I dig my elbow into my knee and rub my forehead. “I know they will.” I swallow. “I’m fine with that. Especially with Josh.”
“Dude, this is fucked. Like seriously fucked. I don’t want him in her life anymore, and I’m glad you’re there with her.”
I close my eyes and nod, feeling like I’m betraying him.
“Just let me know when you plan to come home, and Zoey and I will stay at my parents’.”
“Nah. It’s your house now. In fact, we should discuss me selling it to you if you still want it.”
I open my eyes and stare sightlessly toward the far wall. “I still want it. Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. It’s where you and Zoey belong. It’s why I offered it in the first place. If I ever move back to Boston, I won’t need such a big place. Living here… it changes your perspective. I can’t explain it. But I want Zoey to have a home again.”
My chest pinches, and I’m flooded with warmth. “Thank you. I’ll have my attorney draw up the paperwork. Just let him know what you want for it.”
“You got it. It’ll be what I paid for it and not a cent more.”
I shake my head and rub my forehead. “You don’t have to do that. I know it’s appreciated in value, and I want you to get what it’s worth.”
“And I want my family to have my house, so don’t argue with me.”
I chuckle and shift on the bench, staring down at the black rubber between my feet. “Fine. Thank you.”
“I’m glad Skylar is there with Zoey. Maybe this fake marriage will be the right thing. Just be good to her, okay? She’sbeen through so much already, and now that she’s pregnant, it’s even more. Take care of her.”
I cover my eyes with my hand, pressing the phone into my ear with the other hand. “I will,” I promise him.
“Thanks, man. I wouldn’t trust her with anyone else, but I trust her with you.”
Bile rises up the back of my throat. I’m a son of a bitch. “She’s safe with me.”
I fly off the bench and start to pace.Fuck!
Tell him. Tell him the truth.
But what is the truth? That I have an ill-placed thing for a woman who doesn’t want me back? Who is too young for me? Who is my best friend’s little sister? Who is pregnant with a bad man’s kid and has enough problems? She doesn’t need me. Not in that way.
Even if I’m starting to need her more and more.
But it stops now. I vow to get myself in check and under better control. Distance. No flirting. Teasing is a thing of the past. No more fantasies either.
I owe that to Micha. But more importantly, it’s what Skylar needs from me. And for that, I can sacrifice just about anything. But realistically, what choice do I have?
25
SKYLAR
Iwake to a small knee digging into my side and the screeching excitement of a five-year-old right next to my ear. “Skylar! Wake up! It’s snowing!” Zoey climbs up to her feet and bounces on the bed beside me, her long, blonde hair all over the place, and her red heart pajamas a little too small.
I blink against the dull light of my room, my body heavy with the restless sleep that’s become my new normal. “Zoey,” I mumble, pushing myself up to my elbows before I take a quick glance down. I’m wearing a T-shirt and underwear and nothing else. Luckily the blanket covers my lower half. “What time is it?”
“Snow time!” she declares, bouncing again, this time hard enough to rock me. “Come on! Get up. Daddy is already downstairs.”
I suppress a groan and reach for my phone. It’s seven, and I don’t have to work today, which means I could have slept for another couple of hours. Ugh.
“Can we build a snowman? And make snow angels? And have a snowball fight?” Her questions shoot at me in rapid-fire,her small hands waving above her head like she’s already practicing those angels.
“Hold on, tiny tornado.” I laugh, sitting up fully and pushing some of my hair out of my face before I attack the crust in my eyes. “I need to get dressed and have something to eat first.” I’ve found that if I have something small in the morning, it helps with my morning sickness. Even if it’s just giving me something to puke instead of stomach acid or dry heaving, which is the worst. “And coffee. I’ll need some of that too.”
