Chapter Seventeen

"Are you sure?" Sky wasn't, so she asked again.

"Yeah, we'll be fine. Look at them; they're sleepy already. I'll get them into pajamas before we settle down to watch Dora. Come on, when was the last time you took a nice, long, hot bath? Had a glass of wine or read a book?" Keelee stood beside her in the expansive living area of the main ranch house. A fire roared in the massive fireplace making cheery popping and hissing noises and coating the room in a golden hue.

"I can do you one better. Ask me when was the last time I shaved my legs." Sky gave Keelee a wide-eyed face, crossing her eyes briefly.

Keelee laughed so hard she almost choked. "Oh my God, way too much information!" She glanced at her watch. "Adam will be home in thirty minutes. You know Kadey will be fine. I promise we won't run around the house fifty times or teach her how to become a bull rider. Well, at least I won't until she gets older."

Sky stuck her index finger in her mouth and nibbled on her nail. She pulled it out and offered another option, "I could watch them both so you and your husband could get some alone time." She really didn't want to let Kadey out of her sight. Like, at all.

"Excuse me? Have you met my dad and stepmom? Girl, we are lucky to get Lizzy three nights out of the week." Keelee turned to face Sky and dropped a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I know you've been through some serious shi… stuff." Keelee glanced over her shoulder at the girls who were still playing with their Barbie dolls. "Give yourself one night. Get out the tree trimmer and hack down the forest growing on your legs, grab a bottle of wine out of the chiller," Keelee motioned to the impressive, well stocked bar at the other end of the living room, "…and get some quality sleep. Kadey will be okay, she's under a doctor's roof, and I promise I'll come get you if anything happens, but you and I both know she's going to be fine."

Sky glanced back at her daughter and nodded. "Alright, let me go pack her a bag."

"No need. Lizzy may be a year younger, but she's got some height on Kadey. I know I have pajamas and clothes to fit her. Just go hug her goodnight and we'll be on our way."

Sky cocked her head up at the tall blonde and arched an eyebrow. "You're afraid I'm going to change my mind in the time it takes to pack a bag."

"Yup, nailed it in one, and I'm not giving you a chance." Keelee spun on the heel of her cowboy boot and literally hopped over to the girls, bringing a barrage of giggles from all three of them. "Surprise! Kadey you get to spend the night with Lizzy! I'll make cookies after dinner, and we can decorate them tomorrow morning!"

"Yeah!" Lizzy jumped up and down with her mom, but Kadey stood still and looked back at Sky. She walked over to her mom and motioned for her to bend down. "Are you going to be afraid if I go to Lizzy's?" Kadey's golden eyes held hers.

"No…" Sky made her face as serious as she could. "I know where you are and if I do get afraid or lonely, I can come get you. It's okay to have fun with Lizzy and Miss Keelee tonight."

"But what are you going to do?"

"Probably read a story and go to bed."

Kadey put her hands on her hips and tilted her head at Sky. "That doesn't sound like much fun, Mommy. You should come spend the night with us!"

"Ah, well I was kinda looking forward to reading my story. Maybe I'll come over next time." She winked at Lizzy who now stood beside Kadey. The two girls were joined at the hip.

"Okay, but if you get scared or lonely, you can come over, too." Lizzy grabbed Kadey's hand after her proclamation. "'mon Kadey. Let's go!"

Kadey turned to leave, but Sky called her back. "Hey, what am I, chopped liver? Where is my goodnight hug and kiss?"

Both girls giggled and in unison ran back to her for a hug. Sky swallowed a lump in her throat as she watched her baby grab Keelee's hand and leave without a backward glance. She'd been singularly dedicated to making sure Kadey was alright for so long, she had no idea what to do with an evening without her. The last time she'd left Kadey alone was over two years ago… the last time Kaeden had called and asked her to meet him in that ratty-ass hotel.

Sky drew a shaky breath and glanced over at the bar. She hadn't had a drink since the sip of whiskey Kaeden had given her prior to Kadey's surgery. God that seemed like ages ago. Sky walked behind the bar and searched through the wine selection. A huge glass faced refrigerator held the wine. Blue lights illuminated the sections telling her to what degree the bottles were chilled.

"I'd recommend the chardonnay."

Sky jumped and spun around. Her hand clutched at her chest. The man that stood behind her was huge.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"I didn't hear you." Sky pulled in a lungful of air and let it out slowly, trying to still the hammering of her heart.

"I have a habit of walking softly. Training, I guess." The man rested his forearms on the bar. He was blonde and heavily muscled. The suit he wore emphasized his physique instead of disguising it. He held out his hand. "I'm Zane Reynolds. I work with Kaeden."

"Oh." Sky reached for the man's hand and shook it. "I'm Sky, but you probably knew that since you said you work with Kaeden. He didn't mention you, but then again, he hasn't said much about his work. Wow, that sounded bad, didn't it? Yeah, it did. And, I'll just shut up now." Score one for her, she was babbling like an idiot and in front of one of Kaeden's co-workers.

The man laughed and rounded the end of the bar. He was really big… like huge. Sky backed away, uncomfortable for no reason other than she didn't know this man. He stopped and pulled out two glasses filling them with ice. "I'm making a drink for myself and my fiancée. May I make you one?"

Oh. Fiancée. Here ? Sky turned her head around looking for another person.

"Jewell will be here in a minute. She's in the kitchen with her mom and stepdad catching up. We don't make it out here too often."

"You don't live here? Well, obviously you don't…" Sky felt her face flame up. Goodness, what was the matter with her tonight?

"We live and work in D.C., but we have some business to attend to out here within the next week or so. We can telecommute until then, so to speak." He lifted an empty glass and an eyebrow.

"Yes, thank you." She had no idea what the man was going to pour, but anything at this point would work. A dark amber liquid splashed two thirds of the way up the ice before he poured a clear soda into the glasses and stirred.

"Hey, what's taking you so long?"

Sky spun around at the sound of the woman's voice. Wow. Did they not grow normal sized humans at this place? The woman wasn't as tall as Keelee, but she was way taller than Sky's five foot four inches. And she was beautiful, like model-type beautiful.

"Sky, this is my fiancée Jewell King. Jewell this is Sky Meyers."

Sky waved from behind the bar and kept her mouth shut. God only knew what would come out of her mouth if she opened it now.

"Oh! Sky! Hi! It is so good to finally meet you!" The woman came around the bar and wrapped her up in a hug.

Sky's hands stayed suspended in mid-air, one holding her drink and the other frozen by the shock of a person she didn't know hugging her.

"Sorry, she's a hugger," Zane commented when his fiancée pulled back.

"True. I am. But hey, where's your daughter? I read that everything went perfectly and that she's doing amazing." Jewell took her drink from her fiancé and gave him a sweet kiss as a thank you.

Sky put down the drink and clasped her hands together to stop her hands from shaking. The woman's comments reverberated in her head. "How did you read anything about Kadey?"

"Huh? Oh, I run the computer systems for Guardian, and we've been helping with your situation from the beginning." The woman's smile faltered, and she glanced over at her man. "He didn't tell her?"

"Obviously not."

"No."

Sky and the big guy spoke at the same time.

"Well, this isn't awkward, is it?"

A smile grew on Jewell's face until she started laughing. "Let's start over. Hi, I'm Jewell King. Our section was the one that identified your attempts to find…" She looked over at Zane. "Kaeden."

"Right, Kaeden."

Sky cocked her head and glanced from one to the other. "You need to explain why you don't know his name."

"Oh, that's easy. I've never met him. He's a case file number to me, nothing more. Zane here, he used to work with him, and they're friends. Besides, if it isn't coding, I'm not likely to remember a damn thing." The woman took a sip of her drink and closed her eyes. She let out a small whimper. "I so needed this after today."

"You did one hell of a job. Consider this unhealthy indulgence a reward." Zane wrapped his arm around Jewell's waist and pulled her in, kissing her on the forehead.

Sky looked away from the intimate moment. Dang it, she was kinda stuck. She couldn't get past them to leave them alone.

"So where is Kadey?"

Sky popped her attention back up to the couple as Jewell looked at her expectantly. "Ummm… she's spending the night with Lizzy at the Cassidys." Sky cast a glance toward the twenty-foot front doors where they'd left not ten minutes ago.

"Awesome, that means you're free to come to girls night. My sister Jasmine, my mom, my sister-in-law Ember usually drink some cocktails, well, they drink wine, and we binge watch Supernatural and talk girl talk. Keelee usually comes, and now I know why she begged off."

"Ahh…" Sky's eyes darted around the room looking for an escape or an excuse to decline the invitation.

"I think you might be piling just a little too much on Sky right now, hon." Zane's comment had Sky's head nodding north and south in a nanosecond,

"Oh." Jewell glanced down at her drink. Zane leaned down and whispered in her ear. The woman smiled and nodded before she cast her glance over toward Sky. "I'm sorry. I'm not the best at social interactions. If you want to come, that would be cool, but if not, I understand."

Sky felt the release valve activate and the pressure that had descended on her started to evaporate. "I'm actually looking forward to going up to my room, taking a nice long bath and reading a book."

"I get that." Jewell grabbed Zane's hand and pulled him out from behind the bar.

Another wave of relief washed over her. The man was big and having him block her exit was intimidating.

Halfway to the door, Jewell threw over her shoulder, "Tell Kaeden we said hi."

Sky looked down at her drink. She wished he'd call, but with each day that passed she grew more certain Kaeden wasn't coming back-not for her, and not for Kadey. She'd figure out a way to get her life back. Being dumped in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of strangers was an absolutely dick move on Kaeden's part… except for the free medical care. And room and board… so maybe not a dick move…

"He hasn't called, has he?" Zane's question pulled her from her muddled thoughts.

Sky shook her head. "No, I haven't talked to him since the day we left California. He said he was tying up loose ends, but I honestly don't expect him to call or come back." As far as Sky knew, Kaeden hadn't so much as called or texted to check up on them. His concern for Kadey seemed real. No, stop it! Dang it, she knew he cared. He'd protected them from the thugs who murdered the two people in Sacramento. He'd contacted his people and taken them to the safety of the Air Force base. Kadey had world-class care both there and here at Guardian's facility. Kaeden cared, she didn't doubt it, but…

Zane and Jewell looked at each other before Zane turned back to her. "I'll reach out and see what's up. I know there is no reason to worry. Good night."

"I'm not worried about Kaeden. Enjoy your evening." Sky spoke as they walked hand and hand out of the room.

She set the drink down in the sink and nibbled on her thumbnail. Her nerves were shot. Sky rubbed her eyes before tears could form. She wished things were different. She wished Kaeden could be the permanent fixture in their lives that they both yearned for. But his reality and hers were never meant to mesh. She knew that and still… she wished the ending to the story would change, even though she knew it couldn't. Sky headed up the stairs to her room. Why did she think this time would be different? Because Kadey was involved, obviously. Sky headed upstairs. She needed to grow a spine when it came to Kaeden. Or armor. Yes, armor would be better. Especially now that she wasn't the only one he could hurt.