Meg looked weary, so Mick left for her to rest. His brown eyes were turning green the more he thought of Trish with Jonathan. The two had a shared history, but Mick kept hoping it was a hindrance not a benefit.

He should text her, but as he drove home, he called her to firm up their plans for coffee. Not expecting her to answer, he smiled when she did. Her voice cracked when she said, "Hey."

"Hey, yourself. Are you okay?"

"No, not really."

Mick kicked into his fixer mode. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Why are men so stupid?"

"I don't know." He didn't have a good argument. Tyler had been stupid. Mick had been with Candy.

His heart broke as he heard her sobs. Pulling into a parking lot, he changed directions and drove towards her apartment. Her sobbing continued, and he stayed on the line. It took him a while to find a parking spot, and he had to walk up the street to her building.

When he pressed her buzzer, she cried, "Why is he here? I don't want to talk to him."

"It's me. I'm outside."

"You. You are?"

"Let me in, please."

The door released, and he shifted his feet as he waited for the elevator. The stairs might have been faster.

On her floor, he rapped quietly at her door. She opened it, and even with red eyes and a snotty nose, she looked beautiful. He pulled her into his embrace and held her.

"Tell Uncle Mick all about it."

She pounded on his chest. "Don't joke."

"Sorry. What did he do?"

She took a tissue and blew her nose. Mick's shirt was damp, but he didn't care.

"We were having a nice time. It's so hard to talk, but we found safe subjects. We had great pizza and ice cream."

He nodded. "Chocolate." Her eyes grew wide. "You have some on your nose." He reached up to wipe it off as pink painted across her cheeks like a sunset paints the sky.

"Everything was fine until he answered his phone."

"He what? Oh no, it was him."

She nodded. "He wanted to talk to me, but I just couldn't. Why doesn't Jonathan understand why I can't?"

"I don't know. I remember when Meg hurt Tyler. It was nothing like divorce, but it hurt him to see her." He dealt with it by screwing around.

"Have you had a nasty breakup?"

"No, I avoided dating for years."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "Probably my parents. I want the real thing though."

"It doesn't last."

Mick shook his head. "Yours didn't, but they do." He could name couples. "I know you loved him, but he was selfish. I would have put your dream first."

"It was hard. I know, but then he blamed me. He kept our apartment, and I moved out."

"He cheated, and you moved out? He is a bastard."

"Why does it hurt so much?"

Mick shrugged. "You know more about wounds than me. Some take a long time to heal." He cleared his throat. "I saw a friend today who survived a divorce. She's engaged."

Trish looked up at him with her emerald pools. "Was it awful? Did he cheat on her?"

"I don't know the details, but she had counseling. I could ask, if you, um, want?"

Trish shrugged. "I don't know."

He pulled her into a hug. "I just want you to be happy."

"I have to stop spending time with Jonathan. He reminds me."

"I can't understand why your ex would have blown it with you."

"I'm not worth it."

Mick opened and closed his mouth. Instead of calling him a bastard, he said, "You are more than worth it."

She looked up at him, and he stared at her. He wanted to kiss her, but she looked down.

"Good thing you only want to be friends since I'm an emotional wreck."

Shocked, Mick shook his head. "That was your idea. In retrospect, I'm glad that we kept it friendly over Christmas."

She looked at him. "What?"

Mick shook his head. "I'll wait until you're ready, but I've been attracted to you since the moment I found out you weren't jailbait."

She pushed on his shoulder. "You have not. Don't tease me while I'm fragile."

"I'm not teasing. Attraction isn't the right word. Finding you again is a dream come true."

"What dream?" Her eyes were wide.

"You aren't ready, but I promise you it's a perfect dream."

She shook her head. "I don't trust you."

"I know. That's why you aren't ready. Eli joked that counseling and a great guy healed Leigh. I'm a great guy."

"It's not you. I'll never give my heart away."

"Never is a long time. I think it'll be worth the wait."

"You must want a Candy."

He shook his head. "We've been over my mistake. I want you. If you are interested before your heart is ready, I'm open to that discussion."

"Before, um." She swallowed hard.

He smiled. "I'll stick to hugging you and massaging your feet. For now."

A tear fell down her cheek. "I don't deserve you."

He shook his head. "I disagree. We all have our own shit. Your husband stopped loving you and my mother never loved me."

"What? That can't be true."

Mick nodded. "I grew up with no affection from her."

"What about your father?"

Mick nodded. "When he wasn't working, but it was never enough to make up for being rejected by my mother."

Trish's face was pale and tears fell on her cheeks. "I can't believe it."

"Ask Hunter."

She shook her head. "I believe you. It's horrendous. Do you know why?" He shook his head. "What does she say when you ask her?"

"She denies it and talks about what she did for me."

"Like what?"

"She fed me. Drove me to school. I had nannies who loved me more."

"No wonder they have an awful marriage. Your father was probably afraid she would get custody."

Mick shook his head. "I'm not a minor. It's about money and a prenup."

"We were poor, we didn't need a prenup. I got to keep my school debt."

He put his arm around her and kissed her forehead. "Maybe it was so we could find each other."

She shifted her mouth to the side. "I was thinking about what if I went to Harvard? Maybe I would have met you."

"Your ex wouldn't have gone with you?"

She shook her head. "He didn't get accepted to any Boston schools."

Mick smiled. "You wouldn't have liked me back then, but you like me now, right?"

She smiled. "You are the one I want to like."

"I was jealous today."

Trish shook her head. "I would never. That's too weird."

Mick nuzzled into her neck. "Maybe I can get you to forget him."

She giggled. "I want to."

He moved away afraid to push her. Revealing his intentions was the first step. "Are you hungry or did you eat too much ice cream and pizza?"

She smiled. "You listen to everything I say."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Some men don't."

"I'm not like that."

"Thanks for cheering me up."

He gazed into her eyes. "I'd do anything for you."

She winked. "I walked a lot today."

Mick laughed. "I don't mind. I enjoy massaging your feet."

He sat on the sofa and patted his thigh. Trish sat with her back to the throw pillow lying against the armrest. She put her feet on his lap and he ran a finger down her sole, surprised she wasn't ticklish.

She shut her eyes. "You do a great job. You're polite." She gasped, as if trying to eat her words.

"Polite? What's a polite massage? Not commenting about your sweaty, stinky feet."

She laughed. "My feet don't stink. Do they?"

He laughed along with her as he shook his head. Kneading her feet as they warmed his thighs and the sound of her laughter caused a stiffening. It would be tantalizing if he could press her foot into his hardening dick.

"Is impolite the best way to describe what I'm imagining? A foot massage is the precursor to a very good time." He moved his hand onto her calf and massaged it gently. "Are you interested?"

"You are a tease! Tempting, but it's a horrible idea."

"I disagree. One night with me and you might just forget his name."

"Whose name?" She groaned as he rubbed her foot.

"Jonathan's brother."

"Oh, him." Her face didn't pull off her teasing tone.

"Maybe we should test it out?"

"What out?" Her eyes grew wide.

He squeezed her toes gently. "My ability to rid you of him."

"I'm not having sex with you."

"Don't make it sound so awful, but I didn't mean sex although with me it would have another more meaningful name." He sounded cocky to himself. "How about one kiss to test our chemistry?" He already had a biological reaction in his jeans.

She bit her lip, and he smiled. At least she was thinking about it. He took in her perfect skin. She was beautiful without makeup. Her tears didn't create black smudges under her eyes. Tyler had told him Poppy didn't need makeup. Both women were from small towns, and he knew Poppy would like Trish. Mick wanted everyone in his life to meet her.

"Just one. I promise to be polite." He smiled sweetly showing off his perfect teeth. His orthodontist appointments were awful. His mother complained about having to take him and served chewy foods, like steak, for dinner when his teeth hurt.

Trish laughed. "Polite. You are using my words."

He moved his hand back to her shapely calf. "Tell me you don't want to taste my lips, because I have wanted to taste yours since I watched you sip your drink by the pool."

"You didn't!" She pulled her legs back.

Mick wanted to know what she was thinking as her eyes gazed at his lips.

Mick is moving in. Thanks for voting ⭐️