Page 108 of Third Chances (Men of Manhattan 2)

"You do. But I don't see how this has anything to do with me and Daphne."

"You're Penny in this situation. Daphne is me." James laughed. "You're basically dating me."

"Ew. Daphne is nothing like you."

"Isn't she though? She needs your help."

"She doesn't need my help. She needs time to get over what happened with her brother. And I don't know if something like that goes away. I don't know what I'd do in her situation."

"I'm not going anywhere."

I hadn't realized it before, but James was right. Part of the reason I was so upset was because the situation made me think of him. It made me think of losing him and I couldn't think about it. I didn't want to lose him.

"And in my experience, love is the only thing that will help mend a soul."

"Mend a soul? Where do you come up with this shit?"

James laughed. "I just mean that it sounds like Daphne might need saving."

"Maybe." I thought about how I found her crying in the mud. I wanted to be there for her, but she didn't want me. She told me she didn't want me. If she had given me anything to hold onto, maybe I'd fight for her. But she hadn't. She just let me walk away.

"The jet leaves in half an hour. I hope you're not on it."

I laughed. "What?"

"You said you didn't need me anymore, which was incredibly rude, by the way."

I laughed. "I still need you, bro. Don't get your panties in a bunch."

"Smart ass." James smiled. "I still need you too, at least, I need you to show up for my rehearsal dinner. You're off best man duties until Friday, though. So, have a good week." He slapped my back and stood up.

"I'm not staying here."

"Penny and I are good. Everything is pretty much set for the wedding. It's smooth sailing from here. I'm just going to be fucking her senseless all week. Really, you should stay."

"Ugh. I'm done with Costa Rica."

"If that's what you want."

I stared at him. "It is what I want. I'm not going to chase some girl who doesn't want anything to do with me." I got up and grabbed one of my shirts off the ground to start packing.

"I think you're making a mistake. Trust me, I'm the king of mistakes."

I shook my head. "You're going to make a great father, James."

He laughed. "Why do you say that?"

"Because you were basically mine." I gave him a big hug and lifted him slightly off his feet. He always hated when I did that and I was surprised to hear him laugh.

"Maybe I'll stick to being your friend now. You're right, you don't need me to protect you anymore." He patted my back. "Now put me down before I knock you out."

I laughed and released him from my embrace.

"You guys are so weird," Mason said. "Almost ready to go?"

"Yes," James said. "I can't wait to see Penny."

"I so badly want to make fun of you, but I'm pretty eager to see Bee too."

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