That was all mine.

Forty whole hours, that had been mine.

And I hadn’t fucked it up.

A record.

A record I was going to keep breaking.

Maybe for eternity.

* * * * *

Garrett

Garrett’s phone started ringing before he let himself in his apartment after taking Cher out to lunch at Frank’s, going back to her place and hanging on her couch (mostly making out) until her kid got home, then hanging with Ethan and her until she had to start getting ready for work.

He left her to it.

That didn’t mean he wasn’t hitting J&J’s later that night for a drink.

He pulled his phone out on that thought, doing it smiling.

He took the call still smiling.

“Yo, Rocky,” he greeted his sister.

“So, let me see,” she said in his ear. “Swank’s Thursday night. A freaking Bulldogs game on Friday. Frank’s four hours ago.”

He tossed his keys on the bar and started to shrug out of his jacket. “Apparently, ’burg’s buzzing.”

“‘Buzzing’ is not the word for it. They haven’t had anything this juicy since…” she trailed off, probably trying to think about when they’d had something that juicy.

But he already knew. “Since you and Tanner sorted your shit.”

“Well, really, since Dusty got shot by that kid, but that isn’t the good kind of juicy that this is,” she replied, but her voice turned hesitant when she asked, “It is, isn’t it, Merry? You and Cher, it’s the good kind of juicy, right?”

“I like her, honey,” he shared. “Like her, her kid is great. So yeah, it’s the good kind of juicy.”

She was silent a moment before she said, “I’m glad.” More hesitant when she asked, “Mia?”

“Mia’s done.”

Even though he gave her that firm, he knew she was chewing on it because she was silent again.

She broke it, saying, “I think that’s good. Cher…she’s a fighter. Mia…not so much.”

She got it.

Rocky got it better than anybody.

“Yeah,” he agreed.

“So, you bringing her over to meet your niece, say, tomorrow?”

He nearly burst out laughing. “She already knows Cecelia…and you. But I get you. Though, what I get, still gotta tell you that we had our first date two days ago, Raquel.”

She amended her question.

“So, you bringing her over to meet your niece next weekend, but you’re getting your ass over here tomorrow before CeeCee forgets what her uncle looks like?”

She wanted him to come and spend time with her daughter.

She wanted more for him to come and spend time with his sister so she could see for herself that he was edging toward happy.

He grinned. “I’ll come ’round. Catch a game. Remind that baby girl I exist.”

“That’d be good.”

“And I’ll talk to Cher. We’ve jumped in with both feet. Maybe it’d be good we take some time to get used to the waters we’re in for a while before we hit more rapids.”

“I hear that.”