Page 86 of The Write Choice

“The father who will be up with a three-year-old with nightmares, that’s who.”

“Oh, don’t worry. It’s PG-13,” Daniel reassures me.

“She’s ten years too young for that, Daniel.”

“I’m kidding. It’s a cartoon. Are you avoiding the fact that Katie is here, or did I read that wrong?”

“You read it right. I’m trying to decide what to do,” I rest my forehead in the palm of my hand and close my eyes.

“Want to talk about it?” Daniel asks.

“Not until I talk to her.” I pause. “Should I come?”

“She’s upstairs with Mac, Jenny, and Ashley right now, so I couldn’t say for sure.” There’s another shout in the background, followed by tiny giggles. “But, in my limited experience with women, when they walk off, they usually want you to follow them.”

I nod slowly, then remember he can’t see me. “Right. Yeah. I’ll be over in a minute.”

“Let yourself in. This is chaos,” he says just before the call is cut off.

“Amateur.” I chuckle to myself as I get ready to leave.

The house is still standing by the time I get there. Sure enough, Katie’s car is out front along with several others. I let myself in as instructed. There is some faraway laughter coming from the basement, but the bulk of the chatter is coming from the kitchen. It immediately hushes when I open the door.

Mac’s red hair is visible in the open doorway between the foyer and the kitchen. She leans back in a chair to see who it is, but she doesn’t seem surprised to see me. Daniel must have let her know I was coming.

She shifts forward again, out of my line of sight. I stay put, not quite sure what I’m supposed to do.

“Brandon is here,” Mac says, her voice flat. “Do you want to see him?”

Katie laughs, the sound tinkling like bells. It comes so easily. I’m almost jealous I didn’t make it happen, but also glad someone did. “Yeah, it’s fine.”

“Am I allowed in, then?” I call.

“We’ll be in the basement if you need us,” Mac says, not addressing me. There’s the sound of chairs scraping, and a parade of women file out to cross the room to the door leading downstairs. Jenny glares at me as she passes. A woman who looks strikingly like Ben winces sympathetically—that must be Ashley. It occurs to me I’ve never met the mother of Mason’s new best friend, and I make a mental note to introduce myself under better circumstances. Mac trails behind. She opens the door to my right and pops her head in.

“Amelia, come on down and watch the rest of the movie with us, okay?”

I hadn’t even realized anyone was in the library, but a pre-teen girl walks out, holding a huge book to her chest. Mac motions for her to go, then turns to me. “Have a little faith in her, Brandon. That’s all she wants,” she whispers before following the women into the basement.

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly as I walk into the kitchen. Katie is sitting at their table, cupping her hands around a mug. She’s sitting cross-legged on one of the chairs, her sleeves pulled down over her knuckles and her arms resting on the table. A halo of soft, winter light surrounds her from the patio door at her back. Her cheeks are rosy, and a hint of laughter plays on her lips.

She’s fucking beautiful. She’s relaxed and happy in a way I don’t think I’ve ever seen. She looks like she belongs here, like she’s comfortable and in her element after spending some time with friends.

I swallow audibly. “I’ve never been scrutinized by a crew of angry women before.”

Katie hums. “That’s because I’ve never had a crew of women friends before.”

I’m silent, letting that set in. She’s right, and I’m overcome with gratitude for the women that just filed out of this room. I know I can’t always be everything for her. I’m glad they can help fill the gaps.

“There’s coffee if you want it,” she says, motioning toward the counter.

I shake my head, pulling out a chair and sitting down. I want more than anything to take her hands in mine, but I don’t know where we are yet, so I rest them on the table.

“I’m sorry, Katie. I shouldn’t—”

She raises her hand to stop me. “No, I need to say a few things.”

“You don’t have to explain anything.”