Page 83 of Better Together

Remi rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll sing too.” She’d never heard of “Froggy Went a Courtin’” until Colt taught her the words to the old folk song. The kids loved it, and they always had fun singing.

Abby clapped along to the beat, while Ben covered his mouth with two hands to contain his laughter. When the song was over, Abby went straight into leading the prayer.

In the same breath as Amen, she asked, “Do elephants taste boogers when they drink out of their noses?”

Remi flopped back onto Abby’s bed. “Sweetie, I have no idea. If I ever meet an elephant, I’ll ask.”

Abby laughed and rolled over in the bed, tucking the covers beneath her chin. “Good night. Sleep tight.”

Remi and Colt took turns kissing the kids’ foreheads and saying their own good nights. Abby laughed about who knew what as Remi and Colt snuck out of the room.

“I love that laugh,” Remi whispered as they headed for the couch.

Colt flopped down beside her and rested his arm on the back of the couch. “Me too. Thanks for making the kids so happy. I think the laughing has saved them from a lot of grief.”

She rested her head against his arm. “I think you’re responsible for the laughs.”

“Nah. You make this place a home. I just get to live here.” He picked up her left hand and brushed his thumb over her wedding band. She hadn’t taken it off since their wedding day. Not once. And despite the messes she often got into, the gold was still as shiny as a new penny.

Colt rested their hands on their legs. “I’m a lucky man to get to have you by my side.”

“Ha! I’m far from a good wife.” The number-one reason being Colt was getting zero physical benefits from his fairly new bride. Most men at least got to factor that into the happiness of their relationship.

Now. She should say it now, but as much as she wanted to tell him to come to bed with her, the words stuck in her throat.

Colt sighed and released her hand. “I hate to kill the mood, but I heard from Camille today.”

Remi sat up straighter. Things were moving slow on the adoption front, and news about probate for Mark and Brittany’s estate had been dead silent. “What did she say?”

“They set up a hearing in the family court case, and she has a few things ready to file in probate court. They either have to be mailed or hand delivered, so I think it’s time for a trip to Newcastle.”

“Okay. When?” They’d been expecting this to happen at some point, but the dates had always been indefinite. Colt had been getting things ready to put the house on the market as much as he could from the other side of the state, but the place needed to be cleaned out before photos could be taken for the real estate listing.

“I need to go this weekend. I got approval from Jameson to have next week off.”

Remi bit her lip. A week. She hadn’t spent a week without Colt in all the years they’d known each other, but Ben was in school, and they still had two weeks left in the regular tourist season.

She couldn’t go with him, and she’d have to manage things here on her own. She’d taken care of herself since before she turned seven, but taking care of two kids alone had a sweat breaking out on her back.

“Are you gonna be okay here? I can wait until the Christmas break so we can all go. I’ll just need to see if the hearing can be pushed back.”

“No. You need to go. I’ll be fine here. We shouldn’t put this off any longer. We need that house to sell.”

He rested his cheek against her head. “I wish you were going with me.”

“Me too, but I’ll keep things moving around here. Plus, we have plenty of help.”

“Call me if you need anything. I’ll answer, as long as I’m not in the courtroom.”

Of course, he would. Colt was as reliable as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. Another reason he was too good for her.

The indecision gnawed at her. She wanted his comfort more than anything, but the fear of never measuring up kept her from opening her mouth and asking for the thing she wanted.

She wanted him, but she had no right to ask it. Married or not, she would always be the kid who adults never wanted to deal with, always the troubled teen who couldn’t be trusted, and always the druggy who would rather lie than finish a rehab stint. Saying time had passed didn’t change it. She didn’t get a do-over because she did it wrong in the first half.

And opening up her heart to him right before he left was only going to make the leaving harder to bear. It wasn’t the time to speak up, but would it ever be?

Colt slapped a hand on her knee and pushed to his feet. “I’m gonna get a shower, then I’ll clean up the kitchen. You get some rest.”

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