“I have been doing this for a while,” I chuckle.
“Is there a hot chick around that wants to hold me when my legs buckle?” asks Jack while he dismounts. He pretends to look around.
“Micky,” says the guy standing behind us.
Mikayla and I turn around. The young man looks crestfallen, his eyes darting from me to Mikayla, a crease between his brows.
“Cody, what are you doing here?” Mikayla asks; she’s clearly annoyed.
The man-child who stands before me is a rumpled mess. He looks like absolute shit. His shirt, which is a standard cotton T-shirt, is wrinkled; his pants have stains. And his blonde hair looks both greasy and dry. I don’t even know how that’s possible. It’s literally sticking up every which way.
I tilt my head and frown. This guy’s a mess. I’m not worried about Mikayla. I’m not even jealous. But I am curious.
“Micky, please,” Cody begs, walking toward her, reaching out for her. “I’m going crazy! I’m just so sorry! It’s killing me.” He grabs fistfuls of his hair and pulls. That explains the spiky nest on his head.
Mikayla presses her back against me, stepping away from Cody. That’s when he seems to register my existence as something important.
“Who—What?” Cody sputters, his face scrunches up and his arms lift.
“I’m Caine,Mick’s boyfriend.” I extend my hand out to him.
His eyes immediately dart to Mikayla. “You’re already seeing someone?” he asks, his brows drawn. He isn’t being rude, in fact, his voice drops. He sounds defeated.
“Cody, why are you here?” Mikayla asks again, not answering his question.
“I miss you. I need to explain. I need… fuck! I’m so sorry! I fucked up,” he states before running his fingers through his hair. “Your mom called me crying—said I ruined your relationship with her. I…” He stops speaking and shuts his eyes. His lips quiver.
“Cody, you didn’t help my relationship with my mother, but you are hardly to blame for the state of our relationship. She can’t put that on you,” Mikayla says, raising her hand to stop him from continuing. Her voice is firm and kind.
“But she…”
“Our mom is such a bitch!” Jack utters from beside me. “Cody, you’re a dick, and you cheated on Mikayla so don’t take this as me defending you, but our mom is responsible for her actions, not you,” he adds without any hesitation.
I look at my watch and note that I have an hour before Sawyer’s lesson.
“Why don’t we go home and talk about this in private?” I suggest.
I take Mikayla’s hand and begin to walk away. I’m relieved that Cody follows. The guy looks ready to fall over. I can’t really tellif he’s here because he thinks he can win her back or if he’s just a mess because of what he did. But either way, this needs to be done in private.
Once inside, we all walk to the living room and sit down. Cody takes the single chair beside Jack, and Mikayla sits beside me on the sofa.
“Cody, why are you here?” Mikayla asks for the third time.
Cody’s eyes dart to me. I lean back, my arm draped over the back of the couch, and Mikayla naturally leans into me. I can see from his face why he’s here. I actually feel bad for the guy.
“I thought—I wanted—Micky, three years. I mean, I know I fucked up, and I’m so sorry! I don’t know why I did it! It was stupid and heartless and cruel, and I’m disgusted with myself. But…” Cody trails off, lifting his arm and pointing it at me. I can feel his sorrow. The look of agony on his scrunched face makes it more than apparent. “I love you,” Cody says.
“Dude, you fucked our mom,” Jack says. His lack of compassion is astounding.
“Jack, I think Cody is aware of what he did,” Mikayla says defensively. She purses her lips as she looks at her brother.
“Sorry,” Jack says, but I hear him whisper, “not sorry,” under his breath. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from laughing.
“Cody, I’m not angry with you,” Mikayla says.
I sincerely hope she doesn’t tell him why. The guy looks like he’s hanging on by a thread, and it won’t help if she tells him she never loved him.
“Then can we—are you? I don’t know who this guy is. Do you really have a boyfriend?” Cody asks, his voice rising.
