“Speakin’ of, y’all gonna stick around for dinner?” Gran asked.
“Why not. They’ve already been here all day,” Richard said, taking a seat next to Caroline. “Don’t y’all have jobs?”
“Richard,” Caroline admonished. “We’re not gonna say a single word when our daughter and son-in-law—” she glanced at Asher with a smile “—wanna bring these sweet babies over to visit us.”
“Actually, Daddy,” Nat said as she stepped up next to Asher, “our jobs may not be as glamorous as solitaire player, but they don’t have any rigidity at all. All I need is my camera and something pretty, and Asher can write songs from anywhere.”
“How’re things goin’ for you, sweetheart?” Caroline asked. “You been busy?”
“A little too busy, actually. Things are on hold right now, but I’ll get back to it soon.” She met Asher’s gaze, something weighty and unspoken hanging between them. While it no doubt sounded like she’d get back to it after everything with the kids was straightened out, they both knew she meant something else entirely.
Meant she was intending to leave.
“Well, I’m glad you’re stayin’ busy,” her momma said, “but I don’t love that every time you go, it’s out of the country.”
“Actually,” Nat said, giving June a thumbs-up as she called for Nat to watch her on the swings, “there’s a project I’ve been brainstormin’. Something that’d keep me stateside for a while.”
“Really?” he asked, glancing down at her with furrowed brows.
“Yeah, remember? That thing we talked about?” She linked their fingers and squeezed twice. Right. Because future professional plans were probably something most married couples discussed. “Travelin’ down Route 66—or what’s left of it, anyway—and makin’ my own coffee table book?”
“Don’t you think it’s time y’all were a bit more practical?” Richard asked. “Now that you’ve got a family to take care of, y’all both need steady work instead of the hobbies you’ve been focused on. I’m sure Will or Mac would be happy to line you up with a job down at town hall, Nat.”
She huffed out a disbelieving laugh. “What part of my personality makes you think I’d be happy workin’ at town hall? And thosehobbiesare doin’ just fine for us.”
“Richard, we’re not gonna rehash this same argument every time your daughter comes home,” Caroline said as she fed Owen his bottle.
He held up his hands in surrender. “I’m not rehashin’ anything. Just didn’t see them doin’ those jobs now, is all.”
“Well, Daddy, we’re a little busy tryin’ to keep things as normal as possible for June, while fielding social worker appointments and waitin’ to make sure another rich family doesn’t get their way simply because they have money. You might know a little something about that, though. Been makin’ sure you got your way for years. Unfortunately, we can’t buy our way out of this one.”
She’d gone rigid beside him, her anger over her daddy using his power to get out of situations nothing new. It’d weighed on her back when the three of them would get into trouble together but only he and Nash ever got stuck with any charges. Apparently, Havens didn’t do the whole court thing.
Asher put his arm around her and tucked her into his side, pressing a kiss to her temple. “You’re lettin’ him bait you,” he said in her ear. “And you’re gonna let him undo all that hard work I did this mornin’ makin’ sure you started the day relaxed.”
She slid him a look out of the corner of her eye, her lips tipped up in a way that told him she was recalling exactly how they’d spent their morning—namely his fingers getting her off while his cock ached for her pussy. Hadn’t been time, though. Not when June was an early riser and didn’t have qualms about waking them at the ass-crack of dawn.
“Well, we won’t need to worry about that,” Caroline said, pulling Asher out of his thoughts. “I have no doubt y’all’re the best fit for these kids. You’re who Aubrey and Nathan wanted, and Judge Seville will see that.”
Yeah, he’d thought so, too. Or hoped, anyway. But the more days that went by, the more unsure he became. He’d bet everything he had on this working out. Had poured himself into it, had begun to settle in and get comfortable in this life he wasn’t sure he’d ever wanted.
One good thing was, that wasn’t a question anymore. He’d grown to love this life in the few short weeks he’d been living it. Which meant it was only going to hurt that much worse if it was all taken away.
Afew days later, Owen’s babbles woke them along with the sun. The early hour came far too soon, considering how late he’d kept them both up.
Nat groaned and smashed her face into her pillow. “Why do I continue allowin’ you to keep me up till all hours of the night?”
Asher smiled against her shoulder before pressing a kiss there, recalling her breathy moans ordering him to give her more. “Funny, I never hear you complain while I’m doling out orgasms like candy.”
“Wow. How’re you gonna walk out of here with that gigantic head?”
“Which one?”
“Oh my God,” she said on a laugh as she jabbed her elbow back into his stomach. She threw off the covers and climbed out of bed, completely unconcerned with her nakedness. And he certainly didn’t mind watching the show.
She slipped on a pair of leggings—sans panties, he couldn’t help but notice—and slid one of his too-big T-shirts over her head. “I’ll take one for the team and grab first point on Mr. Pee Pants this mornin’. And you should probably figure out why Miss Junie B. wasn’t the one wakin’ us up,” she said over her shoulder as she strolled out of the bedroom and toward Owen’s room.
“Can’t exactly greet her like this,” he mumbled, closing his eyes and willing away his seemingly ever-present erection. Or ever-present when it came to Nat, anyway.
