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Tell me what s bothering you, Tara.
Nothing s bothering me, other than me needing to apologize to you.
He cocked his head to the side. For what?
For blaming my failures and Nathan s on you. I was a mess the other day when Nathan got
drunk. I wasn t there when it happened, and for some reason I felt I should have been.
He rubbed her hand with the pad of his thumb. So now you re supposed to be psychic?
She sighed. I don t know. This parenting thing is hard. And doing it by myself all these years has
been even harder. Sometimes I fail. A lot of times I fail.
Guess what? Even two-parent families fail. No one s perfect at raising kids.
She took a glance through the doors at Mick s parents, gazing lovingly into each other s eyes as
they slow danced. Some manage to get it right without screwing up.
You think my parents raised perfect kids? He tilted his head back and laughed, then got serious
again. I think there are a few things you need to know about me, Tara. I m not perfect. Never have
been and never will be. I made mistakes when I was young. I messed up. Bad.
She crossed her arms. I find that hard to believe. Look where you are now.
Right. But you only see the finished product. You don t see what it took to get me here. He
looked around. There s something I need to talk to you about, but not here. Later, when we get back
to the house. It s important, and it has to do with your idea of perfection. And Nathan, too.
She cast him a questioning look. I don t understand.
I know you don t, but I don t want to talk about it here where there are so many people. Can we
table this conversation for later?
Sure.
He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. Let s go inside and dance. Show me your
disco moves.
She let out a soft laugh. Oh, Lord. I might need some dance lessons from your mother before I
attempt the hustle.
He slid her hand in the crook of his arm. Don t worry, baby. I ll teach you everything you need to
know.
THIRTEEN
IT TOOK A LONG TIME FOR THE PARTY TO WIND DOWN. Mick s family and friends could
party all night long, but this time the venue hadn t been booked for the duration of the evening, so
they d moved everybody out of the ballroom by midnight. As a gift to Mick s parents, the kids had
gotten them a suite at a very posh resort, so they d already packed up and headed over there for a
night in the honeymoon suite. Nathan was spending the night with Mick s cousins again, which meant
Tara and Mick had his parents house to themselves for the night.
Tara ran upstairs and changed, grateful to get out of her sole-killing high heels and the tight dress.
She slid into a pair of shorts and a tank top, then came back downstairs to find Mick had done the
same thing. He d shucked the suit and put on a pair of to-the-knee cotton gym shorts and a sleeveless
tank.
Better? he asked.
She sighed in relief. My feet were killing me, so yes, definitely better. She sank onto the sofa
next to him.
Want something to drink? he asked.
No, I m good. How about you? Want a beer or something?
There was something odd about the way he looked at her. Have a bottled water here, so I m fine.
Okay.
She propped her elbow up on the back of the sofa and leaned her head in her hand.
Tired?
I m okay. How about you? You re the one who ran ragged all day taking Nathan to the ball game
and keeping him entertained so I could get everything set up. And then you helped with the party.
I didn t organize the party. You did. And Nathan is never a problem, so stop apologizing for your
son.
I wasn t
You do. A lot.
She sat up. Do I?
Yes. You make Nathan sound like an inconvenience to me, and he isn t. If he was, I wouldn t be
with you. I knew almost from the beginning that he was a part of your life, Tara. I get that he s part of
the package, so stop apologizing for his existence.
Tears sprang to her eyes. That s what she d been doing? Oh, God, it was. She d been apologizing
for Nathan, for having him, for him being in her life. You re right. I have been. I m sorry.
Mick swiped at a tear that had escaped down her cheek. You don t have to apologize to any man
that you have a son. He s a great kid. You owe no one explanations or apologies for your life.
She shuddered out a sigh. I guess you re right. I keep holding up other people s childhoods and
lives as examples of the perfection that I always found lacking in my own.
No one s life is perfect, Tara. Not yours, not mine, no one s.
So you say. Hard to see the imperfections through all the happiness sometimes.
You see what people want you to see, not what s necessarily there.
You re telling me your life wasn t perfect. I find that hard to believe.
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