“I do, too.” I didn’t know what else to say. I simply stood there, holding her. Mason’s hands didn’t leave my shoulders. And it somehow felt as if he were the one keeping me upright. I shoved that thought from my mind as soon as it entered and forced myself to step away. “What do you say we go back to the cottage, curl up on the couch, and order some pizza?”

“Pepperoni?” Lyla sniffed.

“As much as you can fit into that belly of yours.”

Justin tried to force a smile. “She can eat more than you think. Pepperoni’s her favorite.”

“What about you? What’s your favorite?”

He ducked his head. “Pepperoni’s fine.”

“Justin…” I gave him an I-mean-business look.

“Hawaiian.”

I made exaggerated gagging noises as I slowly lowered Lyla to the floor. “Pineapple on pizza? Ick.”

Justin shrugged. “Don’t knock it till you try it.”

“I’ll just have to take your word for it.” I glanced over at Mason. “Thank you. For bringing them to me.” I fought the urge to shuffle my feet.

“Of course.” He looked around at all three of us, and I almost thought I saw a flash of pain in his eyes. “Call me if you need anything. Even if it’s just a grocery run.”

“Thanks, but I think we’ll be okay.” Lies. We were as far from okay as possible. But Mason wasn’t the person I should be leaning on. He’d helped more than enough already.

Yet as he headed out the door, his words from this morning echoed in my head. Marry me.

Lyla twisted in her spot on the couch as the credits to The Parent Trap rolled. The three of us were crammed onto my tiny sofa and had watched two movies back-to-back as we stuffed ourselves silly with pizza. She looked up at me. “What’s going to happen to me and Justin?”

The slight waver in her voice was a knife to the heart. “Well, I’m hoping you’ll want to stay with me. What do you think?”

She nodded slowly. “I don’t want to go back to Portland. I like it here.”

“What about Grandma and Grandpa?” Justin asked.

I did my best to keep my expression blank. “They are probably going to want you, too. But I need to ask you something, and I want you to tell me the one-hundred-percent truth, okay?” They both nodded. “Do you like spending time with your grandparents?”

I didn’t know how to ask the question without leading them in any way. I knew the lawyers and social workers would ask more pointed questions, but I wanted to get a general feel first.

Lyla’s face scrunched up. “They’re not very nice.”

“What do you mean?” Every muscle in my body tightened as I struggled to keep my breathing even.