Page 53 of Love Song, Take Two

Emery and Nico flashed smug smiles then pointed at Benson. “He told us how you never celebrate your birthday anymore. And we thought what better way to do it than with your favorite people.”

Smiling, Fletcher looked around at all of them and nodded. “Thank you.”

Benson brought the cake over, Nico lit the candles and they sang for him again. Fletcher cut the cake and everybody had a slice. Micah participated quietly, aware that he was watching the whole time. Once everyone had moved onto different things, she pulled out the envelope with her gift and smiled as he walked over to her.

“What’s wrong?”

“A hard day,” she whispered, eyes dipping to the envelope.

Fletcher’s hand brushed over her chin and he gently tipped her head up. “Don’t hide from me, Mick. You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“I know.” Micah blew out a shaky breath and then held the envelope out to him. “Don’t open it here.”

“What’s this?”

“Happy birth—day, Fletch.” She felt the word stick in her throat and sighed softly.

“You didn’t need to get me anything, but thank you.”

“I know you hate lots of attention, but the kids wanted to do this and I kinda did too. I like cel—ebrating you, Fletch.”

“I like being celebrated by you, Mick.” Their lips met for a soft kiss and she smiled against his mouth. “And I’m sure I’ll be responsible for cleaning up this mess.”

She laughed, patting his chest. “I’ll help.”

His arms slid around her waist and she sighed softly, pressing her face into his chest. Together, they swayed slightly and Micah couldn’t help but smile at how comfortable and safe she felt in his arms. Every time she slipped into his embrace, Micah felt like she was exactly where she was meant to be. And to think she’d spent the last so many years without him.

“Do you wanna talk about your day?” he asked softly and Micah groaned into his chest.

“Later,” she said.

“Does this happen often?”

“No.”

“What do you do when it happens?”

She shrugged, her hands sliding up and down his back. “Take the day off, breathe through it.”

“What would you like to do today?” he mumbled against the side of her head.

“Just be with you, Fletch. This is perfect.”

“Okay, love bug.”

And despite how much she protested the nickname, she loved the way it sounded when he said it in that tone. When he said it with love and affection. Like she was truly his. Gripping the back of his shirt in both hands, Micah held onto him and let the familiar spicy scent of his cologne invade her senses, blocking out everything else.

“Why don’t you wait in my office, I’ll finish up this session and then we can talk?”

Nodding, she let Fletcher tip her head up so he could brush his mouth over hers. She sighed into the kiss and then released him. With his hand on her lower back, they walked to his office, where he settled her into a chair before heading out to where Emery and Nico were making an absolute racket. To have a man who cared, who was interested and patient with her wasn’t a revelation, but it felt good. Forget Geoffrey, her own parents hadn’t been this gentle with her stutter. She’d felt ashamed to be that person as a kid, not wanting to embarrass anyone with her inability to speak clearly. And here was this man who looked at her and knew something was off.

She zoned out at some point, Emery’s thrashing and laughing petering out as she sat in his office, letting the peace settle into her bones. Because when Fletcher came back, it was quite in the store. Micah startled when he touched her shoulder and then smiled softly when he dropped into the chair in front of her. She leaned in, brushing her fingers through the gray hair at his temples, sliding down to trace his eyebrows and cheekbones. Micah swiped a finger over his nose and dragged her thumb over his mouth before she scratched at his beard with her short nails. The whole time, he watched her with a smile, his eyes soft and gentle.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Micah dropped her hands to her lap, blinking back the tears as she shook her head. “Would you like to sit here quietly instead?” he asked, leaning in slightly to take her hands in his. She shook her head again and he laughed, brushing light kisses over her cheeks. “What do you want to do, Mick?”

She shrugged and sighed heavily, watching her fingers twist between his. “This. Noth—ing else.” Micah winced at the block, feeling the exhaustion weigh her down.

“I got you, sweetheart,” Fletcher whispered and he gently pulled her into his lap. Micah wrapped one arm around him and buried her face in his neck. “Let the hard day work its way through, I’ve got you.”

---