"A DNA test proved that I was the father, but that wasn't the end of it. Linda decided I wasn't fit to raise Sammy and dragged me through the courts for two years trying to get custody."
"It turned out OK in the end though," Rico said trying to look on the bright side.
"Not really. Linda died. She had breast cancer. She might have lived longer if she didn't let the custody fight consume her. But after losing Ellie, she was obsessed with getting Sammy. And I was so scared of losing her. I put everything I had into keeping Sammy. The custody battle left me drained financially and in every other way. Since then I've just been keeping my head above water. I want my life to be simple, settled. I just haven't been able to make that happen."
Rico could tell that he was mad at himself because of it. "As long as she has you, your kid is happy. And I'm sure you'll sort out the rest. You're a capable guy."
Despite his usually stoic demeanor, it was clear that Mitch was emotionally wrung out from just talking about it. Rico could see it, and he was dying to hug Mitch, to make him feel better any way he could, and that told him that he better go. One more time he was getting ready to leave when Mitch started talking business.
"Tomorrow I want to finish with the cabinets. We might not be able to put them back, but we can start wallpaper removal. And I got what I need to add more light to the basement," he said while they stood at the bottom of the stairs.
"All that? You're determined to keep us busy," Rico said and raised an eyebrow at him.
"Are you implying something?" Mitch asked.
"Just the usual," Rico said with a shrug. "I better get going now."
"It isn't still raining, is it?" Mitch asked. He moved toward the living room window just as Rico moved toward the door. That put them on a collision course, but they each pulled back in time. They were still only inches apart and staring intently into each other's eyes. The tension was unbearable, and Rico couldn't take it any more.
"Been there, done that," he said decisively, to put a stop to anything he might do. Rico was a little out of breath as he spoke, but the tension was broken, more or less.
"Done what?" Mitch demanded like he was offended.
"You know. Kissed you, got kissed," Rico said. He was eyeing Mitch, wondering if he would tell him to just go home already.
"You didn't get kissed," Mitch said stubbornly.
"Oh? I remember it differently," Rico said, noticing that his own voice came out low and husky.
"Then you remember it wrong," Mitch said then he suddenly pushed him up against the wall. He did it firmly but not too hard. It still stopped Rico from breathing and his heart raced out of control. As he stood there captivated by Mitch's blue eyes, he didn't know what was happening.
Then Mitch made himself perfectly clear and, at the same time, confused Rico even more. With a smooth motion, Mitch captured his mouth, kissed him and blew his mind. The press of his lips, his tongue sliding inside, his hand cupping Rico's face, it was all too much.
Rico wrapped his arms around him, surged into him. He would have wrapped his legs around him too, but just as suddenly as it began, the kiss ended. Mitch stepped back, and Rico grunted as every inch of him felt the loss of contact.
"You accused me of kissing you. This is me kissing you," Mitch stated, his voice rough.
Too breathless to say a thing, Rico only groaned. Slumping bonelessly against the wall, he rolled his head back and forth. "What are you doing to me?" he asked helplessly.
"How would I know?" Mitch said and covered his eyes with his hand.
"At least we're on the same page. Neither of us knows what we're doing. Now that we have it all figured out, I better go," Rico decided, but his legs were so wobbly, he could barely move. He wanted to act like that kiss didn't shake him up, but he just wasn't any good at pretending.
He did manage to get to the door and open it. That's when Mitch saw it was still raining out. "I'll give you my car keys and you can bring the car back in the morning," Mitch decided.
"Nah. It's only a drizzle," Rico told him. The rain had slowed earlier then picked up again. It was more than a drizzle now. Still, Rico didn't trust himself to stick around for another second.
He didn't know what he might do. Done making his point, Mitch had stopped kissing him. But Rico wasn't nearly done. He wanted to restart things, climb all over that man until he was riding him.
He had to go.
"You seem to be in a hurry to get away from me," Mitch noticed.
"Trust me on this. I'm doing you a favor," Rico told him, but Mitch wasn't willing to accept that answer.
"Don't do me any favors. That just now was me misbehaving, not you," Mitch pointed out and then looked away.
"Misbehaving?" Rico said with a laugh. "OK. I'll give you that, but I'm ready for a lot more misbehavior than you are, so I better get out of here."
