Page 47 of Come to Me

Mitch chuckled at his wife. "You're not playing match maker, are you? You'll have your work cut out for you. The guy's got enough emotional baggage to fill a U-Haul."

"He would have been happy to match with me," Sydney quipped.

"Ouch." Mitch sat in the chair Micki vacated. "But you choose me because of my charm and personality."

"I choose you because I love you."

"Gag," Logan laughed.

"Jealous?" Mitch tossed back to him.

"Not even a little. Been there, done that. Didn't turn out for me."

The words hung in the air as if everyone remembered Logan's bad marriage and his wife's demise.

"Patrick's been great with Tate." Micki hoped changing the subject would move it away from Logan's failed marriage and her attraction to Patrick. "It's helped Tate a lot, having that one-on-one time. And I think it's been good for Patrick too."

Sydney nodded. "That doesn't surprise me. Patrick's always had a way with kids. He was the one who could always get Julia to open up when no one else could." A wistful expression crossed her face. "He used to talk about having a family of his own someday. Settling down. But after what happened with Julia..." She trailed off, shaking her head.

Micki felt a pang of sympathy. "I can't imagine how hard that must have been for him."

"It shook him to his core." Sydney sighed. "He's been so guarded ever since, so hesitant to let anyone in. I'm just glad he's finally starting to come out of his shell a bit here."

"It's not Tate's job to fix him," Logan said.

Micki made a face at him. "Don't be jealous of the time?—"

"I'm not jealous. I'm just saying maybe spending time with Tate isn't right."

Micki knew this was about counseling. Before she could respond, Mitch picked up Brian from Sydney's lap and held out his hand to help her stand. "It's time for us to shove off."

They made their goodbyes and Micki helped her mother clear the cookies and pitchers of iced tea and lemonade, while her brother got the burgers ready for the grill.

Back on the deck, her father appeared from whatever he'd been up to and was starting the grill. Logan and her mother appeared, and for a moment, Micki was reminded how it was like when she was a girl. Her family was close and loving like now, but also healthy and financially strong as the resort was always full during the summer and did good business in hunting season as well as the winter. It was a good life. A happy life with the simple pleasures of family, the laughter and warmth and love.

She supposed it wasn't surprising to learn Patrick once wanted that. What was sad was that Sydney made it sound like he'd given up on it. Micki remembered his comment about true love might exist for others, but not him.

Deciding she couldn't wait anymore, she made her way to Patrick's cabin. She took a breath, steeling herself as she knocked on the door.

"Patrick—"

The words died on her lips as he opened the door clad only in a towel. Her gaze involuntarily roamed over the toned lines of his chest before snapping back up to his face. She had to get the images of him rising over her, rocking her to pleasure out of her head. But it was hard. He had a great body. Did his greeting her like this mean his mood had changed? She hoped so.

"Oh!" A coy smile tugged at her lips. "Looks like I caught you at a bad time."

Patrick's brow furrowed, and his expression remained guarded. "Michaela. Let me get dressed."

Her hopes of a happy Patrick dropped. Undeterred, Micki followed him in, shutting the door.

He grabbed his clothes and headed to the bathroom.

"You don't have anything I haven't seen." She waggled her brows.

"I'll be a minute." He shut himself in the bathroom, dousing her playful mood.

Clearing her throat, Micki sat at the small table. "I, um, I just wanted to check on you. You seemed a little...off after the four-wheeling earlier."

He said nothing from inside the bathroom. When the door opened, he emerged in slacks and shirt. His jaw was tight. "I'm fine."

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