When There Is Nothing Left But Love

Thinking that Ashton had left to handle the issue with Nicolas, I headed downstairs to make a phone call.

It was only when I arrived at the living room that I saw him and the kids all sitting on a sofa, each one of them as quiet as a mouse.

My husband was holding a tablet, probably working. Gregory was having online classes with earphones plugged in, while Summer was reading a thick book. Even Audrey was keeping herself entertained by sitting down at a table and practicing her handwriting.

There was something amiss about the entire scene.

Ashton was the first one to notice my presence, putting his tablet down and walking over to place a kiss on my forehead. “You’re awake.”

“Mhm,” I nodded. “You guys…?”

Audrey immediately jumped up at the sound of my voice, loudly announcing, “Mommy! Daddy was being mean and didn’t let me talk!”

Summer quickly reached over to tickle her little sister in an attempt to get her to shut up. “That’s because you were being too noisy and woke Daddy up! It would be bad if you woke Mommy up too, you tiny monkey.”

“No, I didn’t!” Audrey argued through a fit of giggles, scrambling away from Summer’s hands. “Uncle John said—”

expose her uncle, she instantly stopped herself short and

wasn’t that easily fooled by a kid who wore her heart

you sleep for?” I

helped Audrey wash up,” Summer interrupted

that mean that he’d taken John’s place and only slept

Just then, John walked in

the living room, mumbling in a small voice, “Don’t blame me. Audrey’s your biological child, so she ran to find you guys as soon as she woke up. I couldn’t have stopped her even if

“So you went back to sleep and left Ashton to take care

your daughter,” he shrugged. I couldn’t argue with him on that, and it seemed like he was going

no choice but to try and make Ashton go upstairs to rest for a while longer. “Go take a nap or something. You

before had been because

let myself finish that thought. Regardless, we were no longer in our young adult life; we’d grown old and needed sufficient

“I’ve been surviving on three or four hours of sleep for the past few years.

rough time while being the

gently massaged my stiff shoulders. “I’ll have plenty of chances to rest in the future,” he reassured. “But I want to handle all our current problems before anything else. Next time, you’ll be free to determine when