Micah
I want you all the time.
Dating Fletcher was so much more than she thought it would be. They didn’t do anything extravagant, but every minute they spent together was great. After that night in his kitchen, she invited herself back and they cooked together again. Her whole adult life, had cleaned the kitchen as she cooked. She didn’t like having to clean up before eating and she always got so lazy after her meals, so cleaning while cooking was her safest bet. Which was why watching Fletcher in the kitchen was the best feeling. He cleaned as he cooked and by the time dinner was served, his kitchen looked like nothing had happened in there.
“Next time you cook in my kitchen, you should teach Emery how to clean up after herself,” she told him, bringing things from the dining table to the kitchen.
He laughed, rinsing and loading everything into the dishwasher. lifted herself onto the counter and grinned as she watched him, reminding herself that because the man wrote a song about her, cleaned up after cooking and looked good in glasses didn’t mean that she could fall in love with him again.
Silly girl, you’re already in love with him.
“I don’t mean to be pushy, but speaking of Emery,” Fletcher said, wiping his hands before standing in front of her. She spread her legs slightly and arched an eyebrow. “When do you think we can tell her about us?”
“Soon.”
“Because while this is fun, I want to be able to hold you and touch you. All the time.”
“Is that all?” she asked, dragging her fingers through his hair before untying the topknot he’d pulled it up in. Emery might not say anything, but she always watched closely when she brought up Fletcher. And it took everything in her to not react at the mention of the man. He’d always made her feel something so intense, she didn’t know how to not be that way around him.
He frowned, peering at her over the top of his glasses. “Should there be something else?”
“Nope.” With his hair untied, pressed the pads of her fingers against his scalp and smiled when he moaned softly. “We’ll tell her soon, okay?”
“I get why you want to wait and I support it, but I’m a greedy bastard and I want you all the time.”
She laughed and with one hand, pushed Fletcher’s glasses up and then kissed the tip of his nose. She liked that he felt that way about her, because she felt it about him too. It wasn’t even about the sexual attraction—though pulling away from Fletcher would start to drive her insane—she liked that whenever they were near each other, hands gravitated to the other and her lips tingled to feel his. She even missed the scrape of his beard against her chin and neck when they weren’t around each other. She had gone sixteen years without having Fletcher kiss and touch her all the time, now it was all she wanted.
“What are your plans for the holidays?” she asked, voice soft as his fingers brushed against the side of her throat, his thumb stroking down the length of her neck and up along her jaw. She shuddered, her body going slightly limp at the way he touched her.
“Don’t have a whole lot planned, really. Why?”
knew that Fletcher responded, but when his mouth joined the exploration, everything ceased to exist around her. He pressed soft kisses along her neck as the rest of his fingers settled on the other side of her jaw. She swayed into him and heard Fletcher laugh.
“Fletch…”
“Right here, sweetheart.”
She whimpered and wrapped her fingers around the wrist that held her face, her other hand flat on his chest. Licking her lips, she arched into him as his mouth traveled down to her clavicle and he playfully nipped at the skin.
And then suddenly, his lips were gone.
“No…” she whined softly, fingers curling into the front of his shirt. “Come back.”
He chuckled and opened her eyes, his glasses were gone and his dark hair framed his gorgeous face perfectly. They stared at each other a long moment before he said, “Holiday plans.”
“What about them?”
“You asked me, Mick.”
She frowned and tried to think about their conversation, but all she could focus on was the way his beard felt against her skin. Licking her lips, she nodded. “Wanna spend it with us?”
“Yes.” The answer came out before she’d even finished her question. With a shrug, he added, “I’m busy most of the week, but I’d love to spend Christmas and beyond with you.”
“Aw,” she said, lips turning down in the perfect imitation of the sad emoji. “I’ll find someone else to fill my empty time.”
He gave her a flat look and she resisted the urge to smile, because while she could tell that he wasn’t angry or irritated, possessiveness flashed through his eyes.
“That was kinda hot,” she mumbled, her fingernails brushing through his beard.
“Which part—you fucking with me or…””
snorted and leaned in to kiss him softly. “That look in your eyes.”
“The caveman look?” He sighed against her mouth and then with the hand on her jaw, he pulled her in for a proper kiss. She tugged him closer as she slipped one hand into his hair, twisting the long strands around her fingers. “You’re mine, Mick,” he mumbled when he broke the kiss briefly, before diving back in, tongue sliding over hers.
She hummed and pulled on his hair, their lips parting as she used her other hand to trace his mouth. “ You’re mine, Fletch.”
“Always been yours, love bug.”
Damn that nickname is growing on me.
Their mouths crashed into another kiss, arms winding around each other as heads tilted and lips fitted against the other. She had kissed him countless times, but every single time was better than the previous one.
And this kiss? Incinerated her underwear.
“Let’s take a br—break and come back to it later,” she forced the words out slowly, tears pricking the back of her eyes as she faked a smile for her client. Two days after her amazing night with Fletcher and she was a mess.
felt breathless and her heart was racing so hard she thought she might pass out. Walking the client out of her office, she slowly thanked her for coming and then closed the door. With her back pressed to the wood, she slid down to the floor and finally let the tears spill out.
She was exhausted and on edge, result of a fight with her mother the day before. It had been a regular phone call at first, her parents laughing and talking with Emery. Then once her daughter had finished what she had to say, it was ’s turn. She would have preferred it be a regular phone call, but her parents insisted on FaceTime. Which meant she had to endure her mother’s expressions through the whole conversation. She wasn’t happy with how much makeup Emery was wearing, she had thoughts about how Emery spoke and then all of that turned into how was dressed. One thing led to another and was raising her voice and getting angry for everything her mother was criticizing her about.
This was exactly why didn’t like spending too much time with them—they never had anything nice to say. And when they did, it was always laced with something else. Backhanded compliments were her mother’s speciality.
While she was usually good at powering through her exhausted days, she’d barely slept. And there was the beginning of a headache starting behind her eyes. The last time she’d struggled through her sessions, had rescheduled her clients and spent the day alone and quietly. Unfortunately she’d booked another full day and that meant that she needed to take each session one at a time.
She wasn’t ashamed of her stutter, because it always helped her clients know that she wasn’t helping them for fun. To , the stutter was painful. It hurt her in ways she couldn’t put into words. There was no fix for the stutter, but there were exercises and ways to learn how not to trip over words. Except, none of her usual tricks worked. It had been so long since it had happened, her tongue and mouth were not connecting with her brain to make everything come out right. And fucking hated it.
It was also completely fucking up her mood, which was unfortunate because it was Fletcher’s birthday and she’d helped the kids plan a surprise for him after their music lesson. Trust him to not tell her that it was his birthday that week, after she’d spent every single day with him. Whether it was coffee in the morning or a quick lunch together or a really late dinner; they had been together as much as possible.
She was happy and it had been a long time since she’d allowed herself to feel that way. After Geoffrey, raising Emery while studying, getting certified and everything with her job had taken up so much time. The happiness she felt watching Emery grow up was different to the happy Fletcher made her feel, both were equally important to her. But she missed this kind of joy running through her veins—the constant excitement about seeing someone you liked, knowing that by the end of the day you’d get to hug and kiss them.
Except, she didn’t know how much of a happy person she would be that evening.
Using the fifteen minutes before her next session, visited the restroom and reapplied her makeup. She worked through her exercises, sounding out words and repeating them when she had trouble. Blowing out a long breath, she formed the words without putting any sound into it and watched her mouth curve and stretch around the vowels, around the Rs and Ks. Once she was certain she could breathe through it, returned to her office.
Four hours and two more meltdowns later, she changed out of her work clothes into something a little more dressy. While she’d never dressed for a man before, wanted to wear something for Fletcher. Which included tight black high-waisted jeans that clung to every inch of her legs and a floral wrap top that flaunted her assets as well as a strip of her stomach. After all, it was his birthday and he’d kept the whole thing a secret. Which was partly why they were also keeping this a surprise, because he thought he could get away with it.
When Emery had crashed into the house earlier in the week announcing that it was Fletcher’s birthday, had gotten into action. Thanks to her best friends being creative and quick, she enlisted them to put together Fletcher’s gift. Sadie sourced the mermaid costume from a previous photoshoot and Tatum blocked out one of her studios, allowing them to do exactly what she needed. It might have been early in their relationship for a boudoir photoshoot, but didn’t care. She knew that Fletcher would appreciate it and honestly, that’s all that mattered.
While she was still exhausted, she was focused on Fletcher and celebrating him. She picked up the cake on her way to Big Waves, along with a large envelope that contained her gift for him.
The bell above the door chimed when she pushed into the store and took a deep breath. She looked up at the balloons tucked against the ceiling and the confetti that would drop onto Fletcher. Being there, surrounded by things that made the man she loved, felt better. She smiled as Benson came around the corner and handed the cake to him. A few minutes later, Emery and Nico raced around the corner, bumping into each other and laughing as they steadied themselves.
“Damn, Ms. George,” Nico said, holding up a thumb with a smile and released a whistle. Emery rolled her eyes and smacked her best friend, which made chuckle. She knew that she looked good, but it was always comforting to have other people tell her the same thing.
“Thanks, Nico.” gave the teenager’s shoulder a gentle squeeze as Fletcher appeared, eyebrows dipped in confusion until his eyes landed on her. She stuck a leg out and set a hand on her hip as Fletcher’s throat bobbed with a hard swallow, the sound audible in the suddenly quiet shop. She could feel everyone watching them, but was too focused on the way Fletcher stared at her. His hungry gaze dragged from head to toe and back, chest heaving as his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. When his eyes lifted to hers, ’s breath caught at the animalistic look present in the brown.
And all of a sudden, his gaze softened as he said, “You okay, Mick?”
Her chest ached at the question, because he could see that she wasn’t okay. Nodding, she swallowed back the truth, pasting on a steady smile. But Fletcher’s eyes narrowed, like he knew she was hiding something. They could talk about it later, she needed to celebrate him for a bit. Instead, she took him in—faded and well worn blue jeans hugged his thighs and a white T-shirt clung to his torso, putting all his tattoos on display. His hair was tied back in a topknot and his beard was showing more of the silver.
Seconds later, balloons fell down around them, shocking Fletcher. He jumped back slightly and watched her through the confetti with wide eyes before a laugh burst out of him. Emery, Nico and Benson started singing “Happy Birthday”, but Fletcher was still looking at her. ’s heart felt like it was going to explode with how much love lingered between them.
Then he was moving towards her, his hand sliding around the back of her head to pull her mouth to his. stumbled slightly at the movement and her fingers found purchase in the belt loops of his jeans. Fletcher’s mouth slid along hers before their lips parted to fit together. She gasped softly into the kiss as his fingers twisted through her hair and pulled him close, their hips pressed together. In that moment, she didn’t care that they had an audience and it definitely slipped her mind that her daughter didn’t know about this relationship before that moment.
A throat cleared and yanked away from Fletcher, sucking in large gulps of air as they stared at each other. His hand moved from her hair to cup her face, eyes searching hers and she shook her head. Words were at the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t trust herself to speak without stumbling over them. Fletcher nodded, smiling softly before he pressed his mouth to her forehead for a lingering kiss.
“Oooookay, if you’re both done…” Emery’s voice broke through their little bubble and huffed under her breath. She pulled away from Fletcher and smiled apologetically at her daughter, who was smiling so wide. “I knew you two were boning, but kudos on trying to keep it a secret.”
“We’re not…” Fletcher started, then shook his head. “How did you one, find out and two, pull this off?”
Emery and Nico flashed smug smiles then pointed at Benson. “He told us how you never celebrate your birthday anymore. And we thought what better way to do it than with your favorite people.”
Smiling, Fletcher looked around at all of them and nodded. “Thank you.”
Benson brought the cake over, Nico lit the candles and they sang for him again. Fletcher cut the cake and everybody had a slice. participated quietly, aware that he was watching the whole time. Once everyone had moved onto different things, she pulled out the envelope with her gift and smiled as he walked over to her.
“What’s wrong?”
“A hard day,” she whispered, eyes dipping to the envelope.
Fletcher’s hand brushed over her chin and he gently tipped her head up. “Don’t hide from me, Mick. You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”
“I know.” blew out a shaky breath and then held the envelope out to him. “Don’t open it here.”
“What’s this?”
“Happy birth—day, Fletch.” She felt the word stick in her throat and sighed softly.
“You didn’t need to get me anything, but thank you.”
“I know you hate lots of attention, but the kids wanted to do this and I kinda did too. I like cel—ebrating you, Fletch.”
“I like being celebrated by you, Mick.” Their lips met for a soft kiss and she smiled against his mouth. “And I’m sure I’ll be responsible for cleaning up this mess.”
She laughed, patting his chest. “I’ll help.”
His arms slid around her waist and she sighed softly, pressing her face into his chest. Together, they swayed slightly and couldn’t help but smile at how comfortable and safe she felt in his arms. Every time she slipped into his embrace, felt like she was exactly where she was meant to be. And to think she’d spent the last so many years without him.
“Do you wanna talk about your day?” he asked softly and groaned into his chest.
“Later,” she said.
“Does this happen often?”
“No.”
“What do you do when it happens?”
She shrugged, her hands sliding up and down his back. “Take the day off, breathe through it.”
“What would you like to do today?” he mumbled against the side of her head.
“Just be with you, Fletch. This is perfect.”
“Okay, love bug.”
And despite how much she protested the nickname, she loved the way it sounded when he said it in that tone. When he said it with love and affection. Like she was truly his. Gripping the back of his shirt in both hands, held onto him and let the familiar spicy scent of his cologne invade her senses, blocking out everything else.
“Why don’t you wait in my office, I’ll finish up this session and then we can talk?”
Nodding, she let Fletcher tip her head up so he could brush his mouth over hers. She sighed into the kiss and then released him. With his hand on her lower back, they walked to his office, where he settled her into a chair before heading out to where Emery and Nico were making an absolute racket. To have a man who cared, who was interested and patient with her wasn’t a revelation, but it felt good. Forget Geoffrey, her own parents hadn’t been this gentle with her stutter. She’d felt ashamed to be that person as a kid, not wanting to embarrass anyone with her inability to speak clearly. And here was this man who looked at her and knew something was off.
She zoned out at some point, Emery’s thrashing and laughing petering out as she sat in his office, letting the peace settle into her bones. Because when Fletcher came back, it was quite in the store. startled when he touched her shoulder and then smiled softly when he dropped into the chair in front of her. She leaned in, brushing her fingers through the gray hair at his temples, sliding down to trace his eyebrows and cheekbones. swiped a finger over his nose and dragged her thumb over his mouth before she scratched at his beard with her short nails. The whole time, he watched her with a smile, his eyes soft and gentle.
“Do you want to talk about it?” dropped her hands to her lap, blinking back the tears as she shook her head. “Would you like to sit here quietly instead?” he asked, leaning in slightly to take her hands in his. She shook her head again and he laughed, brushing light kisses over her cheeks. “What do you want to do, Mick?”
She shrugged and sighed heavily, watching her fingers twist between his. “This. Noth—ing else.” winced at the block, feeling the exhaustion weigh her down.
“I got you, sweetheart,” Fletcher whispered and he gently pulled her into his lap. wrapped one arm around him and buried her face in his neck. “Let the hard day work its way through, I’ve got you.”
In his arms, she felt like she could conquer the world, save the dolphins and attain world peace. And that was enough.