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“I imagine Kennedy carries a lot of guilt for leaving you. It must be hard for her to see you again. Give her some time.”
I nod. I hear what Will’s saying, and of course it makes sense, but it’s still difficult to process.
Will pours himself and me fresh glasses of wine, and we sit sipping our drinks in companionable silence until we hear the floorboards squeaking above. A moment later, we hear the pitter patter of little feet coming down the stairs. Penny appears in the open doorway, clad in pink pajamas with little ice cream cones all over them. Based on the fit, I’m pretty sure she’s got the top on backwards.
She walks up to Will and, with a big grin on her face, she says, “I put my pajamas on all by myself, and I brushed my teeth.” Then she bares her teeth in what looks like a feral grin.
Chair legs screech against the wooden floorboards as Will gets to his feet. “Great job, sweetheart. Go hop in bed. I’ll be right there to read you a story.”
Before he leaves, Will gives me one last piece of advice. “You have this small window of time to try to patch things up with her, so don’t waste it. If you truly love her, don’t give up. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a little girl who’s waiting on her bedtime story.”
Chapter 9
Kennedy Takahashi
I follow Skye up the staircase and down the hall to the second door on the right, which is Nicky’s room. The nursery walls are painted a pale blue, and the crib, changing table, and rocking chair are all white. The floors are a light wood, and there’s a plush blue rug beneath our feet. A small bookcase holds baby books, and a shelf on the wall displays a collection of stuffed animals.
“I bet you’re glad to have a boy,” I say as Skye lays Nicholas on the changing table. “You have a daughter and a son, one of each.”
She smiles as she unsnaps the baby’s onesie. “Yes, it’s pretty perfect.” She leans down and smiles at her son. “You’re pretty perfect, aren’t you?” she says in a cooing voice.
“Do you think you’ll have more kids?” I ask.
Smiling, she shrugs. “We’ve been discussing it. Will likes the idea of a large family.”
“What do you think?”
“I’m an only child. At least Iwasan only child before my dad married Julie, later in life, and they had Charlie and Rebecca, my young half-siblings. But still, I grew up without siblings. I don’t know what it’s like to have a house full of kids.”
“I can’t help you there,” I say, laughing. “Only kid here, too. And Will is also, isn’t he? He seems like a great dad, very involved and ready to chip in.”
Skye removes Nicky’s wet diaper, places it in the diaper pail, and grabs a clean one. “He’s a wonderful dad. I’m sure if we had a whole pack of kids, he’d be only too happy to chase them all down.”
“Penny seems to take well to being a big sister.”
“She’s been a big help, fetching and carrying for me, everything from diapers to pacifiers.”
I watch as Skye dresses her son in a white sleeper with teddy bears on it.
Once Nicholas is dressed for bed, Skye carries him over to the padded rocking chair and sits. “Would you mind turning down the light? Then have a seat.” She points to an upholstered armchair across from the rocker.
I dim the light, then sit. Skye unbuttons her shirt and arranges Nicholas so he can nurse.
“You’re a natural at this motherhood thing,” I say. “You make it look so easy.”
Skye smiles. “Well, I had plenty of practice with Penny. She was my guinea pig.” She rocks gently as the baby nurses. “So, how’s it going?”
“How’s what going?” I ask, but of course I know exactly what she means.
“Seeing Connor again. If my recollection is right, this is the first time you’ve seen him since Penny was born.”
It’s hard to imagine that much time has passed. “It’s not easy. Just when I think I’m making progress in trying to get over him, wham! I’m right back to square one. You should have told me he was coming this weekend.”
Skye winces. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I was afraid you wouldn’t come if you knew.” As she pats the baby’s diapered bottom, she lifts her gaze to me. “It’s been five years, Kennedy, and you’re both still single.”
“So, you think we’re pining for each other? Both of us unable to move on?”
“I’m pretty sure that’s the case for Connor. What about you?”
