CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Skylar

Her phone buzzed in her purse as she strolled out the hospital doors. Caller ID revealed it was her sister.

Skylar hadn’t spoken to Wren in weeks. A lifetime in their sisterhood.

“Hey, Wren.”

“Holy shit, you actually picked up.”

“You caught me in a good mood.”

“Does this mean you’ve forgiven me?”

She sighed, waved to the security guard, and breathed in the Texas twilight air. “For which offense?”

“Are you kidding me? What the hell did I do now?”

“I don’t want to fight.”

“Neither do I. What happened?”

“In the future, please don’t use Phoebe's death as leverage to meddle in my personal life.”

The line turned silent. Car horns blared in the background, proving Wren was still on the line. Probably walking home from work.

“Oh,” she finally responded. “That.”

“Yeah, that.”

“Did it work?”

Skylar’s heart warmed. Yes. “I miss you.”

“Oh, deflection! That’s a yes. Please, tell me what happened. I miss you, too.”

She could almost picture her sister bouncing down the sidewalk with the energy in her voice. She hated admitting when Wren was right, and this is the closest she’d ever get.

Riggs had spent last night with her, although he hadn’t slept much. After their multiple rounds of more hotter-than-sin sex, he’d been restless. He’d left shortly before her shift this morning, giving her a sweet kiss and asked for another date. This casual relationship had started to feel more serious every day. For an odd reason, that didn’t scare her as much.

“You need a connection with someone down there, who knows what happened,” Wren carried on. “Who can help recognize any triggers as you learn your way around a strange place. I wanted you to feel safe as you enjoyed life.”

Big sisters are relentless.

“When did you become the happiness police?”

‘The second you were born. Your happiness is as important to me as my right to annoy the shit out of you.”

“That part you’re very good at.” Skylar maneuvered between cars to her vehicle, and noticed two men standing at the far end of the row. One in a graphic T-shirt and blue baseball cap, the other one older and taller, with long black hair pulled back into a ponytail.

Her gut tugged inward, but she kept moving.

“Riggs is a great guy. Please, tell me you’ll see him again,” Wren pushed.

“I have.” As much as she loved her sister, now was the not the time to reveal how much further she’d gone with the man who filled her thoughts. The knowledge would make Wren’s head inflate more than it already was. “We’re going to a concert this weekend.”

“Fantastic! Has he given you a taste of what a real man can do in the bedroom?”

Her cheeks flushed with heat. I’ll say.

The men at the end of the row turned and looked at her. The one with the dark ponytail looked Hispanic, with a gruff, wrinkly face.

She swallowed.

He smiled and waved. Then turned more. In his other hand was a small bouquet of yellow roses.

Skylar waved back, and forced a deep breath. “Those are beautiful.”

“Thank you. My wife just gave birth to our daughter. Our first.” A gentle Texas accent filled his voice.

“Congratulations. What’s her name?”

“Paloma Rosa.”

“Very pretty. What does that mean?”

“Rosa is rose, Paloma is dove.”

“Congrats, my best to your wife as well.”

“Gracias.”

She climbed in her car and turned the key.

“That was sweet,” Wren announced, the phone still against Skylar’s ear. “Paloma Rosa.”

“Dove. Another bird name. Mom would’ve liked that.”

“So would’ve Phoebe.”

Skylar took a deep breath. Yes, she would’ve.

“Do you forgive me?”

“What are sisters for?”

“Great, ‘cause I have some news, and a huge favor to ask.”

Oh, God.

Skylar tossed her bag in the passenger seat. “You have no shame.”

“I thought we established that back when Mom threatened to disown me after I quit college for a tattoo internship.”

“No, that was because you crashed her car after a night of partying.”

“Oh, yeah. Well, I was never the responsible one in the family. Do you have an extra bedroom for your newly unemployed sister turned entrepreneur?”

Skylar shook her head, and could only laugh.