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“Look.” Jagger strode her way. “Keith has a lot of reasons for his gruff exterior and even his bitterness. Doesn’t excuse him from being an ass, but…” He shrugged. “Give him some time. Whatever it was yesterday, he’ll come around after he processes.” Then he winked. “Or after Ronnie kicks his ass back in line.”
How was he on her side without even know the details?
“Catch you later, hon.” Jagger kissed the top of her head, and she swore Ralph sighed like a swooning damsel.
As Jagger started for the door, she grabbed his arm. “Wait.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
“How do you know I don’t deserve his scorn?” When Ralph opened his mouth to refute her question, she silenced him with a look. For some reason, Jagger wasn’t backing his brother by being angry at her for upsetting him. She needed to know why. Needed to know what he saw in her that led him to give her the benefit of the doubt. After yesterday’s kick to her self-esteem, she needed something to prop her back up.
Jagger folded his arms across his chest. The impressive muscles in his forearms popped beneath his long-sleeved Henley.
Ralph squeaked.
“I’ve gotten to know you, Mickie. Sure, I don’t know everything and not much about your past, but I know the woman you are today. The one living in this house, spending time with my family, and making my brother smile more than he has in years. I’m not one to judge people for their pasts. Especially someone who has clearly worked hard to get themselves to a healthier and happier place in life.”
She shook her head. “Jagger, you make me sound better than I am. I’ve done many things I’m not proud of. Hurt people with my words and actions,” she whispered.
“Mickie…” Ralph circled an arm around her shoulders.
“You know it’s true, Ralph.” She turned to her friend. “Supporting me is one thing, but you can’t deny I made tons of poor decisions in my life and treated people in ways they didn’t deserve.”
“Who hasn’t?” Ralph said with exasperation as he hugged her to his side. They’d had this conversation countless times over the past months.
“We’ve all made mistakes, hon,” Jagger said. “Big ones, small ones, and some monster-sized ones. I see a woman who recognizes hers, owns them, and is working damn hard to avoid repeating them. Your past is not my business. It’s your choice to decide if you want it to be Keith’s, but trust me when I tell you we all have a laundry list of regrets.”
For a moment, his gaze clouded. Did he have painful memories of his own? What were his mistakes? What stole his sleep at night? Were his demons similar to Keith’s?
“Thank you,” she said. “For being able to see me without judgment. That might change in the future, but I appreciate it now.”
If only his brother could do the same.
“Keith doesn’t judge you,” Jagger said, reading her mind.
That was just plain untrue. “Jagger—”
He held up a hand. “He doesn’t. This is about his own past. Not yours. It’s his story to tell, but trust me when I say he has his reasons for being how he is.” He nodded at Ralph. “Nice to meet you, man. Enjoy your visit.”
“Don’t be a stranger,” Ralph called out as Jagger opened the door.
“I won’t. How could I stay away with my favorite actress living across the street?” He winked over his shoulder then jogged away.
Mickie gasped and grabbed Ralph’s arm. “He knows,” she said. “He said Keith didn’t tell him?”
He knew. And he still said all those incredible things to her. Maybe he said them because he knew. Her heart beat fast, but lighter too.
Ralph shook her shoulders gently. “Maybe he put two and two together after witnessing your reaction to the media clip. Now.” He lifted the ends of her hair. “You’re gonna get dressed, let me fix this mess, then show me around your new little town. Okay?”
Blinking away the shock of Jagger’s little bomb, she nodded. “Yeah. That sounds perfect.”
Ninety minutes later, showered, caffeinated, and with fresh highlights in her hair, she and Ralph waited for their late breakfast in a booth at the local diner. Family owned and operated since the early nineteen-fifties—or so the sign boasted—the place appeared to have needed a facelift thirty years or so ago. It was cute and charming, but had faded seats, old-fashioned décor, and cracked flooring tiles. Mickie would have loved to get her hands on the place and bring it into the current century. A modern diner with a retro vibe would draw a massive crowd of tourists who came to the area for ski trips and snowy weekend getaways to nearby mountain resorts.
After taking in her surroundings, she faced Ralph to find him watching her with a half-smile.
“What?” Though she knew her hair was perfect, as he’d been the one to style it, she smoothed it down anyway. “Is there something on my face?” she asked, patting her cheeks.
