Page 44 of Skylar

“Yep. And I had to call Dad to come rescue me.”

“Are you going to be able to work with your ankle like that?”

“Nope. I had to let them know that I was going to be out of work for at least four more weeks.”

“Where do you work?” he asked as he removed the drinks from the tray, setting one in front of her.

“I’m a flight attendant for a company that rents out private jets.”

He paused for a moment before turning his attention to the contents of a bag with a fast food company logo on it. “You decided not to pursue interior design?”

“No. There was too much going on back then. I got through my first year, but after Shiloh was born… Well, it was just a difficult time. Charli’s friend Melissa, who was a flight attendant, eventually helped me get a job with an international airline. Then, from there, I got the job at this place.”

He set a wrapped burger and a container of fries next to her drink. “And you enjoy it?”

“I do,” she said, then pointed to the food. “What’s this?”

“I took a chance that you still like chicken burgers and fries.” He looked up at her. “Do you?”

She wanted to tell him that she hated both items, but the reality was that she did still really like them. With having to watch her weight so she’d fit into her uniform, it wasn’t a meal she indulged in very often, however.

“And the drink?”

“It’s diet.”

Skylar didn’t want to be touched that he’d remembered what she liked nine years after they’d last shared a meal like that.

Seeing this version of him was really a struggle for her.

“Did you get food for Shiloh as well?” she asked, gesturing to the smaller drink.

“Yep. I asked Charli if I could bring something for her. She said there was no guarantee that she’d eat anything, but her favorites are nuggets and fries.”

Skylar nodded. That seemed to be a favorite with most of the kids in the family. It had been her favorite at that age, too. It was a quick food that her mom couldn’t mess up since it involved pulling bags of nuggets and fries from the freezer and dumping them on a tray and putting them in the oven.

“Auntie Sky?”

Hearing Shiloh’s voice, Skylar reached for her crutches and got herself up on her feet. She made her way over to the bed to find her niece awake and smiling at her.

Skylar reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Hey, sweetie.”

“Is Uncle Aiden here too?”

Aiden joined her at the side of the bed. “I’m here.”

“Momma said you were going to stay with me while she and Daddy went on a date.”

“Yep. And Aiden brought you some supper.”

Her eyes lit up. “Nuggets?”

“Yep,” Aiden said with a grin. “Do you want them now?”

At Shiloh’s nod, Aiden went to get the food while Skylar rolled the over-the-bed table into position in front of Shiloh, then moved so that Aiden could set the food and drink on the table.

When Shiloh held out her hands to them, Skylar knew immediately what she wanted. With a glance at Aiden, she took Shiloh’s hand. He did the same, then she bent her head, waiting for Shiloh to pray.

Only silence followed, however, so Skylar looked up to find Shiloh sitting with lifted brows as she stared at them.

---