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“He doesn’t.”
“I think he would adjust better than Tonya.” He eyed me. “What did she have to say about your blurted announcement last week?”
I chuckled. “We discussed it, and I explained that I liked Nolan and that sex as an adult is different than sex as a young person.”
He smirked at me. “Is it?”
“Well, no. I guess not. Damn, Wes. I like Nolan. I could see myself falling in love with her and building a life.”
“Do you think she feels the same?”
“I don’t know. I know Nolan likes me, but because she keeps saying that we can’t have a future, I’m not sure if she’s even considered it. As far as I know, she thinks what we are having is an affair, and she is going to walk away from it as soon as her kids get here.”
“Then if you want more, you need to tell her. I’d also research what her kids are dealing with and see if you think you can handle it. Starting a new relationship is tough. Blending a family is tough. Add in a blended family, a new relationship, and two kids who need medical attention, and that’s a whole new level of stress.”
“I guess you are right.”
“I like what she’s done for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you look happy. I haven’t seen you look like this for a long time.”
“Yeah, I guess it’s been a few years since I felt this way.”
“You’ve been down and quiet since before Cheryl even found out she had cancer.”
I turned to him. “You noticed that, huh?”
He nodded. “Did you know she was having an affair?”
I blinked. “How the hell didyouknow that?”
“I saw them out together one night. I made sure she didn’t see me, but she looked happy, and I knew you weren’t. I tossed it back and forth whether I should say something to you, and I had finally decided to tell you what I knew, but then you told us that she had stage-four cancer. I figured there was no reason to bring it up then.”
“Yeah, I knew. We had already talked about getting a divorce.”
“You hung around, though, even though you knew what you were in for. That says a lot about you, Brad. You’re willing to stick by someone that you care about and have made a commitment to. If you decided to take the chance on Nolan and her kids, I know you would do right by them.”
“You think so?”
“I do. The hardest part would be making sure Tyler and Tonya could adjust to it.”
“How do I do that?”
“First thing is they need to meet. Before the kids do, you might want to share with them what’s up so that they don’t ask uncomfortable questions. If they are aware of the conditions beforehand, you might help school them on how to handle things smoothly. They are either going to like them or not. You won’t be able to force it.”
“What if they don’t? What if I realize that I love Nolan and that I want a future, and then the kids don’t get along?”
“Did we get along all the time?”
I laughed. “No, we didn’t, but I’m not sure what would happen with the relationship that I am trying to build with Nolan.”
“That is something the two of you would have to discuss. I only met Nolan once, but she seemed pretty open to discussing things. If you told her that you wanted to make it work, then I bet you two could find a way to make that happen.”
“Maybe,” I said as I stared out over the yard. “I’d like it too. I really can see myself falling in love with her.”
“You sure you’re not already?”
