My smile got bigger and I informed him, “Just so you know, your kiss communicated that.”

Mitch smiled back at me. “Right.”

“Something else you should know,” I whispered. “I was able to do that because of you.”

“Mara –” he started but I shook my head and pressed deeper into him.

“No, it was in me to say it but it was you who opened my eyes to who I am. I’ve always been a decent person and even if you weren’t standing there, I’d do everything I could to make certain I kept those kids safe. But it felt good standing there with you. It felt good realizing that was who I am and who I always was. And it felt good to move beyond what I believed myself to be. And you guided me there. So…” I grinned and pressed even closer, “thank you.”

Mitch dipped his head and against my lips whispered, “You’re welcome, baby.”

Against his, my grin became a smile.

Mitch brushed his mouth against my smile, pulled back half an inch and noted, “I’m done with heavy. Time to zone out in front of a game.”

Zoning out on the couch with Mitch, wine, candles and baseball.

The perfect end to an (almost) perfect day.

“Right,” I whispered. Mitch grinned then in thirty seconds the TV was on, Mitch’s boots were off, he had me tucked between his reclined body and the couch, my wineglass in one hand, my cheek on his chest, his arm around my back, hand curved around my hip, his beer in his other hand.

I sipped wine and zoned out.

Mitch sipped beer and watched the game.

Yes.

The perfect end to an (almost) perfect day.

Me, Mitch, wine, beer, baseball and, sleeping in the next room, Billy and Billie.

Chapter Twenty-Six

The Rain Always Stops

Two days later…

I was dressed for work because I was going to work after.

Tight, light beige pencil skirt. Cute, light peach blouse. High-heeled, tan slingback pumps. My hair pulled back in a twisted bun at the nape of my neck.

Mitch liked the way I dressed for work; he told me he thought it was sexy though he didn’t like me selling mattresses to men dressed that way. Most nights, however, I had four mouths to feed. He kicked in feeding those mouths so he understood the need.

I was sitting at the little desk. Mitch, like last time, was standing behind me.

I was not nervous. I was not worried. I had no idea where the money would come from to pay for the meeting with the lawyer we had yesterday and the work he would do in the coming months. And I had no idea what reaction I was imminently going to get.

I also didn’t care.

I’d find the money and the man who was about to get bad news didn’t deserve my nerves or worry.

The buzzer sounded and I felt Mitch’s tension at my back as my head turned toward the door.

Mitch, unlike me, was concerned. But his concern was about me. I told him I was okay but he didn’t believe me.

He would see he had nothing to worry about.

I watched Bill in his orange jumpsuit and white t-shirt move through the door.

He looked thinner but he had better coloring and a decent haircut. Apparently, they had barbers in jail. Or, at least, they had them and they were probably free so Bill availed himself since he didn’t have to make the taxing decision on whether to use his money on a haircut or filth to inject in his system.

Bill’s face screwed up when he saw me but he came to the chair at the little desk beyond the glass opposite me. He sat, his eyes on me then they went to Mitch.

I grabbed the phone.

Bill’s eyes dropped to me.

He didn’t move.

I held the phone to my ear and waited.

He still didn’t move.

It was Mitch who lost patience, leaned in and rapped on the glass with his knuckles. Then he jerked two fingers toward the phone.

Bill scowled at him then snatched up the phone.

The instant he had it at his ear, I spoke.

“Don’t be nasty, hang up and walk away,” I said swiftly. “What I have to say is important and you need to hear it.”

“Not sure anything you have to say is important, Mara, not anymore,” Bill replied, his eyes filled with hate, his mouth and nose creased into a sneer.

“It’s about Billy and Billie so if you think that’s true that means what I’ve decided to do is definitely what needs to be done,” I returned then went on, “Though, I knew that anyway.”

Bill glared at me then his eyes flicked up to Mitch before coming back to me.

“Say what you gotta say so I can get you outta my face. I’d rather be in lockdown with a bunch of psycho slimeballs than sittin’ here with you so I think you get where I’m comin’ from when it comes to you,” Bill retorted.

“Oh,” I whispered, “I got that when you sent my Mom and your Mom after me. And if I didn’t get it then, I got it when you set them to finding Jez in order to use her to threaten me, Billy and Billie.”

Bill’s face didn’t change; he kept up the glare and the sneer. He felt no remorse, not even knowing how him doing that would affect me and not even thinking that it might also affect his children.

I kept talking.

“When Billy saw Jez, he remembered her and he freaked out, Bill.”

Bill just continued glaring at me.

“So bad, he was shaking.”

Bill uttered not a word.

“Just in case you care, Billie was asleep and didn’t see her.”

Nothing from Bill.

I sighed thinking I shouldn’t be surprised considering he was an assclown.

I got down to the matter at hand.

“Mitch and I met with an attorney yesterday and we hired him. We’re moving forward with getting permanent custody of the children.”

“And I care about this because…?” Bill asked and I blinked.

Then I asked back, “Pardon?”

“I got a lotta shit to worry about, Mara. I don’t need more. Because of you, I got a twenty-four, seven job of watchin’ my back. Don’t need to spend my time thinkin’ ‘bout whatever the f**k you’re up to. You’re all fired up to show your pig boyfriend you’re a good person by takin’ my kids, have at it. I end this gig breathin’ then I’ll worry about you.”

“And Billy and Billie,” I put in.

“What?” he clipped.

“You end this breathing, you’ll worry about me and Billy and Billie,” I stated.