Page 23 of Fierce-Michael

“You could stop it if you wanted to,” his mother said. “Or have monitored visitations.”

“I’m trying not to be a dick,” he said.

“Which is more than most do.”

“She won’t have him again for over a week. She took an extra shift on Tuesday,” he said.

“There you go. Over a week of peace,” his mother said.

“Good point,” he said. “Hey, Dad. How are things going?”

“Better than it seems you’ve got,” his father said. Jay Marshall always had a warped sense of humor.

“At least one of us is doing well,” he said.

Which wasn’t true because his date with Kelly last night was much better than he expected it to be.

Even with the emotional dump truck of shit spewed on both their parts.

Was what she had more than his? Probably not.

His was ongoing and hers was in the past.

It’s not like he could hold it against her or judge her for doing something for a friend on his deathbed. That would make him an asshole.

“How is work?” his mother asked.

“Great,” he said. “Always busy. Which is a good thing.”

“I’m sure Alex appreciates the fact you are there running things for her. She’ll be out soon enough and you’ll have more on your shoulders.”

“I can handle it,” he said. “I told her not to worry. I’ve got people under me who will pick up the slack while I step in for her. She said she is taking eight weeks off, but I’m sure she will be checking in much sooner than that.”

“It’s hard to step away when it’s your business,” his mother said. “She’s turned that into something her father was never able to do.”

He knew that. That Alex’s father had all but run the business into the ground with mismanagement, though he tried. Alex moved back home to take over and slowly built it up.

When she was ready to start her family, she offered Michael a supervisor’s job and between his ideas, Cade’s financial backing, and some more loans, Marshall Printing expanded to one of the top national printing companies for online businesses.

The staffing was massive and always an issue filling shifts, but he worked it out without Alex having to stress.

If it fell on his shoulders, oh well, that was why he was paid the big bucks now giving him and his son a comfortable life.

“Something to pass down to the kids,” he said. “If they decide not to do anything with Fierce.”

“I’m sure Jolene will have something to say about it if no one does,” his mother said.

“Jolene has something to say about everything,” he said drily.

Like always wanting to fix him up. No, thank you.

Not too many wanted to be involved with him, between the hours at his job and being a single father.

The single father part was the hardest.

He left his job at five most days, dropping Ty off at daycare at seven in the morning when it opened. If he couldn’t get out at five, his parents picked Ty up. Then he’d go home and finish work up while Ty was in bed.

Half the time he just didn’t have the mental energy to put into a woman.