Chapter 44

• ~Lola’s POV~
• I’m not supposed to be here. I should be in New York, explaining myself or fighting for my children. I don’t feel good about this hike, yet I am here. Two guys joined us, and I now know that Logan is the tall one who is about the same height as Mason, and Matteo is the one who is one foot shorter than them. Everyone else was a little faster than I was. My body was with them, but my thoughts were in New York, with my children. Mason came to a halt and grinned down at me before taking my hand in his and interlocking our fingers as we followed the well-worn trail through the tall pines. For a while, we walked in quietly. The only sound was our feet crunching through the logs and leaves being thrown across the walkway, punctuated by the caw of a crow overhead. Mason came to a halt and stared at me again.
• “Something the matter?” I wanted to tell him everything, but I couldn’t bring myself to open my mouth and say, ‘I came here because this might be our last day together.’ I am here because this is a way to say goodbye to them. I don’t know how long it will take to convince Dante that the children are better off with me. June and Mason have been like family to me, so I came here before I could go to NYC because I value our friendship. Although with Mason, it’s a little different.