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I shrug. “I’ve dated.”
“Not seriously.” She makes a point of glancing at my hand. “You’ve never mentioned anyone to me, and I don’t see a ring on your finger.”
Self-consciously, I cover my left hand with my right. “Maybe I like being single. Is that a crime?”
“Of course not. Or, maybe no one else has ever measured up to Connor. I happen to remember you telling me once how smitten you were with him.”
I laugh. “I’ve never used the wordsmittenin my life.”
“Yeah, but you were crazy about him, admit it.” Skye’s expression morphs into a frown. “What happened, Kennedy? You guys seemed so happy. What went wrong?”
A chill comes over me as old memories resurface. “Cold, cruel reality is what happened.” I try not to sound bitter. “Connor’s grandfather wasn’t very accepting of me.”
“That’s ridiculous. Why not?”
I motion to my face. “Hello? Japanese-American here, not Caucasian.”
Skye shrugs dismissively. “Connor doesn’t care.”
“No, but his grandfather did.”
“What are you talking about?” Skye’s expression turns wary, as if she knows bad news is coming.
I let out a heavy breath. Even now, it’s hard to talk about. “It was after Connor’s father died. Connor took me to his grandfather’s ninetieth birthday party. I was surrounded by a bunch of aristocrats, many of whom looked down their noses at me. I got a lot of cold shoulders that day when Connor wasn’t looking.How dare their precious Connor, heir to the family fortune, date an outsider?I wasn’t just an American, a foreigner—that was bad enough—but I was also Asian. Two strikes against me.”
Skye looks shocked. “Did you tell Connor?”
I shake my head. “No. I didn’t want to come between Connor and his family. It wouldn’t be the first time a guy’s family didn’t approve of me. I was engaged to a guy when I was in college—I was crazy about him. We were talking marriage—I even had an engagement ring on my finger. But when his parents found out I was Japanese-American, they pressured him into breaking up with me.”
Skye lifts Nicholas to her shoulder and pats his back. “I’m so sorry, Kennedy. People can be such bigoted asses sometimes.”
I look away to study a trio of baby animal prints hanging on the wall—a baby elephant, a giraffe, and a zebra. “Connor’s grandfather told me he’d never allow Connor to marry a foreigner, let alone one of my ethnicity. He said if Connor did, he’d disinherit him. I couldn’t allow that to happen. It broke my heart to leave him, but how could I stay under those conditions?”
“Don’t you think you should have let Connor decide his own future?”
“This isConnorwe’re talking about. He wasn’t just some random Brit. He was heir to a massive fortune. I couldn’t risk his grandfather disinheriting him.”
When the baby lets out a healthy burp, we both laugh. Then Skye resumes nursing. “He’s still in love with you.”
My chest tightens painfully at the reminder. “I know.”
“And I think you’re still in love with him. His grandfather has passed, and Connor inherited everything. There’s no one standing in your way, Kennedy. Or his. Just think about it.”
When the baby is done eating, I follow Skye to her bedroom, where the baby’s cradle stands beside her bed. Skye kisses his little forehead and lays him in his bed. Then she turns on the baby monitor and switches off the lamp, leaving only a nightlight on.
As we leave the room, she quietly closes the door. “You need to let Connor make his own choices, Kennedy. He’s a grown man. He doesn’t need you to protect him.”
“I know.” When Skye yawns, I say, “It’s getting late.” I reach out and squeeze her hand. “I think I’ll call it a night and head to bed.”
“I think I will, too. After I check on Penny, I’m changing into my pajamas and crashing early. I’ll see you at breakfast.” Skye gives me a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve missed you.”
“Me, too.”
When I walk downstairs, I expect to find Connor and Will still sitting in the dining room, but there’s no sign of them. When I check the kitchen, I find Maggie cleaning up after dinner and Will pouring hot water from a kettle into two cups. “Making tea?”
“It’s chamomile, decaf,” Will says. “It helps Skye relax so she can sleep. Is Nicholas in bed?”
Seeing Will in the role of doting husband makes me smile. “Yes, he’s asleep in his bassinet. Skye’s getting ready for bed.”
