Page 95 of Must Have Been Love

“I’m your only sister.” But her lips twitch.

“You’re my very favorite, knows all the lyrics toTusk, can do French braids like a professional, big sister who’s better than everybody.”

“Shut up.”

“Move out here,” I say.

“I’m not moving out there.” But she’s almost smiling now.

“You can live by the ocean. Cora can grow up breathing in the salt. You and James can have bedless sex to your heart’s content.”

“We’re not moving to the East Coast,” Lee mutters. “But I’ll come visit.”

“Good.” I blow her a kiss. “The only bad thing about Liberty is that you’re not there.”

She lets out a long breath. “I just want you to be happy,” she says.

“I am happy. I love it.” I pull my lip between my teeth. “I love him.”

“Skyler…”

“I know. It’s too soon. I’ve told myself that. And I’m pretty sure he’s said the same thing to himself a billion times. But there it is. I love him, the sex is perfect, and now he wants to go public.”

“Is that what you want?” Lee asks.

I nod. “It is.”

Her face crumples. “My baby sister’s going to settle down. On a little island over two thousand miles away from me.”

“I wish you were there,” I say.

“Maybe I do too,” she says. “I’m happy for you, I really am. Or I will be when I get over the annoyance.”

“Thank you,” I tell her. I glance at my watch. “I have to go. Hudson’s picking me up soon.”

She nods, dipping her face against Cora’s soft, downy scalp, breathing her in. “You know you’ll always be my baby sister? I’ll always want to take care of you.”

“I know that,” I tell her. “But you have other people to take care of now. And I can take care of myself.”

I have been for a long time. “I love you, sis.”

“Love you too.” She gives me a sad smile. “Just keep being you, okay? Don’t let anybody dim your light.”

twenty-eight

SKYLER

“Well hello stranger,” a husky female voice calls out to me as I drink my morning coffee on the deck a few weeks later. I’m sitting on one of the white-painted chairs that Autumn insisted would work perfectly with the vibe she was trying to create in the bar. Of course, she was right.

Which is why I’m smiling at her as she, Ayda, and Barney the dog walk toward me.

“Hi.” I sit up. “Want a coffee?”

“Just had one.” Autumn takes a seat beside me and Barney lays down at her feet. Ayda walks over to me and pulls at my sleeve.

“What is it, sweetie?” I ask her. The other day, when I was on the phone with Hudson, he explained that Ayda’s speech therapist thinks there’s been some improvement. He’s even hopeful that a breakthrough might be imminent.

But right now she’s still making gestures and I recognize this one. She wants to color. I jump up, excited, remembering the princess coloring book and new crayons I bought and stashed in the drawer behind the bar.

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