I woke up with Elijah’s warm body against me, his hard shaft jutting against my hip. Christ. Even if it’d been a while since I’d gotten laid, no fucking way would I go there with him. No matter how adorable he was, even half-drunk and crying in his tequila.

Obviously, the guy was still hurting from his breakup. He’d only recently gotten to the point where he realized that booty calls with your ex were not all they were cracked up to be. But last night when he saw Stewart at Bent with someone else and started downing shots, I knew I should intervene. He was always a bit impulsive, though that made him fun too. Even if I did cringe at some of the things that came out of his mouth. He’d at least reined it in a bit since high school, when his mouth got him in more trouble.

So I took his keys and brought him home with me because that’s what friends did. And maybe someday he’d return the favor when I needed it most.

Rolling off the bed and out of his grasp, I stumbled to the bathroom to take a leak. My daughter would be here in an hour, and I needed to hop in the shower so my brain would be working on all cylinders. Not that I had as much to drink last night as Elijah, but I definitely had a good time, which hadn’t happened in a long while.

Standing under the warm spray felt good. My morning wood was as hard as a tire iron, so I took my cock in my fist and quickly jerked myself off, careful so Elijah wouldn’t hear me. It had nothing to do with him. I just needed that release of tension from being celibate for the past several months. I felt for my friend because I had been in that same wrecked state after I dumped John.

Though John never came out and said it, he hated the idea of being a parent. Olivia stayed with me a couple of weekends a month. I had even moved into my two-bedroom condo with my daughter in mind. I decorated her room in bright yellow, her favorite color, and she kept some of her clothes and toys here as well. Whenever she arrived, John would disappear for hours with one excuse or another and never took the time to get to know her better. My ex-wife and I remained good friends, and John sort of villainized her too, which sucked.

He knew I was bisexual when we met, and despite being part of the LGBTQ alphabet, he still fell for all the same stereotypes as heterosexuals—as if I would ever cheat or have a threesome without my partner’s consent. Fuck him.

I twisted the knob on the shower, dried off, and then wrapped the towel around my waist.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” I remarked as I walked back into the room and noticed Elijah was awake. “Just a heads-up that Olivia will be here soon.”

His yawn spread into a sleepy smile. “Cool. I haven’t seen her in forever. Unless you want me to bounce before she gets here.”

“Nah,” I replied, digging a pair of boxers from my drawer. “She loves her uncle Eli.”

“She’s the only one who calls me that,” he mumbled into the pillow.

“Is that a problem?” I paused with my fingers on the towel. “It was just easier for her to pronounce.”

“No way,” he replied in a fervent tone. “I love it. Wish more people called me that.”

“Okay, Eli, get your ass up and put some clothes on,” I said, eyeing one hairy leg sticking out of the covers. “I’ll make us some coffee.”

He groaned and scratched his scruffy jaw, his hair a wreck of brown tufts pointing in every direction.

“How are you feeling?” I asked as he wiped the sleep from his eyes, the hazel color looking a bit muted after his miserable evening.

“Better…I think…” He rolled out of bed, his own morning wood pushing against his gray cotton trunks almost comically. “Okay if I use your shower?”

“Of course.” I dropped my towel to the floor as I stepped into my boxers.

“Looking good, Kam,” Elijah said around another yawn. “I’d kill for your abs.”

“Thanks.” Adjusting my waistband against my abdomen, I was indeed glad that I was able to keep in shape by cycling religiously. It also kept me grounded and helped me blow off steam. I didn’t know what I’d do without my wheels or my business—Spin Cycle—located in the heart of Lakewood, which was a large biking and walking community.

I strode into the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee in my new machine I’d just treated myself to this past month. The business always did well in the spring and summer, but I counted my pennies as if we were still immigrants to this country. I’d never forget the day my mom and I landed in New York City and found the Greyhound station to get to my aunt’s house in Cleveland. There were some similarities between Bangkok and the big city, namely the logjam of people and buildings, but it was still a major culture shock even at six years old.

Just as I poured us a couple of steaming cups, there was a knock on the door.

When I opened it, Olivia practically sailed into my arms, and my heart filled to bursting point like it always did the moment I laid eyes on her. It was hard to rationalize how producing an actual human being played on your emotions. The unconditional love you felt was through the roof. It was certainly not something I could easily explain to my ex. He always saw it as me choosing my daughter over him, never understanding it was a different kind of emotion and there was just no contest.

“She was so excited about your weekend,” Samantha said with a laugh as she watched me nuzzle my daughter’s neck. “I’ve gotta run. Kurt is waiting for me.”

“Plans?” I asked. Her newest boyfriend was a cool guy, and if things kept going as well as they were now, they would most likely get hitched soon. Samantha always wanted to be married with kids, and though we didn’t work out, I would be totally happy for her. We’d been so young, and Olivia had been a surprise—really a jolt to the system—as we were splitting up. Samantha had been nervous that I wouldn’t want to be involved in my daughter’s life, but I was all in, no matter what. No way I’d repeat what my father had done to my mother back in Bangkok.

“Fallfest in Norton,” she replied, glancing out the window at the colorful leaves. She hugged Olivia one last time before she waved goodbye and headed out the door. “Have fun.”

Sliding my daughter’s colorful backpack off her shoulders, I deposited on the floor the bulky sack filled with this week’s treasures just as she spotted Elijah. Freshly showered, he’d sunk down on the couch and bent over his steaming cup of coffee like it was his elixir in life. And it probably was, after his rough night.

“Uncle Eli!” Olivia squealed as she barreled toward him.

“You grew taller!” His voice was laced with affection as he placed his mug down and ruffled her bangs.

When she climbed into his lap and threw her arms around his neck, warmth settled like a blanket inside my chest.

I was grateful that my friends were cool about the fact that Olivia always came first. I supposed they wouldn’t be my friends if they weren’t.

“Daddy says I’m getting a new pretty bike!” Olivia exclaimed, petting Elijah’s chin before she jumped off his lap and pulled out a box of crayons from her backpack that had half spilled onto the floor.

“Is that right?” Elijah asked with a chuckle. “What happened to your old bike?”

“She outgrew it,” I replied. “Want to tag along? We’ll be going for a ride in the park too.”

“Oh joy, exercise,” he remarked, rolling his eyes. He was probably hoping I’d let him off the hook, but not this time. I just stood back and watched him squirm as Olivia gave him her best puppy-dog eyes. Besides, his car was still parked at the bar from last night, so he was stuck with us for now. “I’m not much of a cyclist.”

“Maybe we can change that,” I replied with a shrug. I’d tried to get him to ride with me in the past, but he’d always turned me down. Walking was more his thing, and since he always had a string of dogs on leashes around him at his job—and lately at home from his side business—I understood why.

“I don’t even own a bike,” he reminded me as he paged through the coloring book Olivia was showing him.

“You can always borrow one of mine.” I arched an eyebrow. “Hello, I own a bike shop.”

“I’m never going to become the ultimate triathlete like you,” he replied, pointing a finger in my direction.

“Exaggerate much, you goof?” Truth was, I was keeping in top shape for my last bike race of the season. “Don’t you miss riding around the neighborhood on that beat-up road bike you owned back then? The simple joys of childhood?”

Gloominess passed through his eyes as his jaw tightened. I’d momentarily forgotten that his childhood hadn’t been the best—his father was a bastard. By the time we’d become friends in high school, his parents were already headed for divorce. He’d stay away from the house and all the fighting most weekends until his father finally left for good.

My father—not that he deserved that title—was a piece of work too; he had deserted my mom after she got pregnant. He was an American businessman temporarily living in Bangkok, and he apparently had led her to believe they might marry one day. The proper thing would’ve been for him to at least provide for their child, especially since she was shunned by her family once they found out she was pregnant. Instead, he fled the country, and we never heard from him again.

But my mother was industrious even in such a patriarchal society—she had to be—and thankfully her excellent culinary skills helped. Still, we struggled to make it on our own in Thailand. When my aunt sent for us, we came to the US on a visa, applied for citizenship, and the rest is history.

My mother always taught me to be conscientious and diligent, and I appreciated that much more as an adult with a child of my own. I credited her for my work ethic. She definitely had a hand in my opening a business and making it a success.

“Are we going to see Yaai too?” Olivia asked. She loved visiting her grandmother.

My mom and my aunt co-owned Thai Kitchen in Tremont, which was a little hole-in-the-wall joint that was popular in the city. It was a no-frills place that did well because of its good food and authentic recipes.

“Of course,” I said, kissing her cheek. “She can’t wait to see you.”

“See?” I remarked to Elijah. “Free wheels and lunch. Now get your butt in gear.”

I didn’t know why I wasn’t letting him beg off like I normally did. Maybe I just knew he needed the company right now, especially after last night. And maybe I needed it too.