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“Where’s Asher?” Jonah asked.
I huffed. “A hello would be nice.”
Jonah bowed his head apologetically. “You’re right. Hello. Where’s Asher?”
Eli walked into the room, fussing. “I don’t care if you want to wear the shoes that Uncle Jonah sent you. They’re sandals. It’s raining. Put on the boots, Ash!” He plopped down next to me, exhaling an exasperated breath. “I swear to god she’s more like you every day.”
With a roll of my eyes, I ignored him, instead responding to Jonah. “Asher is currently deciding what she wants to wear to school.”
“I have a niece?!” Tristin exclaimed.
Eli answered with a yawn. “Yup! She’s been adamant about ‘she/her/hers’ for the past two weeks.”
“I’m happy for her, but can I please say hi?”
“Didn’t you just call her last night, Jonah?” Tristin and I both asked.
Before he could answer, Asher popped up between me and Eli, showing off the hole where the tooth she proudly told Jonah she pulled all on her own used to be. Her hair was wild and curly, her latest display of autonomy resulting in not allowing either of us to touch her head until she was ready. “Uncle JoJo! Daddy said I can’t wear the shoes you got for me.”
“Daddy sure did,” Eli co-signed.
“But Papa said I can wear them when I get to school.”
My eyes widened and I refused to look at Eli, who was currently boring a hole in my face. “Did he now?”
Asher bounced up and down, nodding emphatically. “Yup! Papa says the storm is gonna be done soon and when it is I can wear my cute new shoes!” She ran away to get said shoes.
Eli sighed loudly, throwing his head back. “Seriously, Laney? You said I was going to be the push over.”
“I never said I wouldn’t be,” I snapped, my voice devoid of heat. “But let—” Eli clapped a hand over my mouth, silencing him.
“No, no, no. Don’t stop him. Finish, Delaney.” Tristin looked at me and somehow, I knew he knew.
I narrowed my eyes, studying Tristin who was mirroring my expression.
“I know everything.”
“When?”
“No more than three months ago,” Tristin smugly replied.
“Holy shit. How does he do that?” Eli whispered.
I wore a wide grin. “I know too.”
“If you didn’t, I would have questioned everything about our friendship.”
“What’s happening?” Jonah questioned.
Eli shrugged his shoulders as Tristin and I excused ourselves at the same time.
As I walked down the hallway, returning to the office, I cooed, “Want to meet your uncles?” Jonah gasped softly as I settled beside Eli, introducing a sleepy three-month-old to him. “They just woke up because someone”—I glared at Eli—“kept them up all night.”
Eli defended himself. “They asked for another story!”
“They don’t have discernible language, Eli! How exactly did they ask?!”
Jonah cleared his throat bringing our attention back to the call. “I would assume by now that you two know you are the least of my concerns and I only speak to you in order to speak to Asher,” he joked.
