Page 21 of Skylar

“Let’s say a prayer before we go inside,” her dad suggested after he’d parked and turned off the car.

Though Skylar hadn’t spent much time praying in recent years, she wasn’t going to tell her dad no. If ever a situation needed prayer, it was this one.

After her mom and dad had both prayed, they got out of the car and headed for the entrance to the building. Her dad opened the door and held it for Skylar and her mom to walk in ahead of him.

The lawyer’s office was on the second floor, so they headed up the stairs. When they stepped into the waiting room of the lawyer’s office, she saw there was only one person there, aside from the receptionist. Aiden.

As soon as Aiden saw them, he got to his feet. His gaze swept over them as they approached him, and he held out his hand to her dad.

“Dr. Halverson,” Aiden said with a nod, then turned to her mom and greeted her as well.

While he did that, Skylar observed Aiden. He wore a dark gray suit, with a white shirt and blue patterned tie. Aiden was still about the same height as he’d been in college, but his shoulders had broadened over the years.

The most striking difference from high school to then, however, was the confidence with which he held himself. In the past, he hadn’t been super at ease around her parents, though he’d always been respectful and interacted with them whenever he was at their house.

But the way he held himself now was different, and it made Skylar wish he’d had that confidence back in high school and college. Maybe they would have gone down a different path if he had.

When Aiden turned his attention to her, Skylar willed herself not to show any emotion. She held out her hand, and as he took it, she felt a strength in his grip that she remembered from the past.

“Thank you for coming, Skylar,” he said. “I really do appreciate it.”

Skylar was prevented from giving a—no doubt snippy—response when her mom spoke first. Perhaps she knew what was on the tip of Skylar’s tongue.

“I was sorry to hear about your dad and your sister,” her mom told Aiden. “I’m sure it’s been very difficult.”

Aiden’s jaw clenched, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “Yeah. It has been.”

“How’s your mom doing?”

Aiden slid his hands into his pockets as he shrugged. His gaze had dropped to the floor. “About as well as can be expected, given everything that’s happened.”

Before they could say anything more, the door to the office building opened again, and a tall man in a black pinstripe suit stepped through the doorway. His dark brown gaze swept the room, and when he spotted Aiden, he offered a smile and a nod.

“Hey there, Dennis,” Aiden said as the man approached them. After he shook his hand, Aiden said, “This is Dennis Ulrich. He’s my lawyer.”

Skylar frowned at Aiden. He hadn’t said he was bringing a lawyer. Was this about to get messy?

“Not here to create any issues,” Dennis said, as if reading her mind. “I’ve just drilled into him that if there’s anything legal involved, he needs to call me.”

“Hello, everyone.” A female voice interrupted them, and the woman who had helped with the adoption eight years ago joined them. After greeting each of them, she gestured to a hallway. “Why don’t we go to the boardroom?”

Their group migrated down the hallway to a room with big windows and a table surrounded by several chairs. Lynda Cartwright took a seat at the head of the table, while Skylar and her parents sat on one side, with Aiden and his lawyer opposite them.

“I’m glad you’re here, Dennis,” Lynda said. “I planned to suggest that Aiden take the document to a lawyer before signing it.”

“Good to hear,” Dennis said. “So what’s going on? Aiden shared a bit about it, but you know I’ll need more details.”

Lynda grinned. “Of course.”

It didn’t take long for Lynda to recap the situation that had brought them there that day.

“You’re okay with this, Aiden?” Dennis asked when Lynda was done.

“Maybe the two of you should discuss it,” Lynda suggested. “We’ll just step outside.”

Skylar almost asked why, but instead, she got up and followed her parents out of the room. They returned to the waiting room and settled into seats to wait for the side meeting to end.

“Do you think this is going to create any problems?” her dad asked.

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