“I missed this, too.” Her lips twitch like she might cry. “I vote we moveforward.”
“I concur. But before we do that, I do have to say that I abhor myself for ever bringing you an ounce of grief, and I repent in dust andashes.”
Her eyes fill with tears, and it feels as if a million years trek byslowly.
“When do you think we should have it out?” She ticks her head toward the window as if the words we need to share can only be done so outside of this sacred space, and I second thatmotion.
“Another time.” My finger moves to her lips, and I press into them a moment. “And I will speak, and you willlisten.”
Her eyes widen at the boldness of mywords.
“And you, Skyla”—I’m not done being bold by a long shot—“will tell me exactly what the hell you’re doing withChloe.”
Her pretty pink mouth falls open, and she’s quick to close it again. She gives a little shrug, and her nipples bounce in turn. “Fairenough.”
“Really?” I’m amused and equally intoxicated by this beautiful woman in my bed. I pull her to me, chest to chest, her mouth inches from mine where it belongs. “Thankyou.”
“You’re welcome.” She dots my lips with a quick kiss. “But you won’t be so thankful when you findout.”
I wince as if she struck me, partially because I know it’s true and partially because she agreed to do it in the firstplace.
“I appreciate yourhonesty.”
“You think you do—but you won’t.” Her cryptic words slice right to thebone.
The faint cry of a child comes from down the hall, and Skylaflinches.
“That’s Nathan.” Her arm crosses over my chest as she snuggles in close. “My mother has them for the night. I have enough milk pumped so they should be fine.” Nathan’s wail pierces through the wall like aknife.
“I bet Tad lovesthat.”
“Mom says he sleeps like a corpse untilnoon.”
“Noon, huh? Must be nice.” Even though I haven’t been here losing sleep right along with Skyla, I haven’t enjoyed a wink on my own. “I vote we do just that.” I bury a kiss in her hair before moving to her lips and indulging in a lingering twisted lip-lock that makes me dizzy in the process. I’m always dizzy around Skyla. For as long as I’ve known her, that I’ve known her kisses, I don’t know which way is up when I’m aroundher.
She moans as she pulls away just a notch, “Mom and Tad will be fumigating for termites soon. We’ll need to move out for a week atleast.”
“Move out?” My thoughts run wild with places to take her and the boys. “Our house is filled to the brim with bodies. How about my parents’?” A growl emits from her, and I buck with a silent laugh. “We’ll go to Whitehorse. Logan won’tmind.”
“I’ll mind.” She lies back on the pillow, and the moonlight kisses her features with a tangerine glow. “Lexy is squatting on his couch. I can’t stand herarrogance.”
“We’ll figure it out. Lexy doesn’t have anything on you, Skyla. Don’t entertain her level of crazy. Logan isn’t going anywhere.” It should probably feel strange to entertain the idea, but itdoesn’t.
Her gaze drops to my chest, and she takes in a heavy breath. “I’m not concerned about him. The only man I want, need, and demand to have in my life is right here in this bed with me.” Her gaze slowly meets with mine. “I didn’t know if we’d have this again. I didn’t expect tonight to end up this way. But I’m glad it did. I’m glad that we’re on the path to healing. I may not like the reality of what landed us in this mess to begin with, but I dislike the distance it invoked a whole lot more.” Her fingers twist into the hair at the base of my neck. “We are family, Gage. That means everything to me. We have two precious baby boys. I don’t want you to miss out on their lives. I want to share it all with you. I want everything that this beautiful union of ours has to offer.” She swallows hard as her fingers threaten to tear the hair right out of my skull. “No matter how difficult it will be to hear the words come from your lips, I have already made peace with them before they ever do. I need you to know that. This is deeper than forgiveness, Gage. I’ve wiped the slate clean on your deception, on your incessant need to protect me with your silence. You have my forgiveness before you ever ask for it. All I ask in return is the very samecourtesy.”
My blood runs cold. “You’re talking aboutChloe?”
She gives a faint nod as if even that was pushing it. “Our outward lives may never be the same, but there’s no difference where it counts.” Her hand touches over her heart. “Right here. You and I—we’re still Gage and Skyla. You’re my best friend. You’re not second place or some passing phase that I can’t wait to be rid of. You are my forever. And you’re right. We are the masters of our destinies. My mother gave me the green light to rebel, andyouare my favorite rebellion.” Her hand slips down to my dick that’s already throbbing to take her once again. “I wondered if you’d pull out. I’m not sure I would have minded all that much if you didn’t.” She shakes her head, and a tiny laugh bubbles from her. “Those cute boys of yours cast one strong spell over me. Okay, so we should probably wait—but my point is, we’re not going anywhere. I’ve discovered something very poignant about myself,Gage.”
“What’s that?” I pull her finger to me and kiss thetip.
“I belong to you. My need to have you—to have us, transcends everything I thought I knew about love, about life, about death, regarding how I feel about the people aroundme.”
My heart stops beating. Does she mean Logan? For sure she means Dudley, or at least my ego wants to believe it’s so, but Logan? A part of me refuses to believe it. Not because my ego desperately wants for it to be true, but because I don’t want to hurt for Logan in that way. In the back of my mind, even I believe that she and Logan belong together. If her mother has made anything clear to me, it’s the fact I’m the unholy stumbling block in their love story. I am the stone my father threw in their path, and Skyla has simply tripped and landed into my bed for a littlewhile.
She shakes her head. “Not true. Don’t believe your own lies,Oliver.”
“How did you do that?” I sit up on my elbow, taking her in, those crystal eyes of hers pulling me in. Skyla shouldn’t hear me. I didn’t let down my guard. There’s no way her powers have the authority to usurpmine.
