He nods slowly.
“And there’s no guarantee they’ll want it,” I say. “So, is this really about them, or you?”
He looks around again, conflict written all over his face. “This fucking sucks.”
“Yeah,” I say quietly. “It really does.”
Because what else can you say?
“Where are the kids?” It dawns on him that they aren’t here.
“Alie said they would take them for an early dinner, so it’s just the two of us.” I pull my phone out of my crossbody. “She hasn’t texted or anything, so I’m sure they’ll be back soon.”
“Okay, right. I forgot.” He nods.
“Come on, let’s go find something to eat.”
I make us some sandwiches, and we sit mostly in silence. I know he has a lot to think about, so I don’t push him to talk about anything more right now.
The kids come home, and we get them ready for bed. Once they’re asleep, I take a quick shower to try to calm my own body down after today. The contesting of the guardianship is definitely a change in events we didn’t see coming.
When I’m done, I find him in the kitchen.
He’s leaning against the counter, looking out into the dark backyard.
I walk over slowly.
“Hey.”
He looks at me just for a second.
“What am I gonna do, Pres?”
“You don’t have to have all the answers today.”
“But I feel like I should.”
“You don’t though.”
“It’s so strange because there are times that I keep thinking she’s going to walk through the door. We stood right here together the last time I was here, watching Chris play with the kids outside. That’s when she asked me to watch them while they took this vacation,” he says.
“I can’t imagine,” I whisper, thinking about how I would feel if it were me with Alie.
“She’s just gone,” he adds.
The reality and finality hit him.
I reach for him and wrap my arms around his waist.
He wraps his arms around me in return and pulls me in tighter.
“I got you,” I say against his chest.
His grip tightens.
“Thank you,” he murmurs into my hair.
The words are soft, but meaningful.
