Page 42 of The Single Dad

“Did you ever confront her about it, though?” I ask.

“Eventually.” Reed shrugs. “She didn’t take it great, obviously, and the past week or so has been a complete nightmare, but… well, I’m gonna say it was worth it.”

Declan rolls his eyes, taking another sip of whiskey. When he lowers his glass, he says, “You know, you wouldn’t have to deal with shit like this if you found someone who would actually give you a run for your money.”

“What the fuck are you talking about, Dec?” Reed sighs, trying to make knowing eye contact with me. I avoid looking back at him.

“Find a woman who’s actually worth falling for,” Declan says, and Reed groans dramatically, shaking his head.

“We can’t all be lucky enough to meet a woman as great as Sophie,” he says. “Like, I’m happy for you, man, but… that kind of situation is few and far between.”

I glance over at Declan, wondering if he’ll be annoyed, but he just grins and shrugs. “I have to agree with you there,” he says, love in his expression.

For some reason, my thoughts flit to Riley, sitting in bed with the comforter pulled up to her chest, her eyes soft as she asks me about my nightmares.

I shove the thought away—quickly. Obviously, I’m attracted as fuck to her. I can’t deny that. Just thinking about her at the office today was enough to get me worked up. I’m not an idiot; I’m not going to pretend I don’t want to fuck her.

But… it’s not like I want more than that. Like Reed, I’m happy for Declan—happy that he’s found love. I never expected it to happen, but now that it has, he seems blissfully content every time I see him. That’s great.

It’s just not for me.

It’s not what I want, and it’s not what I need.

The affection in Declan’s eyes when he talks about Sophie, and the way my thoughts keep straying to Riley, eventually starts to make me uncomfortable.

“So,” I say to Reed, changing the subject smoothly, “you slept with Angela Bellafonte. Are we gonna be seeing this in Us Weekly anytime soon?”

There’s a spark of relish in Reed’s eyes as he leans forward, eager to tell us the rest of the story. “That’s where this all starts to get good. A few days after, I get a phone call from Sofia Bellafonte’s talent agent…”

Chapter 14

Cole

Every month, Archie’s pre-K holds an optional event, a field trip of sorts, where the kids get to pile onto a bus and go somewhere interesting. I always make sure Archie is signed up for it—some enrichment is good for the kid, and I want to give him the chance to make friends.

Last month, they went to the Natural History Museum, and the time before that, the aquarium. This time around, the trip is outside of the city, to a petting zoo upstate.

Parents are encouraged to accompany their children on the trips, but I’m usually too busy to go. They fall on Fridays, which are some of my busiest days of the week, so I’m always stuck in the office waiting to hear about Archie’s adventures at the end of my day.

But when the petting zoo trip rolls around, I decide to bite the bullet and go. I take a bit of time off of work, telling myself that I’ll make up for it by working from home tomorrow, and join the gaggle of five-year-olds and their teachers on a bus headed out of the city.

Riley comes with us, too. She sits across the aisle from me, looking out of the window. Every once in a while, I glance over at her and catch her looking at me. Each time, we force our gazes apart, back at the rolling neighborhoods outside of the windows.

The drive to the petting zoo is about half an hour long, and when we arrive, we’re hit by a wave of animal smells. Some of the kids spend a few minutes dancing around, holding their noses and complaining about the stench.

Archie doesn’t seem to mind. He’s first in line to get into the petting zoo, and once inside, he runs straight over to a pen full of goats.

“Riley!” he calls, waving over to her. “Come see!”

Indulgently, Riley follows Archie to the goats. She stands next to him as he holds out a plastic cup filled with food pellets. The goats swarm him, greedily gulping down the pellets and then licking his arms with long, pink tongues.

He giggles, tickled, and scratches the creatures behind the ears. Riley crouches down next to him. “Do you like these guys?” she asks.

“They’re funny,” Archie says. “Their eyes are weird!”

Riley looks one of the goats in the eye. “Do you think I could win a staring contest with this fella?”

“No way!”

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