Page 27 of Better Together

Remi tossed the fridge items into the top of the cooler. “Nope. Let’s go.”

Minutes later, they pulled up at Remi’s place. Jess’s car was still in the driveway, which meant she was going to be late for church as usual.

Remi jumped out of the truck, leaving the engine running. Colt followed her inside.

“Jess!” Remi shouted as they walked in.

“Bedroom!”

Colt cleared his throat behind her. “I’ll wait here. Let me know if you need help carrying anything.”

Remi headed for Jess’s room. Colt had been to her place dozens of times, and he never tried to venture past the hallway. It was like the narrow passageway might lead to a swamp or a dump. Either way, he avoided that area of her house like the plague.

Knocking on Jess’s open bedroom door, Remi got straight to business. “Hey, can you help with the kids today at church? I have to go to Newcastle with Colt. His brother died in a car wreck.”

Jess stopped slipping her feet into a pair of boots to look up. “What? That was way too much info at once.”

“Colt’s brother died last night. His wife too.” Remi pushed down the knot of dread that rose in her throat. “They had two kids.”

Jess shook her head slowly. “Wow. That’s a lot.”

“Yeah. We’re going to get the kids.”

Jess’s eyes widened. “Really? Then what are you going to do with them?”

Remi tried not to panic at the question she’d been asking herself since she heard the news. Colt wanted a family, but she was pretty sure he wanted the whole package. With two kids, the wife part of the equation might be even harder to come by than he thought.

“I guess Colt will be their new guardian. He seems sure about it.”

Jess nodded as if that settled the matter. “You sure you know what you’re doing?”

Of course, she didn’t. But that was the way she lived her life. Make a decision and stick with it, hoping the Lord was leading her in those moments. “No, but Colt has a niece and nephew out there who just lost their parents, and I can't stomach the thought of them being alone right now.”

Jess stuffed her foot into the boot and stood. “I get it. Call me if you need anything. I’ll handle the kids today.”

“And we need to find someone to help Hadley with the kids tomorrow.”

“I bet Cheyenne can help. The youth program is finished for the year.”

“Right. I’ll call her and ask her.”

Jess waved a hand in the air. “I’ll tell her what’s going on at church. You just focus on getting to those kids.”

Remi bit her lips between her teeth. She wasn’t a crier, and she’d make her lips bleed before she let a tear fall. When the sadness and fear mixed and grew into something ugly and heavy, she reached for her friend, pulling Jess close in a tight hug.

“Thank you,” Remi whispered.

Jess gave her a tight squeeze. “Don’t mention it. I’m here if you need me.”

Remi pulled back and pushed out a deep breath. “I need to get packed, and you need to get to church.”

“Right. I just inherited about a dozen little screaming things for the next hour and a half.”

There it was. The fear was back when she thought about the two kids they were headed to get. Ben and Abby. They would be a constant in her life now, if she was going to stay friends with Colt. Remi knew a lot about kids after working with them six days a week for the last three years, but Colt was going to have kids that were his. Like, for life.

Jess shoved Remi’s shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry. You’re great with kids.”

“Right. I’ll be fine.” She peeked toward the living room where Colt was probably pacing. “Colt…”

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