“Why?” I asked shrilly. “When I have everything I need.”

“Because you’re worth it.”

I snapped my mouth shut.

Do what I gotta do.

Oh my God.

Because you’re worth it.

Oh. My. God.

“No comeback?” he taunted.

“I love you,” I whispered.

“I know that,” he returned. “That all you got?”

“No,” I replied. “That’s it. Just I love you.”

Mickey shut his mouth.

I stared at him and it was a surprise when I felt the tear slide down my cheek.

“All my life,” I whispered, “I was the girl who everyone thought had everything or could get it. But the only thing I ever wanted was a man like you. You’re the best man I’ve ever met, Mickey Donovan.” I felt another tear and the words trembled when I finished, “And you’re mine.”

“Get the fuck over here, Amy.”

I didn’t hesitate an instant.

I ran into his arms.

I held him tight and burrowed in, pressing my cheek to his chest as I felt more tears trailing down my face.

He moved to cup a hand on the side of my head and whispered, “Baby, think I made it clear I want a kiss and not sure that’s gonna work with you tryin’ to fuse your face to my chest.”

Immediately, I tipped my head back, got up on my toes and moved my own hands so I could clamp them on either side of his head and pull him down to me.

Our mouths met and we kissed, at first hard and heated, but since it went on for a long time, it shifted to soft and sweet.

When Mickey finally broke the kiss, I slowly opened my eyes and looked into his beautiful ones, seeing at the surface, and all the way down deep, the love he had for me.

It went on forever.

“So now that you’re loaded, this means I get to go whole hog on birthdays too,” I declared.

I watched Mickey blink those beautiful eyes.

This was right before his arms convulsed around me and he burst out laughing.

He kept his arms tight and continued to laugh even as he said, “Now that stupid shit is done, if you can get over any concern you might have at the starving nations of the world needing tea, you can toss that crap, get your shit and get your ass over to my house. The kids miss you.”

Stupid shit?

Starving nations needing tea?

I swallowed the quick retort that was on the tip of my tongue.

Not because he didn’t deserve it.

But because he loved me. He wasn’t breaking up with me. He took his inheritance for me.

And his kids missed me.

So I rolled up on my toes again, touched my mouth to his and broke free of his arms so I could toss the tea and get my shit.

This, I did.