because I was hurt. I thought there would be more time.”
Lily slipped off the couch and sat beside him.
“Are you going away again?” she asked.
Nathan closed his eyes briefly.
“No,” he said. “Not unless a judge says I have to wait outside a room. Not unless you tell me you need space. But I am not choosing to go away again.”
Lily leaned into him.
It was not a full hug.
Not yet.
But Nathan’s hand hovered uncertainly before resting gently on her shoulder, and his face changed as if someone had handed him something breakable and precious.
Owen looked at me.
“You too?”
My throat tightened.
“I’m here,” I said.
“That’s not the same answer.”
Smart boy.
“No,” I admitted. “Because your uncle is family, and the grown-ups are working on whether you can live with him. My role is different.”
His eyes narrowed. “What role?”
