Page 108 of The Falcon and the Foe

“When can we go ziplining?”

“You’re too young,” I said, not sure if that was true, but it usually did the trick.

“The minimum age requirement is ten. I looked it up,” Quentin said.

“Did you now?” Cal asked.

I silently cursed Google and myself for giving Quentin access to technology.

“So that means we can go in the spring, right?”

I clocked Quentin’s shit-eating grin through the rearview mirror. One of the downsides to having a smart child was that he was smart at the worst times.

“We’ll see,” Cal said, fiddling with his hands in his lap.

“But if we’re old enough…” Josh started. “And nobody has died on a zipline, so it’s very safe.”

The boys really did their research. Uncle Leo was about to lose my vote.

“Why don’t we discuss it later?” Cal said, a standard go-to parental phrase. “Since you’re not turning ten until next year, it’s a moot point to bring it up now.”

“So, is that a yes?” Quentin asked in his most polite voice.

“It’s a maybe.” I gave him a firm nod through the rearview mirror.

“Is that a no?”

“No.”

“Is it a strong maybe or a weak maybe?” Quentin asked, refusing to let this go.

“You know that ziplining entails flinging yourself off a tree into the air, right?” Cal said, the nervous perspiration coming back to his face.

“It’s a strong maybe,” I said, drumming my hands on the steering wheel.

The boys screamed with elation.

“What?” I asked Cal off his reaction.

“You, Russell Ira Ettinger, are cool with your son ziplining?”

“I regret ever telling you my middle name.” There was nothing intimate about the name Ira. “You were the one who said I should relax. You’ve helped me mellow out and realize that a life of fear isn’t worth living. So really, when you think about it, this is your fault.”

Cal folded his arms in defeat. “It’s a good thing you’re cute,” he muttered.

* * *

“To the newmember of the Single Dads Club.” The guys hoisted their sodas in the air. They’d let me in as a member, and I was thrilled to have other gay male friends, something sorely lacking in my social life.

“Even though it’s technically no longer the Single Dads Club,” Leo said.

“The name’s been trademarked. We already made T-shirts.” Cal pointed his glass at Buzz, who was flanked by his boyfriend Shane and baby girl Anne. “And to our departing member.”

We clinked glasses, but there was a solemn moment of silence. I’d only been in the club for a little bit, but I could already see how close they were, how this was a family more than a club.

“We’re going to miss you guys.” Buzz pulled Shane close, who chauffeured Anne around in a baby bjorn.

Cal had warned me that Buzz’s boyfriend was strikingly attractive, but I was not prepared. He was jacked, tattooed, and had a sexy glint in his eye that made every person go weak at the knees for at least a few seconds. Shane definitely gave off that bad boy vibe that made for an odd contrast with the happy baby on his chest. And he was totally gaga for the stuffy businessman at his side.

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