Life’s tough. I can’t argue with that. I’m not referring to being blind. That brings its own challenges, but I’ve never let it hold me back from doing anything I wanted to do. I’m talking about losing my partner before the age of thirty. I thought I had it all figured out—marriage, kids, the whole parcel, neatly tied up with a bow, but it wasn’t meant to be. While Will lay dying, he made me promise never to love anyone else. I did, of course, because that’s what you do, and I meant it, at the time. And then I met Ethan.
We’ve talked online since forever, but on New Year’s Eve something changed. For the first time in four years, he made me feel alive. He makes me think about the future. And that’s where the problems started. Being friends is one thing. But loving another man? I’ve promised never to do that, but I’m lonely, and I’m ready to move on. Can I put the past behind me, and start over?
Ethan
I’m crazy about this girl, but we haven’t yet made the step to being lovers. Even though Teddi is the one who said she needed time, it’s not all down to her. It should be easy. I like her, she likes me. And yet it’s so damn complicated. She’s a billionaire, for one thing. For me there’s always too much month left at the end of the money, and it’s hard for a guy to play the Cinderella role. Also, my two young daughters don’t know I’m dating again. Beth’s too young to remember her mother, but Maddie will go nuclear on my ass when she finds out. So, true guy style, I haven’t told them yet.
We can’t carry on like this forever, though. I want Teddi—she lights a fire I can’t extinguish, and if I don’t have her soon I’ll spontaneously combust. On Valentine’s Day, we go to her brother’s party, and there I decide it’s time to let go of the past. I’m going to seduce her and show her how much I want her. I’ll be slow, careful, and thoughtful, and I won’t rush it.
