A soft giggle seeps from my lips. However, as Hudson attempts to join us at the table, Vic intervenes, his hand firm on his brother’s arm, and pulling him towards the library.

“What’d you think you’re doing? We got work to do.” He grumbles.

With a frustrated sigh, Hudson complies, and the two disappear back into the library, the door shutting with a definitive click behind them. A twinge of disappointment pricks at me. It would have been nice for Vic to at least take a bite.

After our chaotic dinner, the girls and I clean the kitchen to perfection then they dart off to their rooms, leaving echoes of laughter behind. How in the world do they still have energy? I’m exhausted! But when I check my watch, I’m shocked that it’s only 8 p.m.

My footsteps are heavy as I head to my room to unwind, but just as I think I’m in the clear, a chorus of excited voices stops me. “Ms. Kind! It’s story time!”

Pausing in the hallway, I realize that my official duties haven’t even started yet, and I’m already deep in. With a resigned yet affectionate sigh, I turn to head to Ari’s room but collide with a solid, unexpected obstacle, their dad.

Vic chuckles, a dry sound that I can’t quite read. “Here you go, running into me again. Just admit you can’t keep your hands to yourself.” He teases but doesn’t flash a smile.

“I...uh, wasn’t—” I start, but my words taper off when I catch a glimpse through the door. He’s practically inhaled his meal. His smirk tells me he caught my stunned look, yet he says nothing more, simply shutting the door gently behind him.

With his eyes piercing through me like a laser, he announces, “Girls, I’ll read you the story tonight.” Then, he reaches for my hand, leading me down the hall to Syd’s room. As we walk, he talks, his voice soft but strained. “I’ve never missed story time. I put them to bed every night, but starting tomorrow, I’ll be buried in the office. There’s no telling what time I’ll get home.”

Before entering Syd’s room, a look of worry, reluctance, and perhaps even fear flashes across his face. I reach out my hand and rest it lightly on his arm, attempting to anchor him back to the present. “Hey, I promise I’ll take good care of them.”

He looks at me, and there’s a brief softening in his gaze, a fleeting moment of vulnerability. He slowly nods and tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear, gently grazing my face with his rough hands. “I know you will.”