Page 122 of Losing Faith

I feel my face fall as I turn to her. “Do not do that,” I warn her.

She puts her hands up in surrender. “I’m not judging.”

“That look on your face says otherwise,” I whisper more harshly. “Do not look at her like that. You have no right to judge her.”

“I’mnotjudging,” she voices again. “If you’re happy, I’m happy. She’s beautiful.” She shrugs and I roll my eyes as I see where this is going.

“You disapprove.” I shake my head at her as I turn back to the food, stabbing at the pernil and plopping some onto Belle’s plate.

She shrugs again. “Why are you introducing her to the baby if it’s so complicated? You never bring women around her.”

I hold back a sigh as I take note of how she didn’t answer me. “I technically didn’t introduce her to Isabelle. She met her years ago through Sire, she’s his sister.”

My mom nods as she puts something together in her head. “So she was Belle’s tutor first… yet you still got involved?”

I don’t answer her.

“I’m just confused because you don’t get involved with people in her life. Not even that amazing ballet teacher of hers, who I honestly think you need to marry.”

My eyes narrow as I remember my daughter also telling me that. “Didyouput that idea in Belle’s head?”

From the guilty look on her face, I know she did.

“Mom, stop talking about things like that around her. You put Mia in her head as a potential mother figure and she doesn’t need to think about that, not with herteachers.” I keep my voice more hushed now.

A somber look crosses her eyes, and I look back at the plate of food.

“I’m sorry, and I’m sorry I brought up the name thing earlier. I really didn’t know where you got her name from.”

“It’s fine,” I brush her off.

“I’m guessing Skye picked out her name?” she whispers so low I can just barely hear her voice.

I wait for that feeling in my chest to hit after hearing her name, like it’s caving in on me but it never comes. Glancing over my shoulder, Belle is too distracted showing my dad how to take a Polaroid to hear us.

“Yeah… she did.”

A small smile grows on my mom’s face. “Has she asked about her again?”

I nod in return. “Just once.”

She has a look on her face that tells me she has a hundred questions. “What did you tell her?”

I let out a tired breath as I run a hand down my face. “I didn’t.” I shrug. “She said she doesn’t have a mom. Lisette was there and told her she has atummy mommylike everyone else does, but that she didn’t need a second one.”

When I see my mom’s face change before me, I wish I didn’t say that because I know I just opened a whole other can of worms.

“Was that her way of telling you she doesn’t want to be a stepmother to my granddaughter? Because Isa was just writingMommyon her feather,so what does she plan on doing here?” She sounds so damn defensive and I quickly give her a look to calm down.

“That’s not what she meant,” I reassure her.

“Well.” My mom thankfully moves on. “I know you’re against it, but I think you should tell Belle about Skye.”

“No.”

“Jackson—”

“No, Mom.No.” I feel myself getting upset and quickly rein it in. Taking a calming breath, I try again. “She’sfive.”

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