“What the hell happened?” Logan pulls me into a warm embrace, his mouth over my ear in a spastic heated kiss.
My lips part, my throat clawing for words as I look to Gage.
“She wanted to poison Chloe.” Gage doesn’t mind answering for me. “She said it was wolfsbane. I’m assuming it came from Dominique.”
Logan pulls back, studying me, worried for me. “It’s going to be okay, Skyla. Nathan will be just fine. He was breathing on his own once I got him started. He had good color by the time we got here.”
He brushes back the hair from sticking to my face. I sweated buckets on the ride over. My body is still numb with shock. And this horrific feeling shouldn’t go away. I’m a terrible mother and I need to be reminded of it.
Logan shakes his head. “You’re not a terrible mother. It was a terrible accident.”
“It was.” I glance to Gage. “I should never have taken it. It was the night of the dance and—”
Gage grunts, “And you were too busy fucking Logan to think about what could happen if you dragged a bag of rat poison to the bedroom.”
Before Logan or I can respond, the hall floods with bodies, my mother, Chloe, Bree, Mia—and on their tail runs in Emma, and is that Olivia Harrison? Oh God.
My eyes flit to Chloe, terrified of what she’s done. Of what I’ve done to cause this demonic domino effect.
They all start speaking at once and a nurse comes by and shuttles us to the waiting room across the way.
Olivia is speaking softly to the nurse. They both pause a moment to look my way before the nurse nods and leaves the room.
“What’s going on?” I hop over to Olivia, not wanting to miss a beat. “Why are you here?”
Olivia’s lips tighten as she looks to my former mother-in-law. “Emma pulled me into her car as she was leaving. I just came home from getting a manicure.” She holds her nails out a moment absentmindedly. “Skyla, whenever a child has been severely harmed in the home, social services has to be notified. I informed the nurse I’d be speaking with them on behalf of the family.”
Gage steps in close. “We don’t want any problems with social services.”
“No, you don’t,” Olivia is quick to agree. “That’s a cat with its tail on fire, and it could do some serious damage.”
Emma strides up, arms folded defiantly, that angry look on her face letting me know she’s pissed.
“The boys aren’t safe at the Landon house. Perhaps no house with Skyla in it. I demand Gage be given all rights immediately. We can’t have another episode like this. I refuse to gamble with the lives of my grandchildren in an effort to be kind to their mother.”
“Please”—I can’t help but huff—“the last time you were kind to me, I was dating Logan.”
Emma pulls a tight smile. “Which I understand is happening again. You’re lucky I approve of him, or you’d have another fight entirely on your hands.”
“I’m lucky you approve?” A part of me feels like running out and finding the exact person Emma here would most definitely not approve of, like some rebellious teenager, but I know better. Emma simply doesn’t approve of me.
“That’s right,” Emma smarts before turning back to Olivia. “Kresley Fisher and her son, Eli, live under my roof. I take excellent care of the both of them. If need be, the boys can be placed in my care in the event the social worker feels ambivalent about placing the children with their father.”
“No.” I shake my head in disbelief as my worst nightmare plays out before me. “That’s not going to happen. Nathan is coming home with me. That’s where the boys live, and that’s where they belong.”
Olivia sighs as Logan rubs my back from behind.
“That’s most likely not going to happen, Skyla.” She looks forlorn at me. “Look, I know you love your children, and from what I can see you are a very good mother. But aside from the fact Nathan will most likely be kept for observation in the least, the social worker might insist they come and observe the home environment, and if they feel it’s not adequate, they will look to the father’s living situation. It’s highly unlikely the boys will be given to Emma, but stranger things have happened. But as for you, Skyla, this might be a hard road.”
“If Gage gets them, how long would I have to wait to get them back? A week? Two?”
Olivia shrugs a moment. “Honestly, I haven’t seen anything move quicker than six months. The typical turnaround time is a year at least.”
“Oh my God.” The room sways beneath my feet and Logan steadies me.
The doctor comes in, pulls down his dark blue mask, and asks for the parents. Both Gage and I are front and center, with Logan faithfully by my side.
“He’s going to be just fine.”
