“Of course.” I slowly place her in Ivy’s arms. “Ooh, there you go.”
Skye wriggles a little but settles within seconds. After her feed, she’s been down for the count.
Ivy’s eyes light up as she stares down at her. “I’m gonna miss you,” she whispers. “I’m going to see JJ’s family, and I’ll be heading straight back to university.”
My heart nearly explodes as I watch them together, my cheeks aching from the smile lingering there.
“So this will be my last cuddle,” Ivy says with a pout. “But we’ll make up for it in the future.”
I suck in a breath when my chest starts to pound at the sweet statement. If only my sister cared the same way Ivy does.
“We should have a girly day,” she says. “When I come up to see JJ, we should take Skye out and do something fun. Just girls.”
“I’d love that,” I say in agreement.
Ivy flicks her green eyes between mine, and they’re identical to Finn’s. “I’m really glad you’re a part of our family, Maya,” she says earnestly. “You’re really good for Finn and I?—”
“What?”
“I’ve never seen him like this.” She sweeps her fingers over Skye’s legs softly. “He’s changed so much, and that’s a really good thing. I was worried about him for ages, but now he has you and Skye, I know everything is going to be okay.”
I shrug helplessly. “I didn’t do anything.”
She tilts her head to the side. “Trust me, Maya, that boy would do anything for you. You saved him.”
“No,” I murmur. “I couldn’t save him before.”
“You still did, though,” she whispers. “He wants to be better for his family, and that’s exactly what he’s doing. He knows what’s at stake and I know he’ll never put himself in a situation to lose you again.”
I purse my lips and inhale a slow breath. “Yeah, I know so, too.”
Ivy offers me a supportive smile.
“Thank you for welcoming me in,” I say.
“You’re not getting rid of us now.”
A small laugh bursts from me. “I don’t think I ever want to leave.”
An hour later, Ivy and JJ leave to head to his parents’ house for a few days. We all say our goodbyes and wave them off. Once the door is closed, Andrea and James turn towards Finn and me.
“What?” Finn quirks a brow.
“So…” She trails off. “We were thinking about taking Skye out this afternoon.”
“Okay. Where do you wanna go?”
His parents give each other a quick look. “Just us three. Not you guys.”
My brows raise and almost hit my hairline. “Oh—” I cut myself off.
“Just you two and Skye?”
“Yeah!” Andrea exclaims. “It’ll be good for you guys to have some quiet time. Don’t you think?”
I glance at Finn, who stares down at me. “Are you okay with that?”
“Sure,” I say. “It would be good for you guys to spend some time with Skye.”
