I wasn’t certain I knew what unleashing a psycho badass, motherfucking commando entailed.

I was certain we needed to see to Billy.

So I turned into Mitch, put my hand on his chest and whispered, “Honey, we really do need to see to Bud.”

Mitch scowled at Elvira a second then his arm around me gave me a squeeze, he looked down at me and murmured, “Right.”

I leaned further into him and murmured back, “Right.”

“We done here?” Elvira asked and Mitch and I looked at her.

“We’re done,” Mitch answered, moving both of us toward her at the door.

“Thanks, Elvira,” I said as she opened it.

“No skin off my nose. Ain’t me gonna make those ‘ho’s run for their lives on their stripper shoes, it’s Hawk,” she muttered, sticking her head out the door but doing it performing a side-to-side scan like she, too, was a commando checking that the coast was clear. Then she looked back at me, “Though, wouldn’t mind bein’ in on that operation.”

I grinned.

Elvira grinned back then forged across the breezeway.

Obviously, the coast was clear.

“Baby,” Mitch called softly as he guided us into the breezeway.

I looked up at him to see he was looking down at me.

“The time to talk with Billy is now. He’s tired but I don’t want him in bed stewin’ on this shit. I want him in bed breathin’ easy.”

I nodded my agreement.

Mitch wasn’t done.

“I’m gonna lead the discussion. You trust me with that?”

Like he had to ask.

“Of course,” I answered.

“Good,” he muttered, his eyes leaving me and going straight as we neared Derek and LaTanya’s door.

“Mitch,” I called, slowing and in doing so, he slowed too.

“Yeah?” he asked looking back down at me.

My arm around him gave him a squeeze.

“Best day ever, baby,” I whispered.

I watched the preoccupation shift from his eyes as they lit with that light I’d been seeing all day.

Then he repeated, not in a question, “Yeah.”

Then he guided us into Derek and LaTanya’s apartment so we could get our kids.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Men Don’t Have Moments

We got the kids home, leaving Elvira behind to give the scoop to Derek, LaTanya, Bray and Brent. I struggled with Billie’s loose limbs and dead weight body getting her out of her clothes, into her PJs and tucked into bed with her pink teddy while Mitch got Billy into the bathroom to change and brush his teeth.

Mitch was pouring me a glass of wine while I lit candles when we heard Billy come out of bathroom.

My eyes went to Mitch to see his on me then, his eyes not leaving me, he called, “Bud, come into the livin’ room for a minute, yeah?”

I finished with the candle as Mitch moved out of the kitchen with my glass and a bottle of beer for him. Billy appeared in his loose shorts and tee at the mouth to the hall.

Mitch stopped on his way to my new, super-awesome couch (and yes, I got the one from Penny’s window, I asked for it and she felt it agreed with her “vision” so there it was, in my living room).

“I know you’re tired, Bud, but we gotta talk about something before you hit the sack. You cool with that?”

Billy, his head tipped back, his eyes on Mitch, again looking fifty, hesitated a moment before he nodded.

“Couch,” Mitch ordered softly.

Billy nodded again and both he and Mitch moved.

I went to the couch. Mitch arrived first and handed me my glass. Then he tilted his head to the couch. I sat. Mitch took a tug off his beer, put it on the coffee table then sat next to me but he left a couple of feet of space between us. Billy came around the couch while I took a sip of my wine and he stopped, appearing uncertain.

Mitch wasn’t.

“Sit here, Bud, between Mara and me.”

Billy’s shoulders shifted strangely then he walked to us and sat in the small space between Mitch and me. Instantly, I turned my body into his, crossed my legs and took his hand in my free one.

Billy’s head dropped and he looked at our hands. I gave his a squeeze and his eyes lifted to mine. That was when I gave him a small smile.

He didn’t return it. He was worried, my sweet Billy.

Mitch lifted both his legs, deposited his boots on my coffee table but he did this at a slight angle effectively boxing Billy in.

No.

Cocooning him in a physical nest of care and family.

God. Seriously. I loved Mitch Lawson. I loved him anyway but I loved him enough that when he was cocooning Billy with me in a nest of safety, I wasn’t going to give him stick for putting his boots on my new coffee table.

Billy’s eyes went to Mitch’s legs.

He didn’t miss it either, then again, Billy rarely missed anything.

“Right, look at me, Bud,” Mitch ordered gently. Billy’s head came up and his neck twisted so he could give Mitch his eyes. Mitch didn’t delay. “There’s some things you need to know. The most important of those things is that I’ve fallen in love with Mara.”

My lips parted and I was pretty sure my eyes bugged out.

Well, this wasn’t where I expected him to go. I didn’t mind it. I just didn’t expect it.

At all.

Mitch kept talking.

“She feels the same for me.”

I blinked then looked down to see Billy’s head had swung toward me. I closed my mouth so I could use it to smile and squeezed his hand again.

Mitch kept going and Billy looked back at him.

“The man who gets Mara gets you and Billie. I’m that man. What you gotta get is, while fallin’ in love with Mara, I fell in love with you and your sister. Straight up, Bud, no lie. The feelings I feel for Mara are hers, the feelings I feel for Billie are hers and the feelings I feel for you are yours. You all have my love, not collectively, individually. Do you understand me?”

“I…” Billy whispered, then finished softly, “no.”

Mitch nodded. “Right. What I mean is, I didn’t fall in love with you all as a whole. I fell in love with each of you because of who you are. I don’t care about you because you come with Mara. I care about you because you’re a good kid. You’re smart. You’re loyal. And you love and look out for your sister and Mara. I know grown men who do not have a character as fine as yours. Those are the reasons I love you. There are different reasons I love Billie. And there are different reasons I love Mara. Today, what we had together was good. But the feelings I feel for you aren’t feelings I have to have in order to have Mara. They’re feelings you earned. Now, you with me?”