Page 94 of Skylar

“In that case, I’ll take you up on that offer.”

She gave him the details of when her flight was scheduled to depart and from there, they decided on the best time to leave Serenity.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Aiden said. “Thanks for letting me hang out with you and Shiloh this afternoon.”

“I think it went well.” She hesitated, then asked, “Would you send me pictures of her when you spend time with her? And when she’s with Willow, too?”

“I’d be happy to do that.”

“Do you think you’ll see her a lot?”

“I’m not sure,” Aiden said. “But I plan to come home on the weekends to spend time with Mom and Willow.”

Skylar wished that her life would accommodate such regular visits, but it didn’t. And she had no idea when she’d next be back in Serenity. After Aiden said goodbye, Skylar watched as he drove away, then went inside to spend some time with her parents.

The countdown was on, and she wasn’t happy about it at all.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Skylar was ready to go when Aiden showed up the next morning. He loaded her bags into the car while she said goodbye to her parents.

“I hope it won’t be too long before we see you again,” her dad said as he gave her a tight hug. “It’s been wonderful having you here with us the past few weeks.”

“Yes, it has been,” her mom agreed as she moved in to take her husband’s place. “It was nice to have a not-so-empty nest for a little while.”

“Sprained ankle aside, I had a nice time,” she told them. “And I’ll be back when I can.”

“Thanks for taking her to the airport, Aiden,” her dad said as Aiden joined them, holding out his hand to the man.

“I figured I was going that way anyway,” he said as he shook her dad’s hand. “Though I have to admit I’m a bit surprised she agreed to go with me.”

Her dad chuckled. “You and me both.”

Skylar glared at them. “Hey, now!”

Her mom laughed as she slipped her arm around Skylar’s waist. “You have to admit that had he made this offer when you first came home, the answer would have been a resounding no.”

“True, but this is now. Things change.”

“That they do,” her mom said with a nod. “And for the better this time.”

“Well, we’d better go so I don’t miss my flight.”

“Let us know when you get to the airport and when you get home.”

“I will.”

After another quick hug for each of her parents, she told them she loved them, then followed Aiden to where he’d parked. He opened the passenger door for her before going around to slide behind the wheel.

As soon as he started the engine, Skylar rolled down her window and waved at her parents.

“Safe travels, darling,” her mom called out.

As they drove down the winding driveway to the road that would take them to Coeur d’Alene, Skylar let out a long sigh.

“You doing okay?” Aiden asked.

“I guess.” She leaned her head back against the head rest and stared out the window at the familiar scenery that slipped past. “I just didn’t expect that leaving would be this hard.”

---