“Ah, shit, stop crying. I can’t handle tears. Ask my wife,” he grumbles, pulling me back against him as Cara laughs.
“It’s true. Tears are his kryptonite.” She smiles at me as he lets me go with an awkward pat on my back. “Anytime he doesn’t want to give me my way, I let a few tears fall then boom—he’s putty in my hands.”
“I’m going to ignore everything you just said.” He glares at her, and I press my lips together to keep from laughing at them. They bicker as much as my grandparents, but also love each other with the same ferocity.
“Aunt Ashlyn.” Turning, I watch the boys run toward me, followed by Dillon.
“When we come back, can we make monkey melt?” Jordan asks, wrapping his small arms around my waist, and I rest my hand on the top of his head and look down at him.
“Absolutely.”
“Can Hope come over for a sleepover when we make monkey melt?” Kenyon asks, and I laugh, pulling him against me.
“I’m sure she would love that,” I agree, and he grins.
“Give your uncle a hug, boys. We need to hit the road if we want to make our flight,” Parker urges, and both boys turn to Dillon and attack him at the same time. Watching him swing Jordan and Kenyon up into his arms, new tears fill my eyes. I’m going to miss this over the next few months. I’m going to miss the sound of kids in the house, and miss seeing Dillon looking so content from having his family around.
“We’ll see you guys soon.” He hugs them both before setting them on the ground then turns to Cara, giving her a hug that lifts her off her feet and makes her laugh. “Take care of my brother.”
“You know I will,” she says as he sets her on her feet and looks at Parker.
“If you need anything, call me and I’ll be here,” Parker assures as he and Dillon embrace, pounding each other’s backs so hard the sound bounces off the walls in the foyer.
“I’ll call,” he agrees, letting him go.
Opening the door, he takes my hand in his and leads me to the edge of the porch, tucking me under his arm as we watch the boys climb into the back seat and Parker and Cara into the front. Giving them a wave as the car starts up, I watch Cara blow me a kiss then the boys wave frantically out the back window as the car drives away.
“I’m going to miss them,” I whisper, dropping my head to Dillon’s shoulder, hearing him sigh as his arm tightens around my shoulders.
“Me too, baby.”
“Maybe we should go to Chicago for Thanksgiving,” I suggest hopefully, looking up at him.
“That’s definitely something to think about,” he agrees, kissing my forehead before leading me back into the house, which suddenly feels cold and unwelcoming without other people around to fill the massive space.
“Can we go stay at the townhouse?” I ask once we’re in the kitchen, and his eyes come to me and fill with worry. We haven’t stayed at my old place once since we’ve moved in here, and the only time we’ve talked about it is when I mentioned putting it on the market in a few months, so I know my request has caught him off guard.
Coming to stand before me, he rests his hands on my hips then lifts me to the island, settling himself between my thighs. “Is that what you want?”
“Yes… I don’t know.” I look around, wondering why I feel so out of place all of a sudden. Nothing has changed since I was sitting here an hour ago with Cara and the boys, but looking around, it feels different.
“What’s going on?” he asks, gently touching my chin, and my eyes go back to his.
“The house just feels too big again,” I admit, and he nods, chewing the inside of his cheek and studying me for a moment. “Ignore me. I’m being crazy.”
“Find Leo and pack a few things.”
“Are you sure?” I question, and his hands rest against my thighs as his face drops closer to mine.
“I want you to feel safe, so if staying at your old place makes you feel that way, then yes, I’m sure.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, and he nods, holding his lips to my forehead.
“Go find Leo. I’ll get our bags and take them up to the room.” He tilts my head back with his fingers under my chin, touches his lips to mine softly, and then helps me down off the island. Heading upstairs, I go to the linen closet Leo has been hiding out in and search it from top to bottom, coming up empty-handed, then move to his other favorite places to hide. I don’t find him anywhere, but then again, the boys have made a game out of finding him the last few days, so he may have found a new place to hole-up away from them.