Page 49 of But For You

“I didn’t.” He grinned back. “She did with the man she married.”

I shrugged. “Sounds like it worked out for the best.”

“It did. I can’t find the man of my dreams, being married to a woman.”

“No.” I chuckled. “Not so much.”

He laughed, and the sound was good. When Kola and Theo were pruney, Milt asked me if we’d like to go to lunch with them. The cheering answered his question.

Lunch was nice. It was always good to go with other parents who got that sitting outside was better than sitting inside, that getting finger food was always best, and that if something spilled, it was not the end of the world.

We all went back to our rooms to shower and change and then met back downstairs for the Jeep tour guide. It turned out we could all go together, and the kids had a great squealing time, bouncing all over the trail. Going up and over rocks got us easily a foot up off our seats. Our tour guide, Robbie, was funny and well informed about all the flora and fauna. He was very cute and very gay, and recognizing another bottom when he saw one, he wanted nothing to do with me and did everything but put his hand in Milton’s lap.

As we were standing, looking out at the valley, I leaned close and told Milt that I would watch his kid for him if he wanted to ask the guy out for a drink.

“My folks are with us”—he grinned at me—“and I’d much rather have conversation than a fifteen-minute fuck in the room of the apartment he’s sharing with three roommates.”

“Hey, that was me.” I laughed.

“Yeah, me, too, but I shared a room, so I had to have sex in the back of my Explorer.”

Just imagining the fumbling made me dissolve into peals of laughter.

When we got back—Milt with Robbie’s number stuffed into the back pocket of his jeans—we stopped for water, then took the kids to the playground.

Milton wanted to know all about me, about Sam, and about how long we’d been together.

“A marshal? Are you screwing with me?”

“No. Why?”

“What is that, cop fantasy on crack?”

My eyes narrowed. “Oh, Milt, honey … are you a badge bunny?”

He spit out his water. “A what?”

I arched an eyebrow for his benefit. “Do cops make your balls ache?”

He nodded vigorously.

I put my head back and laughed like I hadn’t in days.

“Come on, Jory.” He chuckled, arm on the back of the bench we were sitting on. “The whole perfect V those guys have when they’re in their uniforms … I have this one who goes to my gym, and when he changes and comes out … God.”

“You should ask him out.” I waggled my eyebrows at him.

“And if he shoots me?” He gestured at his son. “Then you’ve got a fatherless kid there.”

“You’ve never smiled at him?”

“No, I just ogle from afar.”

“Gutless.”

“Cautious.” He smiled at me. “Jesus, how old are you?”

“Me?”