“She and I will find something new and everything will be fine,” I said. “Don’t worry about it.”

  She sniffed then grabbed a tissue from her desk. “Her mom really did that to her…?”

  I sighed in sadness. “Your mother never had much of a family. Her father died when she was young and she never had any grandparents or aunts and uncles. All she had was Ryan. Fortunately, he was enough.”

  “How did she get through that…?”

  I still didn’t know. “Your mother is the strongest person I’ve ever met. She could overcome anything and still think the world is a beautiful place. She’s unlike any other person I’ve ever known. You should feel honored to call her your mother.”

  “I do,” she said with emotion. “I just feel so terrible for her.”

  “She’s okay now,” I said. “After we got married everything changed. I became the family she never had. And then we made a family of our own.” I rested my hand on hers. “She’s okay, Skye.”

  “I just wish I had known…I would have done things differently.”

  I shook my head. “That’s why she didn’t want you to know. She doesn’t want your pity because now she’s happy. She would never want you to suffer for her. But when we decided to sell the house we knew we had to tell you and Roland the truth.”

  “Why didn’t Mom kill her?” There was anger in her voice.

  “I really don’t know,” I said. “She just said she couldn’t do it. Believe me, I wish she had.”

  “I really don’t want you to sell the house,” she said with a sigh. “I love that place. Every memory I ever made happened there. And thinking about someone else living there…making their own memories makes me so sad.”

  “I know, pumpkin.”

  “But I want Mom to be happy. If she can’t be happy there, then it’s the right thing to do.”

  “I agree.”

  “But that doesn’t make it easy for me.”

  “It’s hard for me too.” I patted her hand. “You and Cayson can have the house if you want. You don’t need to buy it from us.”

  “Would you just give it to us?” she asked in surprise.

  “I’d rather have a Preston live there than someone else.”

  Skye looked like she was seriously considering it. “But it wouldn’t feel the same not having you guys there…”

  “Yeah, that’s true,” I said. “But it’s still an option.”

  “I wish none of this had happened.”

  “Me too,” I said. “Did you withdraw the offer on the house?”

  “No, not yet,” she said. “The realtor said they were taking everyone’s bid first. I’m sure there are fifty people wanting that house. They probably won’t pick us anyway.”

  I doubted that since the Johnsons would recognize Skye and Cayson’s name. “You should consider staying there. It’s a beautiful house. And Mike and Cassandra are just one house over.”

  “But I want to be next to you,” she said immediately.

  That warmed my heart more than I would let on. I would love to live next door to my daughter and son-in-law. I would love to see my grandkids every day. It was something Scarlet and I both wanted. “We can shop around together and find something.”

  “What are the odds of finding two houses next door to each other that are both for sale?”

  “Slim but not impossible.”

  She sighed in doubt. “I guess we can try.”

  “We’ll find something, pumpkin.” I looked into her beautiful face and saw Scarlet’s full lips and facial complexion. “Have you started the wedding plans?”

  “Not really,” she said. “I’ve been distracted…”

  I nodded. “You should start and get your mind off of everything else.”

  “I guess,” she said. “I know Cayson is anxious.”

  I chuckled. “He reminds me so much of myself. I was adamant about marrying your mother as soon as possible. I wanted the world to know she was mine.”

  “I just hope he doesn’t become more like you,” she said with a laugh. “Then he would drive me up the wall.”

  I shrugged. “You’ll get used to it.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Skye

  When I came home Cayson was sitting on the couch with wedding magazines on the table. He was flipping through them, looking at flower arrangements.

  I stared at him and tried not to laugh.

  “What?” he asked when he looked over his shoulder.

  “Nothing.” I pressed my lips tightly together and tried not to smile.

  He flipped the page. “What do you think of these for the center pieces?” He held up the magazine.

  “I think I’m the one who should be picking out center pieces.”

  “Well, you’ve been slacking.”

  I eyed the magazine and shrugged. “They’re okay.”

  “Just okay?” he asked. “You aren’t a fan of lilies?”

  “I wouldn’t say that,” I said. “I guess I’m more of a chocolate girl.”

  “Well, there’s a good chance it’ll melt so we can’t do that.” He tossed the magazine aside. “How was work?”

  “Fine.” My voice changed slightly.

  He caught the emotion. “What happened?”

  “My dad and I talked…I told him everything was my fault.”

  His eyes softened. “I told you, baby. It wasn’t your fault.”

  “My dad said the same thing…and he told me what he did to Zack.”

  Cayson didn’t react in any noticeable way.

  “I’m sure you already know.”

  Cayson didn’t deny it. “There’s nothing to feel guilty about. Zack was just a psycho lunatic and I’m glad he’s six feet under.” Rage was deep in his voice and it didn’t surprise me.

  “I just feel bad for my mom. She’s so sweet.”

  “But she’s strong,” he said. “And she’s got your dad. Don’t worry about her.”

  “I just wish it never happened. My mom is one of the best people I know. She didn’t deserve that.”

  “It always seems to work out that way…the good people getting the bad stick.”

  “Yeah…”

  “But she’s okay now.” He kissed my shoulder. “And now we’ll move on together as a family.”

  “I guess.”

  “So, they are selling the house for sure?”

  I hated thinking about it. “Yeah. I’m trying not to be selfish about it. But I really hate thinking about a new family making their own memories there.”

  “It’s hard,” he agreed. “But we need to be supportive.”

  “I know.”

  “I’m glad you’re making this as easy on them as possible,” he said. “I’m sure deciding to sell the house to begin with was a difficult decision to come to.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure it was. But Dad said we can look at houses together and find two that are near each other.”

  “That sounds great,” he said. “I’m sure we’ll find something. But we do have a wedding to plan.”

  “Slade and Trinity aren’t back from their honeymoon yet.”

  “So?” he asked. “You said we had to wait until their day was over. Well, it’s been over for a while and I want to move forward.”

  “Cayson, what’s the rush?”

  He gave me an irritated look. “There’s a big rush.”

  “Well, I want to wait until Trinity gets back so we can look at venues together.”

  “Let’s just get married at your parents house.”

  “Well, they are selling it.”

  “Then at Mike’s place,” he said. “He wouldn’t care.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “We can do this however you want but we need to get started. If we chose a venue outside the family it’ll be at least a year before we can get married.”

  “That sounds about normal.”

  “But I’d rather not wait a year.” The irritation was in his eyes.

  “These things take time, Cayson. I’m not going to drop dead next week.”

  “We don’t know that,” he said darkly. “I’ll do things however you want to do but I don’t want to stall. The sooner we find a place, the sooner we can get the ball rolling.”

  I was growing irritated. “The wedding is important to me, Cayson. I don’t want to throw something together and get it over with as quickly as possible. You’ll need to shut up and be patient.”

  He clenched his jaw tightly. “That isn’t what I meant. But I know how you are. You put work first and other things get pushed back. If we did it your way, we wouldn’t get married for two years.”

  “And what’s the rush?” I demanded.

  He cocked an eyebrow.

  “Nothing will change.”

  “Everything will change,” he said immediately. “And I’m getting the feeling that you’re stalling on purpose.”

  “That’s ridiculous, Cayson.”

  “Is it?” I demanded. “Skye, if you have any doubts you better tell me right now.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Are you sure?” he snapped.

  “Yes. Cayson, you need to calm down.”

  “Calm down?” His voice was low so I knew he was about to unleash his wrath. “I almost lost you and there was nothing I could do to save you. I never got to pledge my life to you in front of all our friends and family. You’re my dream girl, and I want you to be my wife. You don’t know what that’s like. Believe me, it would light a fire under your ass too. Anything can change and the future isn’t predictable. I want to have you as long as I possibly can. I don’t care if we’re young.”

  “I know, Cayson,” I said gently. “I just don’t want to throw something together because you’re in a hurry.”

  “I don’t mean throw something together,” he said. “But I want to do something within a reasonable time frame. We need to get started on our kids.”

  “Whoa…let’s take this one day at a time.”

  He rolled his eyes. “If your parents weren’t selling the house that would have been perfect.”

  “Yeah…but there’s nothing we can do about that.”

  “Yeah,” he said in agreement. “What about The Plaza?”

  “Too cliché.”

  “A vineyard?”

  “Can’t copy Trinity.”

  He rubbed his chin. “On the beach?”

  I shrugged. “That’s not a bad idea.”

  “Mike’s place would be perfect,” he said. “We can have the ceremony on the beach and the reception in the backyard.”

  “We can’t just expect him to let us do that.”

  “Why not?” Cayson asked. “You’re like a daughter to him. He wouldn’t mind.”

  “Probably not,” I said. “But we shouldn’t just assume he’ll say yes.”

  “Well, I’m sure he will.”

  “Let’s think about it for a few days.”

  He sighed in irritation. “Okay.”

  “And are you throwing me a bridal shower?”

  He smirked. “I was going to ask Slade, actually.”

  I laughed. “He could start his own business as a bridal party planner.”

  “I have a feeling that business wouldn’t last long.”

  ***

  “Here are the papers.” I tossed them on Dad’s desk.

  He looked up at me but there was no light in his eyes. “Thanks, pumpkin.”

  “Everything alright, Dad?”

  He stared out the window. “Someone bought the house.”

  “Oh…” That happened so fast. I didn’t expect anyone to scoop it up for a while. “Well, that’s great.” I tried to be enthused when all I felt was devastation.

  “Yeah, I guess.” The folder was in his lap but he didn’t touch it.

  I felt bad for my dad. I knew this was hard for him and he was only doing it for my mom. “It’ll be alright, Dad.”

  “I know. I just hoped it would take a while for people to put in an offer.”

  “I thought the same thing.”

  “I guess people want it because the price is so low.” He opened the folder and looked through the papers.

  “I’m sure you’ll find a better house.” That was a lie.

  “I know, pumpkin.” He gave me a false smile. “Want to come over for dinner tonight? Enjoy the house for the last time?”

  That just made me depressed. “Of course.”

  “Great,” he said. “I’ll let your brother know.”

  I couldn’t believe this was really happening. Someone was going to sleep in my bedroom, the one I occupied for eighteen years. The walls would be painted and new furniture would be placed inside. My essence would slowly fade then disappear altogether.

  ***

  Cayson rested his hand on my thigh while we ate dinner.

  Mom cooked steak, potatoes, and veggies, one of my dad’s favorite meals. Everyone was quiet at the table, not as joyful as usual since the house would be handed down to someone else soon. They would sit in this room and have dinner together, replacing us.

  “Have you found anything new?” Heath asked as he sat beside Roland.

  “We’ve been shopping around but haven’t really found anything we like,” Dad said.

  Mom picked at her food and remained quiet.

  “Where will you go?” Cayson asked. “During the transition?”

  “We’ll stay with my brother,” Dad answered. “He has a lot of extra room.”

  “That’s good,” Cayson said. “You’re always welcome to stay with us too.”

  “Thanks,” Dad said politely. “So, what’s new with you, Ro?”

  “Just work and stuff,” he said. “Nothing too interesting.”

  “I’ve been trying to move back to his department but it’s been difficult,” Heath said. “They love me too much and now they don’t want to let me go.”

  “That’s not surprising,” Roland said.

  I was quiet like Mom and didn’t eat much even though it was delicious. The house was a materialistic thing but it was so much more than that. I remembered when Cayson and I made love behind the tool shed on the property. It was the last time we were together before he left for California.

  When we finished dinner, we moved into the living room and played Monopoly. I always won this game but my family continued to play it. Cayson was a good competitor but he was no match for me.

  Mom leaned close to Dad and watched us intently, paying extra attention to Roland and I. Whenever I looked up, she was staring at me. I didn’t know what the look meant so I looked away.

  “No!” Roland landed on my hotel on Park Place. “Why do I always land on your shit, brat?”

  “Cough it up.” I extended my palm.

  “You’re so greedy,” he muttered as he counted his money. “You’ll be perfect for PIXEL.”

  “Whoa…” Dad shot him a glare.

  “Sorry,” Roland said with a chuckle. He counted the money then threw it at me. “I hate you.”

  “Don’t hate me,” I said. “Hate the game.” It was my turn so I rolled the dice and landed on Cayson’s hotel. But I didn’t pull any money out of my bank because I knew he wouldn’t make me pay him.

  “Um, excuse me?” Cayson nudged me in the side. “You owe rent money.”

  “What?” I asked. “You’re going to make me pay?”

  “Damn right, I am,” he said. “You’re so far ahead it’s not even fun.”

  “I’m your fiancé,” I reminded him.

  “Sorry, baby.” He beckoned me with his fingers. “Pay up.”

  “Do you really want to start a marriage this way?”

  “Yep.” He continued to hold his hand out.

  “That’s what I’m talking about,” Roland said.

  I sighed and gave him the cash.

  “It’s nothing personal, baby,” Cayson said.

  “I’ll remember that when you land on my property.”

  He laughed. “You were going to run me dry anyway.”

  We continued playing and Mom landed on Dad’s property. She automatically pulled out her cash to pay him.

  Dad pushed her cash away. “Unlike my kids, I’m not an ass.”

  “Sean, I’m supposed to pay you. That’s the game.”

  He put her money back in her pile. “I’ll give you a free pass, baby.”

  “See?” I said. “That’s what you’re supposed to do.”

  “We aren’t married,” he jabbed. “If we were, maybe things would be different.”

  I growled in annoyance.

  When the game went on for three hours and didn’t seem like it would end anytime soon, we proclaimed me as the winner.

  “I always win.” I raised my hands in the air in victory.

  “Thanks for being so humble about it,” Roland mumbled.

  Mom released a deep sigh then her eyes watered.

  Dad caught the look. “Baby, what’s wrong?” His full attention was on her and he put his arm around her shoulder.

  “We can’t sell this house.” She blinked her eyes quickly and stopped her tears from falling. “We just can’t. I don’t want to.”

  My eyes widened and I tried not to yell in victory.

  Roland remained just as passive.

  Dad lowered his voice. “Are you sure? I know it’s hard when the kids are here but it doesn’t change the problem.”

  “I know,” she said. “But there are more good memories than bad ones. And we can remodel the house and replace the floors and walls. There has to be something we can do.”

  Dad continued to watch her.

  “Is it too late?” she asked.

  Please don’t be too late. Please.

  “No,” he said. “We aren’t in escrow yet.”

  “So we can keep it?” she asked hopefully.

  He pulled her hair over one shoulder as he looked at her. “Are you absolutely sure? You can have whatever you want, baby. Just make sure it’s what you really want.”

  “I’m sure, Sean.”

  A smile crept into his lips. “Then we can keep the house.”

  “Yes!” I couldn’t hold it back any longer.

  Roland fist-pumped the air. “Hell yeah!”

  Cayson rubbed my back and smiled. “Looks like everything worked out.”

  “Did you already pull your offer on that house?” Mom asked.

  “No.” I clapped my hands in excitement. “And now I really hope we get it.”

 

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