Kam’s mom smiled as I brought Ginger back inside. She showed up every morning to see to Kam’s needs, but today she was also tasked with taking her son for his doctor’s appointment.

She had her hands in the dishwasher she was unloading and then carefully stacking the cupboards with the few dishes we dirtied last night. Not only did I have to make sure I didn’t leave a mess for Kam, but for his mother as well, who was just as much of a neat freak. But I was proud of myself for not being the so-called Tasmanian devil at his place; now, my apartment…that was another story, and I hoped West wouldn’t give me the business anytime soon. I wasn’t around my place much lately, so if anything, I had an excuse.

“How is your mother doing, Toi?” Mae asked, and I noticed Kam’s grin out of the corner of my eye. He sometimes gave me shit for that nickname, but his wasn’t much better. Still, I think he liked that his mom had given it to me, and it certainly made me feel like part of the family.

“She’s doing okay. Loves Georgia.” Mae definitely remembered what a bastard my father was; on particularly rough nights, she used to let me sleep over in Kam’s room. We shared a bed even back then, since they lived in a tiny walk-up building with only two bedrooms.

My mom now lived in a small town in northern Georgia, and her current boyfriend didn’t sound much better than the last ones. It frustrated me that she continued to allow men to devalue her, so it was hard to sustain any sort of frequent contact with her.

Suddenly another thought hit me: was that how my friends felt about Stewart and me?

“I’m actually heading there during Christmas for a few days,” I added, trying not to wince. It was going to be tough staying there if the man she was currently dating was the same sort of jackass my father used to be. A few years ago, my father had run off with one of my mother’s friends, which was a whole other set of problems. I could still picture my mother breaking the news to me while chain-smoking at the kitchen table.

When she moved out of state, I thought it would be good for her, until I met the man she was leaving with. Had I still been a teen, no way I would’ve felt safe being my authentic self in front of this guy either. But there was no talking any kind of sense into her.

“Glad you’re spending time with her,” Kam replied, and Mae agreed. He always encouraged me to keep the lines of communication open with my mother. Just in case, he’d said on more than one occasion, and I knew he meant in case she needed me.

Kam and I had been invited to Tristan’s for Thanksgiving tomorrow, and West had been teasing me with his mouthwatering menu all week. It would only be me and Kam, if he still felt up to it, as well as Judy and Sheri—Chris’s mom and sister. West was cool with Tristan spending holidays with his late husband’s family, and in fact, it sounded like they had all grown close, which was nice.

Nick and Brin were dividing their time between their parents’ houses, and Samantha and Olivia would be spending the holiday with her family in Michigan. We had also been invited to Nick’s mother’s house, and though I had been there last year for an amazing meal, as well as many Sunday dinners since, we figured it was better to be closer to home for Kam’s sake.

“I don’t have anything going on this morning,” I said to Mae. “So how about I drive Kam to his appointment?”

Mae smiled and nodded. “I can dust the apartment and make some tom yum with noodles for lunch.”

“How could we pass up a homemade meal?” I replied, chuckling.

“Eli—” Kam said in that voice he used when he thought I was doing too much. Though I’d admit I liked hearing him call me by the same nickname his daughter used.

“Don’t,” I replied, waving him off. “Now let’s get some sweats on you so you look halfway presentable.”

Once I dropped Ginger off to Silvia, we headed to the third floor of Metro Hospital. Kam turned down the wheelchair and insisted on hobbling most of the way on his own. But the last corridor was so long, I ended up helping him so we wouldn’t be late. Stubborn thing.

At the appointment, the doctor changed his shoulder dressing and put him in a more flexible knee brace since he was healing so well. Afterward, we drove home and ate a delicious lunch with his mom.

Once Mae left for the restaurant, Samantha showed up with Olivia in tow to say goodbye before their almost three-hour morning commute to Ann Arbor.

“It’s just a regular revolving door around here,” I said, winking.

“Uncle Eli,” Olivia squealed after carefully hugging her daddy—apparently Samantha had instructed her to be gentler until he was less sore. Olivia pulled at my hand so that I’d sit with her on the floor. She unzipped her backpack and dumped the contents. Another minute of sorting through all the odds and ends she’d brought, and we were playing with Barbies and ponies. After several minutes of make-believe, I glanced up to find Kam with a strange smile on his face as he watched us. Half wistful, half sarcastic, it was like he was up to something.

“What?” I huffed. “Thinking of ways you could blackmail me?”

“Maybe something like that.” He laughed, and I loved how lighthearted he seemed. I bet having his daughter here did that for him. I definitely wanted to see more of it.

“If you think you’re going to be here for a bit, mind if I run to the grocery store for some last-minute items?” Samantha said.

“No problem,” I responded, braiding the mane on the rainbow pony, while Olivia giggled at my antics.

“Any requests?” Samantha asked.

“If you’re picking up a bottle of wine, maybe throw one in for us too?” Kam asked, and Samantha raised an eyebrow. “I’ll bring it to Tristan’s so I don’t look like a complete mooch.”

“I can absolutely do that,” Samantha said as she slid into her coat.

“What would I do without you guys?” Kam asked, shaking his head.

“You’d be a sorry-ass sight,” Samantha replied, and we grinned at each other.

I played with Olivia until late afternoon when Samantha returned with the groceries. By that time, Olivia had painted a couple of my nails orange and had dabbed pink blush on my cheeks.

“I better get going so I can return for my evening shift.” I stood up and brushed off imaginary dust from my knees, remembering the laundry I had piling up at home.

“Don’t even bother,” Kam said after Olivia returned from her room with a few books and got comfortable beside him on the couch. “No need to come back.”

“What?” I asked, my stomach dropping. “How come?”

“Because you have a life,” he replied as he pulled his daughter onto his lap with his good arm. “Sam and Olivia can set me up for the rest of the night before they take off. I’m sure you have things to do.”

I shrugged, my original plan sounding rather dull and trivial now. “Only laundry.”

“I’ll be fine,” Kam insisted as he kissed his daughter on the cheek. “I’ll definitely call if I need you or anything happens.”

“You promise?” I asked, sliding unsteadily into my shoes.

“Of course,” he replied with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. In fact, he looked pretty tired, maybe from his full day.

I waved before I walked out the door and then drove to my empty apartment, feeling strangely lost, which was all kinds of confusing.