“They fell asleep in April’s bed. We had so much fun. April has great taste in fashion. And we discovered we have the same shoe size, which means I might lend her shoes at some point.”

I glared at her.

“What?”

“Every pair of shoes I’ve seen on you is inappropriate.”

“What? You loved them.”

“On you. Not my teenage niece.”

“Double standard much?”

I let out a low growl. Val grinned.

“You know what, you had me all convinced that you’re this laid-back uncle... but you’re not. I’m going to switch teams. The other team needs me more.”

“I see.”

“I love that you keep their parents’ memory alive,” she said unexpectedly.

“I don’t want the girls to forget them, Peyton especially. She was a baby when they passed away, and I think that mentioning little facts now and then makes the girls feel as if they knew their mom and dad without making them sad. They miss them.”

“And you miss your sister.”

“I do. In the beginning it was honestly a little painful to look at April, because she looks so much like Hannah. I hope my sister is happy with the way I’m raising her girls.”

“I have no doubt that she is.” She watched me with warm eyes. “How did it happen?”

“They went skiing and were caught in an avalanche. It was an excruciating time, especially while the search went on. We were all hoping they’d make it out, and then.... It was tough.”

“I can imagine.”

“I have no idea how I kept it together.”

“You’re a strong man, Carter.”

“My parents were devastated. Especially Dad.”

“How is he? I think you mentioned he had hip surgery.”

“Just spoke to Mom today. His recovery is slow. It’s a good thing she’s there with him, even though the girls miss her.”

Val glanced at my laptop. “Are you done with that?”

In response, I shut it off, then immediately pulled Val into my lap.

“Thanks for coming here today.”

“My pleasure. Though I think I’ve given April shopping ideas that are dangerous for your credit card. Maybe I should have warned you before that I’m known for giving dangerous shopping ideas. My sisters keep telling me so.”

“They do?”

“Oh, yeah. I gave them the shopping bug when we were kids. It was mostly at thrift stores, but people seriously underestimate those. You can find gems. I even had a sewing machine for repairs or alterations. Spent many evenings on it after I returned from the pub.”

“That sounds like your days were long.”

“They were.”

“Did you ever feel like you were failing?”

“Very often.”

That surprised me. “I feel like that almost every week.”

Val placed a kiss on my jaw, then went on to my neck, which made it hard to think.