Something in Logan’s eyes flickers like a fire of rage before he blinks it back. “We’re not taking her anywhere. We’re keeping her right here.” He looks right at me with an apology in his eyes before he ever says it. “I’ll take care of her, Skyla. You don’t have to feedher.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Her voice breaks, and tears run down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Gage. I was just trying to soften the blow with stupid words I didn’t mean. I’m with Logan. I don’t have the heart to send her back to paradiseeither.”
“And I would never ask you to.” I flick my fingers until Logan hands her to me, and Barron laughs as she carefully touches his hair, his face with her open palm. She’s solid, heavier than the boys but longer, her delicate features unmistakably feminine, and those kaleidoscope eyes. My heart melts and breaks all at once. I’m holding the evidence of their love. Skyla and Logan will at some point in time make this beautiful tiny being. My boys will love her, protect her to the death, and all I want to do is wash her in my tears. So this is the heft of the heartbreaking weight that Logan felt when Skyla and I had the boys. Only so much worse because he got to witness the buildup. He gets to see me pawing his once-wife with my meat hooks day after day, plying her with kisses, my eyes always bent on lewd intent. It’s a cruel thing fate has done, intertwining our hearts, all of our lust around the very samewoman.
“She’s beautiful.” I offer a depleted smile down at the perfect little angel, blonde like her mother, like Logan, long lashes, and an ever so slight dimple low on her cheek. “She’ll grow up to look just like you,Skyla.”
Skyla grunts as if this were a bad thing. “I don’t doubt it. I’m my mother’s clone by design, and don’t forget the favor she thinks she did Mia by doling out the same genes.” She saysfavorwith airquotes.
Yes, Mia may be Lizbeth’s daughter, but Candace made sure her features were heaven-sent to resemble that of her sister’s, and, of course,her.
“So this is her doing.” I press a kiss to the top of Angel’s head. Her hair feels slippery as silk. “Candace is reassuring you about the future.” I try to make it sound light, not at all the morbid newsflash it really is. “You know, preparing you for my mortal demise.” It sounds ridiculous now that I’ve said it out loud. “She’s made it clear whose team she’s on.” Literally. I shake my head without meaningto.
Skyla opens her mouth just as the doorbell rings, and we glance over as my mother ushers in Casey, one of the dead from next door. In fact, she’s one of the last residents staying at the house. Logan is staying with her, and so is Lex, but the rest of the dead are on the first leg of their mission—en route to becaptured.
She speeds over, her eyes fixed on Logan’s. “Aren’t you watching the news? They’ve captured the mean girls! And some other girl I’ve never even heard of!” She shakes her head at Skyla. “I don’t think she was one of us—I meanme. I don’t think she wasdead.”
“Shit,” Skyla mutters under her breath, and I help turn the television to the local news. We check our phones like mad as the commercials come to a conclusion, and sure as shit, the G-men are shown arresting four girls forshoplifting.
“Shoplifting?” Skyla looks up at me as if I have the answer, and deep down, the sexist pig who lives in me loves it. I crave Skyla’s affection, for her to need me, to look up to me if only to account for the practical heightdifference.
“Yes.” And, unfortunately, I think I really do have the answer. “They’re sending a message to the rest of us. They’re making arrests, hauling us off to governmentpastures.”
“They’re speaking in code.” Logan purses his lips as he looks to the screen. He squints in hard before finding the remote and rewinding the feed. “Is that Chloe in the back, talking to one of the officers?” He looks to Skyla for answers. We bothdo.
Her mouth opens as she takes Angel and jostles her over her hip. “Casey”—she turns her attention to the girl—“have you spoken to anyone aboutthis?”
The frightened girl gives a slight nod. She’s so young, so emotionally fragile, I wish she hadn’t signed up for this at all. I’ve seen those men and women parading around the island like they’ve got a chip on their shoulders, because they do. They’re out for blood. Wes has the entire world shaken with his ridiculous clown sightings, those UFO reprisals which have the planet in a tizzy. This isn’t the best news for any one of our people, especially not those about to pay the price for theircommitment.
“Okay.” Skyla takes up her hand. “Do you still want to do this? I can arrange for my mother to help you find another wayhome.”
“No,” she’s quick to protest. “I’m d-doing this,” she stammers. “The others are ready, and so am I. But who is that fourth girl, Skyla? Is she one ofus?”
Logan skips ahead on the remote until the feed is live, and they show the faint hint of a redheaded girl leading the pack. The camera shot pulls away, and it’s impossible to make out their faces, but that wildfire hair, that erratic gait, the gesticulating she’s doing to the officer leading her by the elbow into hisvehicle.
“I know her,” I offer. “Or at least I think I do.” Skyla and Logan wait with bated breath. “It’s Melody Winters. And she is very much one of us. I checked my father’s records. The Winters date back as far as the registry goes.” I take a deep breath. “I can check the records again, see what lineage. I just glanced overit.”
“Yes.” Skyla looks stunned by the fact Melody was taken. “I’d like to do that with yousometime.”
The boys whine until we land them over a quilt on the carpet and Skyla sets down her newfound baby girl next to them. Like a lightning bolt, she crawls over to the boys and my mother appears, praising the sight as if she’s never witnessed the eventbefore.
“What a treat to have a little girl in the house. How long will you have her?” She looks to Skyla, and my stomach bottoms out. Had she told my mother about her? And in all of the ironies is my mother seemingly cheerleading theevent?
Skyla looks to me and nods. “Jen—Laken’s sister is out of town for a bit, so I volunteered to keep an eye on her.” She glances back to my mother. “With Laken, ofcourse.”
My mother shakes her head with disapproval. “Now that you’re a mother, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the word no. If word gets out that you’re a pushover when it comes to babysitting,you’ll—”
I’m quick to cut her off, “End up with the largest daycare center on theisland?”
The room breaks out into a warm laugh, and thankfully it seems to have cut the tension between my mother and Skyla. For the life of me, I can’t figure out how to turn down the volume of their shared disdain for oneanother.
Dinner goes off uneventful, sans the fact Ellis demonstrates—mostly to Giselle—his ability to inhale a noodle into his nose and pull it through his mouth. Once Ellis noshes on the meal he’s extracted, he and Logan proceed to talk about the construction that’s set to begin next week. It’s business as usual. Skyla and I have the boys in their high chairs, and my mother insists on feeding them the strained peas and string beans she’s made just for them. But my eyes keep flicking back to Logan with little Angel on his lap as Skyla sits next to him and spoon-feeds their daughter. Here I was all set to surprise Skyla with a day at Rockaway tomorrow, something fun to celebrate another school year under my belt, the end clawing ever so close. And now the only end I feel clawing near is that with Skyla. It can’t be. Candace wouldn’t let that happen so soon. She realizes I’m Skyla’s husband. The father of her favorite two grandsons. My God, I can’t leave now. I have too much work left todo.
The night drones on, and Logan comes home to Whitehorse along with his daughter. He sleeps in the guest bedroom down the hall while Skyla and I stay in the master with the boys. But Skyla never sleeps. She feeds the boys before going down the hall to the bedroom where Logan coos over his beautiful baby girl—and my God, she might be the most beautiful baby girl I’ve everseen.
Skyla doesn’t come back tobed.
I didn’t think shewould.
