Page 83 of Fierce-Michael

Not what he wanted to hear. The hesitation in her voice.

“Do you want to keep this a secret?”

“No,” she said. She ran her hand on his thigh. “Don’t think that. Not for a minute. I’m just asking a question.”

“I thought if people at work knew we were dating then I could stop over to meet you. But if you’d rather not, that is fine too.”

She smiled at him. “Cade knows. When he comes back to work I expect him to say something to me. I’m assuming Alex knows by now.”

“She does,” he said. His cousin had brought it up briefly on the visit he had with Ty to see the baby, but nothing more.

“We can try getting it out there more,” she said. “I think Cade is coming in this week at some point.”

“He should be,” he said. “At least Alex said that when I talked to her last night. She shouldn’t be working, but you know she can’t step away.”

“I’ve talked to Cade a few times, but it’s only been about work and in an email or text.”

“Let’s see if we can do something with Ty this weekend if you’re willing. Then go from there. I’m not saying we have to make this big announcement to anyone.”

She laughed. “Once Jolene finds out, everyone will know. It will be for the best I think. She’ll try to get in the middle of it. Are you sure you’re ready for that?”

“She won’t bug me,” he said. “She might bug you. So that is a question I think needs to be addressed from your end.”

“I’ll be fine. Cade will interfere or Ella will. I’m not worried. I can hold my own. This is between us and no one else. I don’t want people getting in the middle of us. Our timeline is ours and no one else’s. There are more important things we need to focus on.”

“Like what?” he asked.

“Like making sure Ty is comfortable with it all. I’m not going to start coming over all the time. Nor staying there. It has to happen organically so that it feels as if he has some say or is part of it.”

“And that is why it’s so easy to love you,” he said.

“You know, Michael, you’re a sweetheart.”

“I’m not sure too many people have ever said that to me before,” he said.

“Because you didn’t let them see it.”

“They weren’t the right people or it wasn’t the right time,” he said. “I don’t know the answer to it and I guess it doesn’t matter.”

“No,” she said. “It doesn’t. You’re not nervous about meeting my parents like I was yours, are you?”

“Not really,” he said. “Do I need to be? You told me they know about Ty and the situation around it.”

He wasn’t sure of the exact details that Kelly shared with her parents about his relationship with Electra. He trusted her to be discreet. But there wasn’t much he could do about it either.

The facts were the facts and it was his life.

He liked to think he was handling it the best way he could.

“They know what they need to know,” she said. “My parents also know that you know about Brian. To them, that meant you were important to me. I don’t tell anyone about that.”

It made him feel good to hear that.

It didn’t take long to get to the house she grew up in.

“How close did Brian live to you?” he asked. He wasn’t sure why he thought of that just now, but since Kelly and Brian went to school together from the start, he had to live somewhat close he was assuming.

“About a mile away. I could walk over there a lot and did when we were younger. Or he walked here. Trust me, no one in his family is looking for the other now. They don’t talk to me.”