I opened my eyes and saw his shadowed throat.

“Shut up, Mickey.”

“Think I’m a year older, you came so long.”

I tipped my head back and glared at him through the dark.

“Shut up, Mickey.”

He bent his head and kissed me. It lasted longer than my orgasm, a lot longer and ended with us tangled up tight, his hand on my behind and me pressed so close it was like I wanted him to absorb me.

“Now, go to sleep, baby,” he ordered when he stopped kissing me.

I tucked my face back in his throat and told him, “You’re most annoying.”

“Good you get off on that.”

He was correct.

I decided silence was in order.

I was as close as I could be without Mickey being inside me.

He still pulled me closer.

“Flash,” he whispered.

“What?” I asked sleepily but still managed to inject tartly.

“Of really fuckin’ happy.”

I wasn’t going to cry.

I was not going to cry.

I didn’t cry.

I pushed even closer, kissed my guy’s throat and whispered, “’Night, honey.”

“’Night, Amy.”

I closed my eyes, settled into Mickey, and experiencing my own flash, I fell asleep.

* * * * *

Mickey and I were on our way back from the movie when he said, “Both your kids came to you last night, so I talked to a coupla buds. They’re good with bein’ on call should I need them at the firehouse.”

He had my hand in his resting on my thigh and he was stroking the side with his thumb.

He also was gently reminding me he wanted to meet my kids.

I liked that but I was nervous about it.

“Next time they come again together, I’ll give them the talk,” I promised.

We’d already had the dating discussion and they were absolutely not under the impression their father and I would get back together.

But Mickey was right. Although I didn’t see them on Monday, they both came over after school the day before and stayed well past dinner. And they didn’t even watch a program they DVRed. We all watched a movie on HBO together.

And it was good. It was easy. It was normal. It was what we had three years ago and it was this way like those three years hadn’t happened.

Of course, Auden and I had our brief discussion and it wasn’t a surprise that Olympia didn’t address it. She shied away from confrontation (except when she was fighting with her brother). Not only her own but others. Something that made what I did make me feel even guiltier because she’d seen a lot of that between Conrad, Martine and me.

She wouldn’t broach it. She’d let it lie and move on.

And Mickey was also right that I should rejoice, build on it, let it be and not worry.