Page 81 of Safe With Me

Mike’s expression was blank as he shook his head. I grimaced, hating that I might’ve gone too far.

“Sorry, it’s none of my business. I’ll go half with you on a new?—”

“I don’t bring women home,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s been a while, but usually I go to them, not bring them here. I was always careful not to get too attached or get anyone’s hopes up.”

“I didn’t take you for a heartbreaker, Mikey,” I joked, but I didn’t get even a hint of a smile back.

“As a rule, I only had dates, not girlfriends or anything serious beyond a few repeats. Which meant no sleepovers at my apartment or any promises I knew I couldn’t keep.”

“I don’t believe you.” I shook my head and crossed my legs under me. “That’s not the Mike I know.”

“You’re right.” He breathed out a long exhale and nodded. “It’s not the Mike you know. I’m very different with you. Which freaked me out at first, if I’m honest.”

He shot me a bashful grin.

“I’m not saying I was a jerk to everyone else, but I have issues with letting people in. Comes with having a front seat to your parents’ shitty marriage and even shittier divorce.”

“I’ve never felt that from you. Even when we first met, you were sweet and helpful and so open. After only a couple of weeks, I felt like I knew you better than people I’d known for years.”

“That’s because you’re the first one I wanted to know me. I couldn’t keep you at the usual distance because I didn’t want to. I guess that’s how it was so easy with women I dated.” He shrugged. “None of them were you.”

“Mike,” I said, breathless, as his words knocked the wind out of me. “That may be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

“It’s the truth. You can ask my cousin or any of my friends. I saw Amber at the garage yesterday, and she was shocked I had a girlfriend since I’ve never done those.” He smiled as he fell back onto the pillow, crooking a finger at me. “Until now.”

I laughed before I registered what he’d said.

“Did she see my car?”

“I don’t think she saw what was on it. I told her you were caught in the crossfire of the vandalism rampage in our neighborhood. I think unless anything else happens, we just tell who needs to know.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, cringing when I thought of leaving the bar that night and getting spooked by walking to my car in the dark. Amber had glared at me as if I’d grown a second head until Mike came to meet me. If she’d seen what was scraped into my car door, she had to be a little suspicious.

Which I had to expect in a small town. People would see things and assume. But as Mike had said, nosy and suspicious were good if we needed extra eyes on what could be going on.

The humiliation that came along with it all would be hard to get used to, even in the name of safety.

Mike reached over the mattress to grab his phone, his body going rigid at whatever was on the screen.

“What? Did they match the prints?” I asked, grabbing his arm in a panic.

“No.” He shook his head, still focused on the screen. “My mother texted me last night. She’s here.”

“Here? Doesn’t she live in California?”

“She does,” Mike said, throwing the phone onto the bed and scrubbing a hand down his face. “She said she wanted to surprise me, but when she comes unannounced, it’s her way of making sure I can’t say no to seeing her. I’m going to have to have dinner with her tonight, so I won’t be able to see you until later.”

“What do you do when she comes in?” I squeezed his hand until he looked at me.

“We have dinner at this restaurant she likes in Glens Falls because she’ll never step foot in Kelly Lakes if she can help it.”

He fell back on the bed, shutting his eyes as he pressed the back of his hand to his forehead.

“She’ll fall all over me for the first half hour, then start in about my father, my stepmother, how I threw my life away becoming a cop, and then I’ll come home and drink the beer left in my fridge until I fall asleep.”

I sat up, fury shooting up my spine at the defeated look on his face. I guessed I wasn’t the only one with subpar parents, but I wasn’t sure if being neglected was better than emotionally abused.

“You don’t want to bring me with you?” I asked, sifting my fingers through his hair.

---