“I’m sorry, but your mom smells like a field of roses and might be one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. She had a fucking diamond brooch on her head, Mic. How is she real?”
She cocked her hip, a slow, smug smile spreading across her face. “Wow, you really are into older chicks, huh? I mean, my mom is pushing sixty—don’t tell her I told you that—but love knows no number.”
A laugh sputtered out of me. “You dick. You never did tell me if you’re ticklish.”
“Why would I tell you that?” She took a step back, toward the gate.
“Just something we should know about each other.”
My hands went up in warning, and she bolted, leaving laughter in her wake. I chased her through the gate and across the grass, letting her think she had the advantage, until I grabbed her from behind. My arms bracketed her shoulders, and my fingers dug into her sides. She shook with laughter, squirming to get away, but not really trying very hard.
“Are you going to stop being a dick?” I asked.
She tipped her head back, her eyes wet from laughing so hard. “Nope. Never. It’s an integral part of my personality.”
“Then I’m just going to have to torture it out of you.” I went back at it, tickling her until she was weak-kneed, then I lowered her to the ground, flopping down in the grass beside her. She slapped my chest, an exhausted smile on her face.
“That was evil,” she said, panting. “Is it even legal to tickle a pregnant lady?”
Grinning at her, my hand took its new favorite spot on her stomach. “Not sure. I’ll have Yael look into it.”
“Don’t you dare tell your sister you tickled me until I almost peed on you.”
“Did you? I wasn’t aware I was in such grave danger.”
“So close.”
“What was your mom’s reaction to the baby?” I asked, curious what that glamorous, iconic woman was like as a mother.
“She said while she is far too young to be a grandmother, she would like to be called Gab-Gab, and called dibs on babysitting when she’s not on tour. I’m sure our child will be returned home dripping in diamonds and singing Smokey Robinson songs, but she’ll be a cool grandma. She’s Auntie Gab to Ansel’s kids, but she treats them like they’re her blood.”
“What about your dad?” I asked.
“My dad is less thrilled, especially knowing your profession. He’s been in this business my whole life and has seen too much to be optimistic about the effects fame and stardom have on men’s characters.” She brushed her curl from her forehead. “He was a good dad, but busy. He’s a good granddad, but still too busy.”
“Did he say he’d ruin me if I screwed up?”
She rolled her eyes. “Ansel told me what he said. And while I do believe he could make life difficult for you if he tried, I would never allow him to do that.”
“I wasn’t offended, Mic. His heart was in the right place, so I got it.” I propped myself up on my elbow, looking down at her in the grass. “This reminds me of your Instagram picture.”
“Vanessa took it. She’d been laying with me, finding the shapes in the clouds, but she got bored so she played with my phone. She took about a thousand selfies and one picture of me.”
I shook my head. I needed to leave. If I couldn’t kiss her, touch her, tell her how I felt about her, then I had to get out of there. The heat in my chest was unbearable.
“You’re going to be a fucking incredible mom, Mic.” I hopped up and held my hand out to her, pulling her up from the grass. “I’m gonna head out.”
“Okay.” She brushed grass off her backside. “Maybe I’ll pop in on you this week, if you’re into that.”
Torture. It’d be absolute torture. “I’m incredibly into that. I’ll text you my address.”
I turned to walk away, but she called my name. “Come back here and hug me.”
Gathering her warm body into my arms was both the best and worst thing I’d ever done. How could she not feel this? Know this? Want this? Michaela’s head rested under my chin, and her arms wrapped around my middle. She held on tight for a minute, but when a soft moan spilled from her lips, I jumped back.
“I-I’m gonna go.”
Her mouth pulled into a frown, but no surprise, she let me walk away.