Into the Fading Twilight (Starlight Grove, #2) (107)

“I knew I liked you.”

She giggled and then went quiet, staring out at the rolling fields. I gave her time, sensing there was something she wanted to broach. While I waited, I took in the scene in front of us. Everything about it was stunning: the golden, rolling hills of fall, the alpacas and horses in the distance …

I could imagine watching all four seasons from this exact spot. Each one would have its own unique beauty.

“You love me for real, right?” Sky asked softly.

My gaze cut to her in an instant. “For the realest. You and Owen are the two coolest kids I know. Sky, you’re kind and funny. You make every single day an adventure. You see the people around you and make them feel special. There’s not one thing about you that I don’t love.”

Breath left her in a whoosh. “That’s what I thought.”

Everything inside me warmed. But still, something niggled. “Is there a reason you wanted to make sure?”

Skylar worried her bottom lip. “My mom didn’t love me. And I just wanted to make sure, in case you and Daddy ever get married, that you’ll love me. I was sure you did, and then I just … I …”

“A little voice made you wonder?” I asked gently.

She nodded. “It’s silly. You show me all the time.”

God, I wanted to get this right. It was one of those moments that mattered. And I wanted to show up for Skylar in exactly the right way. In the way that my mom never had.

“Sky, can I tell you something?”

“Anything.”

I took a deep breath, hoping Kol would understand why I shared, hoping that it was the right thing to do. “My mom didn’t love me. At least, I didn’t feel it. She didn’t take care of me or show up how I needed her to or any of that. And sometimes, it makes it hard for me to say those words. Because I get scared.”

Skylar’s eyes, so similar to Kol’s, went wide. “You get scared? But you’re so brave.”

“Just because you’re brave doesn’t mean you’re not scared.”

She thought about that for a moment. “I guess that’s true.” Her gaze met mine. “I’m sorry your mom wasn’t the best, too.”

“You know what I realized?”

“What?”

“She gave me what she could. And I bet your mom did, too. In fact, she did the best thing ever. She gave you to your dad, who loves you so much, I can see it every time he looks at you.”

Sky’s lower lip trembled just a little. “You see it?”

My heart cracked. “I do.”

“What does it look like?”

“It looks like a million sparkles all around the two of you.”

“I like sparkles,” Skylar said quietly.

“Me, too.”

She was quiet again for a moment, seeming to puzzle through something else. “You know, I think I’m glad she left.”

“How come?” I asked, trying not to show any judgment about how Sky was feeling.

“Because she left room for you.”

It took everything in me not to let my tears flow. But I battled them back. “Sky?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I hug you now?”

She didn’t wait to answer. She didn’t even answer with words. She just threw herself at me. And that hug was everything.





“You know,” I began, leaning forward and resting my elbows on the SUV’s console as I looked between Brae and Dex. “I could really get used to this chauffeur service. Door to door. No money wasted on gas. Yeti snuggles.”

The massive dog yipped as if to agree with me.

Dex chuckled as he pulled to a stop outside the Boot. “Happy to be of service.”

“I think I’m going to get you a chauffeur’s cap and have Sky help me bedazzle it,” I went on, sending Brae into a fit of giggles.

A surly glare hit me in the rearview mirror, all amusement vanishing. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Come on. It’s gonna be a vibe,” I argued.

“Yeah, Buttercup,” Brae cajoled. “I think you’re gonna look real cute in pink sparkles.”

“You two together are dangerous,” Dex muttered.

I grinned at my bestie. Things had been really good between us. We’d even had a girls’ night, where we’d had a few glasses of wine and tipsily drawn plans for a she shed between Kol’s property and Dex’s. But more than that, we were finding our rhythm again.

“Don’t mess with double trouble,” Brae said, grinning at her fiancé.

A smile tugged at my lips in answer. “He’s just lucky he didn’t get the Brady Silverton treatment.”

“I’m scared to ask,” Dex muttered.

“We let the air out of his tires the same day we broke into the boys’ gym after football practice and stole all his clothes,” Brae explained.

Dex gaped at his soon-to-be wife.

A laugh bubbled out of me. “We left him a princess shirt and a Speedo to change into. We aren’t monsters.”

Brae couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer. “But we did take photos and videos while he was waiting for Triple A.”

I wiped a finger under my eye to clear the tears spilling over. “The mechanic who showed up was so confused.”