1
Skyla
One year later…
The salty air mingles with the smoky scent of burning driftwood as our first-day-of-fall bonfire crackles and pops against the twilight canvas.
Silent Cove isn’t exactly living up to its name tonight as laughter ricochets all the way down the sandy shores surrounding our little slice of paradise below Whitehorse. The waves provide a steady heartbeat to our chaos as golden hour paints everyone in its magic. It is pure, unadulterated bliss. This is what we’ve worked so hard to achieve, the peace worth all the chaos.
Overhead, Holden and Serena circle us like the twin ravens they are, one dark, one light, their occasional caws punctuating our conversations like feathered exclamation points. I dig my toes into the cool sand and take it all in—my people, my family, alive and mostly whole after everything we’ve been through.
“So, Skyla,” Chloe’s voice slices through my moment of serenity, sharp as a celestial blade, her dark locks running down her back in perfect waves, “are you going to tell us how you manage to keep two husbands satisfied when most women can’t even handleone? We all know thatyou’remore than satisfied. Is there a rotation schedule taped to your bedroom door, or do you just ring a dinner bell when it’s someone’s turn?” She bleeds a dark smile, but I know that despite the curve on her lips, she’s anything but happy for me.
Brielle and Lexy erupt into laughter while I swill the drink in my hand.
“Bold of you to assume I can be satisfied,” I counter with a wink. “Maybe that’s why I needed backup.”
More cackles ensue, sans our resident mean girl.
Chloe still can’t get over the fact that I have the heart of both Logan and Gage. And even though everyone here knows I’m married to Logan now, they all seem to find Chloe’s idea of a rotation schedule hysterical. In a roundabout way, I do, too. After all, Gage does live with us. It makes things easier with the boys we share, Nathan and Barron, who are all of five now. The boys love having their father nearby, and so do I. And as for Logan, well, he hasn’t shot Gage in the chest yet, so I’d say he’s handling it pretty well, too.
“At least you’re satisfied,” Lexy Bakova shoots back. “Some of us are practically growing cobwebs down there.”
Emily snorts. “The rest of us should be taking notes. Skyla is out here living her best afterlife while collecting husbands like trading cards.”
I lift a brow at the afterlife comment, although she’s not wrong about the rest.
“Limited edition husbands,” Nat adds, slapping her thigh as she laughs. “Very rare, mint condition.”
Michelle grunts, her long dark hair falling over her shoulder, “I’m staying out of it.”
Michelle Miller avoiding drama? That’s a first.
Logan and Gage exchange glances from their posts by the fire pit, both suddenly very interested in stoking the flames.
“We’re not touching that one either,” Logan announces, poking at the fire like his life depends on it.
Gage gives a solemn nod. “It’s a strategic retreat on our part. Live to fight another day.”
“Smart men,” Bree calls over to them. “Smarter than most of your species.”
Chloe casts those dark, glowing eyes my way once again. “Must be nice having a spare when one disappoints you.”
“No one said anything about being disappointed,” I’m quick to say.
A smile lives and dies on her lips. “At least when I wanted Gage, I had the decency to try taking him completely.”
“I guess Gage wants me so much, he doesn’t mind sharing,” I say low enough for her ears only, but Gage shoots me a look anyway. And that look lets me know I’m right.
Laken laughs softly from her beach chair next to me, adjusting sweet baby Cooper as he happily nurses away. The tiny miracle has his eyes fixed on his mother’s face with that stony focus only newborns possess. Wesley hovers nearby, the protective father I never thought he’d become, but he’s proven time and time again that he’s the best of the best.
“The men in this group learned survival skills long ago,” Laken says. “It was either get with the program or die.” She winces a little, and I bet it’s because she’s thinking of Cooper, her husband, who did actually die, the one she and Wes named the baby after. “You know what I meant.”
I bite down a mournful smile and nod because we all most certainly do.
I scan the beach where my collective brood runs wild—Nathan and Barron chasing Eden in circles while she squeals with delight, her golden curls catching the fading sunlight. And, of course, Jaxson is trying to teach them all a lesson. The rest of the kids belong to my friends sitting here with me on the sand. And I still find it hard to believe that Michelle, Lexy, Emily, Bree, and even Chloe—we’ve sailed into motherhood together.
The other children play a game that seems to have no rules except running and screaming, which they excel at magnificently.
