Page 117 of Fierce-Dane

“No,” he said. “I’m going to tell you the same thing I told Tiffani the other day. You’ve got every right to feel what you do about things. And you can tell someone how you feel too. But you should be open to listening and understanding that not everyone will feel the same way or there might not be any way to make something better.”

“You’re pretty smart,” she said. “You’re so good with your kids. We haven’t had a chance to talk about what happened on Sunday.”

“I’m sorry it happened the way it did,” he said. Sloane slid under his arm on the couch.

“Don’t be sorry for something that you didn’t do. You handled Tiffani better than most. Better than I could have done. She’s a kid. Just like Shiloh is. Both of them are going through things and for different reasons. I don’t hold it against her and won’t.”

“I need to talk to Mel about this. I’m not sure what to say yet.”

“Will it make a difference either way?” she asked.

“Probably not.”

“Then why bother causing waves?”

“Because Mel needs to understand that her comments started this off. She shouldn’t have said what she had about the toys. And I’ll point out to her that she might be in the same situation someday. Maybe she’ll end up with someone that is going to want a child and she’ll have another one. She’ll want and need my help with that transition and I won’t forget what she did.”

“I didn’t expect you to be that way,” she said. “Or say that to Mel.”

“I don’t think Mel will expect it either, but she’ll know I mean business. She made her choices in life and she has to live with them.”

Which made her wonder more about the fact that Dane didn’t give Mel a second chance. He gave her what she wanted.

Did Mel want Dane to fight for her and didn’t get that wish?

Something else to think about but not tonight.

Tonight she was going to let the man she was in love with hold her because she needed someone to do that when she’d never had it before.

34

MASSIVE CONFLICT

Monday morning, Sloane opened the spa. She’d dropped Shiloh off to school and had some time to herself before her first appointment of the day.

She had to prepare herself for it since she’d seen the name on the schedule and knew she’d be getting quizzed.

“You’re early,” Heather said to her.

“Not really. Just getting into a routine with Shiloh. I find it’s easier for her to bathe and wash her hair at night. I even have her picking her clothes out too. All she has to do is get up, get dressed, eat and brush her teeth. It doesn’t take that much time now.”

“How are you feeling about everything?” Heather asked. “Still crazy overwhelmed?”

“Yes and no,” she said. “Sometimes I lie in bed and ask myself if this is my life, but other times I know it is.”

“Not to make it worse for you,” Heather said, “but girls are hard. You’ve heard my stories on the teenage phase.”

“I hope to have a better handle by then,” she said, laughing. “Right now it’s getting Shiloh to trust me and tell methings she wants, needs or is feeling. I was almost embarrassed last Thursday when I had the parent-teacher conference. There were things Shiloh needed for school that she didn’t tell me. She was afraid to give me the sheet and hid it.”

She’d been going through Shiloh’s bag with her at night to make sure she was on top of things, but having never gone to public schools until she was a junior, there were things Sloane didn’t know to expect or understand.

“They have tons of school supplies you need to have,” Heather said, rolling her eyes.

“So I’m learning. Plus they said sometimes girls keep an extra pair of sneakers there for gym days and recess.”

They’d only bought Shiloh one pair and Shiloh insisted that was all she needed. Since her sister wore sneakers daily it didn’t seem to be an issue.

Shiloh was warming up to the fact that she had more clothes and things to choose from, but she still wouldn’t ask for anything.