MaeHe pushed open his bedroom door before using his foot to close it behind him. It seemed a little silly that he would want the door closed after what we had done in his kitchen. I wasn’t going to complain though. It was more intimate and made it more private, like we were the only two in the room.“Stay there,” he ordered as he deposited me on the bed. “Don’t move.”I nervously laughed. “Where would I go?”“I don’t know, but don’t.”He rushed to the huge windows and pushed a button. Blinds automatically closed, plunging the room into darkness. In the muted light, I watched him move, lighting a few candles and casting the room in a warm glow. He picked up a remote and pushed a button, and the room immediately filled with some sultry jazz music.“Wow,” I said, feeling the heat in the room rise. “You were prepared.”“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. It’s just never worked out that way. I get near you and I can’t control my need. I’m always worried it’s going to be our last time

TysonI jogged downstairs, checking the time on my watch. We were running late. I never realized how much extra time it took to get two women out the door on time. Well, one woman and one young lady. I walked into the kitchen to see if they were in there. They weren’t. I walked down the hall, popped my head into the living room, and discovered it was empty as well.“Mae!” I hollered. “Hayden!”“I’m in my room!” Hayden called back.I rolled my eyes. “We need to go!”Mae came out of the office we both shared. “We’re fine.”“Mae, you said I couldn’t let you be late. I’m trying to stick to that promise. Why does it take so long to get ready?”She frowned. “She’s thirteen. There are at least four wardrobe changes that have to happen and then there is hair and makeup.”“Makeup? What the hell is she doing wearing makeup?”Mae gave me a kiss on the cheek. “She wears very little makeup. She asked if it was okay and I said yes.”I felt like an overprotective father. Or an overprotective brother

MaeTwo months laterI looked around the bright kitchen and smiled. It was a cold winter day but that wasn’t stopping us from barbecuing out on the covered patio. There were several patio heaters set up to ward off the bulk of the chill, but we would be eating in the attached sunroom. Life was good. My mom was healthy and was going to be spending Christmas with us.Today’s barbecue was another celebration of her recovery. Five months sober was a big deal. I was trying to stay positive. She was different this time around. She was actually trying. She was getting intensive therapy, and instead of moving home alone, she moved into a house that would support her staying clean.It was made clear from the very beginning that neither I, nor Patrick would have her living with us. There was still way too much baggage for us to do that. It was too risky in my opinion. She needed to learn to stand on her own two feet without either of us propping her up.“How is school, dear?” my mom asked Hayde