14. Skylar

The only thing worse than grocery shopping is grocery shopping on a Sunday. It’s like every resident in town comes right after church. I let out a long sigh, turning my cart down the next aisle. I stop dead in my tracks when my gaze falls on Mrs. Donahue.

Shit. I don’t want to talk to her. Leaving without saying a word to her was stupid. She knew what was going on, she would’ve been happy to listen and been a shoulder to cry on. I swear she was always more of a mom to me than my own mother. I could count on her to actually listen and give me good advice.

It’s like she can hear my thoughts because her gaze snaps to me. She freezes for a moment before a slow smile spreads across her face. I”m cemented in place, staring slack jawed as she closes the distance between us.

“Skylar…” She opens her arms wide, enveloping me in her motherly warmth. Damn, I’ve missed this.

“Mrs. Donahue…”

“Oh, hush with that crap. You’re an adult now, call me Willow.”

“It’s good to see you, Willow.”

She steps back but keeps her hands on my shoulders. She’s looking me over, her expression free of judgment. I’d expect her to hate me, have a few choice words for me, maybe even slap me, but not Willow. Nope, she’s full of grace, mercy, and smiles.

“I’ve missed you, Sky. Missed you more than you’ll ever know.”

“I”m sorry,” I whisper, tears gathering in my eyes. She notices right away, lifting my chin until our gaze locks.

“No crying, darling. The past is in the past, all we can do is move forward and learn from our mistakes. God has a way of turning our mistakes into masterpieces, but that doesn’t mean we won”t suffer along the way.”

I nod, unable to form words. Willow always had the perfect pieces of advice when I was growing up, it seems like she hasn’t lost that gift.

“Oh, look who it is. The town screw up and the town saint.” Mrs. Goods rolls her eyes.

“Meredith, did you learn nothing in church today?” Willow cocks her head to the side, a pleasant smile firmly in place. “God doesn’t judge a person by their outward appearance or their past sins but by their heart and their desire for forgiveness. An ugly heart is worse than an ugly face, dear. You might wanna work on that.” She turns her attention to me, patting my arm. “C’mon, Skylar, let’s leave Meredith to think about her actions and ask God for forgiveness.”

She pulls me along behind her and I follow with wide eyes. I have no clue what just happened or how to respond. Mrs. Goods shut down the second Willow opened her mouth. We move a few aisles over before she pulls me to a stop.

“That woman drives me crazy. She’s had it out for you and Tucker since you were in kindergarten, now it seems her sights are set on Riley.”

“Don’t worry about Riley, I’ve got her back and I won”t let Mrs. Goods treat her the way we were treated. Riley’s a good kid and seems really smart.”

“Tucker’s done a great job with her. She’s his whole life.” She glances up and down the aisle before turning back to me. “He still loves you, Sky, don’t hurt him.”

I swallow hard, tears rushing in once again. I blink them back, taking a moment to collect myself.

“I never meant to hurt him, but I”m sorry I did.”

“Do you regret leaving?”

“I couldn’t stay, Willow. You know that… but I regret leaving Tucker behind, I knew he’d never willingly leave though. He loves this town. He always planned on living here.”

“That’s true, but I think if you had asked, he would’ve followed you to the ends of the world.”

She’s right, Tucker would have followed me if I had asked him to. But I couldn’t ask him to uproot his entire life to come with me. I needed to do it alone, I needed to let him go. I knew he’d be fine without me, even if the thought of living without him made me sick to my stomach. Tucker isn”t someone you forget; he isn”t someone you live without. Losing our baby broke me and losing Tucker shattered the broken pieces that were left over.