Just then, both kids broke off in laughter thanks to Nat sacrificing herself at their mercy and allowing them to climb on her like a jungle gym.
Sheila smiled, gripping her canvas bag once again filled with toys. “Sounds like it. Mind if I come in?”
“Sure, of course.” Asher stepped back and gestured her inside.
Just because this wasn’t her first visit didn’t make it any easier. He might have known more what to expect, but that didn’t change the fact that as nice as Sheila was, her job was to report to the court her thoughts on whether or not he was fit to be his niece and nephew’s guardian. As if this all wasn’t hard enough to figure out, he was doing it with an anvil hanging over him at the same time. It felt like he was jumping out of a plane without a parachute, and he didn’t have any idea how long until he crashed into the ground.
“I hear congratulations are in order,” Sheila said, dipping her head toward Asher’s left hand where his black wedding band sat.
“Yep, he finally made an honest woman out of me,” Nat said.
“Finally? How long were y’all datin’?”
Since he absolutely couldn’t tell her the truth, he went with what was the closest. “We’ve been friends since first grade. Things just kind of naturally progressed from there. So, I guess you could say she’s been waitin’ her whole life for me to get on with it.”
Nat snorted. “You sure you don’t have that the other way around?”
“That, too.” Their eyes locked for a heavy beat, a question in Nat’s gaze that he couldn’t answer. Was he pretending just for show? Or did he actually mean that?
“Y’all are too cute.” Sheila sat on the couch and opened her bag, gesturing for June to come over. “Hi, June. I brought some new toys for you and your brother. Mind if I chat with your uncle for a bit while y’all play?”
“Do you have any gum?” June asked, peering into the bag.
Sheila laughed. “’Fraid not.”
June sighed, sounding heavily put out, but grabbed the bag and dumped its entire contents onto the floor. Owen dropped the remote he’d been playing with and crawled straight for the mess as if a shotgun blast had gone off.
“How’ve things been goin’ for y’all?” Sheila asked, dragging his attention away from the kids.
He and Nat exchanged a glance, and she raised a single eyebrow, her silent deferment to him. Though she didn’t have to say a word for him to know what she thought he should do.
Clearing his throat, he leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his spread knees. He rubbed his palms together and stared at the floor, reminding himself that if June didn’t get the help she needed to overcome her grief, it didn’t matter if it made them look bad or as if they couldn’t handle this. Her welfare was his top priority.
“Good. Mostly, I think,” Asher said with a nod. “The good days outweigh the bad, that’s for sure.”
“That’s great. How do you feel the kids have been adjustin’ to the change?”
“Owen’s always happy, just as long as nobody forgets his bottle,” he said with a chuckle.
She grinned. “And June?”
“Honestly, if you’d come by yesterday, I’d’ve said things were fine. That she’s been her normal, precocious self.”
“But since I came by today?” she asked, leaving the question open for him to continue.
He blew out a heavy sigh. “We found her curled up in my sister’s bed this mornin’, askin’ when her momma and daddy are comin’ home.”
Sheila made a gruff sound of sympathy, and he swallowed down the apprehension he still felt, even knowing what the right thing to do was.
“I don’t know if this’ll make us look weak or incompetent, but this is about the kids. And I don’t care about anything more than makin’ sure they’re okay. Because of that, I’d love your help.” He lifted his gaze and glanced at Nat, who’d lowered herself onto the floor to corral Owen. She offered him an encouraging smile, giving him the reassurance he needed. “We’d appreciate it if you had a referral for a therapist who works with young children dealing with grief.”
“Of course,” Sheila said without hesitation. “And this most certainly doesn’t make you appear incompetent or anything other than a loving uncle. There’s really nothing wrong with finding someone for your niece to talk to. In fact, it speaks volumes that you reached out to get the help y’all feel she needs.”
Asher blew out a sigh of relief and met Nat’s smile. Despite having next to no experience with kids, she’d made the right call on this, and they’d passed this small test. He only hoped they fared as well when it really counted.
“If this is an attempted kidnappin’, your methods need a little work. I’m not even tied up,” Nat said from the passenger’s seat as Asher drove them to a destination unknown.
That morning, he’d greeted her with a kiss, an orgasm, and the news that they were playing hooky from all their responsibilities today. Which meant, thanks to Rory, they were child-free for the first time in weeks. Maybe she owed her sister something a little more than a verbal beatdown…
