Into the Fading Twilight (Starlight Grove, #2) (123)

“Oh no you don’t, Buttercup,” Brae said, sweeping in with Owen and Skylar on her heels. “We are making this room perfect for Nova.”

“Hellion,” Dex said, gentling his tone. “She’s going to love it. You didn’t have to test five different sets of sheets and three different blanket options.”

Brae dumped the armful of bedding onto the mattress, her hands going to her hips. “You don’t think she deserves the softest sheets known to man after what she’s been through? A blanket that’s both warm and breathable?”

Dex’s gaze jumped around the room.

Mav held up his hands. “Don’t look at me. Little Badass scares me.”

My lips twitched. “Your fiancée is awesome.”

“This is offsides or something. You’re all ganging up on me,” Dex complained.

Owen grinned at him. “You gotta know when to give up, bruh.”

Dex let out a huff. “Fine, fine.”

The only one who didn’t join in the fray was Wylder. He’d been quieter than usual these past couple of weeks. We’d all tried to talk to him at one time or another, but he wouldn’t get into anything about Cora. Instead, he threw himself into working at the Boot and helping out the crew at Dex’s house, like he thought if he didn’t slow down, he wouldn’t have to think about it all.

“Daddy, Supernova’s gonna love the purple. And look at the flowers Miss Aster helped me pick out,” Sky cut in, holding up the vase she’d made for Nova.

I ruffled her hair. “I bet these are her favorites yet.”

Mav’s gaze cut to the door before Aster even moved through it, as though he had radar attuned to her. She bustled through, holding two grocery bags and crossing to the minifridge we’d put in the corner. “I got water, juices, some protein shakes. Snack packs that will be easy to grab if she’s hungry but doesn’t want to go to the kitchen. And a jumbo-size bag of wild berry Skittles, of course.”

“You didn’t get me anything, Ice Queen?” Mav asked with a grin.

“Take a flying leap, Satan,” she shot back.

His grin widened. “You only fight with me because you care. If you didn’t, you’d ignore me.”

Aster’s mouth slammed shut as she turned to me. “Whatever you do, do not put me on Nova duty with that caveman.”

A low chuckle left my throat. “Noted.”

“I’ll just have Dex hack into the schedule and put us together,” Mav interjected.

Aster whirled on Dex. “You even think about it, and I will come for you.”

Sky giggled. “Auntie Aster is a baddie.”

Aster held out a hand for a high five, and Sky smacked it. “Sisters before misters,” Aster said.

“Okay, guys.” I clapped my hands together. “We need to move. I’m supposed to pick up Nova in an hour and a half.”

That got everyone into gear. Brae and I made the bed while Sky and Owen finished the Welcome Home sign. Mav and Dex helped Waylon with meal prep in the kitchen while Wylder went MIA, but when I walked out to check on everything, I nearly collided with Orion.

His dark eyes met mine as his throat worked. For a second, I thought he might speak. And then he raised his hands to sign, “I’m glad Nova is okay.”

I lifted my hands to sign as I spoke. “Thank you. And thanks for helping out with Sky so much while I was at the hospital.”

Orion moved his head in a jerky nod. “I made Nova a cake. It’s in the kitchen.”

As Brae had once said, chocolate was Orion’s love language.

“I think she might like that even better than those Skittles she’s always eating.”

Orion ducked his head but not before I saw the barest twitch of his lips.

“Daddy! Come up here,” Sky called from the top of the stairs.

I glanced at my watch. I had exactly fifteen minutes before I needed to leave. Taking the stairs two at a time, I let my daughter tug me toward her bedroom.

“You’re missing one thing for Supernova,” she said with complete certainty.

“What’s that?” I asked.

She shoved a tiny, beaded object into my hand.

“What’s this?”

“A ring. So you can ask Supernova to marry you.” Skylar was completely nonchalant, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world.

I struggled to swallow. “You want that?”

Sky let out an exasperated sigh. “Duh. She’d be like the best mom in the history of moms.”

A laugh startled out of me at that. “I don’t disagree, Little Princess.”

A throat cleared, and I turned to see Waylon in the doorway.

“I might be able to help with that,” he said, his eyes a little misty. He reached into one of the pockets of his overalls and retrieved a small wooden box. “Been carrying this around the past couple of weeks, waiting for the right moment. This was my mother’s. But there’s something about it that just seems right for you and Nova.”

I sucked in an audible breath as I opened the box and gazed at the glimmering stone. “It’s like twilight. Like Nova’s eyes.”

“It’s a silver sapphire. You don’t have to use it. I just thought—”

“It’s perfect,” I said, cutting Waylon off. “Thank you. For everything. Now and always.”