Soaring (Magdalene #2)(140)

It felt like soaring.

“Hey,” Mickey greeted, not having looked at me, his focus was on Auden.

My son puffed up his chest a little and straightened his back, not yet as tall as Mickey and I didn’t know if he would get there, but he was claiming all the height he had in the face of all that was Mickey.

“Hey,” Auden replied.

“Flowers!” Pippa exclaimed happily, skip-dashing toward the door before she stopped, turned to me and beamed.

My girl liked her flowers and Mickey thinking of them was a good thing.

But Mickey bringing a bouquet that huge, to Pippa, was a major statement that spoke volumes.

“You wanna let him in, kiddo?” I suggested to Auden, forcing my body to move forward as Mickey looked from Pippa to me.

He smiled, big and beautiful.

I smiled back, hoping I gave him the same thing.

Auden stepped out of the way and Mickey walked in, coming right to me as I met him halfway.

When we stopped, he put a hand light to my hip and bent deep, touching his mouth briefly to mine.

When he lifted away, he murmured, “Hey.”

“Hey back,” I replied quietly.

His eyes kept smiling then he took his hand from my hip and turned to the kids.

“Okay, I think we all know each other but let’s make that official,” I suggested. “Auden, Pippa, this is Mickey. Mickey, these are my kids, Auden and Olympia.”

I did hand gestures along the way as Auden pushed in first, offering his hand to Mickey.

“Hello, sir,” he said formally, which made Pippa widen her eyes and look at me.

I pressed my lips together, giving her wide eyes back, as Mickey took my son’s hand and replied, “Mickey’s fine, Auden.”

“Right,” Auden muttered as he let go.

“Hey!” Pippa cried brightly, hopping toward him, beaming up at him and offering a hand.

I watched her do this, allowing myself a brief moment of sheer joy that my girl was back.

Mickey took her hand and replied, “Hey.”

They separated and Pippa tipped her head to the flowers and offered, “Do you want me to take those? I can put them in water for Mom.”

Mickey lifted the massive bouquet of green hydrangeas, peach roses and red gerbera daisies to Pippa and said, “Sure, darlin’. Thanks.”

She took them in both hands, pulling them to her chest, before she beamed at me and skipped away.

“Can I get you a drink, Mickey?” Auden asked.

“Yeah, thanks. A beer,” Mickey answered.

Auden nodded and moved away.

I looked to Mickey. He looked to me. Then he moved in close, sliding a hand to the middle of my back.

“You doin’ okay?” he asked under his breath.

“I’m a wreck,” I told him under mine.

“Don’t mean to freak you, Amy, but you aren’t hiding that.”

“Great,” I mumbled and he grinned.

“It’s cute.”

“It doesn’t feel cute.”

“Relax,” he replied. “I already know you got good kids. This is gonna go fine.”

It seemed so far he was right. I just hoped it kept up that way.

“The flowers were a nice touch,” I shared.

“Got that. Your girl is as easy to read as you.”

I felt my face get soft.

“Uh…Mom,” Pippa called. I jumped and looked her way. She was smiling broadly. “You sold all the vases.”

“Crap,” I muttered.

Auden came out of the fridge with Mickey’s beer and asked him, “Do you want this in a glass?”

“Bottle’s good,” Mickey answered.

“I know!” Pip exclaimed. “I’ll pour the ice water in the glasses and use the pitcher.”

“Good idea, sweets,” I told her.

She jumped to the pitcher, setting aside the flowers.

Auden approached with Mickey’s beer, handed it to him and asked me, “Do you want a glass of wine?”

“That’d be great, kid,” I replied.

He nodded, all man of the house, and moved away.

I watched my kids handling this situation so splendidly, better than I was, and suddenly was overwhelmed with an enormous feeling of relief. Relief that I’d done such a good job raising them (admittedly with Conrad also being a good father). Relief that they survived the “hurricane” as Mickey described it and its aftermath and then settled right back into the great kids we’d raised.

This was coupled with the hope that if my kids could survive a stormy breakup of their parents and move on the way they did, that Mickey’s kids would do the same.

And taking this in, I was no longer a wreck. I was a woman in the warm, friendly home I’d created for my family, with said family and my handsome wonderful boyfriend having dinner.

I looked up at Mickey. “You want to take a seat while the kids and I start putting dinner together?”

“Rather help out,” he replied.

I beamed up at him.

His beautiful blue eyes moved over my face before I saw warmth and pride shine out and he lifted a hand to run his knuckles briefly along my jaw before he dropped it and asked, “What can I do?”

“Mickey, you can help me grill the buns and we’ll get the fries in the oven,” Pippa bossed. “Mom, you cut up the pickles. Auden, get out the cheese platter and coleslaw. And make sure you grab a serving spoon for the slaw.”