In retrospect, Puck thought the timing was uncanny. It was the first weeknight in nearly a month that Ross didn’t stay over. He was working late on a project for Diego and said that he might have to get up very early the next morning. Despite Puck claiming a few hours in bed together was better than none, Ross opted to spend the night at his own apartment.

At 7:00 p.m., Puck was startled by the ringing of his doorbell. He was lying on the couch with Addie in his arms watching TV. After struggling to stand and cradling Addie against his shoulder, he was startled to find Miranda’s mother at the door.

“Ellen! This is the second unannounced visit. Did you lose my phone number? And where is Myron?”

“May I come in?”

“Of course. I was relaxing with Addie. We’re having a quiet evening together. Why are you in the neighborhood?”

She narrowed her eyes slightly. “Perhaps you could be somewhat more polite in greeting. That would set a good example for the little one.”

“I’m as polite as necessary considering all of the circumstances. I suggest you tell me the reason for the visit. If you all you wanted was to see Addie, take a quick look. I’ll be putting her to bed soon, and I don’t like to disrupt her schedule. A baby with a consistent sleeping schedule is a happy, healthy baby. That’s what Dr. Merton tells me.”

“This visit isn’t about seeing Addie, although it is always a pleasure to see my granddaughter. I want to speak with you, Gerald. I can wait for you to put the baby to bed.” She gestured toward a chair in the living room. “May I sit?”

Puck frowned. “Sure. Suit yourself. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He carried Addie to her crib in the far corner of the room.

“Doesn’t the child have her own room?”

Trying to make something up quickly, Puck said, “I like to keep her here near me while I’m still awake. I can respond more quickly if she needs something.”

“I would like to see her room before I go.”

Puck ignored the comment. He settled Addie into her crib with her teddy bear. She was tired and already drifting off to sleep when he kissed her cheek. He whispered, “I love you, Addie, more than anything.”

Puck felt like he was walking through quicksand as he dragged himself back toward Ellen. He sat on a chair approximately ten feet away. He couldn’t bring himself to sit any closer to her. Ellen’s lips were pinched so tightly that her mouth appeared half its normal size. She looked like she had sucked at least a thousand lemons in her lifetime. Her eyes were mere slits behind her glasses, and her silver-gray hair looked brittle like the straws of a broom.

“Myron and I have concerns about Addie’s care,” said Ellen. She held a black leather purse on her lap and folded her hands together at the clasp.

“Concerns? She gets exceptional care. I have a good friend who is a stay-at-home parent. Addie is cared for while I’m at work with one other child, also an infant.”

Ellen asked, “Who is the other young man we met here. I believe his name was Ross.”

“He’s a good friend.” Puck’s leg began to bounce out of nervousness. He sensed some disapproval of his relationship with Ross was coming.

“A boy…friend?” asked Ellen. She dragged out the word boy like it was an accusation. Like it was an abomination. After she finished forming the word friend, her mouth pinched even tighter than before, and she leaned slightly forward.

“He’s a good friend. You have no reason to know the specific details of our relationship. Ross is an outstanding man, and he helps provide Addie even more care.”

“If he is spending a great deal of time in close proximity to our granddaughter, we do have a reason to know more about him.”

Puck reached up and scratched his head. “And why would that be? You’ve had no interest in your granddaughter before now.”

Ellen sat upright. She delivered her next words like she was a judge pronouncing a sentence. “We don’t believe exposure to homosexual relationships at such an early age is a positive influence on our granddaughter.” She said the word “homosexual” like she was holding something filthy by the corner and trying to avoid contact with the entire meaning.

“You don’t know Addie, and you don’t know me. Why is your opinion on any of this of any consequence? You know nothing about my relationship with Ross.”

“The card by the roses said quite enough. After our last visit, Myron spoke with an attorney, and he believes that we have a valid concern.”

Puck felt a chill race through his body. He didn’t know whether the comment was true, or if it was some kind of bluff. He glanced over to the corner toward Addie, and then he turned back toward Ellen. “I think it’s time for you to leave.”

“You’re throwing me out of your house? Are you trying to prevent your child’s grandmother from visiting with her grandchild.”

With a growl in his voice, Puck stood up and said, “You already told me that you weren’t here to see Addie. You are here to speak with me, and I’m done speaking with you. The conversation is over.”

“Very well,” said Ellen. She stood up from her seat and brushed the wrinkles out of her skirt. “You will hear soon from our attorney about our custody concerns.”

As Ellen stepped toward the door, Puck said, “You don’t care for Addie, and you cared little for your own daughter. I don’t know what you’re trying to do now or why, but you won’t be successful. You can’t take my daughter away from me.”

Ellen was silent as she stepped through the door. Puck looked at the living room window and watched her walk to her car. He found himself wishing that she would trip on the broken sidewalk panel near the curb, but she carefully avoided the hazard. As Ellen drove away, he turned back toward the living room silent and in shock.

Puck wanted to shout, but he knew that an angry outburst would wake Addie. Instead, he turned to the photo of Miranda sitting in a stainless steel frame on a side table between the sofa and the chair where Ellen sat. He picked up the picture and sat on the couch staring into the frame.

“Why? Why did you have to go? We had them defeated. We held all the cards, and Addie was ours. Now! Now, what will happen? Can they take Addie away? Somehow, I struck gold twice, but now it might all go up in flames.”

He stared into the impassive blue eyes. In the photo, Miranda was wearing the dress Puck bought for her on her last birthday. It was a cobalt color that set off her eyes against her dark brown almost black hair. Miranda was beautiful, and Addie would be, too.

Puck began to howl, and he forgot about the volume of his voice. “What the fuck, Miranda? You left me all alone! And I’m going to be alone again! I can’t let them take our daughter away, and I won’t let them. I’ll do anything to keep her! I’ll live like a hermit if I need to. She’s ours. You know that, and your parents would do anything to destroy my life. They wanted to destroy your life, and now I’m left behind. Fuck, Miranda! Where are you?”

Puck held the photo to his chest and lay back against the sofa. He curled up into a fetal position and wept. A few minutes later, Addie began to cry, too. Puck placed the photo back on the side table, stood, and set out to care for his daughter. It was the one thing that he knew he could do that was the right thing to do. Before picking her up, he wiped his own eyes with his wrist and then cuddled Addie against his shoulder. Within seconds, she was quiet again.