“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 fromokayas 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 twistedin her spot on the couch as the credits toThe Parent Traprolled. 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.
“They say nasty stuff to Mom that makes her cry, and they tell me I have to get better grades. Grandpa got really mad when Justin said he didn’t want to play football. Sometimes, he yells.”
My fingers dug into the blanket covering all three of us. “Has your grandpa ever hit you?”
Lyla’s eyes widened. “No. He just says Mom needs to punish us more, so we learn our manners.”
The pizza I’d eaten a couple of hours ago felt as if it might come up. I swallowed and turned to Justin. “What about you?”
He shook his head and looked away. “Can they make us go with them?”
I took a slow breath. I wasn’t going to lie to these kids. That wasn’t the kind of relationship I wanted to build with them. And this wasn’t something I could shield them from entirely. “I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to figure out. I’ve got a lawyer, and she already filed the paperwork to request custody.”
Lyla gripped my arm. “I want to stay with you.”
I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m going to do absolutely everything I can to make sure that happens.”
We sat there, quiet until the credits ran out. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was after nine. “I think it’s time to start moving in the direction of bed.”
Both Justin and Lyla were too lost in their thoughts to argue. I waited on Lyla’s bed until she’d brushed her teeth and then tucked her under the covers, kissing her forehead. “Love you, Lyla Bean.”
“Love you, too. Thanks for my pizza.”
“I think Fridays should be pizza nights from here on out.”
Her mouth curved. “I like it.”
Justin wandered in from the bathroom. “I’ll never say no to pizza.” He eyed me as I stood. “I do say no to being tucked in, though.”
