Page 66 of Rejected Broken Mate

"You almost made it," I said, stopping a few feet away from him.

He glanced at me before looking back at the ball. He bounced it again. "But I didn't."

I frowned, chewing on my cheek. He tossed the ball again, this time hitting the back of the net, and then it went out. He frowned and turned to me.

"Is he okay?" he asked, rubbing his hands together nervously. It was the first time Michael had any interest in Miles, let alone something calm rather than hatred.

I nodded my head. "He's okay. He's going to be healing for a while, but otherwise, he's okay. He's awake if you want to see him."

Michael shook his head.

I don't need to let him know that Miles had severe second-degree burns on his side and was having a hard time moving that shoulder now. He was going to regain full function, but it would take time.

"Do you want to talk about the fire?" I asked, tilting my head slightly.

Michael's lips formed a line, and he stayed quiet for a moment. He looked at the ground, rubbing his foot against the gravel.

"I wished he would show up," he said softly. "Everyone was crying and panicking. And we couldn't get out. Even the teacher didn't know what to do. And I just wanted him there. I knew he would know what to do."

Michael scowled, shaking his head.

"You look unhappy about that."

Michael nodded. "I don't want to like him. He's…he wasn't there. He wasn't around when we moved. He wasn't around when you lost your job. He wasn't around for any of it."

I bent down. "Michael, I know this is a lot, and I want to help. I want to help you understand."

"Why didn't you talk about him?" He asked, and I could see he looked hurt. "You never said anything about him. You never told me about him, so I just figured he left us."

I frowned, knowing his confusion was my doing. If I had brought up Miles, maybe we wouldn't have been in this situation. "I thought it was better not to. It was easier for me. I figured if I brought him up, you would have questions that I wouldn't have the answers to. So, I just didn't talk about him, and I should have."

I took a deep breath and sighed. "We didn't end our relationship well, and I guess I didn't want to pull you into the mess we made. Miles and I both had a lot of growing up to do. And he wants to be there if you're willing to let him."

"And what if he leaves? What if he finds out he doesn't like us and doesn't want us around?" Michael shook his head. "If we let him in, he could hurt us."

"I don't think he is going to hurt us, sweetie. He's… he's not the same person he was when I knew him before." I reached out, placing my hand on his shoulder. "I think you deserve a father, and he will be amazing. If you just give him a chance, I know he will surprise you."

Michael swallowed. "But what if you're wrong?"

"There is always that possibility." I smiled at him. "But when have I been wrong about things?"

After a moment, Michael nodded his head. "Okay, we can give him a chance. But only one chance."

I squeezed his shoulder, giving him a big smile. "I'm proud of you, you know that, don't you?"

He smiled, looking more like himself than he had in days.

The rest of the day was quiet. Michael hung around his room, and we watched a movie with dinner and had popcorn afterward. Michael went to shower, and I relaxed in bed, my eyes looking at my closet. I thought of the box inside and all the memories that it held.

I pulled myself up and walked over, opening the closet. My college box sat in the back, hidden under a bunch of old clothes I couldn't even wear anymore. I grabbed it, slid it out, sitting in front of it.

I opened it, taking in all my old items. There were pictures and some jewelry I didn't wear. There were photo albums and notebooks filled with letters and humorous limericks that my friends and I had sent back and forth. I boxed everything up when I left college and never looked back.

I looked at a few pictures of Miles, taking in his smile and the way he stood. There were pictures of him in a classroom,and another was of them outside, relaxing in the garden at the college.

Michael looked exactly like him. They had the same smile and eyebrow raised when interested in something. Even his laugh sounded like Mile's.

"What are you doing?" I looked up and found Michael standing in the doorway of my room. He'd finished his shower, his hair going everywhere.

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