Tuck gave him a high-five and then picked up their other son, Drew, hoisting him on top of his shoulders. “Did you see Mommy fly?”

The little boy nodded. “She went far.”

Jensen burst out of the water, spluttering. “You. Are going to pay for that.”

“Aw, come on, Wilder, I just wanted to see you all wet.”

I choked on a laugh. Tessa turned bright red and bent to cover Taylor’s daughter’s ears. “They’re all going to get sent home from school on their first day for saying inappropriate things.”

Taylor rolled her eyes. “First day of kindergarten, I got called into the office because Cooper said s-h-i-t. I almost murdered Walker.”

Kennedy sent me a wavering smile before turning back to our group. I reached out and gave her hand a squeeze. She and Cain had been going through the foster-to-adopt program and had gotten their hearts broken more times than I could count. “At least we know we’ll never be bored.”

As my gaze traveled around the group, I couldn’t help but think about how my friendship bucket overflowed. I’d landed in this amazing community. Yet, I still felt unsettled. As if I were waiting for the other shoe to drop. Countless years had passed, and I was still waiting. Maybe I always would be.

“I told Kenz I would take over for her on dishes.”

I jolted at the deep timbre of Mason’s voice, almost dropping the dish I was putting into the dishwasher. “Hasn’t anyone told you that sneaking up on a woman is a bad idea? You could’ve gotten a knee to the junk.”

The corner of his mouth kicked up. “I wasn’t sneaking, but I’ll keep that warning in mind.”

I bit the inside of my cheek. I didn’t need my mouth running away from me any more than it already had.

“I’ll rinse. You put in the dishwasher?”

He looked so damn hopeful. Like a puppy I couldn’t bear to kick. Nice. Normal. I repeated the words in my mind. “Sure.”

“You would’ve thought I’d asked for a kidney, not to help with the dishes.”

“I had a system down.”

“And I’m forever messing up your systems.”

He was, damn it. Messing up my carefully boundaried life with his smiles and offers of help. With his ideas for the shelter. And, even more infuriatingly, they were usually good ones. The personal alarms he’d offered to the tenants had given them an extra sense of safety I hadn’t seen coming.

I slid the plate I was holding into its appropriate slot. “You are kind of an interfering bastard.”

Mason barked out a laugh. “At least, you’re honest.”

“But I think your heart is in the right place.”

He turned to face me, clutching at his chest. “Anna, was that a compliment?”