Page 46 of Asher

“Something like that,” I agree.

“I’m very tired now.”

“Let me call your parents,” I say, reaching for my phone while studying his face. His gaze is still focused, and he seems to be completely cogent. The tiredness is probably from the excitement.

“I could nap here with you,” he suggests. “You could shift, and we could curl up like puppies!”

I still have a lot of work to do, but I can’t deny that a nap sounds nice. “What an excellent idea.”

Isaac scrambles off my lap and heads toward the sofa along the wall. It’s there because this office doubles as a sickbay of sorts while kids are waiting to be picked up. He stops beside it and looks at me expectantly.

I shift, give myself a shake, and bound over the desk, making him squeal in excitement. He waits for me to settle on the sofa and then climbs up. It’s a bit snug, since animals my size weren’t the designer’s priority, but he sprawls half over me, half against the cushions, and we settle in.

Isaac’s breathing evens out quickly, and I’m just starting to drift off myself when the office door opens again. I open one eye and peer up at Sid and Chloe.

“Chloe wanted to make sure Isaac was okay,” Sid says softly, grinning. “Nobody told us it was naptime.”

“I want a nap,” Chloe adds wistfully, and Sid raises a brow at me. I whine in assent. It won’t hurt her to miss an hour of class, and I know my in-laws won’t mind. They’ve said more than once that they hope Chloe and Isaac will grow up to be as close as Asher, Micah, Zac, and Gideon are. That kind of bonding starts here.

“Go on, then,” Sid tells her, and her face lights up. He waits until she’s climbed up and found a spot on the now very cramped sofa, then closes the door quietly behind him.

Chloe sighs and rests her head on my haunch, her fingers idly ruffling my fur. “This is nice.”

I huff and close my eyes. It really is.

CHAPTERTWENTY

Asher

I’m in trouble,and I can’t deny it anymore. Trouble with a capital T. In fact, all the letters are capitals. And italicized, and underlined.TROUBLE.

I’ve fallen in love with my husband.

The same husband who thinks of our marriage as a means to conduct an anthropological study. Who still plans to walk away in six months. Who considers me a friend and fun to fuck, but not more.

Sure, he’s fond of me. He likes me. He probably even plans to stay in touch. But I’m so much in love with him, the thought of being apart tears at my being. I’m dreaming of a future together, where we spend centuries, maybe even a millennium, loving each other. We build a home and life together, maybe even raise children together. And he’s not thinking any of those things.

I’m so screwed.

“I’m so screwed,” I repeat aloud, my head in my hands.

“Yeah,” Gideon agrees, and I lift my head to glare at him.

“That’s not helpful.” I teleported to his house so I could share my problems and hopefully get some advice from a man who’s been in a relationship for a long time. So far, that hasn’t happened. Although he has been working steadily on his LEGO, which means he’s thinking.

I look around the LEGO room. It’s the most boring-looking room in existence. The walls are lined with cabinets, inside of which are boxed LEGO sets. Gideon doesn’t care about displaying what he builds, so as soon as it’s done, he takes it apart again, puts the pieces in carefully labeled Ziploc bags, and then tucks the box away. The cabinets are arranged by series/theme, and then alphabetically. The only other furniture in the room is a large table and a couple of chairs.

“You’re sure he doesn’t love you back?” Gideon asks almost absently as he builds… something. I look at the box to see what he’s making. The title declares “Holiday Main Street.” Whatever that is.

“I’m pretty sure he loves me, but not that way.” What a dismal thought.

“Maybe he needs time. You haven’t known each other that long. I knew Sam for five years before we fell in love.”

There’s a strangled shout from the hall, and Gideon leaps to his feet. The door bursts open, banging against the wall. “Don’t listen to him, Asher!”

Gideon sits back down as I blink. “Uh… okay? Why?”

Sam storms in, glaring at his boyfriend. “We had a one-night stand, then he spent five years alternately ignoring me and making me think he was plotting the best way to get rid of my body.Thenhe started acting all possessive and affectionate, and boom, we were together. Donotdo any of that with Garrett.”

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