Mara Elena prompted, "Why do you want to stay? I got accepted to grad school here, Colombia, for social work. " Mara's face lit up. "Seriously? Seriously? That's amazing.
You have to go. " "Only if you're all okay with staying. I'm more than okay. " Mara smiled. "I like it here. It feels like a fresh start. " Elena felt tears building. "So, we're really doing this? " "Looks like it," Ethan said.
Sophie launched herself at Elena. We're staying. We're staying. That weekend, Mason took them all to Central Park. They spread out a blanket near the lake, eating sandwiches and watching people go by.
"I have something to tell you guys," Mason said. Three pairs of eyes turned to him. "I talked to my lawyer, and I've started the process of making things official. " "What things? " Sophie asked. Mason looked at Elena. She nodded.
I want to marry Elena," he said simply. "But first, I wanted to make sure you guys were okay with it. " Silence. Then Sophie shrieked. "You're getting married? " "If she says yes, and if you guys are okay with it. " "Obviously, we're okay with it. " Sophie was bouncing. "She's already basically our mom. " Ethan grinned.
"Took you long enough. " Mara's eyes were wet. "Mara? " Mason asked gently. You okay with this? Are you going to adopt Elena, too? Mara asked.
Mason blinked. What? You adopted us? Are you adopting her? That's not how marriage works.
I know, but it's the same thing, right? Choosing someone, making them family officially. Mason pulled Mara into a hug. Yeah, sweetheart. It's exactly the same thing.
Then he turned to Elena. What do you say? Want to officially join this chaos? Elena looked at the three kids watching her with hope in their eyes. Looked at Mason, who'd saved her from a snowstorm and given her a reason to believe in family again.
Thought about the girl she'd been 8 months ago sitting in a frozen bus shelter, convinced her life was over. "Yes," she said. "Absolutely yes. " Mason pulled out a ring. Not a fancy box, just a simple band that he'd apparently been carrying around for weeks. "I was going to do this somewhere romantic," he admitted.
But this feels right. He slid the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly. Sophie insisted on planning the entire wedding. Small, Mason said firmly.
Just family and a few close friends. So, like a hundred people, Sophie asked. More like 20. That's so boring. That's intimate.
Elena corrected. They compromised on 40 guests and a ceremony in Central Park. The next few months were a blur of wedding planning and grad school preparation and making their New York life permanent. They found a bigger apartment with enough space for everyone. Enrolled the kids in actual schools instead of online programs.
Started building a life that felt real instead of temporary. Elena started her graduate program in August. It was harder than she expected. The coursework was intense. The other students were younger and seemed more confident.
She had moments of complete panic, convinced she'd made a terrible mistake. "I don't belong here," she told Mason one night, surrounded by textbooks. "Why not? Everyone else has experience, degrees, years of working in the field. I'm just someone who stumbled into this. " "You didn't stumble.