this news, Seamus took a deep breath and no longer felt like he might be having a stroke. “You’re sure?”
“I wrote it,” Dan said with the big, cocky grin that was his trademark. “I’m very sure.”
Seamus dropped his head into his hands. “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I’m getting too old for this shit.”
Carolina laughed. “How do you think I feel?”
Seamus reached for her hand. “You’re aging in reverse, my love.”
“Ha! I wish. Dan, what should we do about the letter?”
“I’ll give the lawyer a call on Monday and figure out what they’re after. It may be something as simple as assurances that the boys are well and safe.”
“What would land on the complicated end of the spectrum?” Seamus asked.
“Let’s not speculate about that until we know more. There’s no point worrying about something that may not happen.”
“If I know my husband, he’ll fill the void with horrifying what-ifs and won’t get a minute’s peace unless you give him the various scenarios, Dan. Trust me, it’s better for all of us that way.”
“My Caro knows me too well.”
“And I have to live with him until you tell us more, so if you can put us both out of our misery…”
Dan laughed. “Got it. Well, he could ask for visitation, and you’d have the right to say no to that as their legal guardians. If he doesn’t like that answer, he could file for custody, but that’s a remote possibility. Keep in mind, he hasn’t been around at all. Lisa never even mentioned him all the times we met about custody and guardianship until I asked about him. She said he wasn’t a factor. There was no request for me to notify him of her death or anything else having to do with the kids. To me, that says everything we need to know about who and what he’s been to them. I honestly don’t think you have anything to worry about. Lisa was very thorough. Maybe she knew it might be necessary at some point.”
“That does make me feel better,” Seamus said, “but tell me this. What kind of standing would he have in court if he were to pursue custody?”
“Much less than you’d have as the legal guardian chosen by their custodial parent.”
Seamus took a breath and released it slowly. “Okay, so…”
“So you need to try to relax and have faith that Lisa took care of things before she died, and her sons are where she wants them to be. That would matter to the court, too, if it came to that.”
“Let’s hope and pray it doesn’t come to that,” Seamus said.
“I’ll do whatever I can to make sure it doesn’t.”
“Thank you so much for interrupting your day for us, Dan,” Carolina said.
“Not a problem. Do you mind if I take this with me?” he asked of the letter.
“No, please do,” Carolina said. “You’ll let us know when you have more info?”
“The minute I hear anything, you will, too.”
Seamus stood to shake his hand and show him out. “I don’t have to tell you what those boys have come to mean to us,” he said when he walked Dan to his car.
“No, you don’t. We can all see how well they’re doing, and that’s thanks to you and Carolina stepping up for them the way you did.”
“We love them.”
“And they love you, too. It’s going to be fine.”
“From your lips to God’s ears.”
Seamus waved as Dan drove away, and was still outside, breathing the heavy humid air, when Hope’s car pulled into the driveway, bringing his boys home. His heart did a happy jig at the sight of the boys in the backseat with Hope’s son, Ethan, who was their best friend. The doors flew open, and boys exploded out of the car like they’d been shot from a cannon. Right behind his boys was their dog, Burpy, who went just about everywhere they did.
They were all talking at once, but he picked up bits and pieces about pizza, swimming, the dog finding something dead in the field at Ethan’s house and a treehouse that Ethan’s stepfather, Paul, was building for him, and could he build them one at their house, and how many more days of vacation did they have before school started.
That covered the first two minutes they were home.
“Whoa,” Seamus said. “Everyone slow down. One question at a time.”
“How many more days of summer vacation?” Kyle asked, his missing front teeth giving him an adorable lisp. He had a scab on the end of his nose from