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“I was going to ask you the same thing,” his dad said. The older man stepped closer to the table and set his hands on the back of one of the chairs. “You’ve been in here quite a while.”

He gave his dad a solid nod. “Yeah, all good,” he lied, and he immediately hated himself for it. His face felt hot, and he looked down at the floor.

When had he ever lied to his dad?

There was a heavy silence, and then his dad cleared his throat. “Okay, just checking. Your mom’s about ready to get to bed.”

Cass nodded again, all the words his dad hadn’t said hanging in the air between them. He pushed himself away from the counter and followed his dad back out into the living room, pausing right in the entryway. His eyes fell on Ash, who sat cross-legged on the floor, Bri in his lap, his eyes bright and curious as he answered a question from Cass’s mom. Bri leaned over the table and picked up a puzzle piece, trying to fit it somewhere it obviously didn’t go. And Cass’s mom smiled so kindly and softly, her head with that slight tilt to it, her expression tired but happy.

And his stupid heart contradicted itself again, bursting with love and aching with longing at the same time.

Ash noticed him then, and when their eyes met, Ash’s smile widened. He lifted a hand and motioned Cass over. “Your mom was telling me about when she first started teaching.”

“Oh?” He made his feet move and took a seat on the floor next to Ash. Bri immediately crawled over into his lap and curled up against his chest. That didn’t help his heart any. He leaned down and brushed a kiss in her hair.

“Oh, my, I think someone’s tired,” his mom murmured.

Ash nodded. “It’s been a long day,” he said. “She was so good on the drive, but I think it’s almost her bedtime.”

“Just about mine, too, I’m afraid,” Cass’s mom said with another gentle smile. “But yes, to what we were talking about before—you’re going to do great. I can see it.” She paused, and Cass could see the flicker of love in her eyes. He swallowed hard and hugged his arms tight around Bri as his mom continued. “There are two things I always told new teachers to remember. First, burnout helps no one. Take your days off. Don’t check your email in the evenings and on the weekends. If you’re overworking yourself constantly, it’ll catch up to you, especially if you’re planning to teach . . . early elementary?”

“Yeah. Kinder, hopefully,” Ash replied.

Cass’s mom nodded. “That seems like a perfect fit.”

Ash glanced down, his cheeks turning red. “And the second thing?”

“Oh, right, yes. Well, the second is . . .” She hesitated, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Maybe this will sound overly optimistic, but it can get very easy, particularly in that first and second year, to get overwhelmed by how much it all is, and”—she took a long, slow breath before continuing—“I think it’s important to try to remember to have fun and find joy and progress in each child every day. To me, that was the joy of the job—seeing the children grow and learn. Every day isn’t necessarily easy. But children are a joy, and so is learning, and I think bringing that belief into the classroom just . . . helps.”

“Thank you so much,” Ash said, and he seemed about to say something else when Bri mumbled his name, her face still pressed against Cass’s chest. Ash shrugged and then reached over to take Bri out of Cass’s arms. “Bedtime, huh, sweet girl?”

“Book,” Bri insisted sleepily. “Read book.”

“We will, we will,” Ash assured her, and he dropped a light kiss on her head before pushing himself to his feet and then addressing Cass. “She needs a bath. Are the towels still in the cabinet over the toilet?”

“Yeah, yeah. Here, I’ll help.” Cass stood. “Just give me one minute?”

With a soft nod, Ash shifted Bri in his arms. Then he said good night to Cass’s parents before disappearing down the hallway. Cass gave his dad a tight smile, shame heating up his cheeks again, and he knelt in front of his mom and took her hands to say good night.

But before he could speak, she hummed quietly. “Caspian, something’s bothering you,” she said.

He frowned and dropped his eyes to their hands. He wanted to shake his head, to deny it, to lie, like he had with his dad. But he said nothing, unable to make any words come. Her hands squeezed his with a little more strength than he expected.

“I know you worry about things. You’re the same as your father.”

Cass huffed a quiet laugh and shook his head, but he still couldn’t look up. His mom continued.

“If something is bothering you, the best thing to do is talk about it.”

“I know, ma, but—”

She squeezed his hands again. “Half the time, there’s actually nothing to even worry about.”

Cass heard his dad chuckle, and he finally managed to lift his eyes. His parents were both watching him knowingly, like they understood exactly what was going through his head, even though they couldn’t possibly have guessed. He forced another small smile.

“I’m, uh, going to help Ash with Bri,” he said.

“I think that’s a good idea.” His mom let his hands go and then patted his arm with her good hand. “He’s a wonderful man. And Bri is such a beautiful, happy child.”