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“If you love her, just get back here, alright? And not just for her. None of us want you on that path, man.” Brody’s voice lowered as he continued, “Are you going to take it?”
“I don’t know,” Dyllan answered honestly. After speaking with Andrew, his heart wasn’t in it like it had been. He questioned his reasons for wanting the job and what he thought was best for everyone. If leaving for two days had already upset Skylar this much, would taking the actual job break her?
“Well, figure it out, and quick.” Brody hung up, leaving Dyllan alone with his thoughts. Dropping his phone on the bed beside him, he hung his head in his hands.
“What the fuck am I going to do?”
Not wanting to be around people any more than he had to, he ordered room service and waited. Flipping through the channels, everything seemed to remind him of Skylar. A romantic comedy, a rerun of Friends—of course, the episode where Ross and Rachel get married in Vegas. Even the hockey game made him think of their nights on the couch at home together.
He didn’t believe in signs from the universe or heavenly bodies, but he got the message on this one.
Sighing, he picked up his phone and opened his group chat.
Dyllan: I need your help.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Skylar
“So, you still haven’t heard from him?” Mandy asked as she reached for a double chocolate cookie from the plate in front of her.
“Not a word,” Skylar answered, taking a drink of hot chocolate. They sat around Skylar’s kitchen table, enjoying the treats the women had all brought to help cheer her up. “Wow, Lila. What did you put in this? It’s amazing.”
“A little coffee and peppermint.” Lila leaned forward in her chair, levelling her gaze at Skylar. “Do you want us to go to Ottawa and drag him back? Because we will. We’re not afraid of the big ol’ lumberjack.”
Skylar scoffed. “No. If he doesn’t want to be here with me, I’m not going to force him.”
“But what do you think about all of this?” Kade asked from the seat beside her.
“I think it’s all a load of crap, and he’s using it as an escape to run away,” she answered matter-of-factly. Skylar had had a week to deal with Dyllan’s decision and in that time, every possible scenario had run through her head. She’d pictured him running home to her, telling her he was wrong and that he was sorry—Ha! Like that would ever happen. She pictured him coming home and telling her he was leaving. Worst of all, she pictured him going straight to Iraq without even a goodbye.
“I agree,” Lila said, stabbing her fork into her chocolate cake, swirling the piece in the raspberry sauce on her plate before taking a bite. “He’s a coward.”
“Lila!” Kade exclaimed, eating her strawberry rhubarb danish.
“What? He is! He’s running away from how he feels added onto whatever complex he has about saving the world.”
“She’s got a point,” Mandy added, snatching a lemon danish. “Lila, your stuff is amazing. I have to stop eating before I start gaining more than just baby weight.”
“Oh, stop, Mandy. Enjoy pregnancy eating,” Lila said with a laugh as she pushed the plate of treats closer to her.
“I’m sure he’ll come around anytime now,” Kade added. “He loves you.”
“Is love enough?” Skylar asked, slumping farther into her seat.
“Yes,” all three women answered at once.
“Skylar, you weren’t here, but all three of us have been in a similar situation with our husbands. At one point, we all almost lost them for one reason or another but look at us now. We’re happy and married, just like you will be,” Kade said, grabbing Skylar’s hand.
“I sure hope so,” Skylar answered, giving her friend a sad smile and a squeeze to her hand.
“Party’s here!” Travis yelled as he walked in the front door.
“More like the cavalry,” Brody grumbled as he followed in after him, arms filled with bags.
“What’s all this?” Skylar asked, standing from the table and taking bags from Brody’s arms.
“Don’t look in them. Grumpy Bear will kill us,” Travis said, putting his own bags on the island.
