Page 137 of Beautiful When He Breaks

“Most of it, yes,” Mara says, with such bluntness that Ryan makes a startled sound that might have been a laugh if the topic weren’t so awful.

Eli looks at me then, and I feel myself brace for what he’s going to ask even before he says it.

“What do you think?” he asks.

I want to say no again. I want to say absolutely fucking not, tell them to send a letter through their lawyer and stay away from the baby until every court in the country forgets their address. I want to say they don’t deserve to breathe the same air as Mila until we know everything about them, because Celeste came from somewhere and people do not become what she became in a vacuum.

But Eli isn’t asking for my panic. He’s asking for me. So, I give him the truth with as much discipline as I can scrape together.

“I think I don’t trust anyone connected to Celeste right now. That might be unfair to them if they really didn’t know, but unfair doesn’t matter more than Mila’s safety. So, if you ever talk to them, it should be through Mara first. Maybe a call with lawyers. No private meeting. No sudden visit. No access to Mila until they’ve been checked and you’re ready. And if they say one wrong thing about you or her, they can fuck off forever.”

Eli’s expression softens in a way that makes my chest ache. “That’s actually reasonable,” he says.

“I’m occasionally capable.”

“Don’t get cocky.”

“Too late.”

Mara’s expression remains professional, but there’s warmth at the edges now. “That is essentially what I would suggest. We can begin with communication through counsel only. If they request contact, I can control the channel. You do not need to make a decision today.”

Eli nods, his face a mix of relief and exhaustion. “Then not today.”

“Good,” I say immediately, then clamp my mouth shut because apparently, I’m still learning.

This time Eli almost smiles.

Almost.

Mara gathers the folder. “I’ll send a summary of this in writing. For now, focus on the inspection. Keep the outbuilding clean, safe, and stocked. Make sure medications, cleaning supplies, and anything hazardous are secured. Mrs. Alvarez already asked for the checklist, so I suspect it will be handled better than most professionally managed daycare facilities.”

“Mrs. Alvarez is scarier than the court,” Adrian says solemnly.

Ryan nods. “She told me I hold bottles wrong, and I haven’t recovered.”

“You do hold bottles wrong,” Eli says automatically.

Ryan points at him. “Betrayal.”

The small normal moment loosens something in the kitchen. Not enough to erase what Mara brought in with her. Not enough to make Celeste found, charged, or punished yet. But enough to remind everyone that Mila still needs bottles, Ryan still needs supervision, and life has the audacity to continue even while justice gears up in the background.

Mara says her goodbyes, speaks quietly with Killian in the hall for another minute, and leaves with the same composed intensity she arrived with. The second the front door closes, Eli’s shoulders finally drop.

I crouch beside his stool without thinking, putting myself closer to his level. “Hey.”

He looks at me, Mila nestled between us, her tiny fingers now caught in his shirt. “Hey.”

“You okay?”

He exhales slowly, then gives me an honest answer. “I don’t know.”

I nod. “That works.”

His mouth lifts faintly. “That works?”

“For now.” I rest one hand lightly on Mila’s back, careful not to cover his. “She’s closer to staying yours on paper. That’s the part I’m holding onto.”

His eyes go wet immediately, and he looks down at her fast. “Yeah.”