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—”

that she was about to expose her uncle, she instantly

fooled by a

did you sleep for?” I

woke up early in the morning and helped Audrey wash

that he’d taken John’s place

a little. Just then, John walked in from outside, meeting my knowing gaze and

shuffled towards the other side of the living room, mumbling in a small voice, “Don’t blame me. Audrey’s your biological child, so she ran to find you guys

you went back to sleep and

couldn’t argue with him on that, and it seemed like he was

make Ashton go upstairs to rest for a while

the day before

Regardless, we were no longer in our young adult life; we’d grown old and

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

must have had a rough time while being the

in the future,” he reassured. “But I want to handle all