I closed my eyes for a brief moment, trying to channel all of the strength inside me. I opened my eyes and turned off my vehicle. The walk up the front path and climbing the stairs to the house seemed to take both an eternity and a single breath. I came to a stop in front of Mason.

Concern lined the planes of his face. “Is everything okay?”

“No. It’s not.” Things were as far from okay as they could be.

“What can I do?”

It was that simple for Mason. I’d never trusted it before, the instinct he had to simply jump in and help. I never understood what was in it for him. But maybe, just maybe, that was who Mason Decker was. I tamped down that little glimmer of hope and focused on the man in front of me. Hopefully, he was the answer to my worst fears and nothing more. “If the offer still stands, I’d like to marry you.”

8

MASON

“Come inside.” They were the only words I could manage to get out. Something had changed in the past twelve hours, and it couldn’t be anything good.

“It’s okay if you changed your mind. I can think of something else.” Anna shivered. The thin, long-sleeved t-shirt she wore slipped off one shoulder and did nothing to fight off the chill in the air.

I stepped back, motioning her in. “That’s not what I meant. But there are a lot of details to discuss, don’t you think?”

Her fingers tightened around the strap of her purse, knuckles bleaching white. “Of course.”

She slowly stepped inside, taking in the wide entryway with its two staircases that led to the second level. I tried to see it through her eyes, the expanse and the details. Juliette had rolled her eyes when she saw the plans for the house, thinking it was over the top for one man. But I’d always hoped that a family would fill the space someday. It looked as if that might happen, just not in the way I had planned.

“How about some tea? I have some from Jensen’s shop. Or hot cocoa?”

Anna’s mouth curved the barest amount. “Hot cocoa?”

I shrugged. “I hate coffee, and I’ve got a sweet tooth.”

“Hot cocoa would be good.”

I inclined my head in the direction of the kitchen. The lower level of the house was open-concept. A large family room to the left of the stairs spilled into a kitchen at the back, which led to a dining area. The rear of the house had as many windows as possible to take advantage of the view of the mountains. But none of that was visible in the dark.

“Your home is beautiful,” Anna murmured.