“Guess if your ex came and shared somethin’ important with me that affects you and your kids that he didn’t want to share with you. Somethin’ I know might strain things between him and me when we all gotta try to keep shit loose and good. Somethin’ I know might strain things between you and me. I got no good choice. Then he shares it with you a few weeks later. If that ever happens, I’ll be able to answer if it was right or not.”

“Are things…strained?” I pushed.

“Babe, you didn’t keep her secret for eternity.” I could hear the grin in his voice. “Relax.”

“Hard to relax after this day,” I told him.

“No shit,” he replied.

“Are we okay?” I asked.

“Amy.” He said my name, said nothing for very long, terrifying moments, then he gave me what I needed. “I love you. I told you that. I meant it. I meant it in a way you needed to know so you’d know I want a part in your future, which means you definitely got your part in mine. You gave that back to me, tellin’ me you want the same thing. We had a rocky day. We’re fucked if we can’t get through the first rocky day we have together and do it whole.”

I slid down the bed and rolled to my side, curling up like I could curl his words into me.

“Amy?” he called when I didn’t say anything.

“I’m here.”

“Are you okay?”

“Your ex-wife is in recovery. My ex-husband has outed himself for the loser cheat he is and the kids want to live with me. There is no longer any mystery around all the things Aisling is coping with, which means those who care about her can focus on helping her through them in a more directed way. I know why my kids were escaping their father. And you and I survived all that because I love you and you love me. It seems I actually do give awesome holiday.”

He burst out laughing.

I stayed curled up and listened.

When he stopped laughing, he asked softly, “So you love me, Amy?”

“I so love you, Mickey.”

“Trial by fire today, baby. The extremes we waded through today proves we’ll get through anything.”

I curled deeper into myself, curling that knowledge to me, that he believed it and him doing that made me believe it, and replied, “Yeah.”

“More good, your brother is fuckin’ cool.”

Mickey liked Lawrie.

I loved that.

I smiled. “Yeah.”

“You got a good son,” he stated, surprising me. “He did what he did, gettin’ in your face, to protect his sister who took some hits from their dad before they got to you.”

I hadn’t thought of it that way but thinking it then, I knew what I already knew.

I did have a good son.

He didn’t go about it the right way but at least he tried.

“Yeah,” I repeated.

“And your girl’s got courage. You laid her out like that, no mercy, your brother backin’ you, she’s got nowhere to turn. She pulls it up to ask Ash to talk. Says a lot, Amy. She’s gonna make it.”