Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92636 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92636 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
“I get that too.” With her head snuggled in the crook of his arm, he couldn’t see her face or read her expression. “Besides, you already showed me the best of Vegas, so I really can’t complain that you’re ready to leave.”
He twirled his finger in her hair, guilt riding him that when he should still be enjoying the next twenty-four hours, he wanted to get out of the state his father lived in as soon as possible.
“Come,” he said, nudging her shoulder.
“Where?”
There was one more sight they’d yet to enjoy together. “Get dressed. I want to go outside and see the light show.” Personally, he could live without it, but he remembered her delighted expression when she talked about seeing the lights.
“Are you sure? We could call the airlines now and get on the next flight home,” she offered.
“Not until after you’ve seen the light show.” He rolled her onto her back and pinned her to the mattress. “And definitely not until after I’ve seen your face when you do.”
Chapter Twelve
Mike came home from Vegas, caught up on sleep, and insisted Cara do the same. He gave her a few days off and took some for himself. As soon as he felt more human and got a handle on his emotions, he called and met his brother and sister for lunch at The Family Restaurant.
He arrived last, as usual. His siblings were waiting, their meals and his ordered and on the table. They looked at him with concern.
“You texted us to say you were going to Vegas to meet Rex Bransom. Then we heard nothing for three days,” Erin said, chiding him in an exact replica of their mother’s voice.
Mike settled in a chair across from her. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“I heard you dragged Cara along with you.” Sam made it sound like an accusation.
“She offered to go,” Mike said tightly.
“Sam, leave him alone,” Erin urged.
“No, let’s finish this conversation once and for all.” He and Sam hadn’t gotten past Mike’s seeing his brother’s best friend, and Mike was tired of pretending everything was fine between them when it wasn’t. “Do you want Cara for yourself? Is that it?” Mike asked his brother.
Sam clenched his jaw. “No. I just want to know that when you pick up and leave—and you will because you always do—you won’t leave her heart stomped beneath your feet.”
Mike groaned. “All I can tell you is that I’ve been honest with her from day one.” He opened and closed his hands, fisting them beneath the table. “I don’t want her hurt any more than you do.”
Sam expelled a harsh breath. “I believe you. I just . . . her father’s a bastard. Her mother takes it. Cara’s never stayed in a relationship long. She won’t put herself out there for fear of being hurt, but she’s different with you.” He shook his head. “And I can see disaster coming from a mile away. But I love you both, so . . . ” He raised his hands in front of him. “I’ll stay out of it.”
Mike knew what it took for Sam to step back. There was no better man, no one more loyal than his brother. “Thanks, man.”
“Okay, now that you two have settled things, what happened in Vegas?” Erin asked.
Mike drew a deep breath. “I met him.”
“And?” Erin asked in a whisper.
Mike closed his eyes, and the memory of Rex Bransom flashed before him. “We look alike,” Mike admitted. “We . . . spoke alike. He’s more outgoing. He enjoys being the center of attention. I don’t. But I’m afraid that in here”—he tapped his chest, over his heart—“we’re more alike than I want to believe.”
He felt his brother’s hand slap him on the shoulder. “That’s bullshit,” Sam said, defending Mike so strongly that he almost believed it himself.
Almost.
“He left. So did I. He abandoned a woman—”
“Don’t go there,” Sam warned him. “Tiffany was nothing like Mom.”
That, at least, was true.
“Mike, you’re one of the best men I know.” Erin, her eyes wide and damp, met his gaze. “And that’s because you’re like Simon, not Rex.”
He didn’t reply.
His sister covered his hand with hers. “Hey. You have to believe me.”
Mike didn’t know how to feel or what to believe. It was Rex’s blood running through his veins. Rex, who couldn’t stay in one place, who never gave a piece of himself to anyone he came into contact with. Mike’s search for Rex had revealed that the man jumped from state to state, never forming ties or relationships. Mike was much the same.
“Forget him,” Sam said. “Call the case cold for good and put it behind you.”
Mike didn’t know if he could. “He called me son. And afterward, I never felt more dirty in my life.”
His siblings looked at him with pity, which had him squirming in his seat.