Page 107 of Edge of Heaven

“Therapy and time with Toby sound like exactly what you need right now.”

“I need those things…but I also need you.”

“You have me. Money is a little bit of an issue short-term, so your engagement ring will be simple but?—”

“I don’t need an engagement ring. Just a wedding ring. We can buy something else later.”

“Then let’s go wedding ring shopping and when we’re done we’ll spend the day with Toby. You think I should ask his permission to marry you?”

“Oh, Mick.” I wrap my arms around his waist, despite the twinge in my ribs, and hold on for dear life. “I don’t know what I was thinking to let you go four years ago.”

“We were both dumb. But now we’ve come to our senses.” He kisses the top of my head.

* * *

I feela little guilty as we shop for wedding rings but in the end, Mick convinces me it’s the right move. We opt for non-traditional styles—black tungsten with a brushed center and beveled carbide for him, and black tungsten with a diagonal line of three small diamonds in platinum for me—and all told spend less than a thousand dollars.

“I love my ring,” I whisper as we head toward the clinic to see Toby.

“I love mine too,” Mick says, his fingers twined with mine.

“How would you feel about making L.A. our home base?” I ask him thoughtfully. “Obviously, you’ll be on the road a lot, but could this be our home when we’re not traveling?”

“Of course. Wherever you want.”

“I know it’s not the most affordable place to live, but it’s where my mom is, and if I’m going to keep modeling, I’ll need her help with Toby no matter what happens with custody.”

“I want what you want,” he says.

“I want to take a month or so to just be with my son,” I admit. “And heal, both physically and mentally. Then I want to get back to work.”

“I’ve got money coming,” he says. “The album is already at a million five, so we’re on our way to double platinum. Touring with Karnal Death had a lot of challenges but we put up with it because we were making a lot of money. Our debt to the record label is paid and now we’re in the black. The club tour will be expensive in its own way, but Sasha sent us the financials the other day and we’re going to make a lot more money, especially with merch. So what we’re dealing with now is going to be short-term.”

“You know, if we can live with my mom for a year—even though you’ll barely be here—we could save up for a little house. Or a condo. Just something of our own, close enough to my mom to be convenient for Toby but a place where we’re going to start our new life.”

“If your mom is amenable, that sounds perfect.”

I hesitate. “I have to talk to her about the custody situation again, which is partly why I need to stay here for a while. Is that okay? Us being apart for an undetermined length of time?”

“I’m not Callum,” he says in a gruff voice, squeezing my hand. “I love you enough to set you free. I’m not the kind of guy who cheats. Sure, there have been tons of women over the years, but I was single, sowing my oats and living the rock star life because I could. Now that I have you, that’s all I need. I’ll never cheat on you. Things may not work out at some point—we can’t know the future—but if we get to that point, there will be many, many conversations.”

“I love you so much, Michael Lipson.”

“I love you too, babe.”

“So…should we go ask my son’s permission for my hand in marriage?” I ask, giggling.

“We absolutely should. Well, I should. Maybe let me talk to him alone? I think perception is everything in these situations.”

“Sure. I can drop you off and then run to the drugstore near there. I need a few things.”

“Although… what if he says no?” he asks quietly.

I shake my head. “Absolutely impossible. He’s going to love you as much as I do. Based on the phone conversation we had yesterday, he already does.”

“You, uh, think he’ll be okay with me as his stepdad?”

“You’re not going to be his stepdad.”

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