Page 32 of Skylar

“We’ll see how you’re doing,” Charli said as she took Shiloh’s hand. “Maybe we can do it before then.”

“I hope it’s soon,” Shiloh told her. “I want to meet them.”

Aiden couldn’t help but smile at her. His mom was going to love her, and so was Willow.

“What does Willow like to do?” Shiloh asked. “Does she do ballet or figure skate?”

“She loves to paint, color, and read. She also likes to swim,” Aiden said. “One of her favorite things is to tell jokes. She thinks it’s fun to tell me a joke whenever she sees me.”

“I like to color too,” Shiloh said. “And paint, but Mommy doesn’t let me do that very much because the boys get into it and make a mess.”

Aiden lifted the gift bag he’d set on the floor. “Willow helped pick out a few things for you from us.”

“Really?” Shiloh’s face lit up as she took the bag and tipped it toward herself so she could pull the items out. “Oh, a new coloring book. I like this one, and a stuffed unicorn! I love her. I’m gonna keep her right here next to me.”

“Do you want to name her?” Charli asked. “Then Aiden can tell Willow and her grandma what it is.”

Shiloh hugged the stuffed animal. “Let me think.”

“What does Willow call your mom, Aiden?”

“She calls her Nana.”

“Maybe Shiloh could also call her that.”

Warmth filled Aiden. “My mom would love that.”

Charli smiled. “It will make it easier since my mom is Grandma.”

“I’m going to name her Sparkle,” Shiloh announced as Shiloh slid the unicorn under the blanket that covered her legs so just her head and horn showed. “Because she’s got sparkly stuff in her fur.”

“That’s a great name,” Aiden told her. “I’ll be sure to tell Willow.”

“Could you do a video of me, Momma?” Shiloh asked. “Then I can say thank you to them, and Uncle Aiden can show it to them.”

Charli glanced at Blake, then nodded. “That’s a great idea, lovey.”

Blake grabbed her phone off the nearby table and handed it to Charli. After a few minutes adjusting the bed and pillows, Charli lifted her phone to video Shiloh.

Aiden felt his heart swell with emotion as Shiloh thanked his mom and Willow for the gifts. He knew that his mom was going to be happy to see her newest grandchild. But it would also be hard for her to look at her and see her frailty.

After the video was done to Shiloh’s satisfaction, Aiden gave Charli his phone number so she could text it to him.

“Do you like to read?” he asked, eager to know more about his little girl.

Shiloh wrinkled her nose. “Not for school. Those stories are boring. I like to read books from the library.”

“Maybe you and Willow have read some of the same books.”

“Momma, I want to buy a book and a stuffed animal for Willow. Maybe a coloring book so we can color together. Can we do that?”

“We certainly can.”

Aiden felt the tension he’d been carrying about the meeting slip completely away. Did Skylar feel the same way?

When he looked over at her, he saw her watching Charli and Shiloh, but her expression was unreadable. The open emotions from her teen years were a thing of the past, apparently.

“Can you take a picture of me, Momma, and Daddy to show Willow and Nana?”

---