Page 104 of Skylar

They moved closer to the baggage claim, and when Skylar pointed out her bag, Aiden hefted it off the conveyor belt.

“Wow. This is heavy,” he said. “Did you bring the kitchen sink?”

“Almost.”

After her second bag had arrived, they left the terminal and walked to where he’d parked. The sun had set so it was dark as he loaded her bags into the back of the car.

As he guided the car out of the lot, Aiden said, “I hope you don’t mind but we made some preemptive decisions regarding where you’ll stay.”

“What do you mean?”

“We figured that you might want to stay in Coeur d’Alene to be close to the hospital this time.”

“Yes. I would.”

“I have space at my place, but I didn’t feel comfortable with just the two of us staying there, so your parents are also going to come in and stay for a few nights. Once we have a better idea of what’s going on, then you all can decide what to do next.”

“That sounds good. Thank you for putting us up in your home.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

He meant that with all his heart, but he doubted she grasped that. And she might never come to understand the depth to which his feelings for her had grown of late.

This time, he might be the one left hurting.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Skylar felt an incredible sense of relief as Aiden drove her to his house. She’d felt very alone since hearing the news about Shiloh being readmitted to the hospital, but now she wasn’t.

She probably shouldn’t have fallen into his arms like she had, but she’d needed his support to know that she wasn’t alone. Hopefully, he brushed it off as friends who happened to be co-parents, consoling each other.

Unfortunately, she was now an unemployed co-parent. When she’d asked Denise about taking more time off, the woman had said that they’d already stretched what they could allow her to take. That had left her with no option except to quit.

She’d hated to do it since she enjoyed her job. But right then, Shiloh was more important. Skylar couldn’t stomach being far away from the little girl when her health was once again hanging in the balance.

She wouldn’t have done it for any other niece or nephew, but Shiloh wasn’t just a niece. She was her daughter, even if she’d given up those rights to Charli and Blake. She felt compelled to be by her side, even if it meant losing her job.

As they drove, Aiden shared what they knew so far—which was very little. It sounded like Cole had been notified, however, and it was possible he’d fly in again, just in case he was needed for the transplant.

When they arrived at the house, her parents were already there, having used the door code to let themselves in. Skylar greeted them with tight hugs.

“It’s so good to see you again,” her mom said, cupping Skylar’s face in her hands. “I just wish it was under better circumstances.”

“Me too. I much preferred when my visits home were for weddings or holidays.”

Aiden had taken her suitcases into the room she’d be using, then showed them around the kitchen, revealing he’d made a trip to the store to stock up on food for them.

“Thank you for allowing us to crash here,” her dad said. “It’s good to know that we’re closer to the hospital in case Shiloh’s condition worsens.”

“Who’s staying with the other kids?” Skylar asked.

“Blake’s aunt and uncle said they’d stay with them for a few days,” her mom said. “And after that, we’ll reevaluate how things are and go from there.”

“I wish I had more room for all of them to stay here, but we’re just about maxed out.”

“It’s not a big problem,” her mom said. “We have plenty of people willing to step up. Denise, Misha’s mom, has also stayed with them in the past and would gladly step in to do so again. All the adults have helped where they could as well. We’ll get it sorted. I’m not too worried about that.”

There might be some downsides to having a big family, but in her estimation, having a lot of people to help circle the wagons when a family member was going through a rough time was a benefit that outweighed all the negatives. And they had that not just in their family, but in their community also.

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