Everything good ended. She had plenty of experience with that.

Fortunately, after their whirlwind trip to Los Angeles, Mick had to drop her off and work out with his trainer, then attend a team meeting, and she had to dive back into her own work for the next few days. She’d needed some distance anyway after being with him. He overwhelmed her a little bit, and not in a bad way, but with everything good. She needed time to think, to rehash the night in her mind to make sure it hadn’t all been a dream.

And the reality of work and bills to pay and waiting in the high school parking lot for her kid to come back from camp certainly gave her a dose of reality.

Though Tara had noticed two things when she met Nathan at the bus to pick him up from camp. One, he was happy to see her, which was kind of surprising. And two, apparently her cool factor with her son had suddenly jumped several notches. Not because of anything she’d done but because of the man she was dating.

At this point, she’d take anything as long as he had more than grunting, one-word conversations with her. He seemed animated and happy, and his friends surrounded her and asked her a hundred questions about Mick and football as if she’d suddenly become his agent instead of the woman he was dating.

She’d had to back them off and explain she knew nothing about the upcoming season or what free agents San Francisco might sign, and no, she wasn’t hosting a giant get-together for Nathan’s entire team and inviting Mick’s team.

Good Lord, was this what Mick went through with the media? She could barely handle Nathan’s friends and teammates, let alone hounding journalists.

“So when’s he coming over again, Mom?” Nathan asked her for the fiftieth time as she sorted through his foul-smelling laundry.

“I have no idea.”

“Did he call you today?”

“No, he did not.”

“Does he call you every day?”

She rolled her eyes. “No, he doesn’t.”

“Well, why not? Did you piss him off?”

She turned on the washing machine and backed her son out of the room. “Nathan, give it a rest.”

Her cell phone rang, and Nathan hollered, “I’ll get it,” before she even had a chance to close the door to the laundry room.

She didn’t even bother to yell at him. What was the point? It would probably be Maggie, and he’d toss the phone at her in disgust.

“It was great. Yeah, we did workouts in the morning, then drills in the afternoon. Coaches taught us new plays from playbooks, stuff we never did before, so it was cool. And the drills were like the real deal, NFL stuff, ya know?”

Had to be Mick. Nathan would not be discussing football camp with Maggie. She went into the living room where Nathan had flopped onto the sofa, making himself at home with her cell phone. And her man.

Not that Mick was her man or anything.

“Yeah, the food sucked, but we didn’t mind. The lake was awesome. Going to bed early wasn’t too bad because they worked the shit out of us the whole day, so we were pretty wiped by the end of the day anyway.”

“Nathan, language.”

Nathan rolled his eyes, listened, then laughed. “Yeah, she gets on me about that sh—I mean about that stuff all the time. Yeah, you’re probably right. Okay, sure. Here she is.”

He begrudgingly handed her the phone. “It’s Mick.”

She smiled up at him. “Oh, really? I thought it might be Maggie.”

“Funny, Mom. Real funny.”

Nathan stood and watched her. Tara cradled the phone against her chest.

“Do you mind?”

“You listened while I was talking to him.”

“You’re not dating him.”

Nathan rolled his eyes. “What-ever.” He left the room and headed upstairs.

“Hi.”

Mick laughed. “Hi, yourself. Sounds like he had a good time at football camp.”

“I suppose he did. I was mauled by the players when he got off the bus. Apparently he told them I was dating you, so now I’m very cool.”

“How nice for you. So now they want to go out with you?”

Now she laughed. “Uh, no. Now they all want to come over for dinner when you’re here. They want nothing to do with me.”

“I’ll try to hit one of their practices, if you don’t think Nathan’s coach would mind.”

“I think Nathan’s coach would probably fall all over you in gratitude.”

“What have you been up to?”

“Working. You?”

“Same. I was wondering if you and Nathan were free this weekend.”

“I’ve got nothing on the calendar. I can check with Nathan, but I’m sure he doesn’t. Why?”

“I’d like to fly you to Saint Louis.”

“Saint Louis. Why?”

“It’s my hometown and where my family lives. No big thing, but it’s my brother Gavin’s birthday. There’s a party. He has a home game Saturday afternoon, then there’s a party at my parents’ bar that night. Thought you both might like to come.”

As usual, Mick’s lifestyle made her head spin. “Um, wow. Let me think about this for a minute.”

“It’s okay if you can’t make it. I understand it’s last minute, but they like to throw these things together at the drop of a hat. So if you don’t want to come—”

“No, it’s not that at all. Let me call you back, okay?”

“Sure.”

She hung up, her pulse jacked up and her heart rate accelerating. Meeting his parents and his brother? With her son along? This was all moving so fast. And maybe it didn’t mean anything at all. Maybe he brought women to meet his family all the time, and it was no big deal to him, so she was blowing this out of proportion. And it was a Major League Baseball game. Nathan would enjoy the chance to fly out to Saint Louis and see the game and meet Gavin. Why deny him that opportunity just because she thought the whole deal had ramifications that it probably didn’t?

“Hey, Nathan? Can you come down here?”

He opened his door and leaned over the railing. “What?”

“Come down here. I need to ask you a question.”

“What did I do now?”

She sighed. Why did everything with teenagers have to be so difficult?

“You didn’t do anything.”

He came down the stairs and lingered there.

“Mick asked if we’d like to fly to Saint Louis for the weekend. It’s his brother’s birthday. His family is having a party for him after his game Saturday afternoon.”

Nathan’s eyes widened. “Are you shi—are you kidding me?”

“No, I’m not kidding you. Would you like to go? We’d go to Gavin’s game Saturday, too.”

“Oh, man. That is just so cool. You said yes, right?”

“No. I wanted to talk to you first to make sure you’d want to go.”

Nathan slumped his shoulders, then rolled his eyes. “Dude. Mom. Call him back. Say yes. Now, before he changes his mind.”

He’d never done it before, and he wasn’t sure why he was doing it now, other than when his sister Jenna called him about the party for Gavin, his first thought had been to bring Tara and Nathan with him. He’d never wanted to do that before. He’d always gone home alone, because his parents were always after him to settle down and find a woman to share his life with. If he brought a woman with him, there’d be constant questions about whether she was “the one.” He never wanted to deal with that.

Christ. What was he thinking? This was going to be pure hell.

And yet he liked the idea of having them with him.

He had to be out of his goddamned mind.

“So you grew up here?” Nathan asked as Mick headed south on the highway from the Saint Louis airport.

“Yes. Spent my entire life here until college.”

“Then you went to University of Texas, where San Francisco drafted you number six.”

Mick laughed. “You do follow your football players, don’t you?”

“I know a lot about the players I like in the sports I follow. Which means I know a lot about you and your brother.”

“I’m honored. Gavin will be, too.”

“Tell me about your brother,” Tara asked.

“Not much to tell. He’s two years younger than me, decided he liked baseball better than football. He’s a giant pain in my a—uh—butt.”

Nathan snorted. “She’ll make you put money in the cuss jar if you don’t watch your language.”

Mick skirted his gaze to Tara. “A cuss jar, huh?”

Tara looked over her shoulder at Nathan. “A quarter for every cuss word. The jar is getting very full.”

“You’ve put some quarters in there, too, haven’t you, Mom?”

She looked straight ahead instead of at Nathan or Mick. “I guess I have.”

Mick laughed. “Well, we’re going to have to have a quarter-free weekend, because my family is Irish, and you’re going to hear a lot of cussing at the family bar. Cover your ears, Nathan.”

“I’ll do my best not to hear anything I’m not supposed to.”

Tara snorted. “Yeah, right.”

“It’s pretty here. I like it. Everything’s green.”

“It’s supposed to be green in the summer.”

“Where we live the hills are all brown.”

Nathan was right, Tara thought. It was beautiful here. Lush and green and summery. And it was hot and humid here, but Tara loved it. She loved the feel of the city as they drove down the highway. It felt homey, like a small city within a large metropolis.

“This is really beautiful,” she said as Mick turned off the highway into a residential neighborhood of thick trees and brick homes, well-manicured lawns and wide picture windows—the kind of home she’d love to own someday. Mick pulled into the long driveway of a pale brick home, two stories, with one of those picture windows in the front that she loved so much.

“This is your parents’ house?”

“Yes. I grew up here.”

“How wonderful your parents still live in the same home you lived in as a child. It must give you an amazing sense of security.” She wanted to give that to Nathan, but they’d already moved three times because her economic status had changed. At least it had changed for the better, so she couldn’t complain about that.

She stood and looked at the huge home while Mick and Nathan pulled their suitcases out of the trunk of the rental car. Her heart lodged in her throat. What if they didn’t like her? How many women had he brought here before? She hoped Nathan didn’t burp—or something even worse—in front of his parents.

Mick slipped his arm around her waist. “What are you doing?”

“Girding my loins.”

He laughed and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “This isn’t an inquisition. My family is easy to know and very friendly. You’re going to love them, and they’re going to love you and Nathan. Quit worrying.”

Her son obviously didn’t have a shy or worried bone in his body, since he was already dragging their luggage ahead of Mick. That’s what she loved about her kid. No fear and full of adventure.

She’d been fearless and adventurous once, too, and look where it had gotten her—pregnant at fifteen.

The double doors flung open, and two people came out, one a tall, slightly thicker version of Mick, with a shock of salt-and-pepper hair, and a slender, petite woman who could not have possibly given birth to Mick. Her red hair was cut short to her chin, and she was just stunning.

“Oh, you’re finally here!” the woman, who must be Mrs. Riley, exclaimed, enveloping Mick in a hug. He picked her up and kissed her cheek.

“Hi, Mom.”

Mr. Riley hugged him, too, and kissed him on the cheek. “Been too long since you’ve been home, Michael.”

Mick grinned, totally comfortable and happy with his parents. Nathan was smiling, too, though obviously a bit bemused at all this affection. Tara laid her hands on her son’s shoulders.

“Come in, come in,” Mrs. Riley said. “It’s so hot outside today. We’ll do introductions inside where it’s cool.”

They walked inside and left their luggage in the entry. The house was definitely older, yet beautiful, all light colors, beige and brown and cream, beautifully decorated, and the rooms oversized with lots of furniture. It looked welcoming and comfortable, not artsy and stiff.

“Come on into the living room and make yourselves at home,” Mrs. Riley said, hugging Tara. “I’m Kathleen, and this is my husband, James, but everyone calls him Jimmy.”

Mick made the introductions. “Mom, Dad, this is Tara Lincoln and her son, Nathan.”

Tara was enveloped in a hug by both of Mick’s parents. Jimmy shook Nathan’s hand, and Kathleen hugged him. “Welcome to our home,” Jimmy said.

“Jimmy, bring out the iced tea I set in the refrigerator. I’m sure everyone’s thirsty. We’ll go sit down.”

Mick took Tara’s hand and led her to an oversized chair for two. Nathan took a seat on the sofa by the window, and Kathleen sat in a chair covered by a quilt.

“Your home is lovely, Mrs. Riley,” Tara said.

“Call me Kathleen, or I’m not likely to answer you,” Kathleen said.

“All right,” Tara said with a laugh. “Kathleen.”

“Thank you. Mick and Gavin keep trying to buy us some big new fancy house, but we love this old place and don’t want to move. We had the kids in this house. It’s home to us and always will be.”

“Besides, it will give me something to work on when I retire,” Jimmy said as he brought the tray filled with tea. Kathleen passed out glasses, and Tara took a long swallow.

“And when’s that going to be, Dad? Never?”

Jimmy laughed. “Who’s going to run the bar for me? Jenna?”

“She does that now, doesn’t she?” Mick asked.

“She gives lip to all the customers.”

“And they love every insult she hurls at them,” Kathleen said.

“Jenna is my sister,” Mick explained. “She bartends at Riley’s, our family bar and restaurant. Mostly a bar, but we also serve sandwiches. Big sports bar, really.”

“Oh, fun. So do you have multiple screens to show all the games?” Nathan asked.

Jimmy nodded. “Can’t miss my boys’ games while I’m workin’, now can I? And it’s a big draw for customers. We have the main big screen over the bar, then multiple small screens to show whatever else is on. Baseball, football, hockey, basketball, NASCAR, soccer. You name it, we’ll have it on.”

“Awesome.” Nathan turned to Tara. “Will I be able to get in?”

Tara lifted her gaze to Jimmy. “I don’t know. Can he?”

“Sure, as long as he doesn’t go to the main bar because he’s not twenty-one. But he can sit in the restaurant portion. There’s even some video games in there for the kids.”

“Rockin’,” Nathan said. “Can’t wait to see it. So do you have all your sports trophies from when you were in high school and college and stuff?”

“You mean the hall of fame room? Yeah, unfortunately, it’s all here in the shrine.”

“The shrine?” Tara asked, laughing.

“It’s not a shrine,” Kathleen scoffed. “What do you want us to do with the trophies and awards you and Gavin won? Box them up and throw them in the attic?”

“Actually, that’s a great idea. I can take care of that while I’m here.”

Kathleen waved her hand. “Don’t be ridiculous.” She turned to Nathan and Tara. “Would you like to see them?”

“Yeah!” Nathan said.

“I’d love to see them.” Tara stood.

Mick pulled at her hand. “You don’t have to go see them.”

“I want to.”

“Ugh.”

She laughed and followed Kathleen upstairs.

Mick was right. It was like a shrine, but it was very sweet. There were trophies and pennants dating back to grade school. Everything from peewee football and T-ball all the way to the awards both the brothers had won in college, tucked away in what looked to be a room now used as an office, since there was also a desk and a computer.

The pride on Mick’s parents’ faces was evident as they stood by and beamed while they pointed out what each of the guys had won each particular trophy for. Mick, meanwhile, just looked damned uncomfortable, which Tara also found incredibly charming. There were also trophies for Jenna for gymnastics, dance, field hockey, and softball.

Clearly an athletic family.

“Wow. All your stuff is just bangin’ awesome,” Nathan said, ogling Mick’s college awards. “You worked hard, huh?”

“I did.”

“He also maintained a three-point-eight grade point average at the University of Texas,” Kathleen said. “We were more proud of his grades than we were of all the trophies in this room.”

Tara mouthed a silent thank-you to Kathleen over the top of Nathan’s head. Kathleen winked.

“Yeah, but you don’t really need to worry about that once you make money playing football.”

Mick slung his arm over Nathan’s shoulders. “Not true, my man. You gotta have the smarts to get into college in the first place. They might want to draft a decent player, but they don’t want someone who’s going to struggle to make the grades, because it makes their job harder. Second, do you know how many football players piss away all the money they make in the NFL, and then when their careers are over they end up dead broke?”

Tara and Mick’s parents followed Mick and Nathan down the stairs. Tara listened intently to the conversation, determined to let Mick do all the talking.

“No.”

“More than you think. A lot more than you think. You need to put all you effort into your grades and into using your head first, because you’ll use up your body fast. And when that’s done, you’ll have to have something to do after. If you blow out a knee your second season, you’ll be what? Twenty something years old with your whole life ahead of you. You don’t want to be a dumb-a— you don’t want to be dumb and stupid with no education and no money, right?”

Nathan looked up at him. “Huh. I never thought about that.”

Mick slapped him on the back. “A lot of guys don’t. Always use your head, not just your muscle. The smart guys always do.”

Nathan tilted his head back to look at Mick, and Tara’s breath caught at the abject hero worship.

She hoped he listened to what Mick said about using his brain. Because Nathan was a smart kid. And his grades were good. She hoped and prayed they stayed that way and he didn’t count on football to see him through life.

“So where’s your brother?” Nathan asked.

“He has a game tonight,” Mick answered. “He’ll be by later, I imagine. Or at the bar.” Mick lifted his gaze to his mother.

“I talked to him this morning. He’ll come by for the party at the bar tomorrow night. He’s busy tonight.”

“Got a hot date?” Mick asked.

Kathleen laughed. “I have no idea. Neither of you are very forthcoming about your love lives. Though I’m very pleased you brought Tara and Nathan with you this weekend. A step in the right direction.”

Kathleen took a seat on the sofa next to Tara. “So tell me about yourself, Tara. Are you from San Francisco?”

She swallowed, sensing the inquisition forthcoming.

“Hey kid, let me show you the workshop out back,” Jimmy said. “Mick, you can come along. Nathan and I might even kick your butt in a game of hoops.”

“In your dreams, old man.” He turned to Tara and winked.

Tara knew it was get-to-know-his-mother time. She returned her gaze to Kathleen. “I grew up in the East Bay, outside San Francisco. Never lived in the city. Too expensive there.”

“And your ex-husband?”

“I was never married. Nathan’s father isn’t in our lives.”

“Oh, I see. Well, I’m sorry about that. So what do you do for a living?”

That was it? No probing or disapproval for being a single mother? Huh. Not what she expected. “I’m an event planner. That’s actually how I met your son. I planned a party for the team.”

Kathleen clapped her hands together. “How delightful. And what a fun career for you. You must enjoy that very much.”

“I do, actually. I’ve only had the business for a couple years, so we’re still growing, but it’s going very well so far. I have high hopes for it.”

“It takes time to grow a business. And perseverance.”

“I have both. It took me a while to get to the point where I could afford to start up a company, but this is something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ll do whatever it takes to make it succeed.”

Kathleen took her hand and squeezed it. “Years ago, women couldn’t do what you’re doing. I admire you, being a single mother, juggling your own business, and raising that fine son of yours. It’s not easy.”

“Nathan’s worth the sacrifices I’ve had to make.”

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Sure.”

“And you can feel free to tell me it’s none of my business. It won’t hurt my feelings at all. What about Nathan’s father? Did he just not want to be part of his life?”

She could tell Kathleen she didn’t want to talk about it, but surprisingly, she didn’t mind. “I didn’t want him in Nathan’s life. I was only fifteen when I got pregnant, which was stupid, but I knew I wanted to have my baby. And the guy who got me pregnant wasn’t someone I wanted in my life or in my baby’s life. Drugs, theft, time in jail—he was a total loser. I made him sign away rights to my child before he got sent off to prison. He can never make a claim to Nathan now.”

Kathleen nodded. “Even then you did what was necessary to protect your child. You were smart.”

“I was dumb. I shouldn’t have gotten pregnant. But Nathan didn’t need to suffer for my stupidity. And how could I regret having him? He’s everything to me.”

Kathleen’s eyes watered. “A good mother is willing to lay down her life for her child. You’re a good mother.”

Tara blinked back tears. “Thank you. I don’t think anyone’s ever told me that.”

“Your mother?”

Tara laughed. “That’s a topic for another day and another conversation. I think I’ve burdened you enough for our first meeting. Any more, and you’ll tell your son to run as far away from me as he possibly can.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that, Tara. My son, like me, is a very good judge of character. I don’t need to tell him what to do. If he chose you to be in his life, it’s because he thinks you’re good for him.”

“Thank you, Kathleen. I like Mick very much. I like being with him. I like the way he makes me feel when I’m around him.”

“That’s all I needed to know about you. You never once said you like the things he gives you. It was all about feelings. I’m so glad you’re here this weekend,.”

Her heart swelled with the feeling of family, something she hadn’t felt in—ever. “Me, too, Kathleen.”

But he couldn’t help it. He liked hearing her talk to his mom, liked how freely she opened up, talked about the guy who’d gotten her pregnant. One of the things he admired about Tara was how she’d done so much on her own from such a young age. He didn’t know everything about her past, but he was getting glimpses into it little by little. And from what he was getting, he understood that it had been shitty from the start, from her parents to the guy who knocked her up. And she’d gotten where she was today all on her own.

It was time to sit down with her and get the story directly from Tara. He wanted to know more about her. And there were things he needed to tell her about himself. He wanted things to progress between them, because he was starting to care pretty damn deeply about her.

And if you cared a lot about someone, you told them your secrets. And they told you theirs.

So maybe it was time for that talk.

Uh ... soon.