Page 11 of Skylar

“I would really like to have a conversation with Aiden,” Jay said darkly. “I spoke to the guys when I was coaching them, telling them how to treat girls and how to handle relationships.”

“You’ll get a chance to speak with him,” their dad said, before he went on to explain what had brought Aiden into their lives, and how it related to Shiloh’s diagnosis.

“So, is his family going to be tested, too?” Gareth asked. “Even though the likelihood of being a match is low?”

“Well, as you know, low is not no,” her dad said. “Regardless of how we feel about what Aiden did, we need to find out if he or someone in his family is a match for Shiloh.”

“So, how’s this going to work?” Janessa asked.

As their dad explained everything that had been arranged for the coming Friday, Skylar looked around at her siblings. None ofthem were regarding her with judgment. Given that three of the ten of them had ended up with a child born outside of marriage, she supposed judgment wouldn’t be their first response.

And from the sound of things, Jay was more unhappy with Aiden than with her.

After answering a few questions, the information portion of the evening was done. Several people got up and shuffled around to talk to those they hadn’t been seated next to during the meal.

“I never thought you’d be so good at keeping secrets,” Janessa said as she sat down in the seat next to Skylar. “You and Charli both.”

“She kept this secret because I asked her to,” Skylar told her. “From the start, she thought we should tell the family.”

“I would have liked to know,” Janessa said. “But I understand why you didn’t want it to be public knowledge.”

“And it still wouldn’t be except for this latest turn of events and having to bring Aiden back into our lives.”

“How has it been for you, seeing him again?” Janessa asked.

Skylar wrinkled her nose. “It’s been difficult.”

“Is he acting the same as he did when he broke up with you?”

“We’ve only had one conversation so far, so he hasn’t had time to show too much of his attitude. But he didn’t outright send me packing, so perhaps he’s matured.”

“I suppose losing your dad and your sister would cause a guy to have to grow up fast,” Janessa said. “And rearrange your priorities.”

“Hopefully it’s had that effect on him.”

“Too bad he wasn’t that kind of man back when you got pregnant.”

Janessa’s statement echoed one of the thoughts Skylar had been struggling with. But it was irrelevant to where they were currently. They couldn’t go back in time. They could only deal with the present, good or bad.

And once she had been tested, she’d head back to Vegas and put all of this behind her. She couldn’t wait.

Soon, people began to leave. But before they did, each of her siblings came to her to give her a hug and offer her support. No one seemed angry at her for what had happened or for keeping the secret for so long.

“I think that went well,” her mom said once it was just the three of them.

Skylar bent to put a few last plates into the dishwasher. “As well as could be expected, I suppose.”

“You should give your siblings more credit,” her dad admonished gently. “They love you, and they’d never attack you over something like this. Especially because they all know and love Shiloh.”

Skylar had distanced herself from her family over the years, so it had been hard to know how they might react. “I hope that one of us will be a match for Shiloh.”

“I hope so too,” her mom said as she wiped down the counter. “It will be easier if we’re dealing with a family member.”

If Skylar didn’t have to continue to deal with Aiden, that would be easier for her, too. But she had no idea what Aiden was going to do now that he’d learned that he really had fathered a child.

She was upstairs in her room, taking off her makeup, when her phone rang. Seeing Aiden’s name on the screen made herwant to ignore the call. Why couldn’t he text like a normal person?

Maybe he was calling to say that he’d help, but then he wanted to walk away and never hear from her again.

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