The Stairs Between Us (EXCERPT)

Chapter 2

Levi

Wind whipped around the corners of the house, creating an eerie howling effect. I sat in the kitchen, listening more to the wind than to the guy I called my best friend. Guilt picked at my stomach, making it acidic. I should've been making an effort to be there for him. The only thing I could focus on, though, was the time ticking closer on the wall.

"I think it might be stress," Theo said in his soft-spoken voice. It was hard to believe that a nearly seven-foot man could have such a gentle voice. He spread his dark hands. "Pamela's got her hopes so high, and she gets so frustrated." He cleared his throat.

My gaze snapped up from the kitchen table. I met his brown eyes across the table. "Sorry, man."

"Is Noah dropping off Joey this morning?" he asked.

I nodded, rubbing the back of my head. "Any minute now."

"I guess there's no chance in me stealing you for a run." Theo grinned, and for the first time I realized he wore his running gear.

I glanced down at my long-sleeved henley and jeans. Maybe I would've been better off throwing on sweats. I no longer had the effect on Noah that I'd had on her in college, but I still tried.

It was pathetic.

"A run might help get your mind off things," Theo said, his voice returning to that lulling level.

"Yeah," I agreed, "but I can't leave Joey."

"I'm sure Pamela wouldn't mind looking after him."

I laughed, the sound bitter. "And have it get back to Noah that I dropped my kid off on someone else the second he got here? No thanks." I rubbed at my beard. "How did I get here, man?"

"It takes time." He stood to his full height. After over ten years of friendship, I was used to him towering over me. At UConn, people called us Sully and Mike when we walked around campus together. He'd go to basketball practice and I'd head to my pre-med classes.

Or the poetry class where I'd met Noah.

Together, though, Theo and I were a duo. When people threw parties in their dorms, they told each other: "Make sure you invite Sully and Mike."

College. Those were the good days.

The doorbell rang, yanking me out of my thoughts. Standing, I tried to arrange my features into what I hoped was a relaxed expression. Instead, my brows rested heavily over my eyes as I made my way to the front door. Taking a deep breath, I swung the door open wide.

"Daddy!" Joey threw himself into my arms.

I scooped him up, hugging him to my chest. "Hey buddy." Over his head, I glanced at her.

Noah.

A full year had passed since we separated, and six months since the divorce was finalized, and still just the sight of her knocked the air out of my lungs. She lifted her angular chin, sapphire eyes looking at Joey and me but avoiding my gaze. She nibbled at her full, pink lips.

Releasing Joey, I fought the urge to embrace her, too. My ex-wife. I still couldn't get used to the phrase.

"Uncle Theo's in the kitchen," I told our son.

Joey's eyes lit up. Dropping his backpack in the entryway, he took off toward the kitchen.

"This isn't a dumping ground!" Noah called after him. Her eyes sparkled with amusement, though.

A year earlier, this had been our home. Yet there she stood, in the doorway, half out of my life.

"Want a cup of coffee?" I asked, shoving my hands into the pockets of my jeans. Cold air swirled around my bare feet.