“I will.” His expression sobered, and I instantly knew the goodies weren’t the only reason he was here. “The social worker is going to do a visit tomorrow. Can you guys be ready for that?”
I had known it was coming. Appreciated that the system wanted to make sure Justin and Lyla had a safe place to call home. But I couldn’t help the twisting my stomach seemed to do in response. I looked at Mason. “I think we’re ready.”
I hadn’t had time to unpack fully, but I’d gotten the kids settled. Chelsea had stored the majority of their belongings in a storage unit in town. At some point, I’d have to go through everything. But for now, I’d taken out the majority of the boxes that had been marked for Justin or Lyla.
“We’re ready,” Mason assured me. “Keisha sent us a list of what to expect.”
I nodded slowly. One of the dozens of emails my lawyer had already sent, outlining what we needed to be aware of. She hadn’t blinked an eye when we told her that we were getting married. She’d only smiled and said, “That helps.”
I had a feeling she knew this union was a bunch of bull, but she didn’t ask probing questions. She had sent us a point-by-point breakdown of what a CPS home visit would look like. I’d gone over her list at least ten times. But I’d need to do it again now that we were here.
“Try not to worry too much. I asked around to find out who your caseworker was. It’s Sadie Jacobson. She’s one of the best I’ve worked with. Fair. Caring. Works damn hard.”
That was good news. It should’ve eased the knot in my stomach, but it only intensified it. Mason seemed to sense my nerves and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “What time should we be ready?”
“Two work?”
“We’ll be here,” Mason answered. “Do you want to come in for some dinner? Anna made a fajita feast, and Justin is mashing up what looked like some incredible guacamole.”
“I’ll have to take a rain check. I’m supposed to pick up takeout at the Saloon and bring it home. Taylor might murder me if I delay her dinner. And Cooper wouldn’t be too pleased, either.”
“I don’t want Taylor mad at me because I came between her and her burger,” I said.
Walker shot me a grin. “Smart woman. You guys give me a call if you run into any issues tomorrow. I’ll help as much as I can.”
“I really appreciate that.” The words were a challenge to get out, my throat getting tight.
“Anytime.” He waved and headed back to his truck.
Mason pulled me against him, his arms going around me, the embrace I’d wanted since the moment Mason had said Walker’s name engulfing me. “It’s going to be okay.”
I let myself soak up the feel of the comfort, of not being alone, for a count of ten, and then I forced myself to straighten and pull out of Mason’s hold. “We should go eat. I don’t want Justin and Lyla to worry.”
Mason studied me, his gaze calling bullshit on my subject change. But again, he didn’t push. “Okay, let’s go eat.”
I wanderedout of Mason’s massive walk-in closet, my gaze firmly focused on the paper I’d highlighted half to death. My and Lyla’s sleepover had been abandoned for me making sure that everything was ready for tomorrow. “Crap, we need a fire extinguisher. I can go to the hardware store tomorrow—”
“There’s one in the pantry, one in the garage, and one in the barbeque area off the patio.”
I looked up from Keisha’s list of things a social worker might inquire about. “There is?”
Mason set his book down as he reclined against the pillows on his massive bed. True to his promise, he’d already erected a pillow wall of sorts in the middle of it. “Yeah. And there are fire ladders for the windows in Justin’s and Lyla’s rooms.”
A burn lit in the back of my throat, spreading to behind my eyes. “Did you always have that?”
“No, but Keisha sent me the same list. I wanted to be prepared.”
He was more prepared than I’d been, and they were my niece and nephew. The burn only intensified, and I blinked in an attempt to clear it. Mason swung his legs over the side of the bed and strode towards me, moving in close but not touching me. Since I’d pulled away on the front porch, he’d been careful not to. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
I took in a shuddering breath. “I just—I feel like I’m failing already.”
“Bullshit.”
My eyes widened. I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard Mason curse. “Excuse me?”
“You have done everything imaginable to help those kids. But there’s been a lot to tackle in the past couple of weeks.”
He wasn’t wrong. There’d been meetings with Keisha, packing up the cottage, going through the storage unit. I’d been trying to pin down the detective in Vegas, but I felt like she was giving me the runaround. Oh, and I’d gotten married. I could feel a hysterical laugh bubbling up, but I tamped it down.
