“There is that. But… Well, I don’t feel right about usin’ Aubrey and Nathan’s room.”
“Okay…”
“Which means we’re sharin’ a room, and there’s obviously only one bed. Think you can keep your hands off me?”
Nat raised an eyebrow, her lips curved up. “Who says I’m gonna share?”
CHAPTER FOUR
ASHER
I hadno idea how people did this without any support. I was absolutely wiped, a bone-deep kind of tired that came from both exhaustion and grief. And the real kicker was, I felt that way despite having help.
Thankfully, Nat was still by my side, being the steadfast rock I desperately needed right now. And Rory and Nash had stopped by a few times to check on how things were going.
During every encounter, Nat, Nash, and I had sat back, watching Rory expertly entertain two children, while at the same time tidy the house, do multiple loads of laundry,andmake dinner. The woman was a wonder.
“Just a well-experienced mom,” she’d corrected when I had vocalized my awe.
Now, I sat in Cole Donovan’s office across the conference table from Aubrey’s in-laws.Formerin-laws. God, it was still hard to think of her being gone. Most of the time, it felt like she was playing some sick joke on me like she loved to do—see how far she could push me to my breaking point before jumping out of a closet and yelling, “Gotcha!”
But nope. She was really gone. I was really in charge of my niece and nephew. And my brother-in-law’s truly awful parentswere really seated across from me, awaiting the reading of Aubrey’s and Nathan’s wills.
Aubrey had never had much good to say about the Haywards. Even having only been in their presence for a short while, I could see why. They were pretentious, snooty, and arrogant. It was clear they didn’t think much of Havenbrook—or the people who resided there.
I recalled Aubrey complaining about the disdain they’d shown Nathan when he’d said he would be moving there instead of back home to Connecticut when he graduated college. I’d only met them a couple of times in all the years my sister and brother-in-law had been together, and I hadn’t truly gotten a full dose of their eccentricities during those brief visits. But fuck, was I getting them now.
“How much longer?” Mrs. Hayward asked, her mouth pinched and nose pointed in the air as she clutched her designer purse in her lap. Her arms were tucked to her sides, her hands white-knuckling her purse handles in what appeared to be an effort to make herself as small as possible. As if she were afraid to touch anything in the pristine office.
“Yes, we really need to get a move on,” Mr. Hayward said, his tone speaking of someone who didn’t get told no very often. Or ever. “We have several interviews lined up for a nanny, and we’ll need to get the kids packed, so I’d appreciate it if we could get this finished up. Then we’ll swing by to pick up June and Owen.”
My stomach clenched right along with my jaw. While I didn’t pretend to have all the answers or know what was right when it came to kids—and didn’t particularly relish the thought of my life being turned upside down—I couldn’t stand to think about June and Owen being swept off to Connecticut. Rarely, if ever, to be seen or heard from again. Couldn’t stand the thought of my last remaining family being gone.
I just didn’t know what the alternative was.
I was a musician in my twenties who did okay for myself but certainly didn’t have a huge nest egg built. I’d been on the verge of my big break—I’d had a meeting with a label scheduled the day after I’d arrived in Havenbrook—but who knew what the hell was going on with that since I’d had to cancel. My manager had sent her condolences, along with flowers, and told me to take some time.
Trouble was, I wasn’t sure time would give me the answers I needed.
While the Haywards were the biggest pricks this side of the Mississippi, I couldn’t deny that they were the smartest choice. The one that made the most sense. They were in their midfifties and well-off, affluent, country-club kind of people. The kind who’d have a nanny named Muffy and a personal chef at their disposal. The kind who could erect a carnival in their backyard just for a fifth birthday party. The kind who?—
Cole cleared his throat, gathering some papers and stacking them on the table with two sharp taps. “Yes, I’m sure you’re very busy,” he said, and I couldn’t be sure if I actually heard a note of dryness or if it was just wishful thinking. “But I have good news for you, Mr. and Mrs. Hayward. You won’t need to worry about rushin’ to do everything, and you can cancel your nanny interviews.”
“Excuse me?” Mrs. Hayward’s tone cut through the air like a knife.
“You won’t need to worry about it,” Cole reiterated, “as Asher has been named guardian in the wills.”
Mrs. Hayward gasped while her husband slammed his hand down on the table before diving immediately into an angry diatribe. Their shocked ranting blended into massive chaos that ended up just being garbled noises alongside thewhoosh whoosh whooshin my ears.
I was hallucinating. Or this was all a dream. Or…had Nat spiked my coffee this morning?
“I’m sorry,” I managed with a shake of my head. “I thought you said I was named guardian…”
Cole nodded once. “I did.”
Guardian. Of two little kids. Two little kids I was apparently now responsible for.
Cole cleared his throat loudly, and the Haywards finally settled into quiet fuming. I couldn’t wrap my head around what this meant, but it was clear they had and were not at all happy about it.
