good,” he said.
Only he really wasn’t. His hammering heart and sweaty palms were flustering him. Despite his former playboy ways, he was acting like a lovesick schoolboy, and he didn’t enjoy it one bit.
“How about you?” Caedon inquired, hoping that he came off calm and cool when he was anything but. “Are you good?” Micah nodded roughly. “I’m fine.”
A strained silence settled over them. Caedon wanted to talk, but he didn’t know where to start. And even if he did, Micah’s intimidating scowl was more than enough to keep him quiet. The other man might have agreed to come and talk. However, he gave the distinct impression that he wasn’t particularly open to conversation at the moment.
Sucking in a breath, Caedon ordered his mouth to work and make insipid small talk. “So...how have you been?” How have you been? I’m such an idiot.
Micah stared across the table, his clear eyes piercing Caedon.
“Fine,” he growled.
Three Rings and a Rose
85
“That’s good to hear,” Caedon replied, shifting in his seat nervously. He smoothed his hand down his thigh to his knee and held his bouncing leg still. “I’ve been busy.”
Micah nodded, still seeming remote and closed off.
“Micah,” Caedon murmured. “We have to talk to each other before we can even think about sharing Ella.”
“I know,” Micah answered, meeting him strained-gaze-for-strained-gaze.
“Then let’s talk,” Caedon suggested.
“About what?”
Well spank a monkey’s ass. Do we have to go into it already?
Give me five minutes. Or even better, give me five beers.
Caedon didn’t want to remember the prick of pain he’d felt when he’d read the letter Micah had sent him right after he’d moved out, especially not when he was sober. He didn’t want to recall the onslaught of agony that had overwhelmed him when Micah had ignored Caedon’s return letter. And the thought of reliving the phone call they’d had two months ago made his stomach churn. But as he’d decided this morning, it was now or never.
Swallowing convulsively, Caedon forced himself to face the past that had haunted him for two years. “The letter.” Averting his eyes hastily, Micah bore a hole into the wooden paneled wall. With a frown, he asked, “What about it? I wrote you a letter. You ignored it. That’s the end of that.” Caedon wasn’t sure what disturbed him more—the animosity in Micah’s voice or the sudden confusion clouding his own mind. “I didn’t ignore your letter. You ignored mine, Micah.” Micah’s eyes snapped to Caedon’s. “No, I didn’t.”
“Yes you did.”
Micah expression turned turbulent. His clear eyes darkened, his jaw ticked, and his lips thinned out. “No, Caedon,” he disagreed resolutely. “I never got a damn thing from you. Up until you called me two months ago, I hadn’t heard a word from you.” 86
Mia Ashlinn
“But I...” Caedon trailed off, unsure of how to continue. Micah claimed that he hadn’t received anything. And Caedon had never known Micah to lie. So that meant Micah hadn’t gotten Caedon’s letter. He hadn’t ignored him. The tightness in Caedon’s chest loosened—not a lot but a little. “I sent you a letter and asked you to meet me, Micah. I wanted us to talk. I wanted to come home.”
“So you...”
“I don’t know what happened, but I swear that I sent you a letter after I found mine.”
“I believe you,” Micah said.
Relief raced through Caedon. Micah trusted him. Even after all of his fuck ups, Micah still had faith in him. That’s a start .
Caedon rubbed the back of his neck, paying close attention to the tense knot there. “Is that why you were”—pausing, he attempted to think of a polite word for a cold-blooded asshole but failed—“the way you were when I called?”
Micah nodded. “I didn’t understand why you were calling so suddenly after almost two years. And I was still”—he cleared his throat—“hurt. In my mind, you left me then
Only he really wasn’t. His hammering heart and sweaty palms were flustering him. Despite his former playboy ways, he was acting like a lovesick schoolboy, and he didn’t enjoy it one bit.
“How about you?” Caedon inquired, hoping that he came off calm and cool when he was anything but. “Are you good?” Micah nodded roughly. “I’m fine.”
A strained silence settled over them. Caedon wanted to talk, but he didn’t know where to start. And even if he did, Micah’s intimidating scowl was more than enough to keep him quiet. The other man might have agreed to come and talk. However, he gave the distinct impression that he wasn’t particularly open to conversation at the moment.
Sucking in a breath, Caedon ordered his mouth to work and make insipid small talk. “So...how have you been?” How have you been? I’m such an idiot.
Micah stared across the table, his clear eyes piercing Caedon.
“Fine,” he growled.
Three Rings and a Rose
85
“That’s good to hear,” Caedon replied, shifting in his seat nervously. He smoothed his hand down his thigh to his knee and held his bouncing leg still. “I’ve been busy.”
Micah nodded, still seeming remote and closed off.
“Micah,” Caedon murmured. “We have to talk to each other before we can even think about sharing Ella.”
“I know,” Micah answered, meeting him strained-gaze-for-strained-gaze.
“Then let’s talk,” Caedon suggested.
“About what?”
Well spank a monkey’s ass. Do we have to go into it already?
Give me five minutes. Or even better, give me five beers.
Caedon didn’t want to remember the prick of pain he’d felt when he’d read the letter Micah had sent him right after he’d moved out, especially not when he was sober. He didn’t want to recall the onslaught of agony that had overwhelmed him when Micah had ignored Caedon’s return letter. And the thought of reliving the phone call they’d had two months ago made his stomach churn. But as he’d decided this morning, it was now or never.
Swallowing convulsively, Caedon forced himself to face the past that had haunted him for two years. “The letter.” Averting his eyes hastily, Micah bore a hole into the wooden paneled wall. With a frown, he asked, “What about it? I wrote you a letter. You ignored it. That’s the end of that.” Caedon wasn’t sure what disturbed him more—the animosity in Micah’s voice or the sudden confusion clouding his own mind. “I didn’t ignore your letter. You ignored mine, Micah.” Micah’s eyes snapped to Caedon’s. “No, I didn’t.”
“Yes you did.”
Micah expression turned turbulent. His clear eyes darkened, his jaw ticked, and his lips thinned out. “No, Caedon,” he disagreed resolutely. “I never got a damn thing from you. Up until you called me two months ago, I hadn’t heard a word from you.” 86
Mia Ashlinn
“But I...” Caedon trailed off, unsure of how to continue. Micah claimed that he hadn’t received anything. And Caedon had never known Micah to lie. So that meant Micah hadn’t gotten Caedon’s letter. He hadn’t ignored him. The tightness in Caedon’s chest loosened—not a lot but a little. “I sent you a letter and asked you to meet me, Micah. I wanted us to talk. I wanted to come home.”
“So you...”
“I don’t know what happened, but I swear that I sent you a letter after I found mine.”
“I believe you,” Micah said.
Relief raced through Caedon. Micah trusted him. Even after all of his fuck ups, Micah still had faith in him. That’s a start .
Caedon rubbed the back of his neck, paying close attention to the tense knot there. “Is that why you were”—pausing, he attempted to think of a polite word for a cold-blooded asshole but failed—“the way you were when I called?”
Micah nodded. “I didn’t understand why you were calling so suddenly after almost two years. And I was still”—he cleared his throat—“hurt. In my mind, you left me then
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