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But before I could respond, Calder started walking away. “I’ve got to run. But maybe the next time you call, I’ll answer.”

My mouth curved into a smile. “Okay, man.”

As he went, I stood watching him, like some sort of lovesick guy in a movie.

It was going to be hard to get Calder to see that despite my actions with Talia, I loved him as much as I always had. Two things could be true: I was an asshole, and I loved him.

On the ride home after Talia’s event, I told her about my conversation with Calder.

She leaned her head back against the seat. “I’m glad you went after him.”

“Me, too.”

“He didn’t ask how you and I ended up back in New York?”

I shook my head. “We didn’t get that far. He had to leave. But he knew we were back in New York if he follows you on social media, and he probably assumed correctly that things out west fell through.”

After my initial six-month stint in Vegas, I’d walked away from the residency. The management company had refused to give me the money I deserved when we were negotiating a new contract. They’d mostly just profited off of me. I’d assumed my manager would be able to work something out, but he couldn’t, and the show died an abrupt and fiery death.

Talia and I went out to Montana after that to spend an extended period of time with her mother. After those few months, we returned to New York and moved back into Rosemary’s brownstone. We’d insisted on paying her rent, and even though it was supposed to be temporary, we still remained there.

Now I was back to doing what I loved here—smaller performances at various venues around the City and working on pieces in other media, not just glass. Over the past couple of years, I’d made more than enough to support us while Talia continued to write. Now that her royalties would be kicking in, that was icing on the cake. She was currently working on her second book.

The Uber let us out in front of the house in Brooklyn.

We opened our apartment door to find Annemarie, Talia’s mom, on the couch. She was visiting us for a few weeks.

“How did it go?” Annemarie asked.

Talia sighed. “As good as I could hope. They sold out of the books they’d allotted for the meet and greet. It was pretty surreal to talk with all these people who’d actually read it.”

“That’s amazing!”

I wrapped my arm around Talia. “I was so freaking proud.”

“Thank you, baby.”

I turned to Annemarie. “Where’s Rosie?”

“She’s taking a nap.”

I nodded. “Talia had a surprise guest in the audience.”

Her mother’s eyes widened. “Oh?”

Talia blushed. “Calder.”

Annemarie’s jaw dropped. “No way.”

“Yeah way.” I chuckled.

I left Talia and her mother to chat about what had happened while I went down to check on Rosie. I opened the door as slowly as I could so as not to wake her. But the damn door squeaked, and a moment later she stirred. And then came her cute little cry. I lifted my daughter up out of the crib and held her tightly, taking in a deep breath of the Dreft baby detergent I used to wash her clothes down in the same basement where her mother and I had gotten ourselves into trouble more than once.

Rosie was named after my aunt. That Rosemary had stayed behind in Vegas with her boyfriend, Theodore, who wasn’t really able to relocate since his kids all lived down there. Rosemary had found the warm, dry weather better for her health anyway. It was a relief not to have to worry about her, at least for the time being. And she knew the house was in good hands with Talia and me looking after things. The situation had worked out for everyone.

Rosie stopped crying when she spotted her mother entering the room.

“Look who’s awake,” Talia cooed.