Page 77 of Love, Always and Forever
He opened his eyes to meet Jack’s worried gaze. “I’m telling you right now that something is none of your business. It’s personal between me and her. Either we’ll work it out or we won’t, and I don’t need you tromping around in the middle of everything with those size thirteen feet of yours.”
Jack nodded as if what Mikhail said confirmed something he’d already been thinking. “Please tell me this isn’t more of that crap you told Tino at the dance about her deserving someone better. Because if it is, I will call Tino over here, and the two of us will explain the error in your thinking. Both of us had some of those same thoughts when it came to Caitlyn and Natalie. We were wrong, and so are you.”
“It’s not that.”
Honesty had him adding, “At least it’s not entirely that, but I meant what I said. It’s for me and Amy to figure out on our own.”
Mikhail stood up. “Now, it’s time for you to go. I need to go collect my dog.”
Jack remained right where he was. Fine, if he wouldn’t leave, then Mikhail would. “Lock the door when you go.”
Then he walked out, laughing just a little at the string of obscenities that followed him to the door.
Out on the porch, he stopped to stare up at the night sky. The moon appeared larger than usual and cast the world in a silvery light. His brother stepped out onto the porch a few seconds later. Jack edged closer to Mikhail as if unsure of his welcome. Well, not unsure at all, but evidently he was willing to risk it anyway.
“I promise I’ll leave, but I have one more thing to say before I do.”
Mikhail kept his eyes trained on the sky, but he made no move to push Jack away. “Fine. Spill your guts if you need to.”
“Okay, hard-ass, I will. You weren’t here when everything went to hell when Ricky’s stepfather put the kid back in the hospital. I’ve gotta tell you that I was pretty damned messed up by what happened. I know Tino told you about me tearing up the annex, but that wasn’t the worst of it. I shut Caitlyn out and let her walk away. Hell, she shared her darkest pain with me right before she told me she loved me, and I still let her leave. If the woman hadn’t been willing to give me a second chance, I don’t know what would’ve become of me—or Ricky, for that matter.”
Mikhail had heard some of what had happened, but not that last part. He didn’t know what to say, but luckily Jack kept talking.
“I might not know what’s going on with you and Amy, but you might want to fix it before it’s too late. I’d really like to see you happy again.”
Then he stepped off the porch and headed for the pickup truck. As he drove off, Mikhail finally thought of what he should’ve said. “I’d like that, too, Jack.”
There was only one way that was going to happen. He had to fix himself first. He glanced up at the moon one last time. “Wish me luck.”
And then he headed next door, hoping to reclaim his bulldog and maybe his friend.
