The found the men in the kitchen and Mikey seemed more relaxed than he had since they stepped foot in Britt’s place. Mandy wasn’t sure if Jason was a miracle worker or if the cookies had gotten to him but she was glad.

Especially since she would have to explain her daughter’s condition on accepting their marriage later and wasn’t sure how it was going to go down. Her impression thus far was that he would be okay with anything as long as she stayed with him the whole time.

Finding the boy she had spent most of her life wondering about had been a wonderful surprise. She had expected they would have a simple conversation and move on with their lives going into it. Her original reason for contacting him was wanting closure, after all.

But when he told her everything that had happened while they were apart and she saw how horribly lonely he must be, her rationality abandoned her. She couldn’t let the only person who showed her kindness during a period of vulnerability be alone.

Her long-buried feelings for him came rushing back when she realized how similar they were. She had meant it when she said she wasn’t going to let him get away from her again. The odds of finding another person who would understand her life were practically negligible.

It was both cute and sad how much of a state of disbelief he was in the first few days they were together. Like he couldn’t believe someone actually wanted to be with him. That strengthened Mandy’s resolve to stay by his side.

The past few weeks had been the best of her life. She was living in comfort having fun with someone who adored her who she adored back. Her marriage of necessity with Lucas was absolutely nothing like her relationship with Mikey.

He was exceedingly gentle with all of his expressions of affection and seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say, like she had been toward him all of those years ago. And sometimes he looked at her like she was the only person in the universe. 

She had never expected anyone to look at her like that. Ever.

He wasn’t the most verbally affectionate person. He had called her beautiful on multiple occasions but had yet to say ‘I love you’ even though it was completely obvious. He had fallen for her hard and fast based on the way he acted.

Her heart swelled with affection for him as she saw him converse easily with Jason and Britt about the odds of the Yankees doing well in the upcoming season. No matter what he had done with his life later, deep down he was still the kind boy she had fallen in love with.

Britt seemed to be much more accepting by the time they left and waved them off cheerfully, inviting Mikey to come over for Sunday dinner next week too. He had already started to win her over.

He cleared his throat once they were back in his car and confessed something in a guilty tone. “I, uh, overheard the tail end of your conversation with Britt earlier. The part where you said I was your first love…and where you said nobody had ever treated you so well.”

Was that why he was so much more relaxed when they came back? He must have taken off before Britt gave her conditions of acceptance in order to make it to the kitchen without getting caught.

Mikey continued. “It made me realize that I have done a lot of things that would give you that impression but I never said it. I suppose I’m not used to it yet…I’ve never told anyone I loved them before…but I do. Call me crazy but I’m in love with you, Mandy Applegate. I’m so grateful you’ve chosen to stay with me.”

Ah, he was too cute! Looking at the earnest expression on his face as he was driving made Mandy want to tackle him right there. Not wanting to cause a wreck, she refrained from doing so. She would do it as soon as they got home.

Before that, she should tell him how the rest of the conversation went. Mandy really hoped he wouldn’t have a problem with it.

She reached out to touch his arm. “I love you too. Is it okay if we wait six months to get married though? Britt’s a little worried about me and thinks we’re rushing things.”

He let out a small laugh. “Six months is nothing compared to thirty-eight years. Besides, you’ll be with me the whole time. I don’t mind. It will give you more time to plan the wedding anyway.”

Oh please. She didn’t have anyone she cared to invite beyond Britt’s family and a few volunteers from the women’s shelter that she had kept in touch with over the years. Planning something that small wouldn’t require six months.

However, Mandy did have every intention of inviting Keeley Hale to help her set things up. It would continue their prank but Mikey also seemed to want to reconcile with his family. She had a feeling that getting her on their side would be a major point in their favor.

He would need to sit down and have a real conversation with Aaron at some point but there was still time for that. Life wasn’t over for those two brothers yet. Their relationship wasn’t beyond repair.

“I don’t think I’ll need that long,” Mandy said. “But I do want Keeley’s input on it. Maybe while I’m out doing wedding things with her you can finally have a proper conversation with Aaron about how you want your relationship to be.”

Mikey frowned. “You say that as if it’s easy. Aaron is probably the most difficult person to get close to that I’ve ever met.”

She laughed. That was really something, coming from him. Aaron must be an impenetrable wall of ice if her extremely closed off fiancé thought he was that bad. They were more similar than either of them were willing to acknowledge.

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