After a longer than usual day at work, Puck knocked on Dak and Brody’s front door. He heard a voice from inside the house. “It’s unlocked. Come on in.”

When he opened the door, Puck smiled at the sight that greeted him. The TV was on in the living room, and Brody was sitting in the floor by one end of the sofa. He was playing with blocks with Penny.

On the opposite end of the sofa, Dak sat in the corner gently rocking Addie in his arms while he made goofy faces. He looked up and said, “I have to keep an eye on Penny all day long, so when Brody gets home, I take the easy job. Addie is such a sweetheart.”

“So is Penny,” piped up Brody.

“She is, but I can barely keep up with her. She’s crawling everywhere and trying to get into things. A dad’s work is never done.”

Puck laughed. “That’s the truth.”

Dak patted the sofa. He said, “Why don’t you come over here and sit for a few minutes. Addie isn’t in a hurry to go home. There’s plenty of space here between me and Brody’s back end there on the floor.”

Puck collapsed into the center of the sofa. He said, “It was a long day, and you guys are great. You didn’t even mention that I’m an hour late. Rhea said the daughter of one of her friends had her kid kicked out of daycare for being late like this.”

Brody said, “Late happens, and you let us know. As long as we know and don’t have to worry, it’s fine.”

“How’s Ross?” asked Dak.

“You get right to the point, don’t you?”

“Once or twice I’ve been accused of directness.”

Brody said, “He was like that as a kid. Dak always sees the important points, and you can’t hide a damn thing from him. Not that I’ve tried.” Puck noticed the dead silence in the room. “At least not since high school.”

Dak laughed. “That sounds more accurate.” He turned toward Puck and asked, “Have you gone out together again?”

“No, but he has stopped by a few times to check on Addie.”

“Only Addie?”

“Okay, yeah, there might have been a few hugs and a kiss or two. So I guess it’s going well. I’m new to this.”

“Dating?” asked Brody.

“Guys.”

Brody shrugged. “I’m not sure we’re that different from anybody else. Then again I’m not the best guy to give advice on any of this. Dak and I didn’t get around to our first date for about twenty years.”

“That long?”

“We were best friends with lust in our hearts, and I guess we were pathetic at communication.”

Dak said, “Don’t follow our example. It’s much better to listen to our advice.”

Puck reached out and playfully tugged on Addie’s foot. He asked, “Do you have advice for me? I thought you were hunting for information.”

“I think you need to get away for a weekend.”

Brody added, “Oh, damn, that’s a great idea! I should’ve thought of it myself.”

“A weekend?”

Dak nodded. “Yep, go off to the Twin Cities, or even Chicago. You need to get away.”

Puck stared at Addie. “But…”

“We’ll watch her,” said Brody. “Then, when you get home, maybe we could trade Penny for a few days while Dak takes me away for a weekend.”

Dak shook his head and sighed.

Puck asked, “Isn’t it a little early? I mean, fuck, we’ve only had one real date.”

Dak said, “And many kisses and a lot of hugs. I won’t ask what else you’ve done together. He’s slept at your place. He found your kid a sitter. Is it really that early? You’re both adults. Some guys fuck on the first date.”

The skin on Puck’s forearms prickled. A weekend away with Ross sounded like a dream come true in one way. In another way, it sounded way too early to be considering anything serious with anyone after Miranda had been gone such a short time. Still, Ross was terrific with Addie. He said, “I didn’t necessarily mean too early for all of those reasons. It hasn’t been very long since…”

Brody said, “Only you can decide that. Are there other relatives around that are going to be picky about it? Ross is already in Addie’s life. It’s not like something would change radically there.”

Puck looked at Addie cradled in Dak’s arms and thought about all of the things Ross brought to his life already. The weekend away sounded like it could be fantastic. He shivered when he thought about going to bed together in a hotel room. He hoped that he wouldn’t disappoint Ross. Puck knew the basic mechanics, but he didn’t have any practice with guys.

“I’ll give that some serious thought. Now, I should head home with Addie.”

Dak asked, “Do you want to stick around for dinner? Brody made his mom’s chicken casserole. We always have at least twice as much as we can eat. Brody isn’t great with math.”

“Aw, damn, no. I think I should head home.” Puck thought the dinner sounded great, but his nerves were already frayed, and he wanted to call Ross when he got home. If he didn’t jump on the idea about the weekend right away, he thought he might let the whole idea slip away.

Dak settled Addie into her carrier resting on the floor near his foot. He said, “Make sure you get her all bundled up. Spring should get here soon, but it’s still chilly out there.”

As soon as he walked through the front door of his house, Puck felt the goosebumps on his arms again. He ran everything through his head on the drive home, and he decided to call Ross and invite him over. He decided that he could suggest either sharing a late evening pizza or making dinner together the next day. As usual, Addie was sound asleep by the time they got home, and Puck settled her in for the evening knowing should we sleep for at least four or five hours.

It only took two rings for Ross to answer. “Puck! Is everything okay? Is Addie okay?”

Ross’s alarm helped Puck relax. He laughed softly and said, “We’re both fine. I wanted to ask you something.”

“Of course. Go right ahead.”

“Would you like to come over? I haven’t had dinner yet, and I thought we could hang out and order a pizza, or you could stop by tomorrow for dinner.”

“Is it okay if I’m eager enough to see you that I’m ready to leave now? I can be there in ten minutes or less.”

“I hoped that was the case. I’ll see you in a few.”

After hanging up the phone, Puck hustled around the living room straightening things and putting Addie’s toys away. He was generally a neat and tidy person, but he wanted to make sure that Ross didn’t see any clutter. As he tucked the last toy into a basket in the corner of the living room, Puck thought about the taste of Ross’s lips and shivered.

Gathering all of his courage, Puck answered the door and wrapped his arms around Ross who wore a winter coat. He shared a kiss and smiled at the frosty cool of Ross’s lips.

“Oh, wow. I don’t think I’ve ever had a greeting like that. Andrew was never so enthusiastic.”

Puck said, “I’m trying my best. Like I said, guys are still new to me, but I like you. I know that now.”

Ross stuffed a hand in his coat pocket and pulled out coupons. “I brought these in case.” He handed them to Puck and peeled off his coat draping it over the back of a chair.

Strangely, the coupons made the idea of having a relationship with Ross even more real. They were acting like a couple and not just individual people trying to impress each other enough to earn another date.

“Before we order the pizza, come and sit with me for a minute. I have something to ask you, and I’m afraid I’ll lose my courage if I wait until after I eat.”

Ross’ eyes opened wide as he sat on the couch. He moved close to Puck and said, “It sounds serious. Are you sure everything is okay.”

“Everything is great. It was actually a suggestion from Dak and Brody, and I liked the idea.”

“Well, out with it, then. You’ve got me dying of curiosity now. I want to know.”

“Would you go with me for a weekend in the Twin Cities? Just the two of us? Dak and Brody offered to take care of Addie, and I think I could use a weekend to relax.”

Ross’s jaw dropped open. “Umm, well, yeah, of course, I would like to. I think a weekend away is a good thing for you, too after everything you’ve gone through. I feel so honored that you asked me.” Ross reached up and wiped at the corner of his eye.

Puck shoved his shoulder. “Oh, come on now. Don’t cry on me. This is a good thing.”

“I know it is, and I cry at really happy things, too. You’ll to have put up with that. I can’t help it. It’s the way I am.”