I hadn’t known Skylar that well. Even though she lived with us, I barely saw her. The glimpses that I’d gotten, she reminded me so much of Izzie with her carefree snarky attitude.
Jaxson hurried down the stairs, and I followed a few steps behind, waiting until they were out of the bedroom to retrieve my panties from beneath the blankets.
A few minutes later, I joined the two of them in the kitchen. Jaxson was preparing breakfast while I came over to offer my assistance.
“What can I do to help?” I asked.
“I’ve got it,” Jaxson said with a shrug. “Right now, it feels good to keep busy.”
His jaw was tight. His eyes were narrow and filled with determination as he measured each ingredient to put into the plastic bowl. This wasn’t about making breakfast. Was it still about Skylar?
“I’m sure she intends to tell you,” I said.
Jaxson huffed under his breath. “Doubtful. The post was from well over a week ago.”
“Maybe she doesn’t know how to tell you? You’re her big brother. She could be intimidated,” I said as I began putting yesterday’s clean dishes away in the cabinet.
He shot me a look. “That’s not it. I know my sister, and she’s in over her head. She’s marrying Jayden!”
“Who is Jayden?” Izzie asked.
“How about I take Izzie with me for a girls’ day? We’re just going to do a little shopping later this morning. It might give you time to stop by the café where your sister works and find out what’s going on? Talk to her.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that.” Jaxson exhaled a loud sigh as he mixed the batter for the pancakes. “Are you sure you’re okay with all this baby shopping and planning a baby shower for Harper? Lincoln told me that you offered to throw her a party.”
“Harper doesn’t have any other friends here,” I said, reminding Jaxson that she had upended her life from Los Angeles to live in Breckenridge with Lincoln.
Jaxson and Lincoln were buddies. I was doing this as much for Jaxson as I was for Harper.
I put the last of the dishes away in the cabinet and spun around to face him. “Besides, I like spending time with her.”
“What about Hazel? She could do the baby shower. I’m sure if you ask her, she’d be happy to help facilitate things.”
Jaxson turned the stove on.
“What is this really about?” I asked. I had a feeling it had little to do with the baby shower but something else.
He glanced at Izzie, stalling.
I doubted she even understood what we were discussing. “I’ll be fine. You don’t need to worry,” I said.
Once the pan was hot, he poured the pancake batter into the skillet. “I’m sure you will, but is it a good idea? You lost a child.”
Izzie’s face scrunched up and she tugged on my arm. “Where did it go?”
“Where did what go?” I asked, glancing down at Izzie.
“Did you forget where you put it like I did with my stuffed ducky?”
I bent down and gave Izzie a swift hug and kiss on the cheek. I didn’t want to elaborate on this conversation with her. She was bright, but far too young to be discussing the death of my son.
“How about we get you dressed while Daddy finishes cooking breakfast?” I asked, steering the conversation away from the topic.
Izzie slipped out of my grasp and tore up the back staircase.
“I’m worried about you,” Jaxson said as I followed Izzie for the stairwell.
The last thing I wanted was to have a conversation about my deceased son. It was a memory that I always cared with me but didn’t ever want to talk about with anyone. That included Jaxson.