Page 71 of Kiss Me Forever

"Who were you beating the crap out of?" Mick asked.

"I'm not sure. A lot of people have been pissing me off lately."

"Including yourself?"

Alex frowned, wondering how Mick was always able to get to the heart of the matter. "Yeah, I was in the mix," he admitted, taking another drink of water.

"Who else? Andrea?"

Andrea's pretty face and sparkling blue eyes flashed through his head, but along with her image came anger and the sense of betrayal. She'd violated his privacy. She'd gone to meet his mother. Maybe in the end her conscience had stopped her from going forward, but he couldn't forget just how far she had gone.

"I think I hit the jackpot," Mick said, tossing him a towel.

Alex wiped the sweat off of his face. "She went to meet my mother."

Mick blew out a whistle of amazement. "No shit? How did that happen?"

"She saw a text from my mom on my phone. I told you my mother somehow got my cell number."

"What did your mother tell Andrea?" Mick asked, his expression more somber now.

"Apparently nothing. Andrea had second thoughts about what she was doing and quickly bailed out of the meeting."

Mick smiled. "That's good to hear."

"Is it? She's an ambitious reporter. Maybe she balked at pumping my mother for information, but who knows what she'll do next? I can't trust her, Mick."

"But you want to, because you like her."

"Yeah, I like her, but I don't like that side of her."

"It sounds to me like she did the right thing in the end."

"I can't forget what she did in the beginning. She betrayed me."

"Did she, Alex? You knew all along she was a reporter. She wasn’t working undercover. You didn't need to let her into your house, give her access to your phone."

"You're right. I knew all along what she was about. I just didn't want to see it, because I wanted her to be different."

"Why would you want her to be different than who she is? She's smart, beautiful, strong, courageous, and I think she has a good heart. She's a fighter, Alex. And so are you. Or at least you used to be. Why don't you fight for her?"

"Before or after she rips my life apart with her magazine article?" he challenged.

"I thought you said your mother didn't tell her anything."

"She didn't, but I did. I told her the whole sordid story, because I figured she was going to eventually get to the truth on her own."

Mick nodded approvingly. "Good. You needed to let it all out. It's been festering inside of you for too long."

"It's not good," he protested. "I know you think I've stayed quiet to protect my mother or maybe even myself. But it's really about the girls now, about my sisters."

"I believe you, Alex. You've always watched out for the innocent. But I think Andrea is going to find a way to write a good article and do right by you at the same time."

"I don't see how she possibly could."

"Don't underestimate her, Alex."

Was he underestimating her? "I guess I'll have to see what happens."

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