Page 21 of Addiction

“Not as much as I’ve missed you. Being the only guy around the place that now holds three females, it got a little intimidating at times.”

I laugh. “How can you include my niece in that?”

“Trust me. When you’re handed a tiny bundle of pink for the first time, you question everything you ever thought about yourself.”

“Do you need me to hold your hand while you hold mine?”

“It might come to that.” He laughs.

“When you two have quite finished, there’s a gathering down here that needs the man of the hour.” We break our hold and look down to see Nora at the bottom of the stairs with her arms folded and a grin on her face. “But I love seeing the bromance back on.”

We both laugh as Grayson grips my shoulder, turning me toward the stairs. “Come on. I’ll look after you.”

“Thanks. That fills me with confidence.”

“So it should. If it all gets too much, you can always change Ava’s diaper when she wakes.”

“That’s a hard pass already,” I say, heading down the hall. “I’ve heard about them.”

“Wait until you see it from both ends at the same time. It’s like something out of a horror movie.”

I chuckle, turning toward the voices in the kitchen and, all at once, a cheer fills the room along with welcome home comments.

Rubbing my hand over my jaw, feeling a little awkward, I turn to Grayson. He grips my shoulder in reassurance as we head further in. “Erm. Well, this is unexpected.”

Charlie—Mark’s wife—heads toward me first, wrapping her arms around me tight. “It’s good to have you home, Asher. You look amazing.”

“Don’t lie. He looks like shit,” Mark replies, giving me a wink. “And he could do with a shave.”

“It’s good to see you too, Charlie.”

She grips my jaw and looks at me. “Don’t be a stranger, okay?”

“You got it.”

Next to greet me is Makenna: Mark and Charlie’s daughter and best friend to my sister.

“Welcome home, shithead.”

“Thanks. It’s good to see you. Thanks for looking after Nora while I’ve been absent.”

“Dude, seriously. She’s been the one looking after me.”

I chuckle and step further into the room as Nora’s arms wrap around my waist.

“I hope you don’t mind. I just wanted your homecoming to be special.”

“I don’t mind at all,” I say. “But you do know I’ve been home a few days. And everyone knows this.”

“But not everyone has had the chance to welcome you back.” She smiles. “I just thought it would be a nice reminder that people are here to support you no matter what. Take your mind off other things.” She gives me a soft smile, and I know my thoughts go back to my outburst when visiting Pop yesterday before she whispers. “We love you, Asher.”

I smile and kiss her head, appreciating what she’s doing for me. “Thank you. It means more than you know.”

“I’m just sorry I couldn’t invite everyone I was wanting.”

I frown. “Who else was on your list?”

“Jackson and Catherine, Liam, Rex, Linc and a few others.”