Chris shook his head. "Not me and your dad, no. It's all three of us or no go, Jim. That's...sort of why I wasn't around when you and Sam were growing up." But that was a whole other thing altogether. "The thing is - Winnie said no because of the way things are with you guys. She feels that as long as your relationship with her is the way it is, she can't commit to being in any kind of a family unit."

He looked down at his hands, swallowing hard. It sounded strange and bald, said out like that, for such a complicated emotional situation.