Bal, they would not have gotten engaged, Lydia would not have been able to hurt Mills' feelings, and so on.

Hearing president Lee clear his throat, Mina rolled off the bed and wiped her face. Drax extended his hand to her and she made a show, gushing over the ring he wore on his finger. She kept complimenting the man the way women did in movies, and Drax played along making Mills laugh loudly, which was good to hear.

"It must have been so expensive," Mina said dramatically, but Mills had a reaction to the joke that pulled Drax's attention back toward her.

"How much was it?" Mills shifted uncomfortably. "Did Mina buy my ring?" Drax asked in mock indignation.

"No, she did not." Drax shifted, and lifted Mills' chin so she would look him in the eye. "Melony?"

"What? No. That's a murderable offense."

"Mills..."

"I didn't pay for it." Drax's head jerked back, and Mina tried to skip out of the room, but President Lee grabbed her arm and held her still.

"Mina?"

"President Lee?" The man narrowed his eyes, and Mina turned to see Drax staring at her as Mills covered her face in guilt. "Okay, but before you two freak out, it is not as bad as it seems." Mina told the men the story and even Doctor Witt had a reaction to it.

"You two robbed a jewelry store?" President Lee asked.

"No. We pretended to rob it, and in exchange for us showing him everything that was wrong with his store, the owner offered to make Mills a custom ring."

"Why would anyone do that?" Mina stayed quiet, which gave Drax all the information he needed to know.

"Who was he trying to impress?" Drax asked with a sly smile.

"He recognized Mina," Mills replied.

"President Lee, before you go marching me into the store to pay for the ring, please take pity on the poor." Ian rubbed his face.

"Do you ladies know that he could have been using you to pull an insurance scam?" Mina tried to bolt, but President Lee's grip was tight. "Mina you didn't."

----

Cala sat in a conspicuously inconspicuous corner of the room and waited for someone to approach. The first person to talk to her was Adir Staton, but he was not the man she wanted. Genuinely feeling put off, and unsure where Milo had gone, Cala drank one glass of champagne too many and that seemed to be the magic she needed to make Cade appear.

"Milo will be back soon. He had a small emergency to attend to." Cala flashed a tight smile.

"I am sure he did." She purposefully stumbled, and when Cade reached out to study her, she asked the man to take her to her room. He, of course, obliged, and once inside, Cala pretended to be too drunk to know what she was saying. "I wonder what man it is this time." Cade looked confused, but he did not immediately leave which was a win for her.

"What do you mean?"

"I think Milo is interested in men. I overheard him talking to your sister. I am sure she has been helping him meet people." Cade blanched. He knew Fiori was a meddler, but that was going too far.

"Are you sure?"

"No, but…" Cala paused for effect. "I just thought Milo was shy and conservative, but now I think I am not his type." The woman sighed. "I know my father wants me to marry Milo, but I cannot imagine a marriage without intimacy. Anyway, sorry to put this on you." Cala started to undress, but Cade stopped her.

"I am not like Milo," he warned, and Cala's face turned red.