Page 48 of Finding Wonderland

“I’m so happy she’s happy.”

“Me, too.”

When Isla first told Mason about her and Vera being in a relationship, she wasn’t sure how much the four-year-old understood. She was a smart kid—smarter than any kid Isla had ever met—but she still worried how Mason would adjust to Vera being a new constant in their life. Of course, that worry was minimized only by the worry she had over the lingering question of what would happen if she and Vera ever broke up.

But as the weeks faded into months, Isla stopped worrying about that scenario. It became clearer every single day that she and Vera were meant to be together. She knew it when she saw Vera and Mason together. Isla knew it when Vera would hold her while she cried over Blake. And she knew it when Vera introduced her to her mother as her girlfriend. They were a family, in their own unique way.

“She should be home from school soon.”

Walking over to the large window at the front of the house, Isla looked down the road for the yellow school bus to arrive. She’d gone over the new route countless times with Mason, and hoped she remembered when to get off the bus now. Vera seemed to sense her uneasiness as she came up behind her and massaged her shoulders.

“She’ll be here soon. We went over the route with her, and I took her on the route in the car yesterday.”

“You did?” Surprised, Isla turned to face her.

Vera nodded. “I wanted to make sure she was comfortable.”

“Thank you.” Isla leaned in for a kiss. “And thank you for loving Mason.”

“She’s my kid; she’s easy to love,” Vera said with a smile.

“Your kid, huh?” Isla teased.

“Our kid,” Vera corrected.

A warmth filled Isla’s body as she savored the feeling. Happiness. She was still learning to embrace that feeling, despite how guilty it used to make her feel. Isla was truly happy with Vera, and Mason and she deserved that.

The squeak of the bus’s brakes pulled their attention back outside as Isla watched Mason get off the bus and run toward the house. Her backpack and ponytail swung back and forth as she ran, making Isla smile. She hurried to the front door and opened it as Mason came barreling into her for a hug.

“I made it to our new house, Mommy!”

“I’m so proud of you, Mason!”

Discarding her backpack by Isla’s feet, Mason made a beeline for Vera. Isla watched as Vera scooped her up into her arms and spun her around in circles until they were both dizzy. Vera covered Mason’s face in kisses as Mason giggled.

“Mama, stop,” Mason said through her giggles.

The entire room seemed to freeze. What had Mason just called Vera? Up until now, she’s only referred to her as Vera. They hadn’t had the talk over what Mason should call her, and Isla assumed they’d cross that bridge eventually. But apparently Mason was already across it.

As Mason’s laughing stopped, a confused look filled her face.

“You didn’t really have to stop, Mama,” she flatly stated.

“I’m sorry, Mace.” Vera kissed her cheek as she held her close. Mason’s legs hung down nearly to Vera’s knees and she wrapped them around Vera’s waist.

Over Mason’s shoulder, Vera caught Isla’s gaze. Her eyes were filled with tears as she clung to Mason as if her life depended on it. Even though Mason typically wasn’t one to be cuddled contentedly, she seemed to understand that Vera needed it at that moment.

When Mason finally scurried out of Vera’s arms, the trio headed upstairs to Mason’s bedroom. Although Mason had picked out the paint color, furniture, and bedding, she hadn’t seen it all put together yet. They had all been staying at Isla’s apartment while they completed work on the farmhouse, and Isla was glad the hard work was finally behind them.

“I love it!” Mason jumped up and down excitedly as she looked around her room.

Her bunk bed had an area underneath that Vera had turned into a reading nook and painted to look like the inside of a spaceship. The dinosaur bedding Mason had picked out covered the bed, while light green curtains framed the window. Vera had painted the dresser to look like a rainbow, while the walls had a light blue color that somehow tied the hodgepodge of designs together.

“I have my own spaceship!” Mason squealed as she plopped onto the bean bag chair in her new reading nook. She looked so much like Blake sitting there, smiling happily. Isla hoped that wherever Blake was, she was happy, too.

“Do you like your room?”

“I love it, Mommy!” Mason quickly jumped up and hugged Isla before going to Vera. “I love it, Mama!”

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