My phone dinged. It was a picture text from Jensen. She and Tuck had offered to take Justin and Lyla to see the wild horses with Noah and Drew. It was a photo of Lyla, sheer joy on her face as she took in the majestic creatures from a distance. At least, they were happy. Their days hadn’t been a series of pain and disaster. And I’d do anything to keep it that way.

“Who is it?” Mason asked as he pulled into the garage.

“Jensen.” I handed him my phone.

His mouth curved into a grin. The first one I’d seen in hours. “She looks like she’s having the time of her life.”

His happiness at that fact made the burn in my chest intensify, but for an entirely different reason. Mason loved the kids. He was so good for them. He was good for me. And I didn’t want to lose that.

He handed me back my phone. “Lunch?”

“Sure.” I wasn’t hungry in the slightest, but I could force some food down.

We climbed out of the SUV and headed for the kitchen. I began pulling things out for turkey sandwiches. I didn’t stop moving. If I stopped, the last five hours would hit me like a freight train. Instead, I washed lettuce, sliced tomato, cut thick slabs of my favorite sharp cheddar. I layered honey mustard on bread.

Hands landed on my shoulders. “Anna.”

“I’m almost done. I just need the turkey.”

“Stop.”

“I’m almost—”

Mason spun me around, concern lacing his features. “Talk to me.”

My hands balled at my sides as if keeping them locked tight would keep every emotion bottled up, too. “Hard day.”

“I know.” He pressed a kiss to my temple. “I’m sorry my sister made it so much worse.”

“Mason, you can’t cut her out of your life.”

He blinked down at me. “I thought you’d be relieved.”

“I’ll never be relieved by something that hurts you.”

Mason brushed the hair away from my face. “Don’t worry about me.”

“This is a two-way street. I don’t think it’s possible to care about someone and not worry about them.”

His expression softened, and he brushed his lips against mine. “Always feeling for others.”

My hands fisted in his shirt, and I tugged him closer to me. “I’m serious. She’s your entire family. I don’t want you to lose that.”

“I won’t. She will come around eventually, but I can’t have Juliette acting the way she is now. I won’t have her around you like that. Justin or Lyla, either.”

“It’s not like I want her over for family dinner, but you should still see her, talk to her. Maybe she’ll soften over time.”