Letting My Brother's Best Friend Take My V-Card

NERVES

JOSH PRESENT

I left practice feeling on edge, my nerves stretched thin. I'd been trying to focus all day-running plays, hitting drills, anything to keep my mind occupied-but it wasn't enough. The urge to check in on Asha had been clawing at me from the moment I left her at daycare that morning.

Jess had told me I needed to trust people more. That I couldn't hover over Asha forever, but that advice was easier said than done. She wasn't the one who had to wake up in the middle of the night to a quiet house that used to be full of life.

Still, I forced myself to let go, just a little. I didn't text the nanny. I didn't call the daycare. But Miss Worth-well, she seemed to know the nerves of a new parent when she saw one. She'd sent me updates every couple of hours without me asking, a surprising kindness I hadn't expected.

At first, when I saw the notifications pop up, I thought they might've been from a reporter or some random stranger trying to get a reaction. But when I opened them, they were just short updates, simple and reassuring.

"Asha had her snack and loved the banana slices!"

"She's been playing with the blocks her favorite color seems to be blue!"

And finally, a picture.

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NERVES

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stopped dead in my tracks in the locker room when I saw it. Asha was sitting on a play mat, her little hands gripping a stuffed bear as she smiled up at the camera. Her cheeks were round and pink, her curls wild and unruly, and her eyes... God, she looked

in my throat returned, tight and suffocating. I

this time. Dr. Harrington's name popped up in the subject

I didn't open it.

it was serious. I'd made that clear to them. The emails were always the same anyway: no significant changes,

But they don't.

Not for us.

gym bag over

was paying extra for Asha to stay

was sitting cross-legged on the

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her eyes fluttering closed as Miss Worth sang quietly. The room was calm, the walls painted in soft blues and

hesitated at the door, not

Then I knocked softly.

stopped mid-line, and she looked up, startled. "Oh gosh, Mr. Saunders. I didn't see

warm, her tone apologetic, but her smile never wavered. She looked back down at Asha, brushing a hand lightly over her curls. "She just passed out a few minutes ago. Should make for a peaceful ride home." I stepped farther into the room, my boots heavy against

holding her as if she weighed nothing. "Here you go," she said,

over to me.

relaxed against

adjusted Asha, cradling her against me as I looked down at the woman in front

stray curl behind her ear, her glasses sliding down her nose again. "Of course," she said, her gaze shifting back to Asha. "She's a joy to have here. Really. You don't need to worry about