“Jesus, Merry,” Mike murmured.

“And I know when I found out she had trouble, that shit started eating at me instantly. Eating at me like shit would eat at me if I knew my sister had trouble. My dad. You. I wasn’t concerned about a friend. I was all in instantly.”

Mike sat there, mouth shut, continuing to study him.

So Garrett gave him more.

“I also know shit is done with Mia, not just because she’s engaged to another man but also because I’ve had time to think on things and I know now she was not the woman I needed in my life—not back then, not in the years we’ve been divorced, not now. She’s not strong enough to handle my shit. She doesn’t have the tools and she doesn’t have it in her to find them. Might be wrong, but my take is Cher was born with those tools. But now, Mia wants to dump her man and try it again with me. I shut that down.”

Mike’s eyes slightly widened.

“Holy fuck,” he whispered.

“Yeah. It’s over with her because I got nothin’ left for her, man. I dug deep, but it’s just not there. And now I’m starting something with Cher and that’s all that’s in my head. Doin’ that right. The way it started officially was fucked up, me gettin’ hammered because of Mia. But the way we really started was totally fuckin’ right, bein’ friends and layin’ that foundation so now we’ll have a mind to each other as we take this shot.”

Mike gave it a beat before he remarked, “This gets to Colt, you better have this speech down, Merry, because if he thinks you’re not in this for the reasons you just gave me, then he’s gonna lose his mind.”

“Colt knows about the hookup and I’ll explain shit now. I’ll do it once, Mike. He doesn’t know the man I am or the feelings I had for Cher even before this happened and know I’ll have a care, then we got problems.”

Mike nodded, muttering, “I’ll take your back on that, brother.”

Garrett didn’t reply. He grabbed his coffee and took a sip.

“Now, the good stuff done, what’s got you pissed?” Mike asked.

“You know if Colt gets any assholes up in his shit, writin’ books or anything else to do with Denny Lowe?” Garrett asked back.

Mike straightened. “He and Feb used to. Think that’s died down.” His head tipped to the side. “Cher still got issues with that?”

“Former FBI profiler walked right up to her door an hour ago, offerin’ her a grand to have a chat so he can write a book.”

Mike’s mouth went hard again.

“What a fuckin’ dick,” he clipped.

“It happens to her, Mike. Not frequent, according to her, not anymore. But it still happens. Phone calls and visits.”

“She shut him down?” Mike asked.

“She started, I finished. But she’s open to that. Wide open. She refused this guy’s calls and he still showed. That ain’t right for her, but she’s got Ethan. She said he doesn’t open the door to that, but it could happen. And that really isn’t right.”