“I was only seventeen,” she defended herself. “I was so hurt that he left me. I didn’t want anything that reminded me of him.”
“We know that sweetheart,” Luna replied. “He’ll understand that when he’s not so angry.”
“How do I make it right for him and Ava?”
“Talk to Ava,” Luna suggested. “She’s been a Bradford for the first ten years of her life. He just can’t go changing that if she doesn’t want it. If she does, then make that change for them both. Add his name to the birth certificate for him. That one is easy.”
“I should never have left him off it,” Skylar said staring across the park at Ava.
“No, you probably shouldn’t have.”
“What if something happened to me? I don’t even have a will. I need to do one to protect Ava. He and I need to discuss all these things now that he’s back so she is taken care of.”
“Skylar,” Luna said trying to calm her. “Ava will be fine.”
“My parents weren’t fine.”
“No they weren’t but you girls were,” Luna reassured her.
“Because of Sky,” Ramona said. She tucked her arm through Brett’s and laid her head on his shoulder. “Only because of her. Our aunt was loving but otherwise she was useless. She was just an adult to live at the house so we could all stay together. Sky finished raising us. Hell, let’s be honest.” Ramona snorted. “Skylar raised all along.”
“Thanks for that Ramona.” Skylar glanced over her shoulder at her sister.
Brett patted Ramona’s hand resting against his forearm. “I’m happy for you two,” Skylar told them.
“We have a long way to go,” Ramona insisted.
Skylar chuckled. Brett scowled at her sister. “She will not give me a break.”
“You’ve come in and out of my life Brett. I just need to be sure.”
He kissed her temple. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Luna and Skylar exchanged glances. It seemed the Shaw men had a habit of being aloof in their relationships. In Brett’s case, Sky thought it was because he wasn’t sure of Ramona’s feelings and she wasn’t good at explaining herself either.
Two hours later, Brett was dropping Ava and Skylar at the ranch. He leaned over his seat and looked at his floor as Ava wrapped her arms around Ramona’s neck to hug and kiss her goodbye.
“Lil Mess, don’t forget your socks. You always leave something behind.”
She kissed him next as Skylar scooped up the socks. She pecked her sister’s cheek. Then Brett’s before she climbed out of the truck. She grabbed Ava’s hand and they walked inside together.
The house was quiet. Ava glanced up at her. “Daddy?” Ava called uncertainly.
“Honey, he’s here somewhere.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am. The park isn’t that far. I’m sure he came here. You run upstairs and shower. I’ll go out to the barn. Maybe he’s out there.”
“Okay,” Ava replied.
Skylar laid her sunglasses on the side table. She stepped through the screen door and jogged down the front steps. She had a feeling he was in the barn. Hopefully not breaking her things. She opened the barn doors. He was there. In shorts and tennis shoes. He had found a beam that his hands were wrapped around. He was doing rep after rep of chin ups. His muscles were flexing with every move of his body. A fine sheen of sweat covered his torso.
“Are you going to hold against me something I did ten years ago when I was seventeen?” She asked.
He stopped between reps. Skylar stepped into the barn and plopped down on a stool. He dropped to the ground and turned to her.
“Yeah, I am. You succeeded in making me feel as bad as you did. Happy? She’s my daughter, Sky. Why take everything away from me? Even the piece of paper letting me claim her.”