Page 93 of Beautifully Broken Redemption

“That it will.” I waited a beat. “Love you, Jules. Always.”

“I love you, too.” Her voice broke as she spoke, and then she quickly ended the call.

I felt sick. The last thing I wanted was to cause my sister pain. But I reminded myself that sometimes broken bones needed to be set right if you were to walk again. I just hoped that things would heal right for Juliette and me.

37

Anna

We wereall quiet around the dining table as our breakfasts sat in front of us. I wished the silence came simply from exhaustion, the fact that we’d had an epic weekend of fun. Taylor and Walker had invited everyone over to their place for a barbeque on Saturday. The kids had all played, and the adults had laughed and caught up. Sunday, we’d spent the day at the lake, wanting to feel close to Chelsea.

But that wasn’t the reason for the lack of voices and joking this morning. We’d been as honest as we could be with Justin and Lyla. And they knew that the judge would be ruling on who would get custody of them today. If he ruled against us, Sadie would have to come and get the kids and take them to my parents.

The thought almost sent me running for the bathroom with the urge to throw up my orange juice. I inhaled slowly through my nose, trying to still my roiling stomach.

“Hey,” Mason started. “Why don’t we do pizza in a fort while we watch a movie tonight?”

Justin looked up from where he was pushing his breakfast around on his plate. “If they don’t take us away.”

Lyla started to cry, and I pulled her into my lap. Holding her close, I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “We have to keep the faith. No matter what the judge says, we’ll figure it out.”

I eyed Mason from across the table. He knew what my look said. If the judge didn’t rule in our favor, I’d run. There was no other choice. I wouldn’t let these kids go with their grandparents.

Mason cleared his throat. “I think the judge heard the truth.”

“I hope so,” Justin whispered.

“Can we go with you?” Lyla asked, wiping her tears.

“No, sweetie. Court isn’t for kids.”

“We talked to the judge,” she argued.

“That was different. An exception to the rule. But we’ll hurry home as quickly as we can, okay?”

She nodded into my shoulder, and my heart clenched. I hadn’t been there when she or Justin were born, but that didn’t change the depth of our bond. They were a part of me, and I would do anything to protect them.

An alert sounded on Mason’s phone, and he picked up. “It’s Cain and Kennedy.”

I stood, Lyla wrapping her legs around me. “Want to come with me and let them in?”

“Yeah.”

I walked with her in my arms like a little spider monkey and pulled open the front door just as Cain and Kennedy climbed out of their SUV. “Don’t you have to work today?” I asked him.

He shrugged. “I can work from here. That’s the good thing about the internet.”

I heard what he didn’t say. That if there was an unfavorable verdict, he wanted to be here to help us plan. “Thank you,” I said, my voice thick.

He squeezed my shoulder. “Anything you need.Anything. We’ve got your back.”

I nodded, unable to say more. Kennedy gave Lyla a bright smile. “How’s my bestie?”

“Okay,” she mumbled.

Kennedy pulled open a bag. “I brought nail stuff. I thought we could do mani-pedis.”

Lyla lifted her head, brightening a fraction. “Sparkles?”

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