The Sweet Escape

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

 For the next few days that followed Ian seemed to be feeling more at ease. Christina was back but he had to deal with it, that was that. Emily was happier than she'd ever been and that, in turn, made him happy. Maybe she'd come four years too late, but she was here now. He was starting to accept the fact that Christina really was a part of Emily's life now. 

 The only thing was though that she wasn't too happy about Skylar still being in the picture. She had made it pretty obvious in the last few days that she didn't like Skylar anymore. It surprised Ian to say the least, she had seemed so taken with Skylar. But then again, she was just a little girl that barely met her mother. Her behavior didn't seem too odd considering that. 

 Heather's wedding was in two days and they had to leave soon. Ian had let Emily stay with Christina instead of his parents, much to the delight of both of them. Skylar has been happy about the idea, it was good to see that Ian was okay with that. At first Emily had been overly excited to be staying with her mother for four days, but then she realized why that was happening. She wasn't happy. 

 "Why, Dad?" she asked, her face full of anger. 

 Ian had to make her see that Skylar was not a bad person, but it was turning out to be easier said than done. "Because I'm going to Chicago."

 "Yeah, with Skylar!" She started shaking her head. "I don't want you to go with Skylar. I don't like her! I hate her!" 

 Ian took the angry little girl into his arms and kissed her forehead. "Emily, you shouldn't say those things. Especially not about Skylar. You need to understand that she's my girlfriend. Couples do things together, and sometimes that means traveling far away together." 

 "Mommy could be your girlfriend," she protested. 

 "Your mommy and I are friends, Emily," he explained. 

 That was when she started to cry, her body shaking in his arms. "Why can't you and Mommy be like normal mommies and daddies?" She hiccupped. "I just want a normal family, Daddy." 

 Skylar and Ian were now aboard a plane to Chicago. It was a packed plane, and the flight attendants were going through safety procedures in case of an emergency. Skylar wasn't paying much attention to any of it, her head resting Ian's shoulder, their hands intertwined. Ian had not said much, she knew there was something bothering him. She was pretty sure it had to do with Emily. 

 "Did Emily give you any trouble?" she asked.

 "Yes," he said. "She's still stuck on the idea that she doesn't like you." 

 Of course. It made her feel pretty sad to think that the little girl she adored so much despised her so much. But it was understandable. She was a threat in Emily's mind, and there was no way to change her mind about that. 

 "I'm sorry that you have to deal with that," she said. "I really don't like being the cause of Emily's disappointment." 

 Ian squeezed her hand and said, "None of this is your fault. She'll have to get over it soon. She can't hate you forever." Then he leaned in to kiss her forehead. "I want to be with you forever, Skylar." 

 She was happy to hear those words coming from him. Her heart clenched and she started to feel giddy with emotions, the good kind. "Please don't start saying cheesy things like that here," she pleaded. "I don't think anyone would appreciate me getting naked right now." 

 Ian chuckled. "You don't know that, there's a lot of people that would surely enjoy the show."

 There probably were, but Skylar wasn't in the mood to put on a show for anyone. Some things were better left alone in the privacy of a bedroom. Just her and Ian. No one else.