Page 18 of Manhattan Kiss

Why do I care?

Why have I even thought about the woman twice?

She’s attractive, but that can’t be it. She has brown hair that she wears up, revealing a long, elegant neck, alabaster skin, and green eyes that seem to show everything in her head, like a ticker tape of emotion running across her face.

“The stuff with Gabby,” I add. “I’ve found myself a bit more bad-tempered than usual.”

“You know the cure for stress is sex. I’ve told you a thousand times.”

I grin. “I’ve missed you.”

“See, I told you,” he says. “You’ve gone all sentimental.” He shrugs. “But for what it’s worth, I’ve missed you too.”

“I’d love for you to see Willow.” I pause. “Or maybe not. I can’t imagine you’d be a good influence.”

He puffs out his chest in an exaggerated way. “How dare you. You made me godfather, remember.”

Bray interrupts me rescinding Ben’s role as godfather, and Ben and I both slide out of the booth to greet him.

It feels like old times. Before Gabby, before Willow. Before life became a puzzle of fitting everything in as tightly as possible. But in my evenings without Willow, I’m not sure why I don’t see more of these guys. Yeah, I’m busy with work, but every now and then, why haven’t I called these guys and arranged a catch-up?

Sometimes I struggle to see what’s right in front of me. That’s why I have my sister. And Ben.

“Good to see you,” Bray says, as we all take our seats. “I knew we’d get you back once Willow started school. That’s what happens. New parents are knee-deep in shit and throw-up—quite literally. And non-parents don’t want to be bored to death with stories of how non-adorable their incapable, parasitic offspring are. Minimal contact for the first five years works for all parties involved.”

“Incapable, parasitic offspring?” I ask. “That’s…” I turn to Ben. “That’s why you’re Willow’s godfather.”

“I said what I said,” Bray says. “And you can’t dispute the facts.”

I laugh, and it feels like someone’s lifted a weight from my chest. It feels good being with these guys, but more than that, I feel good being with them. I feel more like myself.

“I hear Gabby’s engaged,” Ben says.

I land in a heap, back down to earth. “Yeah. And how the hell did you know?”

“It’s my job to know everything that goes on in this city. Plus it was in the New York Times.”

“Is that bad?” Bray asks. “Were you hoping you two would get back together?”

I shake my head. “No, it’s not that. I just…my sister thinks she’ll want to change our nesting arrangement so Willow goes between two houses.”

“But she’s older now. Better able to handle that,” Ben offers.

“She shouldn’t have to be handling things,” I reply. “Certainly not the choices of her parents.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Ben says. “You’re a dedicated father. You’re not raising her in a crack den. She lives in a townhouse in Manhattan. I’m sure she has every material thing she could ever want and she has two involved parents.”

“I don’t want her to be treated like she’s some kind of shared household appliance,” I add.

“I stayed with my dad every other weekend,” Bray says. He and Ben are half brothers with different fathers. “I didn’t have a problem with it.”

It’s an easy thing to say. Now. “I’m sure at the time you saw it differently,” I say.

“No, I don’t think so. I felt kind of special going off and spending time in a different house every other weekend. I liked it.”

“Every kid’s different,” Ben says.

“Right, and Willow is a bright, sensitive girl. She shouldn’t have to put up with this shit.”