Page 15 of The Girl I Once Loved

Skylar

Idon’t need to look at my sister to know that she’s judging me with those big blue eyes of hers, staring at me indignantly as I remain hidden from view. Even though I feel like a coward with each second that passes by, it’s only when I don’t hear the roar of an engine’s throttle that I straighten up in my seat.

“What?” I grumble at my sister, no longer able to stand the weight of her reprimanding stare.

“You have got to be kidding right now,” she chides with her perfectly manicured eyebrows raised up high on her forehead.

“I have no idea what you mean,” I retort, feigning ignorance, pressing my lips into a fine line.

“Right, because hiding away from your problems is a perfectly healthy reaction. So happy to see you’ve grown into a well-balanced adult after all these years,” she reprimands as she opens her side door to furiously step out of the car.

I follow her lead and get out too, only to glare at her from across the roof of her car.

“I don’t appreciate the sarcasm, Daisy. You’re the one who insisted I come back to this place, remember?” I bite back with a snark.

“Thisplaceis our home,” she scolds accusingly, slamming the car door with all her might. “And though you might not like it, Noah is family. You don’t hide from family, Sky.”

“I’m here, aren’t I?” I exclaim, slamming my door with equal force.

We continue to stare at each other, the fist around my heart tightening at the way my sister is looking at me like she doesn’t even know me anymore.

When I left Thatcher’s Bay all those years ago, I left more than a broken heart behind. I left my entire family, and my relationship with my sister ended up suffering for it. Sure, we’ve tried to talk on the phone and tried to facetime as much as possible, but even with today’s technology, there is something to be said about not being with a person in the flesh. Daisy’s strong influence on me began to fade with time, and I’m not sure if I’m better for it.

Not with how she’s looking at me now with such disappointment in her eyes.

I take a deep breath to calm my temper and walk over to her.

“I’m sorry. It was just a knee jerk reaction, that’s all,” I try to explain.

She offers me a clipped nod, but I can still see the hurt in her blue gaze.

“I said I’m sorry, Daisy. What more do you want from me?” I ask, throwing my arms in the air from pure exasperation.

I mean, I came when she asked. I put my entire life on hold to be by her side in the last place I ever wanted to return to. What more does she expect from me?

“I want you to be here. I meanreallybe here, Sky,” she explains disheartened, answering my unspoken question. “This is probably one of the most important events in my life, and I want to share it with my sister.”

“I know. That’s why I came,” I retort, still not understanding what more she wants me to do.

She shakes her head and slumps her shoulders in defeat.

“You don’t get it,” she rebukes, turning her back to me to walk up the driveway towards the house. But before she’s able to get far, I hurry after her, pulling her by the arm and turning her around to face me.

“What don’t I get?” I ask frustratedly.

“Do you love me?” she asks out of the blue, making my eyes widen at the unexpected question.

“Of course I do. What kind of question is that?”

“An honest one,” she exclaims, lacing her hands with mine. “I’ve missed you, Sky. So much. But if you’re unable to put the past behind you long enough to be here for me on my big day, then maybe…maybe you coming home was a mistake after all.”

My cheeks heat up as if she just slapped me across the face with her words.

“You don’t mean that,” I choke out.

“That’s just the thing, Sky. I do mean it. You haven’t been around for ages, and I feel that with each passing year that you’re away, the distance between us only grows. I was hoping that maybe with you helping me plan my wedding, we could somehow reconnect. Get back what we lost.” She sighs, tightening her grip on my fingers. “I miss you so much. I miss my sister. But I won’t let you ruin my wedding because of an old grudge that happened when we were kids. I won’t. It’s not only my big day but Derrick’s too, and I won’t let you spoil it for us because you can’t stand to be in the same place as our stepbrother.”

I can’t help but cringe at the word, and to my chagrin, Daisy has a first-row seat to my repulsion.

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