"Yeah, a little bit," he said.
Sammy peered at the kitten's tiny face as she scolded her. "No judging, Natalie." She then turned to Rico. "Is judging bad?"
"Sometimes," Rico told her with a grin, and he gave Mitch a sideways look, though he didn't know if he heard any of that.
It was time he got to work, so he stood up, brushed himself off and went over to Mitch. While using the posthole digger, Mitch ignored him right up until he was almost face to face with him.
"So you're back," Mitch said.
"Yeah, I'm a glutton for punishment," Rico told him bitterly.
Mitch gave him a piercing look, but didn't say anything, just handed him a pair of work gloves. Unfortunately that reminded Rico of the last time they worked together and how Mitch had put them on him. That was a nice moment, but it seemed like that kind of thing was over now. This time Rico just gritted his teeth in frustration and put the gloves on himself.
For a while they just worked without speaking, and Rico felt like the silence between them might stretch on forever. He couldn't take it. Breaking the silence, he told Mitch. "So you have no trust in me at all?"
Mitch fixed him with a glare then said cryptically, "In some ways."
Rico groaned. He didn't plan to mention what was on his mind or have it out with him. He wanted to pretend he didn't care, but he couldn't hold back.
"So because you overheard something, you think you know everything you need to know about me," Rico said.
Mitch turned to him and told him exactly what he thought. "You're not serious. This is all just a game to you."
"A game? Like let's see if I can turn you gay, is that what you're saying?" Rico asked him.
"I would never say something so fucking stupid," Mitch said under his breath.
"I don't know you say a lot of stupid crap. Like that I don't like Sammy. I love that kid," Rico said making sure to keep his voice low so Sammy couldn't hear him.
"I never said you didn't," Mitch said. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. "But does it matter. It seems to me that we're always fighting..."
"We're always fighting because you don't really want to be with me and you'll use any excuse to dump me," Rico shot back.
"When exactly did I dump you?" Mitch asked harshly, but his words rang inside Rico like all those unexpected things he said that seemed to mean something. It had to be wishful thinking.
He stared at Mitch, tried to read him, but he couldn't. Leaning on a section of fence they had finished, Mitch told him. "Fine, explain it to me. What are you doing with me if you don't want to get mixed up with a guy who has kids?"
"Do you think I ever hooked up with a guy who had a kid before? I just thought getting anything going would be too hard. I turned out to be wrong, OK?" Rico said feeling embarrassed.
"So you changed your mind about that because of me and Sammy?" Mitch asked still sounding doubtful.
"Sammy is great. Who wouldn't love her? And you... Whatever," Rico said. He just couldn't declare himself about Mitch, not right now.
"Yeah, you're kind of whatever too," Mitch told him and Rico had to laugh.
Staring into his blue eyes, Rico wondered if they just made up. There was only one way to make sure. "This is where you kiss me," he demanded.
Without missing a beat, Mitch pulled him behind the fence. Holding Rico tight against him, Mitch kissed him with so much passion and need. Rico lost his head for a minute, forgetting what they were fighting about this time.
As the kiss slowed then ended, Rico was left with his heart racing, trying to get his breathing under control. "You need to stop pushing me away over every little thing," Rico panted.
"You got mad at me over Stella and wouldn't listen to what I had to say," Mitch reminded him.
"You keeping score?" Rico asked him. "Anyway, I hope you get it now. I am serious and I don't think Sammy is in the way. Actually she's how I know you're a halfway decent guy."
"Oh?"
"You're scary and closed off, but seeing you with her, I knew you had a heart in there," Rico said and he tapped his chest.
