Page 59 of Just Like the Brontë Sisters

“Hi.” I knew my lame greeting didn’t take up enough space in this tiny room that, twenty-four hours ago, was just a huge closet that held ski-wear and sporting goods.

Still holding Bijou, Mitch got up from the rocking chair. Instantly he was coming toward me and I was too paralyzed to turn away or step back, so I let him kiss me on the cheek. He had to lean down to do so, not like Gavin, who was only a couple of inches taller than me. The effect of his kiss was also different than anything I’d ever experienced with Gavin, probably because my hatred for Mitch was a living, breathing force of nature. But when his lips contacted my skin, I flushed so hot that I worried I’d break out in a sweat.

“You poor thing,” he said, and it took me a moment to realize he was referring to my crutches. “You should sit.” Mitch gestured toward the rocking chair he’d just abandoned.

“Oh, no, that’s okay. I just came in to say hello.”

“Don’t you want to hold your niece?” He sounded almost playful, as if taunting me with a secret.

With a start, I realized just how much I did want to hold her. In fact, I needed to have Jo Beth’s baby in my arms like I needed to be soothed after a dreadful nightmare. I went toward the chair and sat, and Mitch wordlessly put Bijou in my arms. Her eyes were closed but her lids fluttered and she puckered her tiny lips, trying to suckle. Dark curls, just like Mitch’s, covered her head but her skin was light, like Jo Beth’s. Other than that, she was just a blob, completely un-extraordinary, yet I instantly fell in love. “Hello, Bijou,” I whispered. “I’m your aunt Skylar.”

“What do you think of the name ‘Bijou’?” Mitch’s voice startled me and my head snapped up.

“I don’t know,” I said, which was my honest answer.

“I kinda think that ‘Bijou Blue’ sounds like a porn-star name, but your sister insisted.” He laughed and hiccupped at the same time. “I gave up a long time ago, trying to change Jo Beth’s mind about anything.”

“You could name her something else. There’s nothing stopping you now.” I cringed a little at how harsh that sounded, but Mitch didn’t seem phased.

“Sure there is. I can’t go against what Jo Beth wants.” The smile fell from his face as his eyes grew watery. “Anyway, the more I think about it, the more I like it. ‘Bijou Blue’ is really kind of beautiful.”

Our gazes met, which was accidental on my part, but Mitch’s eyes widened at the connection. His dark cheeks colored ever so slightly, but then returned to his normal brown, and I wondered if seeing me hold his daughter was surreal for him, since I looked so much like Jo Beth.

I stared at Bijou’s downy head and he looked away, at the bare walls which still needed some sort of nursery décor, and for a few seconds we were both silent. Then we both talked at once.

I could barely form words but said, “I hope the flight wasn’t too awful.” His voice was louder and came out in a burst. “I am so sorry about everything, Skylar.”

I chanced looking at him again. “What do you mean?”

He leaned against the dresser, which wobbled beneath his weight. “I don’t blame you for blaming me,” he said. “My job was to protect Jo Beth and I failed miserably.” He sniffed loudly before rubbing his eyes. “I should have known from the beginning how out of my league I was. I didn’t deserve Jo Beth, and I don’t deserve Bijou either, but you understand that I can’t abandon her, right?”

“Umm…” my voice was soft. “Has anyone suggested that you abandon her?”

He shook his head and kept his eyes down. “I can’t leave her. If I do, my life will be worthless. I’ll be worthless too.”

It took me a second before I could respond. “I suppose you’re at a crossroads, aren’t you?” He looked up and our eyes met, and again I felt that full-body flush, like when he’d kissed my cheek just a minute ago.

Mitch nodded. “I’ll try not to get in your way while I figure out my next step, where I want to make a home for Bijou and myself.”

“Okay.”

Mitch would eventually leave with Bijou. The thought made me hold her more tightly to my chest.

“You don’t know what it means to me, that you’re letting us stay here.”

I loosened my grip on the baby and pressed my lips to her forehead before answering. “You don’t need to thank me,” I said. “It’s what Jo Beth would have wanted.”