Michael nodded. “That’s certainly part of it, but it’s not the most important part. I have work to do on me. Not physical work, but work. I want you to know that I’ve talked to Alexei and I’m going to be seeing a therapist who can help me figure out why I struggle to share myself with the people I love. I don’t want to carry around this anger anymore. I want to be open. I need to move past this time so I can get on with a life I think I’m going to love.”
There weren’t any therapists in Bliss, which given the damn fact that half the town was nuts and the other half was even crazier seemed like an oversight. Alexei was in school studying psychology, but he wouldn’t be setting up a practice in the next few weeks.
So Michael was leaving.
How had it only been a few days before that this would have been the best news he’d ever heard?
“I think that is a wonderful idea, Michael.” Lucy leaned over and put a hand on Michael’s. “It doesn’t hurt to ask for help. I saw a therapist in Alamosa for a year after what happened with Hope’s ex-husband. It did me a world of good. And I’m glad you talked to Alexei instead of someone else. I asked Cassidy because I thought of all the people who might know a therapist, Cassidy would be the one. She sent me to Irene, who turns out to believe she can purge bad spirits with the proper Blizzard blending. She worked at the Dairy Queen. That should have been my tip-off that all was not right. I got such a brain freeze.”
How was Lucy so calm?
Michael’s eyes had lit up. “I think I should try that, too. I think the right amount of cookie dough in my ice cream would definitely make me less angry.”
“It would, but alas, Irene had to close her practice when she went to jail,” Lucy replied. “Money laundering. She was a crappy therapist but turned out to be a half-good money launderer. Except for getting caught, of course.”
“See, this is one of the many reasons I love this place.” Michael brought her hand to his lips.
“Then why would you leave it?” The question was out of Ty’s mouth before he could think to keep it bottled up so Michael wouldn’t see how vulnerable he was.
Michael’s brows rose. “Leave? I never said I was leaving. I mean, I have to in order to get the paperwork on the house back in Florida done. There are a lot of things I need to take care of before I can truly settle in here. I was kind of hoping you guys could come with me. It should only take a couple of days, and I’m willing to work around your schedules. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I don’t have the right to make plans for you. I broke trust, and I have to earn it back by showing you I’m willing to work hard to be a better man, to be the best partner I can be.”
Lucy had turned Ty’s way, a quizzical look on her face. “What are you worried about, babe?”
It was apparently not the same thing Lucy was worried about. “I thought he was going to tell us he was going to Florida. I thought the talk with Trina had convinced him he could go home and get back to his job.”
“My home is here in Bliss,” Michael said resolutely. “No matter what happens between the three of us, you should understand that I’m not planning on leaving. If you can’t bring yourself to forgive me, then we’ll find a way to be polite and get along, but I’m not leaving.”
“But you said you were going back to the marshals.” Ty’s head was reeling.
“Yes. I’ve been talking to my old boss, and they need someone who can specialize in locating fugitives in rugged terrain. She offered me my old job back, but I told her I want to be here. I’ll work with local law enforcement when someone goes on the run. I would pretty much be the one to do anything that needed to be done in this part of the country. They’ve agreed to let me work solo, though I’m technically under the Durango office, but I’d likely work for the Santa Fe District Office as well. I’d be a specialist, and I might have to work all over the western states if this goes the way they want. I was actually hoping to get you to help me hone my skills, Ty. I’ve spent the last two years learning how to survive in the mountains, but you’re the real expert. I thought between you and River, there’s not a lot you don’t know about these mountains. Maybe we could even bring you on as a consultant from time to time.”