His Dakota Bride (Book 5 - Dakota Hearts) (4 page)

Kate placed a hand on her shoulder to slow her down. “You look like you didn’t sleep at all last night.”

“That’s because I didn’t.”

Skylar stopped what she was doing and turned to Kate. All the questions were there. Skylar knew she’d have to give Kate answers to them. But not now.

Kate finally gave her a wide smile. “It’s a big day. The boys are starting school today.”

Tears filled Skylar’s eyes. “I know. I’m having Poppy and Logan bring Alex here so we can all drive together to afternoon Kindergarten .”

Kate laughed. “Good. I brought my camera. Did you lay out Alex’s clothes for him? I used to do that with all the boys. Unfortunately, they’d always decide on their own at the last minute that their choice was better than mine and I’d end up with pictures of them wearing camouflage shirts or clashing plaids.”

Skylar chuckled as she put a plate of muffins into the display case to keep them fresh. Kate always had a way of making her smile. “I think I’ve seen pictures.”

“I have about three or four of them on the mantel in the living room.”

“I completely forgot about his clothes for the first day of school. I’ll call Poppy and see if she can stop by my house and get Alex ready there.”

Their daily ritual of getting ready for the morning breakfast run kept Skylar from having to face Kate directly. She hated it. She’d never been uncomfortable with Kate McKinnon in all the time she’d known her. But when Skylar finally lifted her gaze from the gray silverware tray, she saw that Kate’s smile was hesitant.

“I’m sure Wade would like to go with you.”

She nodded slowly. “I know.”

“And we should probably spend some time talking about more than just the first day of school, too.”

“I know that, too. Just…not yet. I’m still trying to process everything.”

Kate took her hand and squeezed it the way Skylar’s mother used to do whenever they’d argued and called a truce. “Okay.”

The rest of the morning Skylar busied herself with work. She was relieved when the first customers started pouring in through the front door of the restaurant. Routine is what she needed. It had gotten her through the pain of her divorce. It would get her through this next phase of her life, however painful it might be.

She’d just gotten finished taking two more orders when she walked into the kitchen and saw Hawk and Wade sitting at the little table in the back of the kitchen where the McKinnon family would come and share a meal during the day while Kate was working. Alex and Keith had sat in those seats hundreds of times over the last few years, waiting while Kate would dote on her boys and cook them a meal while still working at the restaurant. It felt strangely odd, and yet familiar to see the two older McKinnon men sitting where she’d always seen the boys.

Wade glanced up at her as she placed the new orders on the clip above the food station, then pressing a button to signal a new order. Their eyes connected for a brief moment until she dragged herself back to working on a food order that was ready to be served.

* * *

She was dancing on her toes as she moved around the kitchen. Wade watched Skylar move from one station to the next, picking up a tray of food and then disappearing into the dining room. Only then did he turn his attention back to Hawk, just as his mother walked over with the coffee pot. She poured two cups of coffee for the boys.

Touching Wade’s cheek, she smiled and asked, “Pancakes or eggs?”

“Just coffee, Mom. Thanks.”

Kate gave him a stern look that made Hawk laugh. “You know the rules. I’m making you breakfast.”

Although the diner had several cooks working the kitchen, Kate McKinnon had always insisted on making meals for her family herself. This morning was no different. Although he had no appetite, he knew it was important to her to mother him for a while.

“And you thought you were going to get away with that?” Hawk asked, laughing harder.

“At least some things never change.” Wade took a sip of coffee and watched the kitchen door. When it opened, he was disappointed to see another waitress walking through the door.

“How did you know?” he asked Hawk.

“About Skylar or about Alex?”

“Both.”

“I came home for the memorial service. Sam had just given me the cross you’d given me to hold for you. I put it on the chain with the medallion I found on that camping trip. Skylar saw it.”

“It’s a cross. There’s nothing spectacular about it. There’s probably thousands of them just like it.”

“Yeah, I know. And if that was all, then I don’t think I would have made the connection. But I thought it was strange for someone so new to town to come to a memorial service for a man she’d never met. Everyone waiting in line to get inside knew you or the family, and yet she didn’t know anyone. Not one single person. The room at the funeral hall was packed to overflowing so a lot of people spent a long time outside in the sun waiting to get in. I don’t know, it just felt strange to me. Why would she wait like that? And then I thought, maybe she had known you. So I went over to talk to her.”

The kitchen door opened again and Wade could see into the dining room for a split second. Skylar was leaned over the counter talking to a little girl who was all dressed up. He smiled, remembering how Skylar used to be with the kids back on Samoa while in the Peace Corp. She loved working with the children. That hadn’t changed.

He blinked as the kitchen door swung shut, bringing his thoughts back to the diner. Hawk seemed oblivious to the fact that Wade’s mind had wandered, and just continued his story.

“Anyway, it was so hot that day and Skylar nearly passed out in line waiting to get in. Being a doctor, someone came to get me so I could make sure she was okay. She told me she thought she was pregnant, so I got her a cup of water from the bubbler inside and helped her to a shady spot under a tree. When I bent down to hand the cup to her, the cross and medallion fell forward and she saw it. She just starred at it for the longest time and cried. The pieces just seemed to fall in place from there.”

“Why didn’t she tell the family?” He looked at his mother, who was laughing about something, clearly feeling in her element as she prepared their meal. “She’s so close to Mom. I’m surprised she didn’t at least tell her about Alex.”

“Skylar was terrified, Wade. She begged me not to tell anyone. Whatever you told her before she left Samoa was enough to keep her quiet. She was going to leave town. I convinced her to stay as long as I promised to keep her secret. And let me tell you, it was hard keeping something like that from Mom and Dad. But I’d convinced her that South Dakota was as safe as anywhere else in the world as long as no one knew her secret. She never told me what happened to make her so frightened.”

“And you never asked?”

“No. I just wanted her to stay, for Mom and Dad’s sake. For Alex’s sake. You know how Mom is. She treated Alex just like she treated Keith when they were together. She even let Alex call her Grammie because she knew Skylar was alone and Alex and Keith were practically joined at the hip once they could walk.”

“I imagine Jay wasn’t too happy about that.”

“He wasn’t too happy about a lot of things. That’s why they divorced.”

“Such as?”

Hawk shook his head. “That’s not my place to tell. You need to ask Skylar about that. I’ve already said too much.”

Wade thought about it for a minute. “She’s never going to forgive me. She won’t even talk to me.”

Hawk made a face. “I’ve never known you to give up on anything. Why start now? She just needs time to get her equilibrium back. Having you come back from the dead was a shock to everyone.”

Kate brought over two plates full of food and placed them in front of her boys.

“Thanks, Mom,” Wade said.

“Anything for you, sweetheart.” Kate bent down and kissed Wade on the cheek before she went back to work.

Hawk rolled his eyes and gave Wade a disgusted look.

Wade chuckled as he picked up his fork. “What? I’ve always been the favorite.”

He only wished Skylar still saw him that way.

# # #

There was no avoiding the inevitable. It may have been nearly six years but Skylar knew Wade well enough to know he’d sit in that back room all day if it meant he’d get five minutes with her.

It’s how he had gotten her to go out with him on their first date. He’d sat under a tree outside the small school she’d been working at for five hours. She’d seen him through the window all day, and when she’d left for the day, curiosity got the better of her.

Wade had watched her walk over to him the whole way. When she finally reached his shady spot under the tree, she asked him if he was lost. He just smiled up at her and said, “Not anymore.”

She’d spent the last eighteen hours pushing memories of the two of them aside, only to turn every corner and be flooded with more memories. She hadn’t thought of that day in years. Seeing him sitting at the table in the back of the kitchen, playing with a salt and pepper shaker like she’d seen the boys do countless times, it’s all she could think about.

Taking the bull by the horns, she walked over to Wade to get the inevitable over with. She grabbed two glasses from the shelf and poured milk into them. As she walked up to the table, Wade looked up at her with surprise.

“I get it,” he said before she could utter a word. “You don’t want to see me. But what about Alex?”

She placed the two glasses of milk on the table in front of him. He gently placed his hand over hers before she could turn away.

“You don’t have to serve me.”

“It’s not for you. The boys usually have breakfast or lunch here every day and then go play in the back room with the babysitter.”

His face brightened. “They do?”

She nodded. “But today is a big day. Alex and Keith have their first day of kindergarten. They will be here any minute. We’re going to take pictures of them in the back room and then bring them to school.”

“School. Wow. Already?”

“They’re five years old. It’s time. Anyway, Kate arranged for extra coverage here at the diner so I’m going to drive over to the school with Poppy and Logan to see both of them off.”

His face brightened. “I’ll come with you.”

She inhaled deeply. “Fine.”

Skylar was dying. How could she be this close to Wade and not have everyone in this diner see exactly what she was feeling. She couldn’t be this close to him.

Turning on her heels, she walked to the back room where the kids played with a babysitter while Skylar worked. When Logan’s late wife was sick, he used to bring Keith here to be near Kate. Once Kelly passed away, Logan continued to bring Keith over to play with Alex to help him get over the loss of his mother.

Wade followed her to the back room. When Skylar and Wade were finally alone, she turned to him.

“I know you were expecting something different from me. But if I’ve learned anything at all, it’s that what’s done can’t be undone. I’m standing here feeling guilty for something I have no reason to feel guilty about. I didn’t do anything wrong by marrying Jay. I shouldn’t feel this way, Wade.”

“How’s that?”

“Like I betrayed you. But I didn’t. You left me. And no matter what we shared in the past, these last five years happened and will always stand between us. You can’t erase them just because Jay is no longer a part of my life.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that I’d like you to have a relationship with Alex. I think it’s important. At least while I’m still here in South Dakota.”

“Well, gee, thanks. He’s only my son.”

She gazed up at him, hoping he’d understand. “But he doesn’t know that. You can’t just come back here and think you can push Jay out of his life for good. He’s a little boy. He won’t understand. It was hard enough for him the first time.”

He looked stricken. “So what am I supposed to be? Another uncle?”

She heard the bell ring, signally the food for one of her orders was ready to be served. “I don’t know. Maybe. I haven’t thought that far ahead.”

Color filled Wade’s face. He ran his hand over his face and looked up at the ceiling.

“He’s not always going to be a little boy, Wade. Someday he’ll learn the truth. Can’t we just try it this way for now? Just until I get my bearings again? Until we can figure it all out?”

“I can’t believe this.”

“Well, that makes two of us. There are a lot of things I still can’t believe myself. Look, I have a lot to do today. Alex is going to play with Keith over at Logan’s house after school. The boys have always loved playing together. Logan and Hawk have always treated Alex the way they treat Keith.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “Of course they would. Alex is family.”

She took a deep breath. “That’s probably the easiest way to introduce you into Alex’s life. He’s comfortable at Logan’s. If you want to see him this afternoon, he’ll be there. Would that be okay?”

“I guess it will have to be, won’t it?”

Skylar started to leave, but he caught her by the arm.

“What about you and me? Have you thought at all about us?”

She eased her arm out of his grip, feeling the weight of tears stinging her eyes. “Wade, you and I stopped being ‘us’ a long time ago. There is no us anymore.”

* * *

“She hates me,” Wade said. He’d been sitting at the kitchen table, looking at a photo album of pictures of him and his brothers when they were kids. Kate sat across the table with a new photo album open. She had photos of Alex and Keith spread out on the table in front of her. Some were new pictures she’d taken today and she’d had his father print up. Some were from yesterday’s Labor Day barbeque.

Kate shook her head. “What you did to her… What she went through was terrible. I was there for it all, Wade. She was shattered. Even when she said she was marrying Jay, it just didn’t feel right. I always knew Alex wasn’t Jay’s son.”

“Do we have to talk about him?”

Kate glanced up from the picture she was pasting to the photo album. “He wasn’t a bad man, Wade. And he wasn’t mean to Alex. He did treat him different, though. There was never that bond that is so strong between Logan and Keith. And Skylar? Well…”