Page 65 of Harmless Scandals

“Understandable. I'm hot.”

He rolled his eyes. “Now is not the time for you to get a sense of humor.”

“See. I’m the smart one.”

“Fuck,” he said and sat down in one of the three chairs on the lanai.

Adam said nothing for a long moment, and it was the right thing.

“Sorry. Just...I didn't think she'd become so important so fast.”

“Ah.”

“Ah, what?”

“Listen, I'm worried about that too. But, with our relationship, it happened slowly. We knew each other years before we took that leap--thanks to a bottle of whiskey.”

Adam smiled, thinking of their first night of R & R. They both had known each other were bisexual and after months of dancing around the idea, they had indulged. They had been together ever since.

“So?”

“While you like to pretend you are a free spirit, you're not. The idea of Serenity being a part of our lives scares you shitless.”

“I am a free spirit.”

Adam snorted. “Son, you are the farthest thing from it. You like to keep things light, but that doesn't make you a go with the flow type.”

“And what type am I?”

“Home and hearth and happily ever after. With me, you knew you had it right off. Now, you aren't too sure. You love her, but there are no guarantees even after telling her. That makes you nervous.”

Because he was a little too close to the truth, Mick rose out of the chair and walked to the railing. Yes, he was nervous but there was something under it that he wasn't comfortable with. Fear. His gut coiled. He was afraid that she would walk away. It would be easy for her. They had just been having fun, a little fling. But now, his heart was starting to engage.

Adam sighed behind him. “You've got to snap out of this funk, Mick.”

He turned around to face Adam. From the moment they’d met, they had been fast friends. It had deepened into love. That part hadn't taken so long.

“I can see those wheels turning in your head.”

“It doesn't bother you?”

“What?”

“Waiting around, knowing she could just walk away?”

“Yeah, it bothers me, but I think because of my childhood, I handle it better.”

An abusive mother, absent dad, then a string of foster homes had been his entire childhood. No security and no long-lasting relationships.

“So, because I had a good childhood, I can’t understand?”

He chuckled as he leaned forward, resting his forearms on his legs.

“In a way. I view life as temporary. This great life we built, it could all disappear.”

“Damn. That's cynical.”

He shrugged. “Maybe. But see, you had those parents of yours--”

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