Chapter 19 Part 3

    Dominic had come and gone, everything was put on the table in regards to the day and the attempt to break free from Georgia. Dom had put out there that if the only time she was ever quiet was when she was observing, then Skye should give her something to watch. In his own Dominic way meaning she should get up and go back to work.

     As thankful as she was for his input she had no idea how she was going to function out in the open around people even if those people were hers.

     Still having no further insight into how Georgia was semi free and how this would all work in their grand scheme of things frustrated them all. Skye was surprised at how her whole world was turned upside down and she wasn’t in a strait jacket yet considering this was all so new, and bizarre…very bizarre and yet old and familiar feeling to her at the same time. She didn’t trust her calmness about it all, or not knowing if it was her or Georgia that was radiating the sense of ease.

    After Dom left the first thing she wanted to do was have a smoke. Something she figured out that Georgia herself hated by the sense of disgust that would trickle over her as soon as she lit one up…that only made her want to smoke more. She sat herself down and looked at her dogs sitting patiently at Chase’s feet as he resumed his usual post of leaning against the raining, arms crossed across the broad chest she was trying so hard not to notice when Maury’s voice finally broke through her thoughts.

    “Working will keep you mind off of things.” Maury told her while he and Skye sat side by side watching the sun begin to set. It was her favourite time of day as the sky changed from blue to hues of orange, red and gold. Skye exhaled and pondered what work would be like with all of this extra baggage she had on top of trying to dig them out of the hole they were in. She loved working at Odds & Ends and now dread was creeping in about trying to control things with Georgia and if the distraction would even work to keep her quiet. Skye didn’t like the situation at all. “What if she tries to break out again?” she asked through another exhale.

    Maury shrugged and tossed a casual look Chase’s way with a smirk. “Big and bad will be with you, just put him in the office and put books in front of him.”

    Skye started at that and looked at him blankly for a moment before she replied “And I should tell Anna and Leigh what exactly?”

    He gave her and incredulous look as he stood up and stretched “The truth…” he said “He’s your cousin… in law and he came to look at the books. Simple and it’s not a lie because, he will be looking at your books.” Skye couldn’t deny his reasoning but now not only the terror of being outside the house if Georgia attacked made her nervous but, also that Chase would see how much trouble she was really in.

   She could feel Chase’s eyes on her and looked up into his aqua eyes. His gaze was steady and seemed to be searching hers, like he knew that she was hiding something and for all of his gifts that were being revealed day by day to her, she thought he most likely knew for sure. Her heart started pounding as she fell into those blue-green eyes and she could feel Georgia stirring inside of her like an itch she couldn’t scratch. That caused her mind to shift and think about Georgia’s reactions to Chase. Why he created a reaction in her at all and got her thinking about their possible past together.  Skye hoped that she could work something else out on top of it all. Maybe if she could get Maury to come in instead of Chase, would Georgia leave her alone?

    She thought that it might work. “Maybe you should come with me Maury? She gets a little restless whenever Chase is around.” She left out that it was only when he was looking at her.

    “Really?” Maury asked glancing in Chase’s direction. When he made eye contact, Chase merely lifted and eyebrow. “Why is that?”

    Skye balked at the question as soon as she saw the corner of Chase’s mouth twitch and turn upward. Just then Savannah came out and told her mother that she had a phone call. Thanking everything that was holy, she now had an excuse to leave the awkward conversation. She rose to her feet and put her cigarette out in the ashtray leaving the men to their plans.

    “Who is it Ladybug?”

    “It’s Auntie Leigh!” Savannah sang as she disappeared into the front room to continue watching cartoons. Skye paused and took a deep breathe before picking up the phone.

     She tried to put a smile she didn’t have into her voice. “Hey! What’s going on?” when she didn’t hear anything right away she froze, panic beginning to well up thinking of Marcus. “Leigh?”

     “Hey, sorry! Jordan had a jellybean half up his nose. That could have been a really inconvenient hospital trip.” She sang down the line and relief flooded Skye as she let out a laugh that she desperately needed.

    After stoically avoiding the questions Leigh was asking her about the new additions to the household. Skye decided against telling her that she was going to bring Chase in to the store with her. She felt better showing up with him instead because then Leigh and Anna would be so busy looking at and falling over him that they wouldn’t look at her too closely while she tried to keep Georgia at bay.

    With exhaustion tugging at her with every movement she sought out her kids. They almost seemed happier of late with the extra people in the house. Even Gertie, who spent a lot of time with Savannah who loved Jack to pieces. Angel took her post downstairs while Kona gently nudged Skye forward to bed. Skye wasn’t ready though, she had something she needed to do first.

    One by one Skye checked on each of her children hugging Savannah and tucking her in tight, brushing Kyra’s hair and telling her everything was going to be fine. When she asked Kyra what she thought of Chase and Maury she merely shrugged but Skye had been watching her with Chase and knew that her daughter was more than comfortable with the increased testosterone in the house. Last was Cy as he laid on his back in bed, one knee up and hands behind his head.

    She sat gently on the edge of the bed realizing now that she hadn’t asked him how he was taking all of the changes and the fact that he was now something that they had thought unreal and impossible and if she was honest she still really didn’t know what that was. He hadn’t hit the age where he would change they said, shape shifting, increased muscle mass and all of the things that Maury was helping him with…preparing him for. She put a hand on his leg and he flinched. Hurt flashed across her face before she could stop it and she removed her hand placing it in her lap and lacing her fingers together.

    “Sorry mom, I wasn’t expecting that.” Cyrus said softly.

    “Are you sure?” she replied, “Maybe you’re thinking now…” she felt tears welling up as she continued, “that I’m not your mom…”

    The thought had bounced around in her head for days and she pushed it out repeatedly. The thought of Cyrus thinking that she was a monster scared her more than she was willing to admit to anyone. Cyrus didn’t hesitate.

    “You are my mom. I had trouble in the beginning…I’m still having trouble but not where it comes to you being my mom.” He said but wouldn’t look at her. “I’m trying to figure it out and I’m scared you will disappear and that we will have to be taken care of by people we barely know.”

    She felt a sense of pride in her son at that moment. That he had thought about this meant more than she could have imagined. “I’ll take care of the girls no matter what.” He continued, his voice was unbelievably small as he finally looked up at her. “I’m not letting you go mom…not without one hell of a fight.” Cyrus sat up and wrapped his arms around her. She thought she could feel his strength and resolve in that action. He reluctantly loosened his grip enough to whisper to her.

    “I promise…”

    The next morning the now expected and quickly becoming normal hustle and bustle of the house was in full swing. Maury was making the girls breakfast while telling Savannah outrageous stories of wild animals from another place in time. Kyra listened and didn’t react in the same why her little sister did but she listened intently anyway. Cyrus was trying to find his text book that he had probably left on the floor by the couch in the living room when he and Maury were attacking each other on the PlayStation but Chase and Gertie were not in sight yet so Skye took that as her cue to go get her coffee, head out back with the dogs and try to do something that used to be normal before she headed off to work.

    She was leaning on the railing watching the dogs run in circles and do their morning thing with her coffee in one hand and cigarette in the other when both dogs, changed direction and ran past her. “I’m starting to think my dogs love you more than me.” She said knowing the reason why. She didn’t even need to look at him to know it was Chase and that he had that knowing and smug grin on his face.

    His large frame entered her periphery as he leaned back against the railing beside her and tapped the pocket of her sweater that she had her cigarettes in. Without a second thought she reached in, took out the pack and handed them to him along with the lighter. The silence was deafening for a few minutes while the stood facing opposite directions from each other but so close that Skye could feel the heat radiating from him. A flash of Deacon swirled through her thoughts, remembering that his temperature always ran hot. Hot enough were most of the time he slept on top of the blankets.

    She gave Chase a sidelong glance and he seemed not to notice her looking at him from head to toe. A silent comparison going on in her head but when she got to his torso, the flat but rippled plane of his stomach, the smooth molded shape of his shoulders as her gaze rested on his defined  pecs she felt her face heat and had to turn away quickly.

    In her head she heard Georgia let out a low laugh. Skye started and shook it off, tossing her cigarette into the ashtray just to have a reason not to stare. Now she couldn’t wait to get to the shop so that she could be distracted from thoughts of anything but work.

    “I’ll be in the SUV.” She said abruptly and strode into the house. After kissing each of her children on the head she picked up her jacket, laptop bag and keys on her way to the garage. The comforting and normal beep of the car alarm disengaging was music to her ears as she tossed her bag on the back seat and got behind the wheel.  She decided to warm it up while she waited for Chase and no sooner had she made that decision she saw is frame fill the doorway to the garage. He looked casual in his dark blue jeans and the long sleeved white shirt that hugged his upper body.

    Mentally she slapped herself for even noticing that anything hugged his muscular frame. She may not be ready to move on but she could appreciate the male form in all its glory, she thought to herself. “Oh how glorious it is…” Georgia chimed in and Skye gave her a mental push backwards that made the goddess again laugh softly. Seeing him unnerved her but apparently it amused the second soul. All she could think about was how so very similar he was to his cousin and how she felt like she was betraying his memory for looking at another man.

She felt ashamed.