Page 107 of Finding Wonderland

Vera angrily wiped the tears from her eyes.

“But she’s not a kid. She’s an adult. And I’m doing the best I can with her, and I just need you to please understand that.”

“Baby.” Isla crossed the kitchen and pulled Vera into a hug. She held her tight, letting her cry into her shoulder. “I know you are.”

“It would really help for you to be on my side.”

“You know I always am.”

Vera shook her head as she pulled out of Isla’s embrace. “Not with this. I can feel your anger when you’re around her, and I know Walker can feel it, too. I need my wife to help me with this. Please.”

Isla thought for a moment before responding. Vera was right. She had taken the anger route instead of the understanding route with Walker.

“You’re right, and I’m sorry. Walker is your sister, and I know that complicates things for you. But I need you to know that I’m in your court. I want to help however I can. I’m sorry I’ve made you feel like I wasn’t trying to help before. I just,” she sadly shrugged, “didn’t know what to do other than try to protect our kids.”

“And I love how fiercely you protect them.” A smile played on Vera’s lips. “It’s definitely sexy.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh, yeah.” Leaning in, Vera placed a kiss on Isla’s lips. “So sexy that I’ll show you how much later tonight.”

Isla was about to ask why wait when an ear-piercing scream came from the open back door. Ellie, she instantly knew. The scream was quickly followed by the other kids screaming as Isla and Vera bolted outside. She immediately saw Ellie crying in the water near the diving board with her arms wrapped around Walker’s neck. Walker brought her over to the side of the pool and Isla and Vera lifted Ellie out. Ellie clung to Vera as she held her arm.

“What happened, sweetie?”

“She hit her arm on the diving board,” Walker answered for Ellie as she climbed out of the pool. She was dripping wet, having jumped in with her clothes and shoes on.

“Let me see, Ellie.” Gently, Vera examined Ellie’s arm. Other than a bright red mark where it’d probably hit the diving board, it didn’t look broken to Isla. Which Vera confirmed. “It doesn’t look broken, but I think that's enough of the pool today, okay?”

Ellie nodded her head against Vera’s chest.

“Let’s go get you changed and I’ll get you an ice pack for your arm, okay?”

“Thanks, Mama.”

“Evie, Brayden,” Vera’s voice was stern, but still gentle somehow, “go ahead and get out and go change for dinner.”

The kids did as they were told and headed inside, leaving only Isla, Walker, and Maddie outside by the pool. Walker looked clearly uneasy being alone with Isla, and she quickly excused herself to go change. Turning her attention to Maddie, it was then she noticed how scared Maddie looked.

“Maddie? You okay?”

“Ellie didn’t fall,” she said quickly as she lowered her eyes from Isla, “not exactly.”

Isla felt her blood run hot. “What do you mean?”

“Walker was trying to be like Mason,” Maddie shrugged her shoulders. “You know how she’ll be on the diving board with the kids and act like she’s going to push them in but she never does?”

“Walker pushed Ellie off the diving board?” There was no point in keeping her voice calm. She was pissed, and she needed Maddie to know that so it would get relayed back to Walker.

“No, not exactly.”

“Not exactly?” Isla put her hands on her hips. Despite the fact Maddie was in her late twenties, at that moment Isla knew she was treating her like a child. But she couldn’t stop it. “What happened?”

Maddie took a deep breath as her eyes avoided Isla’s. “Walker was on the diving board and pretended to run at Ellie. You know, like Mason does. But Walker slipped and fell off the side of the diving board, which caused Ellie to fall and hit her arm.”

Isla could almost see red and feel the smoke coming out of her ears. She wanted to yell at Maddie; to tell her to take Walker back to the Cove and never come around their family again until Walker was sober. But that wouldn’t solve anything. Even in the heat of the moment Isla knew that.

Not saying a word, Isla walked past Maddie.

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