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“He wasn’t dying?” I guess

He finally looks up at me “No excuse”

No, there’s no excuse to cheat

“And you were right aboutup at me

“I don’t want to be right about that”

“Too bad I didn’t know you guys knew that we still do that”

I shake my head “Nobody knows but me”

“I hope we aren’t too obvious” He winces

“No, I saw you two together when Logan was in the hospital The way she looks at you…” I watch his face “And the way you look at her”

He finally lifts his gaze “We just keep falling into bed together That’s all” He shrugs He looks really uncomfortable, and that’s not usually how I think of Paul “It’s easy And comfortable”

I wouldn’t knohat that’s like I laugh to myself

“What?” he asks

“You talk about sex with Kelly like it’s your foot sliding into an old shoe”

He snuffles

“But just like an old shoe, exes can be comfortable but fail to support you the way you need”

“Ding, ding, ding,” he cries, like he’s ringing a bell in the air

“Huh?” I have no idea what he’s talking about

“Did I ever tell you e split up?”

He never did, but I have a pretty good idea I shake my head anyway

“She didn’t want you guys”

“What?” Now that was the last thing I expected

“She was pregnant with Hayley, and I was alone, and she didn’t want you guys I wanted to marry her But she didn’t want my family”

“She made you choose?”

He gets up and slams his bowl into the sink a little too hard “There wasn’t a fking choice You guys were my life, and I was all you had No choice”

Paul stepped into fatherhood the way soave it everything he had We’re only a year apart, but I never could have done what he did He gave up everything, even his own happily ever after, for us God Now I feel awful We ruined his life

“I couldn’t have raised the And where I was strong, you eak” He’s right We did complement each other

“You gave up full time with Hayley for us” Now I’m pissed

“I am Hayley’s father, and I alill be I have her half the time, and it works out well for the two of us”