“However,” he kept talking, even on voicemail sounding like he was doing it while having his nails pulled out by the roots, “things are busy at the moment and I had some time to call. There are some things we need to discuss. If you’d please call my secretary, we can set a meeting. Have a…good evening.”

He then rang off but as I was listening my phone chimed with a text. This too was from Conrad and it was his secretary’s name and number.

I stared at it wondering what we needed to discuss. I also wondered why whatever that was needed to be discussed face to face. And last, I stared at it thinking that we actually didn’t have anything to discuss face to face and I would share that via text the next day after I survived the trauma of the next few hours.

I walked out of my bathroom and was heading down the hall when the doorbell rang.

My steps faltered as I experienced a mini-heart attack.

“I got it!” Auden called.

I then experienced a not-mini-heart attack.

Even in the throes of a life emergency, I rushed down the hall seeing Auden strolling to the door and I did this feeling my pulse jumpstart and do it way too quickly.

I got to the mouth of the hall and stopped dead because Auden had the door open and Mickey was standing there looking all that was Mickey, wearing another nice shirt, this one plaid in a muted red and brown against a cream background, jeans and boots.

He was also carrying an enormous bouquet of flowers.

Again, my heart stuttered as my cheeks flushed and I fell a little bit deeper in love with Mickey.

I did it wondering how that saying came about considering falling in love didn’t feel like falling.

It felt like soaring.

“Hey,” Mickey greeted, not having looked at me, his focus was on Auden.

My son puffed up his chest a little and straightened his back, not yet as tall as Mickey and I didn’t know if he would get there, but he was claiming all the height he had in the face of all that was Mickey.

“Hey,” Auden replied.

“Flowers!” Pippa exclaimed happily, skip-dashing toward the door before she stopped, turned to me and beamed.

My girl liked her flowers and Mickey thinking of them was a good thing.

But Mickey bringing a bouquet that huge, to Pippa, was a major statement that spoke volumes.

“You wanna let him in, kiddo?” I suggested to Auden, forcing my body to move forward as Mickey looked from Pippa to me.

He smiled, big and beautiful.

I smiled back, hoping I gave him the same thing.

Auden stepped out of the way and Mickey walked in, coming right to me as I met him halfway.