Page 103 of Skylar

The answer to that was an immediate yes.

The problem came when he tried to figure out what to do with her after that. He wanted to be in Coeur d’Alene near to the hospital, and he suspected Skylar would too. However, he didn’t feel comfortable having her at the house with him when it was just the two of them.

Nothing inappropriate would happen, he knew that. But he also knew that it wouldn’t look right to their families. He wondered if Cathy would consider coming in and staying at the house with them.

He took the time to get himself out of bed and dressed with a mug of coffee in his hand before he called Cathy.

“Hello, Aiden,” she said when she answered. “How are you doing?”

“Alright, all things considered.”

“Yes, all things considered.”

“I was calling because I just got a message from Skylar that she is flying in tonight and she asked me to pick her up.”

“Yes, she also let us know of her plans,” Cathy said. “Thank you for being willing to pick her up.”

“It’s definitely not a problem,” he assured her. “But I’m wondering what to do with her afterward. I’m sure she’s going to want to stay close to the hospital. However, I don’t feel comfortable having her stay here with me.”

“Oh, that is an issue, because I’m sure you’re correct that she’d rather stay there than come on out here to Serenity.”

“What I was wondering was if you’d be willing to come stay here at the house with her for the next couple of nights, until we can get everything sorted out. I have a suite in the basement, but there are three bedrooms on the main floor that you and Skylar can choose from.”

“That would be wonderful, actually. I’d love to be close by to help Charli. Could I bring Dan too?”

“Certainly. There’s plenty of room.”

“Let me chat with Dan, then I’ll get back to you. Even if he doesn’t come, I will.”

“Okay. Thank you for considering my suggestion.”

“It’s absolutely no problem,” Cathy said. “If anything, I should be thanking you for giving us a place to stay, closer to the hospital. We really appreciate that.”

After they said goodbye, Aiden went upstairs to make sure that the rooms were ready. His mom’s had a queen size bed in it, and she always made sure the sheets were washed after she was there, so he wouldn’t need to remake the bed. In addition to Willow’s room, which had a twin size bed, there was a double bed in the third room.

It hadn’t been used recently, since it was set up mainly for his mom’s friends who came to stay for the weekend, which wasn’t all that frequent an occurrence. That room didn’t currently have sheets on the bed, so he went to the linen closet and pulled out what he needed to make it.

For the rest of the day, he was in a restless state as he waited for updates on Shiloh. Unfortunately, they seemed to be in a holding pattern as they waited for results from the initial tests, and while continuing to conduct other tests.

Charli had said that Shiloh had seemed a bit better after having been on an IV overnight that had included some drugs, based on the team’s preliminary examination of her. Aiden knew that Charli was hopeful that they would be able to take Shiloh home soon, and while Aiden hoped that too, he was also tempering his hopes with reality.

When he reached the airport later that night, he parked his car and went in to meet Skylar, rather than wait out in front of the terminal. Her flight was on time, so it wasn’t long before passengers began to appear.

He kept his gaze on the passengers, looking for that one special face. After several people had walked past where he waited, he spotted Skylar coming toward him. Her head was bent as she looked at her phone, pulling a bag behind her.

“Sky!” he called out as she almost walked past him.

She looked up, her eyes widening when she spotted him. Though she looked like she still wore her hair and makeup done up from her flight earlier that day, he could see the strain on her face.

Almost immediately, he could see that she was near to tears. As she approached him, he couldn’t help but open his arms to her. There was barely any hesitation before she stepped close and allowed him to gather her into a hug.

He didn’t say anything, just stood there holding her as her body trembled with silent weeping. Though he was sure she would rather have comfort from anyone but him, he was grateful that she did accept what he offered. Because it came from his heart.

“Sorry to cry all over you,” she said when she finally stepped back. “I can’t seem to stop crying.”

“I’ve shed some tears of my own,” Aiden told her. “So I understand.”

“Hopefully I can get myself under control before I see Charli or Shiloh.” Turning away from him, she pointed at the conveyor belt where suitcases were beginning to circle. “I have two suitcases to pick up.”

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