Gage is holding Barron while I hold Nathan. Gage has yet to acknowledge me, yet to wish me a happy birthday. He’s at an all-time petty low, and I’m positive it’s because he can’t comprehend that he’s about to lose his standing in the heavenlies.
Who knew Gage Oliver was driven by power and greed? I should have figured so much as soon as we discovered he was Demetri’s spawn. I should have cut my losses as soon as we had the boys and run straight to Logan. Not wasted any time.
My heart wrenches at the thought of framing those moments I spent with Gage as wasted. Tragic is more like it. In every sense of the word.
Lexy snaps one picture after the next with Logan by my side and Chloe next to Gage. A family horror story if ever there was one.
We light the candles and the boys blow them out after we sing.
“Put me down! I want Mommy!” Barron cries and bucks as he struggles to get away from his father. He inadvertently kicks a hole in the side of the cake before Gage finally lets him slide to the ground. As much as I’d like to laugh, I feel terrible that my boys are already feeling the need to get away from Gage. He was a great father once.
Melee breaks out as Mia and Melissa help serve up the sugary feast to the masses.
Gage comes over, his brilliant blue eyes looking square into mine for the very first time tonight.
Here it is. A happy birthday in the least. I gave him three children. If I’ve been forced to put our differences aside for the last year while he held the upper hand with the Factions—surely, he could do it.
But he doesn’t. Gage nods to someone past me as his parents come up with my poor mother looking frazzled.
“Oh, Skyla.” She takes ahold of my hand and grips it with her cold fingers.
“What’s wrong?” I motion for Logan to come over and he dashes this way along with Demetri.
Before I know it, Demetri has my mother in his arms as she leans heavily upon him.
“It’s happened, the unthinkable,” she whimpers as Emma hands her a tissue and we all wait with bated breath as to what the unthinkable might be. Dear Lord, I hope Demetri hasn’t knocked her up again.
“It’s Tad,” she blubbers through tears and I hold my breath, assuming the worst. Holy heck, Demetri has had him killed, and today of all days. “He’s been arrested. They’ve formally charged him with tampering with the lottery system. They say they have hard evidence.”
“I don’t understand.” I shake my head over at her. “Tad said he got those numbers from his dreams. That can’t be illegal.”
“That’s what I said,” she wails. “But he says they’ve got an iron-clad case, whatever that means. Olivia Harrison is looking into representing him. Oh, I don’t know what I’ll do if Tad gets sent to prison.”
Demetri pulls her close, petting the back of her head as if she were his favorite pet, and I have no doubt she is.
“There, there, my Lizbeth. I’ll see you through this. That’s what friends are for, my love.” He shushes her into submission before helping her into the house.
“Well, there’s that,” I say, looking at Logan. “Demetri has finally figured out a way to ruin my mother’s marriage. And sadly? If Tad had to choose a way to go, I think he’d choose winning the lottery for one year straight.”
Emma scoffs. “You hear that, Barron? She blames everything on our people.” She takes a deep breath. “Pity, since we’ve done so much for them.” She nods over at Gage as if this were true.
I scoff at the thought. “I’m not sure when Demetri became your people, but if you mean because he sides with wickedness, I guess you’re right. And if byso muchyou mean scaring the planet into a tizzy, hiking unemployment while mishandling the world economies—then yes, you’ve done quite enough.”
“And you?” Emma’s eyes bulge wide just as Chloe scuttles over in an attempt not to miss the show. “You have the government testing to see if we’re aliens. Not one leader has imperiled her people as much as you have, Skyla. Thank goodness we have a savior in Gage.”
“Please”—my chest bucks with fury—“I just took a page out of your son’s playbook, Emma. I have the serum, and in a month’s time it will be permanent. There is only one leader for the Factions, and that leader is me.Yourson put our people in peril. I’m fixing everything he tore down.” I look right at him, unafraid to face him eye to eye, and he winces as if he didn’t feel the same. “Gage Oliver, you are no savior. You’re a plague who I’ve all but stopped from spreading. I wouldn’t get used to that crown on your head. You don’t win. Not by a long shot.”
Emma’s lips pull back into a tight smile. She plucks out a tiny pink package from her purse. “Barron and I have a birthday gift for you, Skyla. You are, after all, the mother of our grandchildren.”
Barron’s eyes widen as if he had no clue what she was up to, and I’m sure that’s the case.
I glance to Gage briefly as I accept the tiny package, and I quickly peel it open and pull out a long, plastic whistle of some sort that closely resembles a cigar.
“What is it?” I ask as I pull it closer.
“It’s a crow caller.” Emma grins as if she means it. “You can sit out on the Landon porch and call all the feathered nuisances that Paragon has to offer. You can be the queen of the crows, Skyla. Gage will be the king of our people.”
Barron growls over at her before pulling her off to the side.
