I held out a hand to Ava, and she gave me a high-five. Caelyn groaned. “You’re all hopeless. A little sugar, and you turn into maniacs.”

“What’s a maniac?” Mia asked with a mouthful of donut.

“Someone who’s just a little crazy,” Caelyn answered.

Mia grinned, her teeth pink. “I’m crazy for donuts.”

I wrapped an arm around Caelyn. “Give up now. You’ll never win against sugar.”

“Oh, fine,” she huffed and then looked around at the kids. “Griffin and I have something to talk to you about.”

“Okay…” Will said, looking a little wary.

“How would you feel about staying at the farmhouse? Not going back to our place?”

Mia’s face looked as if it might crack in two, she was smiling so widely. “Stay here for good?”

Her sheer joy sent a burning sensation through my chest. “As long as you want.”

“Forever!” she cheered.

“Forever it is, then.” My gaze met Caelyn’s in a silent promise. I might not be slipping a ring on her finger tomorrow, but I wouldn’t hold back for long.

Mia launched herself at me, and I caught her with one arm, narrowly avoiding a donut to the face. I looked at Will, who was grinning. “Well, my music studio is here, so it is pretty convenient.”

Caelyn rolled her eyes. “Easily bribed.”

Our focus turned to Ava, who was quiet, her expression unreadable. I gave her a gentle smile. “What do you think, Avs?”

Her lips pressed together as if she were holding something back. “You want us?” she asked without meeting my eyes.

The burn in my chest intensified. I lowered Mia to the floor and crossed to Ava, crouching so that I was at eye-level with her. “I want you. All of you.”

“Why?” she asked, her eyes filling with tears.

“Because I love you. And you make this house feel like a home.”

She gave me a wobbly smile. “I think the farmhouse feels like home, too.”

“So, you’ll stay?” I asked. Ava nodded, and I scooped her up into my arms. “Then come on, tiny terrors. We need to decide what color to paint your rooms.”

I led a parade of the people I loved most in this world up the stairs. We went from the girls’ room to Will’s, discussing what color options they wanted. Pink or blue for the girls. Green or gray for Will.

Mia tugged on my hand. “Can we paint it today?”

I chuckled. “I think we’re going to need to test out our options first. But I can run to the hardware store and pick up some samples.” I froze. In the joy of the moment, I’d forgotten what had happened yesterday. There was no way I was leaving them alone and unprotected.