"You and Court are going to do great raising this child," Howie says. "Not to be bitchy or anything, but our dad and Court's mom aren't exactly ideal parents."
"That's a pretty low bar."
"It is," he hums. "Which is why I think this kid has a much better shot of not ending up completely fucked up with you guys."
I loop my arm over the back of his neck and kiss his cheek. "Thanks, bro."
"So, when do I get a tour of this place?" Ramzi asks, his boots thudding heavily on the wooden porch floor.
It’s a big lot with a small creek out back. Court and I fell in love with it the moment we laid eyes on it. It's a quintessential Maine house with plenty of space and privacy, and it's only a short drive to town.
I promised I'd show Howie the creek when we arrived, and he's been bugging me about it ever since. I suppose it's not a bad thing to get some practice dealing with an impatient toddler.
"All right. I'll take you. You coming, Howie?"
"Nah. I might get started on putting the entertainment unit together. You two go."
He ducks inside, and I stare after him. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something’s a little off with him today.
"Come on. Let's go," I say to Ramzi and set off around the side of the house to get to the backyard.
"Where's Court?" Ramzi asks, falling into step next to me.
It's the start of summer, a beautiful warm day with a perfect blue sky. The best start to this new chapter of my life.
Ofourlives.
"He got called to the inn this morning. A guest had a heart attack," I say,
"Shit. Are they okay?"
"I think so. Court stabilized them until the EMTs arrived, then they were taken to the hospital. He went to the old apartment to collect the last of his stuff. He should be here soon."
"And how are you guys doing? You've done so much in such a short space of time. Becoming official. Buying a house. Court moving here permanently and joining the Clovelly Family Practice. You almost beating me for that promotion."
I snicker. "Never miss a chance to throw that one in, do ya?"
He smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "I'd trade places with you in a heartbeat, man. You've got it all. A guy who's crazy about you. A beautiful new home. A baby just a few days away. All I have is work…and a massive dick."
"And no one to use it on?"
"Well…" He glances over his shoulder, up to the house. "Yeah."
"So here it is," I say, wading through the long grass to get to the small creek. "It's nothing big. Court wants to build a stone fire over here."
"That'd be nice."
"Yeah, I think so, too."
"And you're only a few blocks away from Howie. That'll be convenient for babysitting."
We start heading back to the house.
"He's in the starting lineup, so I doubt I'll be seeing much of him."
"Right. Of course."
I glance over and notice an uncharacteristic slump in Ramzi's step. "You okay, man? You seem a little…down."
