But it wasn’t enough.
Because two days later, the ruling came down.
Vanessa was granted partial custody.
The boys would spend every other weekend with her.
And I was ordered to cease all caregiving duties pending a full review.
Adrian’s face went gray when he read the order.
The boys were devastated.
Evan locked himself in his room.
Caleb wouldn’t stop crying.
Noah stopped eating.
And Luke asked me, “Are you leaving?”
I knelt in front of him, tears streaming down my face.
“I don’t want to.”
“Then don’t.”
“It’s not that simple, sweetheart.”
He wrapped his arms around my neck.
“You said you’d stay.”
“I know.”
“You promised.”
I held him and broke.
That night, Adrian found me packing.
“What are you doing?”
“What the court told me to do.”
“Nia—”
“I can’t stay, Adrian. If I do, she’ll use it against you. She’ll take them.”
“She’s going to try anyway.”
“Not if I’m gone.”
He crossed the room in three strides and grabbed my hands.
“I need you.”
“You need your sons more.”
“They need you.”
“They need their father.”
His voice cracked.
“I can’t do this without you.”
I looked up at him, this man who’d given me everything, who’d saved my sister, who’d let me into his life when he had every reason not to.
And I kissed him.
It was desperate and broken and full of everything we couldn’t say.
When I pulled back, he was crying.
“Stay,” he whispered.
“I can’t.”
“Then marry me.”
I froze.
“What?”
“Marry me. If you’re my wife, she can’t touch you. She can’t claim you’re destabilizing the boys. She can’t take you away from us.”
“Adrian, that’s insane—”
“I don’t care.” He cupped my face. “I love you. I’ve loved you since the day you caught that dinosaur and didn’t run. Marry me. Stay. Fight with me.”
I stared at him.
And then I said yes.
We got married three days later in a courthouse with the boys as witnesses.
Luke held the rings.
