“Really.” I boop her nose.
I smile when she turns to Max, who has taken the seat on her other side.
“Uncle Max, will you singanddance with me?” I can’t see her eyes, but I know she is begging him.
I hide my smile behind my hand as I see his pained expression. He loathes singing or genuinely drawing attention to himself. This has to be one of the circles of hell for him, but he refuses to disappoint that little girl.
He forces a smile. “Of course I will. I’m your favorite uncle.”
“Yay. You are my favorite for sure,” she tells him.
At six years old, Arianna is already learning how she can use her influence on the men in her life. Lord help whatever man ends up falling in love with her. Or woman for that matter. She uses that charm on me as much as she does the guys.
The lights flash, indicating it is almost showtime. When the lights dim, Arianna goes quiet, staring at the stage in awe.
As the women on stage sing about King Henry the Eighth and their varied relationships with him, I can’t help but be infected by the energy of the little girl sitting next to me. She is practically vibrating as she mouths the words to every song. I didn’t even know she knew about the musical, but she must know it well.
A pang of longing hits me. I would know if I was there with them. I would know what was going on in their lives.
As if he can sense my emotions, Max stretches his arm over the back of Ari’s chair, his hand brushing my shoulder. When I look up at him, the lights from the musical allowing me to briefly see his eyes, I see the same longing in them.
He misses her too. We are missing out on our lives. Is this company even worth it?
I know what Max would say. This is his family legacy. He owes it to them to see it through.
Why am I staying, though?
Leaning forward, he brushes his finger on my cheek. I let my eyes fall closed as I soak in the touch.
He is why I stay. He is the reason for a majority of my decisions this past decade.
Opening my eyes, I try to convey to him through the darkness how I feel.
I can’t be his friend anymore. Not the way I have been. My feelings for him only keep growing. I either need to woman up and point-blank tell him how I feel or I need to move away and move on.
London is still on the table, but I don’t want to be away from my friends.
I want to move back to Boston.
MAX
“That was the best musical ever. I could go again and again. Will you take me back again?” Ari asks me as she walks between Iris and me, swinging our hands as she walks.
“Of course. As many times as you want,” I promise her.
“You spoil her,” Iris teases me.
“How can you not? Do you see how cute she is?”
“Oh, I do. I didn’t say there was anything wrong with it. Honestly, you are going to be an amazing dad.”
My heart beats faster in my chest.
Truth is, all evening I have been thinking about what it would be like to have a child of my own with Iris. How she would hold our hands and chatter on and on. How adorable they would be. Part of me wants a girl so she can look just like Iris. The other part wants a boy so I can see myself in him.
I only hope that I have the chance to make my dreams a reality.
All evening it has reminded me what it was like when we lived in Boston. How natural it felt to be around our friends. It felt like we had a village behind us.
