Page 20 of Totally Off Limits

That meant it was time for more distraction. “Who’s ready for dessert? I have a little bottle of chocolate syrup in the fridge, too, so we can have chocolate cheesecake if we want.”

“Make mine a small slice.”

“Do you want me to make coffee with it?”

“No, that’s okay. Where do you want me to put my dirty plate?”

“You can just leave it if you want.”

“Or I can put it in the dishwasher while you take care of dessert. Do you want me to take care of yours and Mia’s?”

“Thanks. Just mine. I leave Mia’s until I get her down just in case she wants more. I don’t want her hungry but I don’t want topushfood, either.”

“Makes sense.” Mickey took their plates and scraped them in the trash while Sierra took care of the cheesecake. He sat back down by Mia and talked with her a bit, and Sierra, just for a second, imagined that they were a family. Mickey would have been a much better father than she would have ever dreamed.

Stop it.It didn’t matter that he had plenty of money nowadays; he wouldn’t be the type of spouse her parents would approve of. They’d never be able to see beyond his past. Mickey said, “Maybe I should bring one of my bass guitars by sometime and play for Mia. I could even let her try it out.”

Sierra started laughing. “She’s too little to hold a guitar on her lap.”

“Well, yeah. But she could sit on my lap. Sage’s sister has a son not much older than Mia who used to love to stand next to me and pluck the strings. When kids realize they can make music, it lights up their whole world.”

“I guess I never thought of it that way before.” Sierra walked back to the table balancing three small plates with slivers of cheesecake drizzled with chocolate syrup. She’d already chopped Mia’s up into a few bite-sized pieces. “I hate to admit it, but this is going to pale in comparison to your efforts in the kitchen.”

“Nah. You can’t ruin cheesecake, even if it’s from a box.”

Although she knew he was just being nice, she wasn’t going to argue with him. Tonight, she was seeing Mickey in an all-new light—and all it did was make her want him more.

Stupid idea.

Bad enough that Mia seemed to really like him.

After he took a bite, he said, “Yep. Tastes like cheesecake.”

“Crappycheesecake.”

“It’s not so bad.” After he took a drink of water, he said, “So are those your school books over there?”

Following his line of sight, she figured out he was looking at her desk by the back door where she most certainly did have a couple of nursing textbooks for her online classes. Joking, she said, “What gave it away?”

Mickey grinned. “You’re already a nurse, right?”

“Yes. An RN.”

“So are you working to be a—what are those called—PA or something?”

“No. I’m earning a master’s degree in nursing. I could take a path to do something like that, but it would take more time. I’m actually working on a CRNA. Basically, it has to do with anesthesia.”

“Whythat?”

“Earning capacity.”

“But…” Mickey stopped as if he were confused and Sierra thought she might know why.

“I need to support Mia—withoutmy family’s help. I don’t want to be beholden to them for anything.”

When he nodded, his eyes told her he completely understood. “Got it.” They ate in silence for a bit, with Mia making the only sounds at the table. When Mickey finished his dessert, he said, “That was my goal when I left my dad’s house. Even if it meant living on the street, I wasn’t going back.”

For a brief second, Sierra could see the pain in Mickey’s eyes and she wanted to ask so many questions. But some answers she already knew. It wasn’t like it was a secret. Mickey had always been the kid with the scratches on his forehead or cheek, bruises, dirty clothes. Never a broken bone, but all the other signs pointed to the truth. Although Sierra hadn’t really made the connection till high school, she’d known Mickey’s home life wasn’t a dream.

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