“I’ll bring him home at ten so you can sleep.” She waved. “See you tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Mom. Wyatt?” He strode up to the front door. “I’m leaving.”

“Bye, Dad,” Wyatt shouted. He raced out of the condo and hugged him. “I’m going to miss my movie.” He zoomed back inside.

Ashley sighed. Eight-year-olds. “Be good and don’t eat junk. Love you.” He waved at his mother and climbed behind the wheel of the vehicle. He left, but his heart ached. Wyatt was growing so fast and gaining independence. Soon, he’d be a teen. Danica, Wyatt’s birth mother, would be proud. Ashley wished she’d lived long enough to see how Wyatt was turning out.

His mother was right—Wyatt needed stability. Sure, he tried. He and Colt had moved in together, they had dogs and a life, but Colt being gone made the situation difficult. Colt had to work, but did he need to be gone this much?

Ashley drove to the diner and pulled into the busy lot. He parked. The place wasn’t packed, but there had been an uptick in business. He headed inside.

Shelby, one of the servers, stopped him at the counter. “Ash. Hi!”

“Hi.” He tucked his keys into his pocket. “It’s crazy tonight.”

“Tonight, it is.” She frowned. “He had a date, didn’t he? Like right now?”

“My staff Christmas party.” Ashley toyed with the stack of menus, putting them in order. “I’m guessing he forgot.”

“He probably did.” She closed her eyes. “One of the cooks called off and Colt’s been in the kitchen all day. We needed him.” She put both hands up and opened her eyes. “I know, you do too. He should go.”

“But if the food isn’t made for the customers, then they won’t return. Colt knows the recipes and how to keep the kitchen going. If there aren’t enough people to make the stuff, then there won’t be enough to come out and fill the orders.” Ashley nodded. There wasn’t much he could do if the diner was shorthanded. Getting upset wouldn’t help. Demanding Colt come with him wouldn’t do any good, either. “Tell him I’ll hopefully see him at the party or at home. Wyatt’s with my mother, so we have the house to ourselves, save for the dogs.”

“Will do.” Sadness tinged Shelby’s eyes. “I’m sorry. Try to have fun and I’ll do my best to get him out of here.”

“Thanks.” He waved, then left. He liked Shelby. She was a nice woman and tried to help. Still, the weight crashed on his shoulders. He hated having to do so much on his own. He wished he’d gone back to say hi to Colt, but he hadn’t wanted to interrupt, either.

Things wouldn’t be different if Colt worked second shift in an hourly job. They’d still have conflicting schedules. He sighed. He’d have to make things work.