I looked at him with a raised brow, daring him to speak up now. See how well he did telling my momma and gran that he really wished they wouldn’t have.
“No, ’course not.”
“Can we put them in yet, Miss Caroline?” June asked.
“Well, I think that’s the best idea I’ve heard all day. Do you know how to set the timer?”
June nodded enthusiastically before jumping down from her perch on a chair. She dragged it across the kitchen floor and climbed back up as she waited for my momma to slip the tray of cookies into the oven. Once that was done, June leaned over and pressed the timer button. “How much time?”
“Oh, I think about eleven minutes will do just fine. Now then, we better clean up.”
I nearly laughed at that because there wasn’t anythingtoclean up, but still, Momma ushered June over to the sink to wash her hands.
“Everything go okay at your appointment, sugar?” Gran asked, her eyes studying Asher much like mine had.
“Everything’s fine, Gran,” he said, but his voice was all wrong. And, when he slid another glance toward me, my hunch was confirmed. I had no doubt there was more to this than he was saying. “Nothing to worry about.”
CHAPTER SIX
NAT
Later that night,after both kids were finally asleep, I dragged Asher to the living room to get the real story on what had happened at the meeting today with Cole.
At my sharp shove, Asher collapsed onto the couch, and I curled up on the cushion next to his, tucking my legs beneath me as I faced him. “Okay, spill.”
“What makes you think there’s a story?”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, please. You can’t keep anything from me.”
“That’s not true. I keep plenty from you.”
“Is that so?” I raised a brow. “Need I remind you about when you told me Nash was the one who ruined my favorite pair of jeans in high school?”
“That didn’t count. You tricked me into tellin’ you that. Like I’d rat on him voluntarily.”
I shrugged, unrepentant. “Still weren’t able to keep it from me. How about ratting on yourself about eatin’ my birthday cupcake in fourth grade? Or tellin’ me about your first failed sexual encounter? Probably would’ve been better off keepin’ that one to yourself. Or how about?—”
Asher groaned, cutting me off. “Fine, I get it.” He heaved out a deep sigh, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes. “Seems Aubrey kept some things from me.”
I raised my brows. “Like, that the kids are her secret love children from the mail carrier?”
“The mail carrier is Edna, so that logic doesn’t exactly hold up.”
“And your sister having a love child, period, does? She was a saint and totally in love with Nathan.”
Asher grunted an approximation of agreement.
“So, what was the secret she kept from you?”
“I guess it wasn’t so much a secret, as me just completely forgettin’ about any mention of it.”
“If you don’t get to the point soon, I’m gonna scream, and if I scream, we’re gonna have two crabby, cryin’ children on our hands. So, you better?—”
“She named me their guardian.”
I shut my mouth, my teeth snapping audibly as I stared at Asher, who stared right back. There was no use trying to hide my shock—I couldn’t stop my eyes from nearly bugging out. And even if I could, it didn’t matter because he’d be able to read me anyway.
Besides, the last thing he needed was me walking on glass around him. That had never been our way, and he wouldn’t want to be handled with kid gloves. Despite the fact that his world had been rocked not once but twice in less than a week.
