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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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

tight and suffocating. I swallowed it

email this time. Dr. Harrington's

I didn't open it.

hesitation, I swiped it into the archive folder, the same way I had with the last few monthly updates. They'd call if it was serious. I'd made that clear to them. The

But they don't.

Not for us.

phone into my pocket, slung my gym bag over my shoulder,

in the sky. I was paying extra for Asha to stay a little later, giving me time to get through practice. When I walked into Miss Worth's classroom, the soft

cross-legged on the floor, Asha cradled in

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walls painted in soft blues and whites, with the rainbow mural casting

hesitated at the door, not wanting to

Then I knocked softly.

startled. "Oh gosh, Mr. Saunders. I

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,

Asha, standing up and holding her as if she weighed nothing. "Here you go," she

over to me.

took Asha into my arms, her tiny body warm and relaxed against my chest. She stirred slightly, letting out a soft

low. I adjusted Asha, cradling her against me

a stray curl behind her ear, her glasses sliding down her nose again. "Of course," she said, her gaze shifting back to Asha. "She's