“Enough,” I barked. “We’re not going down this track. My decision is final, unless you don’t want anything from me.”

Jules was quiet for a moment. “I never thought someone would be able to turn you against me.”

“I’m not against you. I never will be. But I want you to stand on your own two feet. I want you to realize that I can care about you and her. And I’m sorry, but you don’t get to dictate who I’m in a relationship with.”

“I’m trying to protect you,” she said through gritted teeth. “But if you want to throw away half your money, maybe half your time with a kid if she gets pregnant, fine. I’ll be here to help you pick up the pieces when it’s over.”

“Or maybe you’ll be surprised and none of that will happen.”

“Time will tell, I guess.”

“That it will.” I waited a beat. “Love you, Jules. Always.”

“I love you, too.” Her voice broke as she spoke, and then she quickly ended the call.

I felt sick. The last thing I wanted was to cause my sister pain. But I reminded myself that sometimes broken bones needed to be set right if you were to walk again. I just hoped that things would heal right for Juliette and me.

37

ANNA

We were all quiet around the dining table as our breakfasts sat in front of us. I wished the silence came simply from exhaustion, the fact that we’d had an epic weekend of fun. Taylor and Walker had invited everyone over to their place for a barbeque on Saturday. The kids had all played, and the adults had laughed and caught up. Sunday, we’d spent the day at the lake, wanting to feel close to Chelsea.

But that wasn’t the reason for the lack of voices and joking this morning. We’d been as honest as we could be with Justin and Lyla. And they knew that the judge would be ruling on who would get custody of them today. If he ruled against us, Sadie would have to come and get the kids and take them to my parents.

The thought almost sent me running for the bathroom with the urge to throw up my orange juice. I inhaled slowly through my nose, trying to still my roiling stomach.

“Hey,” Mason started. “Why don’t we do pizza in a fort while we watch a movie tonight?”

Justin looked up from where he was pushing his breakfast around on his plate. “If they don’t take us away.”

Lyla started to cry, and I pulled her into my lap. Holding her close, I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “We have to keep the faith. No matter what the judge says, we’ll figure it out.”