Read Online Here to Stay by Suanne Laqueur - Free Book Online Page A

grandfather. His empty nest was beautifully arranged and Daisy wanted to fill it with babies.”
    Erik had been wolfing the last bit of steak, but “babies”made it go cold and tough in his mouth.
    Will went on. “And we sucked so bad. We felt like shit, lying around sighing about it. I hope she doesn’t marry him. God we suck, why shouldn’t she be happy, she should marry him. Oh God, don’t marry him, it’s the end of hope…”
    Erik managed to laugh in the wobbly security of how things turned out.
    Will glanced up. “Just out of curiosity?”
    “I know where this is going.”
    “What would you have done if you called and she was married?”
    “Dude.” Erik carefully scraped together the last forkful of creamed spinach. “It’s a good thing I’m still an expert at not thinking about shit. Because I can’t even think about that shit.”
    “You thought about it. Come on.”
    Busted, Erik gave it a try. “It would have been…not a good thing.”
    Will wiped his mouth, revealing a grin. “I would’ve helped you steal her.”
    “Shut up.”
    “Telling you.”
    “Jesus fuck, I don’t know what I would’ve done.”
    Will pushed his plate away. “Would you still have called me?”
    Erik tried to rearrange events, fold time into a different origami ornament. A different scenario. “I like to think so. I had it in my mind that my shit to work out with you was entirely separate from Daisy. I had things to put right with you no matter what happened with her. I could only do one thing at a time though. And no offense, but she smells nicer than you.”
    “Fair enough.” Will folded his napkin and tossed it on the table. A bit of silence as Erik finished eating.
    “You haven’t told Dais about the fertility thing yet?” Will said. “For real?”
    “For real. Why?”
    Will laughed a little. “Nothing.”
    “What?”
    “It used to tickle the shit out of me when you’d come to me with a problem. Feels like old times.”
    Erik set his silverware across his plate and pushed it aside. “I missed you,” he said, wiping his mouth.
    Will caught the waitress’s eye and signed the air with an invisible pen. He rubbed his hands together, then back through his hair. “I have some Christmas shopping left to do,” he said. “You got time to come with?”
    “Time I got,” Erik said.

SNOW WAS FALLING AS they walked back to the municipal parking lot. Will had a handful of gift bags. Erik had looked for something for Daisy, but nothing moved him to a purchase.
    “Who’d you sleep with all those years?” Will asked. “Before you were married.”
    “Too many people.”
    “All female?”
    “Shut up.”
    Will laughed. “We always said you could stand in bars and take numbers.”
    “Well it wasn’t in bars. And I was picky about what numbers I took. I didn’t want anything serious. I barely wanted to talk. I ended up nailing a lot of older women. It was easier.”
    “You whore.”
    “I plead the Fifth.”
    “What did they look like?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “The chicks I dated after Lucky? All of them tall and brunette with straight hair. Not one little, curly blonde. Couldn’t do it.”
    “My ex-wife is black.”
    “Shut up.”
    “Hand to God.”
    “You really went to the opposite pole.”
    “It was funny when it happened though. I went so long thinking my heart was shut down for good, but I came across her in the theater one day. This little voice inside started tugging at my sleeve. Hey. Girl. Look. See? Girl. Pretty girl. Fetch.”
    “I hear you, I couldn’t believe when I felt attracted to another woman after Lucky. Anyway, back to her being black… What was that like?”
    Erik shrugged. “It honestly wasn’t anything until we were trying to have kids. And then it…showed up like a snake. Somehow. We had some ugly arguments, man. One in particular.” He shook his head hard, diffusing the memory. “I was a shitty husband at the end. She called me out on a bunch of behavior. I