Six months after his wife leaves him, Bob Jansen finds himself spending the holidays with his parents in the town where he grew up. With him is his seven year old daughter, Jenna, who sometimes seems to be handling her mother's absence better than Bob is himself. But he's worried that, in her letter to Santa, Jenna has asked the jolly old elf for something Bob knows he can't pull off. He's afraid she wants her mother back for the holiday.<br><br>While shopping for his daughter's Christmas presents, Bob runs into Dave Knarr, an old friend. They used to be best buds in high school, before Julia, Bob's soon-to-be ex-wife, came between them. The two men catch up over drinks, and before the evening ends, Dave makes his real feelings for Bob known.<br><br>If Bob is shocked to learn Dave has always been attracted to him, he's more surprised by his own reaction. Even if he's willing to take another shot at romance, what will his daughter think of his old friend?

A Present for Daddy

My hand covers Dave’s, and I give him an encouraging squeeze. “I don’t know, but she’s gone now and look at us. Best buds all over again.”


He stares at my hand on his for a long moment, then asks softly, “Are you still drunk?”


“What? No. Hung over, yes. But drunk, no.” My skin starts to burn where it touches his. “Why?”


Gently, he pulls his hand from under mine. “Because you’re giving off some really mixed signals right now, Bob. You say you aren’t gay—”


“I’m not.” I catch his hand and grasp it tight. “But listen, we had a good thing once, you know? And God, I’ve been…it’s been so lonely going it alone. Even before she left, I felt abandoned. Lost. I was missing something in my life but for a long time, I didn’t know what. Then I see you again and the world feels right. Things start to make sense. I’m not saying let’s rush into this—”


Chapter 15