“Me? What’s gotten intoyou? That’s not even yourboyfriend.”
“He is on Fridays!” she riotsback.
I blink into this younger, far more fragile-minded version of me. “Of course, how stupid of me.” The baby claws at my chest. I help her find the mirrored heart, and she’s right back to suckling on it, her heated flesh has the robe melting to her skin like wet paper. “What is this Friday business?” I shake my head violently. “Never mind. I don’t think I want to know. Whatever it is, knock it off. You just can’t have two men in your life, Mia. That would makeyou—”
“Just likeyou.” Her brows rise as she gets that smart-aleck look on her face. Then just like that, her focus shifts to the babe in my arms, and her affect melts on cue. “Oh my God. Who is this princess, and can I keepher?”
My heart breaks into a million pieces because I don’t have it in me to lie to Mia. We’re supposed to be growing closer, not dividing ourselves with a chasm of lies and part-timeboyfriends.
“This is your niece.” My voice breaks as the tears start to flow. “She’s my”—my entire existence shakes to the core—“my daughter.” I give a rambling explanation of what just happened, and Mia wraps her arms around me long andhard.
“Oh,Skyla. I’m so sorry you have to go through this.” She pulls back, her own eyes red with tears. “I promise I won’t tell.” She picks up the little angel’s hand and brings it to her lips. The baby does a jumping jack filled with joy and gives a hearty laugh as she plays with Mia’s lips. “She’s so happy.” She shakes her head. “Skyla, I know you love Gage, but maybe you can just skip that whole baby making part and keep her? I don’t think I could bear to lose her. Plus, I want you to have a girl so I can buy all those cute dresses. And if she stays, you can make all of my pink dreams cometrue.”
“I’m afraid not. I’m guessing she’s on loan.” My heart wrenches just thinking about it. “Look, Marshall has the boys. If I give you the keys to the minivan, would you take them to Emma’s? I’m sure she’ll watch them for me. I don’t have a car seat for the baby, and to be honest, I’m not ready to juggle three justyet.”
“What are you going todo?”
“I’m going to talk to the smartest girl Iknow.”
“Mom?”
I make a face at my sister without meaning to. “Laken Stewart—Flanders.” She chose Coop over Wes. That might just qualify her as the smartest person on the planet—although, technically, that was a no-brainer.
Mia gives the two of us a quick kiss before walking backward toward the house. “Don’t you dare give her away. I licked her. She’s mine! I swear to you, I’ll keep her!” She giggles as she runs off. But I stagger forward, numb with shock, as I hold fast to baby number three—or four as itwere.
I text Laken, and she texts right back that she’s at the Gas Lab, so I teleport right over. Only I’m low on juice, correction, permanently running out of fuel, and I make it as far as West and hoof it the rest of the way with my new babe tucked safe in myarms.
After a long, exhausting jaunt, I finally hit the Gas Lab, winded, stunned by how a baby can feel like a one hundred pound lead weight. And it only reminds me that in a few short months I won’t be able to hold both of the boys the way I do now. The boys! My God, they have a sister—at least one on earth at the moment. My heart ratchets up in a panic, and suddenly the fact I entered into a binding covenant with Chloe Bishop is the least startling event that’s taken place thisafternoon.
Just as I’m about to step inside, a surly looking dude in a heavy wool coat glares at me as if I’ve just stolen his lunch money, and I instinctively hold the baby a little bittighter.
“I know you.” He steps in, and I take a full step back. “You’re what’s-his-face’s wife.” His voice rises a notch. “You tell that idiot husband of yours the Videns have one serious fucking bone to pick with him.” He grimaces at the baby a moment. “Never mind. I’ll tell him myself.” He stalks off, and I let out a breath of relief, filling the air with a stiff white plume, and the baby flaps her arms as though she was happy as canbe.
“That mean man just threatened your daddy—um,uncle.” My heart breaks just thinking about the title my husband would play in herlife.
I walk in and spot Laken near the back, and I make a beeline over only to see Coop sitting there alongwith—
“Logan,” I hiss his name under my breath, and he stands to greet me along with Laken andCoop.
“Skyla.” He grins at the bouncing baby in my arms who’s suddenly flapping her arms as if she’s about to morph into a dove and fly right into her daddy’s arms. “It looks like you grabbed the wrong baby.” He holds a finger out and she curls her tiny hand around it, and I melt on cue. Logan’s eyes widen as he takes her in. I can see her wrapping herself around his heart just as easily as she did his finger. “Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever had my breath taken away by anyone but you. Who is this amazing beauty?” His voice is low and tender, the exact tone fathers reserve for the daughters theyadore.
“Da Da!” She stretches her arms for him, and I shoot a panicked look toLaken.
Laken steps in, her own eyes just as wide. “Wow. She’s sopretty!”
Coop wraps his finger around one of her blonde curls a moment. “Did she just say Da Da as inDaddy?”
“Um.” I look to Logan and shrug. “I guess shedid.”
“You did?” Logan leans in and presses a quiet laugh through that magnificent grin of his, but he never breaks his gaze from the girl. “Who’s your daddy? Huh? Who’s yourdaddy?”
A breath hitches in my throat. “Youare.”
Why waste a moment of fun under the nonexistent Paragonsun?
All three pairs of eyes lock overmine.
“What did you say?” Logan’s face piques with color as if he understoodperfectly.
