WEEK?
IT WILL BE A NO NEXT WEEK.
NO NEXT MONTH.AND A NO
NEXT YEAR. PLUS, YOU’RE
STILL GROUNDED FROM THAT
LITTLE STUNT YOU AND SHAY
PULLED.
WHATEVER!
Another ping . . .
YOU’RE RUINING MY
LIFE!
Another ping . . .
FYI. WHEN I’M IN
COLLEGE YOU WON’T
HAVE A SAY!
His heart dropped. Why did she keep reminding him he was about to be an empty nester? He’d already lost so much in the past few years—his dad, followed closely by his mom. Didn’t she know his heart was breaking over the day she’d leave him too?
THEN WE’LL REVISIT
THIS WHEN YOU’RE
IN COLLEGE.
Between Maddie’s texts and Ethan’s unexpected visit, he was strongly considering divorcing his family. He was still thinking about the talk with his daughter when he spotted Ethan with a casserole dish of lasagna. Maybe lunch with Ethan was the exact lifeline Colin needed. Because as any smart doctor knew, when out of one’s area of expertise, consult peers. Who better to find solidarity in than his big brother?
Ethan was four years older, married to the love of his life, with whom he had two teen daughters. Double hormonal trouble. His older daughter, Shay, was closer in age to Maddie, and they’d been inseparable since they were in diapers.
“Maddie wants to date some prick off Tinder.”
“This is why I wanted to send the girls to Catholic school,” Ethan pointed out. “You do know that this is all your fault. And why did you let her download Tinder?”
“Let? When was the last time either of usletthem do anything?”
“It’s getting out of hand.” As if his appetite was gone, Ethan shoved his plate away and sat back on the office couch. “Kim keeps telling me it’s time to cut the umbilical cord. Saying that if we gave the girls a little space, they might surprise us.”
“Of course Kim said that. She went to Catholic school.”
“She also went through puberty and grew boobs. We aren’t exactly armed with the right equipment to empathize.”
And there was the difference. Colin didn’t have the luxury of empathy when it came to keeping Maddie safe. He didn’t have a wife or partner to troubleshoot with or rely on as his brother did. Ethan and Kim were a united front when it came to their family. They had each other’s back.
Maddie had Colin and he wasn’t about to get distracted by things like dating apps or sexy neighbors. It was his job, and his job alone, to keep his kid safe and happy.
Not for the first time since the divorce, Colin wanted to strangle his ex for the way she’d handled things . . . still handled things. Present tense. If Amanda only knew how her bailing had shaped Maddie’s world, shaken her daughter’s confidence and self-worth. Not that Amanda ever would know, because that would require showing up.
