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“Because Brett was tired sweetheart and didn’t want to drive home so late,” Luna told her. “So Ramona let him sleep over at her apartment.”
“That was nice of Aunt Ramona,” Ava replied.
Stellan had to leave the table he was laughing so hard. Ramona, Luna and Skylar were glaring at him as he left the dining room. Dalton was barely containing his laughter behind his hands. Benjamin was just shaking his head at his brothers. Brett didn’t find anything funny about this conversation.
Halfway through dinner with stolen looks between the two Brett finally spoke up. “Just give me a chance Ramona. Baby, that’s all I’ve ever wanted.” She shook her head no. Skylar glanced across the table at her sister. Then she looked across her daughter’s head at Luka.
“Why do I feel like I’m missing half the conversation here?” Ava asked.
“Because you are young,” Skylar replied. “Stay that way for as long as possible Ava. Getting older, falling in love only brings you heartache.”
She met Luka’s gaze over Ava’s head. She saw the regret in his but she couldn’t care; if she did she would be lost again. Lost in him as she was before. Something she just couldn’t afford to do. Not again.
Ramona and Skylar cleaned up the dinner dishes and put away the food after everyone was done eating. They always did this. Luna cooked, the kids took turns cleaning up afterwards. This week was Ramona and Skylar’s turn. Skylar was rinsing all the dishes and handing them to Ramona. They were quiet not speaking to each other at first. Skylar couldn't stand it anymore she turned to Ramona and handed her another plate.
“When Brett and I
started kindergarten there was a bully that used to pick on me because I was so small. Remember? You were my height at four when I was six.” Ramona couldn’t help it, she laughed. “It isn’t funny.”
“It is,” Ramona replied. “Steve Tennison?” She asked.
“Yeah, that would be him. He still made fun of me in high school when I finally stopped growing and was barely over five foot two.”
Ramona nodded. “Luckily, I reached five foot six.”
“Yeah, I’m the smallest sister. I think the smallest one in our family.” Skylar couldn’t stop the groan that came out after that statement.
“So, what’s the point of this story?”
“That is when my relationship with Brett started. He used to watch my back. It just kept going from there. There is no love between us like romantic love.
“When Jacob used to beat the crap out of him. He came to hide out with me. I took care of him then Ramona.” Sky glanced at her sister. She saw the hurt that statement caused her. No one liked to see what Jacob’s anger had done to the Shaw boys. “I love him but not like that.”
“I always wanted to go with you guys. I was jealous,” Ramona told her. She glanced at her sister. She had never known. If she hadn’t been so wrapped up in herself, she might have.
“Do you know how hard it is to watch you two together? Ask Luka sometime, Skylar. If he’s honest with you he’ll tell you how he really feels.”
Skylar got quiet. “He told me this afternoon he felt better about leaving me because Brett would be there to pick up the pieces.” Skylar kept rubbing the sponge round and round on the plate. Ramona reached over and took the plate from her.
“I was only fourteen Sky but I know how devastated you were when Luka left you.” Her sister’s tone and entire attitude changed. “That isn’t a fair statement. He didn’t see you when he was gone. I was afraid for you. I was actually glad that you had Brett otherwise I wasn’t sure that you would have survived. If you didn’t…I didn’t know what would happen to the rest of us.”
Sky looked up at Ramona. “I didn’t think I would survive either,” she told her sister.
She had never experienced that kind of pain until their parents were killed. Then she was scared too because she had three sisters under eighteen to care for and a child that was practically a newborn.
“At first I wasn’t sure you would survive either but then you did really good, Skylar. I know Aunt Meg helped the first eight months until you turned eighteen but most of the responsibility fell on you. I know that. That was a lot for an eighteen-year-old.” Ramona looked at her. “Let’s be honest, you never really got to be a kid. You were always taking care of us and Ava.”
“I just wanted us to stay together. You, Roxy and Chloe were all that I had besides Ava.”
“And Brett,” Ramona said.
Skylar turned back to the sink. “I wish you could understand how I feel about him.”
Ramona sighed. “I guess I do to some degree.” She handed her sister another plate to put in the dishwasher.
“Do you care for Brett?”
“Do you care for Luka?”
