To my surprise, Asher actually extended his hand.
Call it instinct or intuition, but I sensed it wasn’t easy for Asher to reach out like that, especially to someone he didn’t know.
I lifted my hand slowly and steadily, wanting to make this as painless as possible for Asher. My grip on his hand was gentle, and I pulled back at the first polite opportunity.
“I’m glad we’re finally getting a chance to meet,” I said to Asher with a smile.
“It should have happened sooner,” he said with regret in his voice. “Cole probably told you that I’m not exactly social.”
I nodded, not quite sure what to say.
There was something about Asher that intimidated me in a way that Cole never had.
There was a darkness that seemed to surround him that I couldn’t quite figure out, but it was way different from Cole’s aura.
Not the kind of darkness that was creepy.
It was more like…
Sadness?
Pain?
Loneliness?
Regret?
Or possibly all of those rolled into one?
There was something about him that made me want to hug him, even though I knew that action wouldn’t be accepted well.
My thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the pastor, and after a short discussion with the man, we all headed toward the gravesite.
We’d no more than made it to the site when three more vehicles pulled into the parking lot.
I gaped because I recognized every one of them.
No one spoke as those vehicles parked and three couples slowly made their way toward us.
Kaleb and Anna.
Tanner and Hannah.
Devon and Reese.
They were all dressed in attire similar to ours, and every one of them planted a kiss on Millie’s cheek before they stood silently behind us.
“We’re family,” Kaleb grumbled as he looked at Asher.
“She was our aunt,” Tanner added.
“Family supports each other no matter what,” Devon said as he shot Asher a very stubborn we’re-here-and-we’re-not-going-anywhere expression.
Millie was beaming at her family.
Cole was grinning.
And Asher…he simply lifted his chin in acknowledgment before he asked drily, “Is everyone here now?”
