“It would seem as if we do, Bryce.” Her brown eyes sparkled, and her lips quivered on an inviting smile, one that lit up her eyes this time and caused the amber hues around her irises to shimmer.
Bryce’s heart responded with a leap, ever so slight. He liked the soft sound of his name falling from her exquisite lips. Tightening his jaw, he blanketed the warm feelings it generated in him. No need to travel down troublesome paths. Paths that would lead to nowhere, and that would only leave him in a lingering state of frustration. Kaya was in Granite Falls for one reason only—her sister’s funeral. When it was over, she’d be going back to Florida, and he may never see her again. He hoped.
He turned and held the back of a chair. “Have a seat, Kaya. We may as well be comfortable while we discuss the children’s welfare.”
She nodded and sat down.
Bryce sat down in the chair facing her, his heart heavy at the thought of discussing the gruesome reason he’d left Switzerland, just hours after his jet landed. He hadn’t even gotten the chance to attack the slopes, burn off the frustrations that had driven him there in the first place. “Who’s taking care of them?” he asked Kaya, deciding it was best to just tackle the issue they’d been avoiding since he walked into the office.
“Libby,” she answered.
“Great.” He would have gone directly to the house, but when he’d called Steven and learned that Lauren’s sister would be in his office, he’d opted to meet her here. They had a lot to discuss and he’d rather not do it with the kids around. “How are they coping?”
“Alyssa’s fine, as resilient as a rubber ball,” she answered with a gentle softness in her voice. “But Anastasia has been fussy, and Jason, well—”
She started that nervous twisting of her hands again. She couldn’t be scared of a little boy. “What about Jason?” Bryce asked, fighting the urge to reach out and cover her hands with his.
“He’s in denial. He completely ignores me. Samantha Kelly, the grief counselor from their church, came by last night, but he wouldn’t talk to her. He thinks his parents went to Switzerland with you, and that you’re bringing them home.”
Bryce frowned. “Why does he think that?”
“Well, they died the same day you left for Switzerland, remember?”
“Yes, but—”
“You’ve taken the family to Europe on your jet several times, so in Jason’s mind, his parents merely took another trip with you. Samantha called it a coping mechanism, and she thinks you’re the only one who can get Jason to accept the truth.”
Bryce felt pressure building in his chest. Propping his elbows on his knees, he buried his face in his hands, groaning inwardly. If Michael and Lauren’s deaths seemed so inconceivable to him, he could only imagine what it was like for Jason losing both his parents so suddenly and tragically.
Many times he’d put smiles on the children’s faces when he’d replaced a broken toy. How could he attempt to fix their little broken hearts when he could never bring their parents home?
Fate had dealt them a crushing blow, and he would have to see them through this most frightening period of their lives. He would be there for them—night and day until... Bryce slowly raised his head and stared at Kaya. “When I walked in, you were discussing the option of selling my estate. Why?”
She blushed and glanced away briefly. “I didn’t know L’etoile du Nord belonged to you. I’m just trying to close out Michael and Lauren’s affairs as soon as possible so that the children and I can get on with our lives. As you know, Michael had no relatives and I’m the only family Lauren had.”
“And I imagine coming here for the funeral and finally meeting the children will give you some closure and a measure of peace when you return to Florida.” He paused as the door to the adjacent office opened and Steven rejoined them. “I can assure you, the children will be well cared for. I love them dearly, and I’ll raise them as if they were my own.”