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

a kid who wore her heart

sleep for?”

Audrey wash up,” Summer interrupted before he could say

taken John’s place and

in from outside, meeting my knowing gaze

living room, mumbling in a small voice, “Don’t blame me. Audrey’s your biological child, so she ran to find you guys as

back to sleep and left Ashton to take care

on that, and it seemed like he was going to stubbornly defend himself to the very

choice but to try and make Ashton go upstairs to rest for a while longer. “Go take a nap or something. You haven’t slept well these

before had been

myself finish that thought. Regardless, we were no longer in our young

surviving on three or four

rough time while being the

of chances to rest in the future,” he reassured. “But I want to handle