So, why did she need those words? Maybe love was about trusting a person’s intensions based on the proof shown through behavior.
In the end, she admitted that growing up with such an overwhelming family she’d become sheltered. She took love and affection for granted and overlooked that not every child grew up the same way.
As a teacher, she’d always been aware of that fact and sure to look for any symptoms of neglect. It was a part of her training, to not just educate, but fill any voids where nurture and care seemed low. How had she been so naive to think that such problems belonged only to children.
Everyone in Jasper Falls adored the mayor, but they didn’t truly know him. She saw the real Rhett Buchanan, and recognized how lonely he’d actually been before she’d come into his life. Maybe she could be the braver person and tell him he didn’t have to be alone any more.
In that moment, she admitted she loved him enough to wait for his heart to thaw.
23
Christmas Eve
* * *
Skylar slept as late as she physically could, wishing for any excuse to avoid facing her parents. She was still angry with her father and unsure what she would say to him when forced to confront him tonight.
She needed coffee before making any difficult decisions. Shuffling into the bathroom and then lurching into the kitchen of the big house, she sensed something was off the moment she reached for the coffee pot. The hairs on her arms rose and she twisted, finding Gran and her parents waiting at the dining room table—each one watching her expectantly.
“What’s going on?” A strange sense that she was being ambushed crept over her, and she regretted being too foggy headed to run.
“Get your coffee, dear, then we’ll talk,” Gran said with her usual cheer.
A vision of a wild gazelle tumbling to the earth flashed in her mind, ripped from the pack and taken out by an unexpected predator.
She got a little dramatic when cornered first thing in the morning before she had her coffee.
Her eyes narrowed and her mouth pursed. She hadn’t expected to start the day this way. Taking her time, she filled a mug and took an extra minute to stir in the cream with extra slow swirls of a spoon with perfectly spherical strokes.
She debated taking her coffee and walking right out the back door, but it was cold and she was only wearing slippers, so she carried her mug into the dining room. Her mom’s expression was unreadable and her dad was scowling.
“Have a seat,” Gran said invitingly, like this could somehow pass as normal and unthreatening.
Skylar obeyed, only because her grandmother had been so kind to her and she didn’t want to disrespect her in her own house.
The mood at the table was icy, and she suspected this meeting wasn’t at her parents’ request.
“I asked your mother and father here because I think there are some things we need to get straight. First, I want to set some ground rules. This is my house and it’s a holiday. I won’t tolerate yelling and it’s bad luck to fight on Christmas Eve.”
“Mom—”
“Don’t interrupt me, Katherine. Second, everyone at this table is an adult and should be respected as such. We aren’t here to hurl insults or hurt each other. We’re here to fix things. Anthony, maybe you should start. Do you have something to say to your daughter?”
“How could you let this happen?” His words cut off as Gran smacked him in the back of the head.
“Mom!”
Skylar’s mom gaped at Gran, but Gran only snapped, “I meant an apology.”
Her father crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not apologizing for pulling her out of that house.”
“You didn’t pull me out,” Skylar reminded. “I walked out. You humiliated me in front of half the town.”
“You were embarrassed for your own actions. I didn’t raise you to behave like that. Christ, Skylar, he’s more than a decade older than you!”
She jumped to her feet. “So what? Pop’s older than Gran, and Uncle Alec is way older than Aunt Sheilagh. Age is just a number.”
“Well, you’re behaving like a child—”
“That’s enough!” Gran shrilled. “I don’t understand why you two can’t speak to each other with more respect. This is nonsense. Anthony, she’s a grown woman. If she wants to sample every man in town, your overprotective opinions can’t stop her. You have to accept that she’s grown up. You would never treat Frankie the way you’re treating her. And while that sort of double standard might fly with your Marcelli side of the family, it doesn’t fly with ours.” She turned her stare to Skylar’s mother. “Katherine, you’ve been awfully quiet.”
Her mom looked at Skylar and it wasn’t quite disappointment in her eyes but something else. “I think you’re too young to get tied down in a relationship right now. You have so much ahead of you, Skylar. This man—”
“Rhett.”
“Fine. Rhett has a child. You’re young. You need your freedom.”
She scoffed at the irony. “Mom, what freedom did I have? I’m always taking care of James or Ciera. I couldn’t even go away to school because of Dad’s work schedule. I have never had the autonomy Frankie or even Hannah has.”
“I think you should go away to school and finish your degree.”
Skylar gaped, her hands spreading wide. “With what money?”
“You could get loans.”
It was a pipe dream. She heard her parents arguing about finances. They had remortgaged the house to help cover her dad’s research expenses while he waited for the grant to come in. They weren’t poor, but there were eight of them. It was a lot.
Her grandmother folded her hands and looked at her. “What do you want to do, Skylar?”
“I…don’t know.” She liked watching Addison, but she didn’t know if she could go back there. No matter what she chose, the governess gig would only be until Addison started kindergarten, so it wasn’t a permanent solution.
“Here’s what’s going to happen.” Gran reached into her bra and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “I have here, a check for ten thousand dollars. It’s made out to Skylar.” Both her parents gawked at the amount, but Gran ignored them. “I’m going to leave it up to Skylar, how she spends it.”
“What?” Her brain still wasn’t caffeinated enough. It sounded like… “I’m sorry. Did you say ten thousand dollars?”
Gran smiled. “You can either use it for tuition or invest it in property somewhere or use it to start a business. It’s your decision.”
“Mom, she can’t accept that—”
“It’s not your decision, Katherine. This is a gift between me and my granddaughter.”
“Maureen, how can you do that?” Her father’s disapproving scowl hit like another betrayal. “It’s not fair to the other grandchildren.”
“You let me worry about them, Anthony. Focus on your own problems for now.” She unfolded the check and slid it across the table. “It’s yours, Skylar. Use it wisely.”
Skylar stared down at the check, afraid to accept such a sum. “I could pay you back—”
“It’s not a loan. It’s a gift. Nonrefundable, I’m afraid. As it turns out, we’re only allowed to give a little over that amount each year. I spoke to the accountant and he says we can claim it on our taxes as a gift.” She grinned. “This year, you’re the lucky grandchild. Merry Christmas.”
Skylar’s eyes flooded with tears. She could do so much with that money. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Thank you will work.”
Her voice lodged behind a lump in her throat. “Thank you.”
“Then I think we’re finished here.”
Her parents pushed up from the table, seeming more irritated than they had been when this started, and her dad walked out of the house. If gratitude was a balloon, his disapproval just punctured it, and Skylar’s heart sank to the ground.
She stood and followed him. She had some things to say that might break her grandmother’s rules, so it
was best if she said her words outside.
She let the screen door slam behind her. “I’m not sorry for what I did.” The statement burst from her, and she shook in the wake of such truth.
Her father pivoted, already in the driveway, and scowled at her. “Skylar, go back inside.”
“No.” She marched down the stairs, stalking him. “Why do the men in your family think they always know what’s best for the women? This is why your sisters never got married. Grandpa was so overbearing and controlling, he never let anyone get close to his girls. Well, I want to be close to people, Dad. I like having someone pay attention to me.”
“Then find someone your age.”
“What does age have to do with anything? If Rhett and I share a connection, you should be happy for me! Don’t you want me to be happy?”
“Of course, I want that, but I know a thing or two about men and—”
“So do I!”
That shut him up.
Softening her voice, she said, “I have more uncles than shoes. I grew up watching them and all my cousins. Do you think I’m so naive that I don’t know how men are and what they think about? I could have had a ton of empty relationships by now if that was all I wanted. But I want more. Rhett gives me something I need. It’s more than sex.”
The word hit him like a slap and he squeezed his temples. “Skylar, I can’t discuss this with you.”
“Why? You talk about this stuff with Frankie. Why not me, Dad?”
“Because you’re my baby girl!”
Her eyes flushed with tears and she blinked. “I’ll always be that.”
He glanced at the car as if he wished he could run away. “You grew up so fast. It feels like I missed a part.”
She understood his position, but that was a personal issue he had to work through. She wouldn’t guilt him for working overtime or being preoccupied with his research. None of that could be undone now. This was where they were.
“Your behavior the other night…” She shook her head, still shocked he’d acted so crazy. “You hurt me.”
He looked at her with genuine regret in his eyes. “I was trying to protect you.”
“Then you should have talked to me. You could have asked what was going on and I would have told you.”
“I doubt that—”
“This is what I mean, Dad. You might not be able to accept that I’m a grown woman with adult relationships, but I’m living it. It’s not weird for me. If you had come to me, I would have told you Rhett and I were together. I would have told you how he makes me feel important and special, how he values my input and when I speak, he listens. When he looks at me, he truly sees me. That’s what I mean when I say he meets my needs, Dad. I need to feel like someone sees me.”
He studied her for a long moment. “We see you, Skylar.”
“When? If Frankie has a game, you’re there. If Hannah has a dance, you make it for the pictures. You go to Vinny’s school concerts and have tea with Ciera and watch cartoons with James, but you don’t do any of those things with me.”
His stare wavered. “I did all those things with you, too.”
“But you stopped. You got busy and you never have time anymore.”
“I always have time for you, pumpkin. Maybe I’ve been preoccupied. I know I’ve been absent a lot because of work, but you guys are always on my mind. You’re my entire world.” He frowned and looked down. “You’ve always been so reliable. I guess I just figured you could handle more than the others and maybe that’s why I pulled back, but it’s not because I love you any less or think of you any less.”
She wiped her eyes. “I love him, Dad. And I want to fix this with him, with or without your blessing.”
He exhaled and turned away. “Why him? You’re still so young and, now, with Gran’s gift, you could—”
“You’ve been with Mommy since you were kids. Do you think we can’t do math? You two had Frankie when she was barely eighteen.”
“Your mom’s situation was different. If you ask her, she’ll tell you all about the plans she had and the things she sacrificed to be a young mom. She and I don’t want to see you make those sacrifices.”
“That’s not your choice.” And being with Rhett didn’t feel like a sacrifice. It felt like a privilege.
She scuffed her slipper over the dusty driveway and pushed her hands into the pockets of her robe. “You asked why him.”
His gaze met hers and she understood that this was him finally hearing her out, that he truly wanted to understand the appeal of Rhett Buchanan.
“Because he’s who I fell in love with. He’s decent and kind, and when I’m with him, I know I matter.”
“He’s a politician. They’re inherently untrustworthy.”
“You see the mayor side of him. You don’t see the side I get when we’re alone. I know the real him. He’s a good father. He’s humble and considerate.” She didn’t think it would help her argument to share how handsome she found Rhett, so she skipped that part. “He’s kind to me.”
“Kindness should be a given, Sky.”
“I let him get close to me, because we have chemistry, Dad. I know you don’t want to hear that, but we make sense together. He appreciates who I am, and that sort of kindness isn’t the same as simple manners. It’s deeper. I haven’t found that in many surface relationships.”
He sighed, huffing out a breath that turned into cold vapor. “It’s going to take me some time to accept this.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know if we can repair the damage done or deal with being the center of what everyone has made into some ridiculous scandal. Our family is always on display. We’re everywhere and everyone knows us. This was something private, Daddy. Not because we were hiding or ashamed, but because a relationship is personal. The way you acted that night—”
“I shouldn’t have done that. Your uncle came to me and I overreacted.”
“Ya think?” She shook her head. “You acted like a maniac. And you embarrassed me.”
His head lowered. “I’m sorry.”
Skylar swallowed, accepting his apology as genuine. “I want to try to make it work with him, and I want you to support my decision.”
He sighed. “When did you get so grown up?”
“I probably just look mature, because you’re still running around punching people.”
“Not my best moment.”
She rolled her eyes. “No kidding.”
“Okay,” he finally agreed. “I’ll back off and let you figure this out, but if I catch wind of this guy doing anything disrespectful to you, I’m coming for him. That’s not an age thing. That’s a father thing. I reserve the right to vet any man my daughters date. And you won’t find a single relative who disagrees with me on that.”
She grinned. “Thank you.”
24
Christmas Day
* * *
“Have you decided how you want to spend your money?” Gran asked as Skylar helped her set out the desserts.
The majority of the family was exchanging the white elephant gifts in the den, so they had the kitchen to themselves for a brief moment.
“I, um, I’m going to invest it.”
“Oh, good. On what, dear?”
She laughed, because no matter how much her grandmother wanted to show unbiased support, her nature was to micromanage. But she was showing excellent restraint.
“There’s a room in the rec center that can be rented long-term. It’s nothing fancy, but the price is good and it has a sink and a closet and two bathrooms. I want to make it a pre-K classroom.”
She smiled, the expression full of sincere joy. “Well, I think that’s a lovely idea.”
It was a plan she’d always harbored, and one she’d researched some time ago. A pipe dream that needed a lot of seed money, which she now had.
She believed through all their little talks about nothing, her grandmother was actually listening and heard the dream in Skylar’s heart. And that was more meaningful to
Skylar than the actual ten thousand dollars.
She smiled at the woman who, no matter how busy and overrun by family her life had become, still made time to talk with each grandchild. And also, because Skylar stuck with the suspicion that she might be a favorite.
“I don’t know how successful it will be,” she explained. “But I’m legally allowed to have five students—ten if I have an assistant. And if I can manage that, I can bring in enough tuition to afford the curriculum supplies and possibly finance my future education.”
“It sounds like you’ve thought of everything.”
She thought so. The only drawback was that this meant she wouldn’t be returning to Rhett’s. But she believed if she opened a school, Addison would be among the first enrolled.
Gran set out serving spoons with the desserts. “And who knows? Maybe down the line you’ll have an entire faculty working for you and you’ll need a bigger building—a whole preschool.”
Skylar grinned. “That’s the goal.”
“Well, I think it’s a lovely dream to have.”
They announced the desserts were ready and a stampede of children raced through the house. The parents paused from the white elephant exchange to refill coffee and cocktails.
Skylar stepped outside for some air and that was when he found her. “Mind if I join you?”
She glanced over her shoulder at her Uncle Colin, but kept her expression blank. “It’s a free country.”
He approached the porch railing and rested his elbows beside hers. “I guess you’re pretty mad at me.”
“Do you blame me?”
“I was trying to protect you, Skylar. I didn’t think your dad would storm the mayor’s mansion and lay him out.”
She gave him a skeptical look.
“Okay, I guess I figured it was a possibility, but I was hoping for a more civilized reaction.”
“Since when does anyone in this family behave civilly?”
“I should have stayed out of it.”
Pining For You: Jasper Falls Page 23
