Author's Note: Sorry about the wait! I've been struggling to write anything lately and just needed to take a little break. Plus, life has been a little extra busy, so my free time has been down time. But here is chapter twenty for your reading pleasure. Hopefully it was worth the wait. I'm trying to work on Breaking Through but I'm just not happy with anything I've written so I'll keep working on that one. Happy reading. dark rolling sea.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Wednesday evening Mike stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom and finished shaving. He was nervous. He didn't know why, other than it had been a very long time since he had gone on a proper date, long before the pandemic. When he was done shaving, he went into his room and pulled on a dark blue polo shirt and buttoned the collar. He slipped into a pair of jeans and sucked in a deep breath. He walked out into his living room and found a smirking Tom staring at him.

"What?" Mike barked.

"You're cute when you're nervous," Tom quipped with a laugh. Mike narrowed his eyes at Tom.

"Shut up," Mike retorted with a shake of his head. Tom smiled back at him and winked.

"Not like you have to work to get this one, lighten up, Buddy," Tom replied softly. Mike felt his heart hammer away.

"Right," Mike sighed.

"Ready?" Tom asked as he stood and walked over to Mike. He reached out and fixed the collar on Mike's polo shirt. Mike shook his head at him. "There, prefect."

"Let's go," Mike groaned and headed towards the door. They walked down the hallway to Ginny's and Mike opened the door and stepped inside. Tom stepped in behind him and leaned close to Mike's ear.

"Probably should have knocked," he said out of the corner of his mouth. Ty looked up from the couch and smiled at them.

"Hey, guys!" Ty beamed. Wyatt came flying out of his bedroom and ran up to Mike. Mike scooped him up and hugged him. Wyatt touched his face.

"Mike," Wyatt said with a smile. Mike smiled back at him. Tom went around the couch and flopped down next to Ty.

"What are we watching?" Tom asked as Ty adjusted giving them both room.

"Some old movie they've played a million times," Ty droned out with a shrug. "I've seen it."

"Only thing on?" Tom asked.

"Pretty much. I hear you're hanging out with us tonight," Ty said with a smile.

"Yep, I'm the babysitter," Tom replied with a raised eyebrow. Ty smiled back at him. Ginny came out of the bedroom and Mike stopped. She was wearing a black dress, heels, and her makeup was subtle. Her hair was in a updo. She smiled at him, and he found himself smiling back. She walked up in front of him and paused.

"Hey, Handsome," she whispered.

"Hi," Mike whispered back. Wyatt gently grabbed Mike's face and turned it towards him. Mike tore his eyes away from Ginny and let his face be redirected. "Hey, Buddy, you got to stay with Tom tonight." Wyatt's face scrunched. The boy's head shook slightly.

"No, Mike," he said as he clamped his arms around Mike's neck.

"Oh boy," Mike sighed out. Ginny cringed and Tom looked over.

"I was afraid of this," Ginny said softly. "Wy, Mommy and Mike are going to go out for a little bit. Tom is going to watch you and Ty while we're gone."

"No, Mike," Wyatt said again, his arms staying firm. Mike sighed. Mike gently pried his arms free and set Wyatt on the ground in front of him. Wyatt immediately tried to climb back onto his hip. Mike held him firm.

"Hey, Buddy, I need you to stay with Ty tonight. I promise to come back as soon as I can," Mike said gently. He could see the anguish in the little boy's face and Mike sighed. "Just for a little bit. Be good for Tom."

Mike stood and Wyatt lifted his arms to him. Mike shook his head no, and it nearly crushed him inside. Ginny saw the look on his face and scooped Wyatt up on her own hip and walked around the couch. She deposited Wyatt between Tom and Ty and kissed the little boy.

"We'll be back, Wy, I promise," she whispered, ruffling his hair. She turned towards Ty. "Be good, I love you."

"Love you too, Mom. Have fun."

Mike and Ginny walked out of the apartment and went to Mike's truck. Mike drove in silence for awhile as he fumbled with his nerves. He was mad at himself for being nervous, but at the same time knew it was stemming from his rustiness of dating. But he knew it was more than that too. This was the point where she learned who he was. What he was about, how deep his scars ran. This was when she would decide if this was a short-term fling…or something more. Mike knew a lot rode on their relationship and it added a bit more pressure to his nerves. He glanced over at Ginny from the corner of his eye to try to judge where her mindset was, but he couldn't read her.

They arrived at the restaurant and were seated. Mike was feeling a little self-conscious as they still hadn't said anything. Once seated he wiped his hands on his pant legs and tried to calm his nerves.

"You, okay?" Ginny asked quietly. Mike looked up from the menu and gave her a tight smile. Ginny smiled back at him, and he felt himself relax a little.

"Yeah," Mike mumbled. He took a deep breath and swallowed. Their waiter came and they ordered their meal. As the waiter walked away Ginny was smiling at him again. "What?"

"You look cute when you're nervous," Ginny said teasingly. Mike smirked and shook his head.

"Tom said the same thing," Mike groaned a little. Ginny smiled and cocked her head to the side.

"So why are you nervous?" she asked. Mike thought about how to answer that question. He decided honesty and laying it all out there in the open was the best option.

"Because a lot rides on…this," he answered waving a hand between them. Ginny's face scrunched in confusion and Mike sighed. He gathered his thoughts and licked at his lips. "I can't afford for this to be…short term."

Mike watched as her eyes went from confusion to understanding. He watched as she sat back into her seat a little and searched Mike's face. Mike knew that if this went south and he lost them it would be a blow he may never recover from. When she didn't say anything, he felt compelled to continue.

"Ginny, I love your boys. I never expected that to happen but damn if I'm not sucked in deep. Us," he waved his hand between them again, "that's an added bonus. But I don't know how I would handle if we don't work, and you walk away. I know it's not been that long…but…Wyatt he just…"

"He loves you too," Ginny cut in quietly. "And Ty? It's been a long time since I've seen him come out of his shell. I have no idea what will happen between us, but I like you, Mike. I like you a lot. I haven't felt this way since when I met Ty's real dad." Mike nodded. "The more I'm around you? The more of your personality draws me in. I love how you are with Wyatt. I love how you are with Ty. I love how you are with me. I was so mad at you in the beginning," Mike smirked, "when you came barreling in and basically told me my life was a shitshow and I needed to clean it up."

"I didn't mean to…" Mike started but Ginny held up her hand and shook her head.

"I know you did it with good intentions, mainly you were concerned for my boys. But I had blinders on, and when I sat down that day and thought about my choices and what was going on…I knew you were right. Now tonight? I just want to get to know you more. I want to know all about you because I think we could make an awesome team."

Mike nodded slowly with a grin on his face. He liked how bold she was. He liked a lot about her. He paused as the waiter brought their food and when he walked away Mike looked back at Ginny.

"What do you want to know?" Mike asked.

"Everything," she breathed out. Mike nodded slowly and then began talking about himself. Ginny asked questions along the way. He dove into his past, talked about his life in Chicago, about being a cop, eventually becoming a homicide detective. He talked about joining the Navy. He talked about Christine and the kids. The more he talked the easier it became. They had finished their food, and Ginny ordered a dessert they shared. It was gone and yet they were still there talking. Mike paused.

"Okay, now you," Mike said as he reached over and wrapped his hand up in hers. She squeezed and gave him a small smile.

"Well, I was born in Brookville, Pennsylvania. Grew up there and went off to College in Pittsburgh. I met my first husband Trevor Higbee, he was Ty's dad, while I was there. He was in the Army and was deployed a lot but when he was around it was good. We had Ty six years before the Red Flu hit," Ginny started. She launched into her life story, sharing how she was a two-sport athlete. About her mom and her two brothers and a sister. She told him about how her dad died when she was little leaving her mom to take care of the four of them on her own. She told him about Trevor and how he was with Ty. She told him about taking Ty back to Pennsylvania when the Red Flu hit and hiding in the mountains. They heard about St. Louis and made their way there just in time for the ship to come and spread the cure. Mike soaked up her life story. He noticed she hadn't touched on Wyatt at all.

"So, I'm curious, but if you don't want to talk about it, it's okay," Mike started. Ginny gave him a curious look. "Just…you haven't said anything about Wyatt and his dad."

"Oh that," Ginny sighed out and looked down at the table. Mike noticed the look of embarrassment that washed over her.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me," Mike said softly. He squeezed her hand that was still tangled with his own.

"It's okay, just…embarrassing I suppose," she said as she brought her eyes back up to Mike's. "It was a one-night stand. I don't even know the guy's name," she said quietly, her shoulders shrugging at the end. "Was having a bad night, got drunk, took a guy home, don't remember much. He was gone when I woke up. Six weeks later I realized that I was pregnant. No idea what ever happened to him."

"Oh, wow," Mike said, not really knowing how to respond to her confession.

"Yeah, like I said, embarrassing. But I got Wyatt out of the deal. And I suppose he's got some issues, but I couldn't imagine life without him either."

"He's got a way of worming into your heart," Mike chuckled. Ginny smiled at him.

"He's got you now," she replied. Mike nodded slowly and smiled.

The waiter had left the check on the table a while ago and Mike knew they should be going home. He was enjoying the night. He looked at the time and then looked at Ginny.

"We should probably let them close this place down," Mike whispered. Ginny smiled and nodded.

Mike went and paid their bill then they made their way back to the truck. They drove back in silence, but it didn't share the same nervous energy as before. Mike felt calm. Their hands were intertwined. Mike parked the truck, and neither of them moved to get out of the truck. Mike looked over at Ginny and found her staring at him.

"What?" Mike asked softly.

"Just…like looking," she said, a blush creeping up her cheeks. Mike looked out the windshield. "This was nice," Ginny finally said, and Mike looked back at her.

"It was," Mike said as he brought her hand up and kissed her knuckles. "I had a great time."

"Me too," Ginny said. "We should do it again soon."

"I'd like that," Mike whispered. Ginny smiled at him. They got out of the truck and headed inside. They walked down the hallway in silence, hands tangled together. They paused outside Ginny's door and Mike brought his free hand up to cup her jaw. He leaned down and kissed her slow and sensuous, exploring. They pulled away and Mike let his hand on her jaw drop. She brought her hand up and placed it flat on his chest.

"Thanks for a wonderful night. I'm guessing you're going back to your apartment tonight," Ginny said softly. Mike swallowed then nodded slowly.

"I think it's best," Mike mumbled. Ginny nodded.

"Okay," she smiled.

"You're okay with this…going slower?" Mike asked.

"You'll come around eventually," she said with a grin. Mike laughed lightly. "Good night, Mike."

"Night, Ginny," Mike replied leaning in and kissing her one more time. She pulled back and opened her door. Mike saw Tom turn his head look at them. Mike motioned he was going back to his apartment and Tom got up and walked over to them.

"Were they good for you?" Ginny asked as Tom passed by her. He stopped and turned towards her.

"Yeah. You've got some great kids," Tom replied with a hint of sadness in his voice. Mike wondered if something had happened.

"Thanks. Wyatt was okay for you?"

"Wyatt is a handful, but I've been trained for worse," Tom replied with a smile. Ginny gave him a curious look but nodded. "Good night," Tom said with a nod then he walked past Mike into the hallway.

Mike gave Ginny a smile and as he went to close her door, she stepped forward and stopped him. Mike gave her a curious look and she stepped into his chest and wrapped her arms around him tightly. He paused a moment then wrapped her up and squeezed her tightly into him. He kissed the top of her head.

"Good night, Mike, thanks for a wonderful night," Ginny breathed against his chest. He pulled back and smiled.

"Night," he said then turned and walked away as she closed her door.

To Be Continued…