She leaned into her father. Skylar knew without asking that she wanted to be a Shaw like the rest of them. She wouldn’t let it show but so did she. That had been their plan all the time. She was supposed to be Skylar Shaw, married to Luka, living in a house in town having his babies. She pushed that thought out of her head. She was a damn fool, thinking about those dreams still.
“Ava, you want to be a Shaw, don’t you?” She asked her daughter.
“I do,” she whispered.
It gave her security somehow. Like she really was Luka’s if she had his name. Like he really would never leave her. Skylar guessed she understood that. “I will have Jason draw up the paperwork changing your name sweetheart.”
“Sky, are you sure?” Luka asked.
“Ava wants this Luka. I can see it in her face.”
She rose from the stool where she was sitting. “I’ll make an appointment for us Monday morning to see him. We can take care of everything then.” She started walking out of the barn.
“Momma, thank you for understanding. I love you.”
“I love you too Ava.”
Skylar left the barn and went inside the house. She felt like she was losing Ava to Luka even though she knew it was just the need to hold onto him because she hadn’t had him in her life in the ten years of her existence. Her daughter was making up for lost time.
Inside Skylar started looking through the freezer then the fridge for items she wanted to make Ava’s favorite dinner. She was bent over at the waist looking through her kitchen cabinet when Luka joined her.
“Although I love the view we should talk.”
“Shut up,” she grumbled.
“Now it’s your turn. Talk to me Skylar.”
“I don’t want to talk.” She kept taking things out looking for something in particular.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“I’m looking for something?”
“What?”
Skylar sat on the floor. She stopped rooting through the cabinet and started to cry. Luka walked to her and sat beside her. Sitting cross legged for him was not an easy chore. He laid his hand on her arm and she shoved him away.
“What is wrong?”
“I’m losing Ava,” she cried.
“I was afraid that is what it was.” Skylar looked at him. “You are not losing Ava. You know better.”
“What?” She sniffed back her tears.
“Skylar, Ava loves you. I’m like a new toy that she hasn’t gotten bored with yet even I know that much about kids. I haven’t been put in the position to be the disciplinarian yet where she can get mad at me.”
Skylar laughed through her tears.
“So when do you think you’ll be the disciplinarian Luka?” Skylar asked him.
He chuckled. “Hopefully never,” he replied. “I know she just has to look at me with those eyes of hers and I’ll want to cave.”
Skylar pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She ran her fingers through her hair. “Inside,” she tapped her forehead. “I know the truth but in here,” she tapped her heart, “it’s a little more difficult to not feel fear that Ava will resent me for keeping you from her.”
His eyes met hers. Luka sighed heavily.
“I won’t let that happen Sky. As hurt as I was at finding out about her I guess I understand the level of pain you were in and the age you were the reasons you did what you did.