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“I see. What about Piper? Should I listen for her name too?”
I shook my head. “She’s a year younger, so she won’t graduate until next year. But she’ll be in the audience somewhere, so you might see her.”
“I’m sure I’ll recognize her from TV.” Skye smiled again and picked up her purse. “Anyway, I’ll see you two afterwards. Good luck.”
She waved and headed down the steps, leaving me with Jensen. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Ready to go?” he asked. “Or would you prefer me to carry you?”
I laughed. “You know I can still walk,” I said. “I’m not quite at the waddling stage yet. Give it a few more weeks for that.”
“I know, but I like carrying you,” he said with a wolfish grin. He hooked his arm in mine and dipped his chin toward the stadium. “Anyway… let’s go and graduate.”
The ceremony dragged on for what felt like an eternity, but eventually every senior received their diploma and tossed their cap in the air for the photo op. Jensen and I hung around for a while, saying hi to everyone and taking more pictures, and then we met up with Skye and headed to our favorite spot in town.
Over sandwiches and freshly-squeezed juices, we learned all about her life over the last eighteen years. After she left me as a baby, she went to Colorado, where a cousin of hers lived at the time. A couple of years after that, she ended up in Michigan, where she met her husband Colin. He helped her get clean, and she eventually went to study for qualifications in addiction counseling so she could help people who were going through the same things she went through when she was younger.
I already knew about her two little boys from the Ancestry website, but now I had names and faces to attach to that knowledge. Jack was eight years old, and Sebastian was six.
“They’re so cute,” I said softly, handing the photos back to Skye.
She smiled proudly. “Yes, they are. You all have the same cheek dimple,” she said, nodding toward my left side. “Same blue eyes, too.”
“I’d love to meet them one day. Do they know about me?” I asked, cocking my head.
“Yes. It was difficult to explain because they’re still so young, but they understood in the end. The only reason I didn’t bring them—or Colin—on this trip is because I wasn’t sure if you’d even want to see me.”
“Next time, then.” I smiled and reclined in my chair, resting a hand on my belly. “You guys will have to come here, though. I can’t travel anytime soon.”
“Yes, I figured.” Skye smiled and shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m going to have a grandchild at forty.”
“Sometimes I can’t believe it’s real either,” I said softly, looking down at my stomach. “But then she kicks me, and I know it is.”
“Yeah, I think little Clara plans on having a serious football career,” Jensen said, fondly squeezing my hand.
Skye’s brows shot up. “Clara? That’s the name you’ve picked?”
“Yeah.” Jensen smiled and looked at me. “We both loved it as soon as we saw it.”
“It’s actually my great-aunt’s name,” Skye said, eyes crinkling at the corners. “I found her on that Ancestry website too.”
“Oh, wow. What a coincidence.”
“Yes, it is. Anyway, I forgot to ask earlier. What are you going to do once Clara comes?” she asked. “Are you staying here?”
“For now. Piper doesn’t mind because the house is really big, so she can still study and sleep without being disturbed by the crying.”
“Ah, I see. That’s nice of her,” Skye said, nodding slowly. “Are you planning on going to college at some point?”
“Eventually. I think I’m going to wait until Clara is a year old, though.”
In recent months, I’d received a flood of offers from colleges all over the country because of my newfound celebrity, but I was due to give birth in ten weeks, so I knew that starting a full-time degree wasn’t the best idea. I’d decided that part-time online study was the best option. That way I could stay at home with the baby while I worked on my degree.
“What are you going to study?” Skye asked, cocking her head.
“Well, I was originally planning on doing an English degree because I like writing, but after all the media stuff that happened with the Rosmerta case, I realized I’m actually more interested in that field. So I’m going to study communications and journalism.”
“Wow, that sounds exciting. And you can do it all from home?”
“Yup. Tons of colleges offer online courses these days. I just have to pick one.”
