I knew exactly what she meant.
There were so many signs I ignored.
Maybe if I hadn’t, the worst thing imaginable wouldn’t have happened to me.
Even now, saying the word rape still felt foreign. Saying it made it real.
I’d told Ocean I’d moved past it.
The truth was, I’d just buried it.
As long as I didn’t talk about it, it felt like it didn’t exist.
I exhaled slowly, wishing I could shove the word back down my throat.
“Skye? You good?” Nyx’s hand squeezed mine.
“Yeah. I’m good.”
“You sure? You’re sweating.”
She slid me a napkin.
I pressed it to my forehead.
Damn.
“Yeah, just a hot flash,” I joked weakly. “You know I’m getting old.”
“Girl, bye. You’re not even close. If anybody should be sweating, it’s me. I got a whole human growing inside me.”
“Yeah, you do,” I smiled. “And you look amazing.”
“Thank you.”
“Always.”
I glanced over her shoulder. “So, since when did Trace start following you everywhere? I thought he was Shade’s bodyguard.”
“Apparently, he’s mine now,” she said. “Shade feels better knowing he’s with me.”
“Well who’s with Shade?”
“One of Trace’s trainees. He’s good, but?—”
“My boy’s better,” Shade interrupted, kissing her forehead.
“Babe?” Nyx gasped. “What are you doing here?”
“I was in the neighborhood and?—”
He didn’t even finish before chaos hit. Fans swarmed. Phones flashed. Shade signed autographs like breathing, and a few fans begged for pictures with Nyx too, which he happily did.
My chest swelled watching them together. After everything she’d been through, she finally had real love.
“I’m going to head out,” I whispered.
“Already?” Nyx replied.
