Page 71 of Skylar

Skylar had two days to prepare herself for seeing Aiden and his family again. Not that she thought it would go badly. The opposite, in fact. She knew that Aiden would be fine, and his mom would be sweet and friendly, just like always.

It was almost harder for her when they were nice, since her feelings about Aiden were still so turbulent. However, it was easier for everyone else that they weren’t making things difficult.

When Friday morning rolled around, they were busy preparing for the gathering later that day. Everyone but Zane and Kelsey were able to make it. With Friday being a busy night for Zane’s restaurant, he would be there working. And Kelsey kept her schedule similar to Zane’s, so she would also be at her job at the hospital.

Skylar walked around in the boot that Gareth had given her permission to use. While it was nice to be off the crutches, the boot wasn’t exactly easy to maneuver around in either. Cole had taken to calling her Hop-Along, and she couldn’t grab hold of him to make him stop because she couldn’t catch him with her hop-along…

Still, she managed to help out wherever she could. Over their many years of growing up, her mom had become a pro at assigning tasks, even to the littlest or the wounded of them. So Skylar had been given the task of cutting up lettuce and tomatoes for the hamburgers.

Even Cole was pitching it and helping their dad set things up in the back yard, preparing for the influx of children. Though they’d talked about not having the kids come, in the end, it was decided that it might be best to have other children for Willow to play with if Shiloh got tired. Plus, the cousins had all missed seeing Shiloh, and it would probably do her good to be with them again.

Everyone was contributing something to the meal, so they were mainly responsible for the meat, the buns, and the fixings for the hamburgers. The others were bringing salads, desserts, chips, and drinks.

Around five, Wilder and Lexi showed up, and over the next little while, the rest of the family trickled in. The plan was to eat at six, so as the time neared, Skylar had to keep herself from constantly checking her watch.

She wasn’t surprised that Aiden and his mom had accepted the invitation, and while Skylar was happy that Shiloh would have another grandparent and cousin, she wished they didn’t come part and parcel with Aiden.

Layla and Amelia arrived first, then a few minutes later, Charli and Blake arrived with Shiloh and the boys. Blake had Shiloh in his arms and carried her over to the counter to set her down on the stool next to Skylar.

Skylar was so glad to see Shiloh free of all wires. The little girl looked up at Skylar, a smile growing on her thin face.

“Hi, Auntie Sky.”

“Hi, sweetie.” Skylar slid an arm around her narrow shoulders and gave her a hug, resting her cheek lightly on the hat covering her head. Her hair had begun to fall out, so she kept her head covered now. “How was your day?”

“It was good! Momma made strawberry popsicles for us, and we sat outside on the swing eating them.”

Such a small thing, really, but Skylar could see how much Shiloh had enjoyed it. After being cooped up in the hospital for so long, sitting outside probably was a wonderful thing.

The rest of the family greeted them, then filed out into the backyard, leaving just her parents, Charli, Blake, Shiloh, and Skylar in the house. They’d agreed that it might be easier to introduce Aiden’s mom and niece to Shiloh with fewer people around.

The ringing of the doorbell had them all turning toward the front door, but it was her dad who went to answer it. Skylar slid off the barstool she’d been perched on, wanting to greet Aiden and his family on her feet. She kept her weight on her non-injured ankle as she held onto the counter.

When her dad reappeared, Aiden followed him, carrying his niece and with his mom at his side. The little girl had dark curls and eyes that made her look surprisingly like Shiloh. Her eyes were wide as she took them all in, kind of like how she’d been when Aiden and his mom had come to get tested.

“Hi, Tracy,” her mom said as she approached Aiden’s mom to give her a hug. The two women embraced for a long moment, then separated. “It’s so good to see you again. I’m sorry our contact has dropped off over the years.”

“It happens,” Aiden’s mom said with a gentle smile.

The woman had lost significant weight, which Skylar supposed resulted from losing a husband and daughter in a short amount of time. And having to care for her young granddaughter in the midst of her grief.

Back in the day, Tracy McIntyre had been a full-figured woman with light brown hair that she’d worn long. Smiles and laughter had come easily to her, and Skylar had imagined that she’d make a great mother-in-law.

And while that was probably true, it had turned out that she wasn’t destined to be Skylar’s mother-in-law.

Tracy’s gaze swept the room, and when it landed on Skylar, a smile lifted the corners of her mouth. She made her way over to where Skylar stood.

“Skylar, my dear, it’s so good to see you again.”

Skylar accepted the woman’s hug, a familiar scent greeting her as she did. “It’s good to see you again, too.”

And though she might not have thought that was the truth initially, it turned out that it was. Skylar was glad to see the woman who’d been so good to her when she had been Aiden’s girlfriend.

“Hi, Shiloh,” Aiden said. “This is Willow.”

Skylar and Tracy turned to watch as Shiloh approached Aiden and Willow. Aiden went down on one knee to set Willow down. The two girls stared at each other, then Shiloh said, “Your hair looks like mine.” She lifted a hand to touch the head covering she wore. “Well, when I have hair.”

“You’re pretty,” Willow said with a smile.

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