I took the call outside. Even though it was freezing, I didn’t want to talk to my brother in front of Ashley. I can’t explain why. Maybe the reality of their connection was still too much for me to process. Maybe I wasn’t yet ready to engage in the battle between them. But either way, I took the call outside.

“What do you want, Glen?”

“Before you go all crazy on me, I want to remind you that I’m your family. She’s just some…”

“You know that I’m not afraid to hang up on you, right? I mean, I hope you don’t think that I’m going to listen to you go on and on about what kind of person she is and not defend her and then hang up on you.”

“Jesus…ok! I get it. There’s no reason to get all worked up.”

“What do you want? I’m serious.”

“I need to know what’s about to happen. Is this about to turn into some custody war? Because I really don’t want to put Madeline through that shit.”

“Glen, the only reason there’s a war to begin with is because of you!”

“Just tell me what Ashley wants.”

“You’d have to talk to her, not me.”

“But since you wanted to be right in the middle of this, I’m talking to you. You’re my fucking sister for Christ’s sake. Can you at the very least tell me what the fuck is going on?”

“No.”

“She wants custody.”

“She wants to see her daughter. Absolutely. I don’t think it’s full-custody that she’s after. And I’m more than willing to vouch on your behalf when it comes to your ability to parent. You’re a complete asshole, but you’re a good father. I realize that.”

“Does she?”

“Does Ashley?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve told her, but Glen, you have to understand that it’s hard for her right now to see anything about you as positive.”

“I don’t want to lose my daughter.”

“Then talk to Ashley. Work something out. This only goes to court if you’re unwilling to negotiate. Either way you have to make it so that she gets to see Maggie—legally.”

“There are people that I could talk to, I guess.”

“Then talk to them.”

“You make sure she knows that she’s not taking my daughter anywhere. She stays in L.A.”