“Nick.” He heard the empathy in her voice. She might not know all the details but she knew he was struggling and had handled him missing a few games and not traveling with the team like a pro. Spun everything in his favor. “You need to do what’s best for you.”
He wished there was a way to know, with absolute certainty, what that was. “I know. I’m figuring that out.”
“Okay. Merry Christmas, Nick.”
“You too.”
They hung up and he tossed his phone on the bed, shoved his hands into his still-damp hair, and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. A tiny knock preceded Asher by barely a second.
“Uncle Nick, it’s dinner time. Then we’re making cookies,” Asher said, bouncing on both feet toward him.
He kept two-foot jumping, making Nick laugh, until he was right in front of him.
“You a bunny?”
Asher tipped his head back and laughed then looked at him. “No. I’m a kanaroo.”
Nick picked Asher up, lifted him into the air, his chest loosening with the little guy’s laughter. “Kangaroo?”
“That’s what I said.”
“Sure, buddy.”
As they headed for the door, Asher curled into him. “Hop, Uncle Nick.”
Nick shook his head. “Nice try, bud.”
DINNER INCLUDED SOME NOTICEABLEtension between Maisie and her mother and Nick wondered if that was what had her in tears earlier. He hated that he felt protective of her. How was he supposed to focus on his future while his mind was spinning with thoughts of her, him, them? Tangled up together.
“Eat your carrots, Ash,” Ellie said.
Asher pushed them around on his plate. Colton stole one from him, making the kid laugh.
“Uncle Colton, that’s mine.”
“I thought you didn’t want them,” Colt said, making Asher giggle.
The look Jake gave his husband did something weird to Nick’s gut. What would it be like to know, without a doubt, that the person looking back at you wanted you for good? All of you, at your best and your worst. His gaze landed on Maisie. She smiled softly, her eyes not lighting up the way they usually did.
“Your sister has some news,” Maisie’s mom—she hadn’t told people to call her Laura, which Nick found pretentious—said in the lull of the conversation.
Maisie’s fork clattered onto the plate and she sent her mom a look he definitely wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of.
Her sister perked up. She’d had a rough day with nausea and he’d overheard her and Ellie talking about pregnancy before he headed upstairs earlier.
“What news?” Natalie asked.
“Keeping secrets?” Jake teased.
Nick lowered his fork, looked at Maisie, wishing he was sitting next to her so he could take her hand or take that worried look off her face.
Her jaw twitched as she looked at her brother, then her sister. “I planned to tell everyone when Dad got here. I’ve accepted an artist-in-residence position at the University of Washington. I’ll be helping students work on their craft and portfolios.”
Nick’s heart expanded, crowding his chest with pride. While her siblings and in-laws spoke excitedly over one another, he continued to stare. “You did it.”
Maisie looked at him and that connection was so strong it made him feel like they were touching. She nodded.
“I’m so proud of you.” She’d told him she was thinking about it but was scared to try. She told him about how hard it was for her in school, how reading was a constant struggle to the point that she never wanted to do it. Having a family full of overachieving academics just made it all the harder. Nick had told her to follow her gut and her heart. Between the two, they always had the right answer.
