Chapter 36

Lyla

"Mommy, what am I supposed to say to Uncle Austin again?" Adrianna asks me from the back seat. I roll my eyes with humor since this is the hundredth time she has asked that very question in the last ten minutes.

We are currently on our way to the engagement party for Austin and Candice. I was supposed to go alone, but Lisa had a date tonight and although she told me she would cancel so she can watch Adrianna, I didn't want her to have to do that. With everything going on these past few weeks, I just wanted to spend more time with my daughter. After Shane left, Austin and I had a long chat over the phone about what I do from here. I told him I just wanted my life back, but my daughter protected. He gave me Miles and Ghost for protection and promised me that I wouldn't even notice them.

He was right so far.

I think about Shane all the time. Part of me feels terrible about how I treated him that day and the words I used weren't fair. I had told him that I wouldn't stand for how h