Karen reached for his hand.
“You don’t have to pretend.”
He nodded.
“Good. Because I’m not giving either of you a blessing like we’re in a movie and everything is suddenly perfect.”
I laughed quietly.
“That’s fair.”
Daniel pointed at me.
“I’m serious.”
“I know.”
He continued.
“But I also can’t ask Mom to spend the rest of her life alone just because the situation makes me uncomfortable. And I can’t tell my best friend that his feelings don’t matter simply because I need time to understand them.”
Karen began crying.
“I’m sorry this has hurt you.”
Daniel squeezed her hand.
“I know, Mom.”
Then he looked at me.
“If you hurt her, we’ll have a problem.”
“I understand.”
“And if you two break up, I don’t want to be forced to choose sides.”
“You won’t be.”
Daniel nodded.
He wasn’t completely comfortable.
He wasn’t suddenly delighted by the situation.
