Page 91 of Just Like the Brontë Sisters

Chapter 59: Gavin

Gavin knew why Skylar was crying. He wasn’t too stupid to understand that she was in love with Mitch, that she thought he was leaving her, that she felt betrayed after Magda’s appearance this morning.

“Hey,” he said, in the most soothing tone he could manage. “It’s going to be okay.”

“I need to call my Mom,” she said. “We can’t let Mitch take Bijou.”

Inwardly, he groaned. It occurred to him, not for the first time, that it might have been better if Jo Beth had eaten one of those lemon bars before giving birth, rather than after. Because now Skylar was obsessed with Bijou, and she was just as chained up as she was when Jo Beth was alive. Maybe even more. But then again, Gavin reasoned, a lot of babies die in their sleep when they’re just a few months old. Perhaps he’d made a mistake, but most likely it could be easily corrected.

“I was headed to the bakery anyway,” he said. “Your Mom should be there already, so I can talk to her about everything.”

“If Mom’s at the bakery, then Bijou must be with Dad.” Skylar removed herself from his arms. “I’m getting dressed and going over there. I just hope Mitch hasn’t gotten to him first.”

Skylar raced upstairs and was back down in less than two minutes, wearing jeans and a fleece sweatshirt, her hair pulled back into a sloppy ponytail. She grabbed her purse and car keys, limping more than she had in the last week or so. “Did you do something to aggravate your knee?” he asked.

“What?” She looked at him like he was speaking pig Latin. “Don’t worry about my knee,” she snapped. “We have to get to Bijou.”

“I thought you’d scheduled your online Brontë exam for this morning.”

Exasperation skipped over Skylar’s face. She shook her head. “Never mind; this is more important. I’ll just have to reschedule.”

“You can’t reschedule; your grade will go down.”

“Gavin, do you think I care?” Skylar charged toward him, toward the front door he was standing in front of.

He crossed his arms over his chest in defiance. “I thought you wanted to get accepted into a better school for next year. This course was a chance to prove yourself.”

“Yes, but protecting Bijou is more important. Get out of the way, Gavin.”

“I’ll protect Bijou. You worry about your exam.”

“Gavin!” She looked ready to use force, to move past him so she could get through that door and to her niece.

He placed his hands on each of her elbows. “Really, Sky. I can talk to both your parents. I can take care of Bijou. Trust me. Please.” He looked directly into her eyes. “Please, can’t you trust me?”