Marcus didn't like to wallow in self-pity, but he often thought that it was unfair that the perfect woman would always love him yet be out of his reach. While he had spied on her before, he felt sick about even that, and he would never do anything to endanger his relationship with Melinda. She deserved better than that. She deserved a better son. So he had cut himself off, been stoic, avoided being alone with her. He knew that this hurt her emotionally, but he had nightmares of how she would have reacted if she had learned the truth about his desires.
None of those thoughts prevented him from appreciating his mother that morning, however. She wore a sundress, as loose and playful as it was revealing. He'd never seen his mother in something with a lower bust line, and he was suddenly very
