37. Perfect – Ed Sheeran
Shay – 37 years
The Red Lobster, located on the beach, was a two-minute walk from the hotel. A cozy place with large windows that overlooked calm mid-night blue waters and red leather booths around dark wooden tables. Soft lightening gave it an elegant feel despite the chatter from laughing patrons.
We were being escorted to a table when Caleb spotted me. With Jesse next to him, he sat opposite Skye and Griffin. She hadn’t seen me yet and when he gestured for me to join him, I led Brax to their table.
“Changed your mind?” Caleb asked when we reached them. “Good thing we haven’t ordered yet.”
Skye looked up from the menu she was reading, and the color drained from her face. Next to me, I heard Brax curse under his breath and leveled him with a look that said, shut up or else. Half expecting her to jump up from her seat and fall into my arms or smile, I was disappointed when she did neither. Her panic-stricken gaze volleyed between me and Caleb for a moment.
“Mom, this is the soldier I was telling you about,” Griffin tugged at her arm, pulling her attention.
Mom?
This time, I think the color drained from my face unsure why I’d assumed the boys were Caleb’s. Maybe I wished she’d never belonged to another man. Now I understood why Griffin seemed so familiar. Along with the same shade of silvery-blonde hair as his mother, his smile was an indisputable replica of Skye’s. If he had her eye color, they’d pass for twins. Judging by her anxious expression, I recovered far quicker than she did.
“Shay, this is Skye, my fiancée,” Caleb introduced.
“Hello, Skye.” I held out a hand, my lips teetering on a smirk.
Apprehensive blue eyes drifted over me, the mildest of hesitation before she swallowed and slid her hand into mine.
When did I become a stranger, Blue?
I felt the burst of electricity her touch discharged. By the look on her face and the sudden parting of her lips, I knew she’d felt it too. Distracted by her loveliness, I held her hand a little longer than a normal handshake dictated. There was a discerning maturity to her features, heightened by eyes that were brighter, larger. Lips, naturally pink, fuller. Hair, thicker and curlier. What I could see of her body, told me she’d filled out in all the right places.
God, she was so fucking beautiful. So perfect.
“A beauty, isn’t she?” Caleb verbalized my admiration with a chuckle.
“Stunning,” I replied, keeping my gaze trained on Skye. I opened my hand, and she quickly retracted hers as if she’d been caught up in her own scrutiny of me. “This is my friend Brax.”
He waved his hand to them in greeting. I figured he was still debating my aim for coming to dinner without Ryleigh. He was aware of her dislike for Skye. We exchanged a look and something in his eyes told me he’d keep this meeting a secret.
“Why don’t you guys join us?” Caleb moved up the bench seat of the three-sided table, shifting Jesse to the vacant side. “Griff, move up next to Jesse.”
He did as asked, leaving space next to Skye who I expected to protest. When she shifted closer to Griffin, Brax slid in next to her and I caught the distinct relief on her face. Biting my lip to keep from laughing out loud, I took the seat next to Caleb.
“Any recommendations?” Brax asked Skye, glancing down at the menu the waitress set in front of him. I gave him marks for trying to ease the tension he probably felt radiate from her.
She smiled at him and my heart spasmed, wanting that smile for myself. “Caleb’s the seafood connoisseur.”
Fuck me.
Her voice...just like her, it had matured and held a sensual huskiness—one of those that would do sinful things to a man lost in a dark room. Nothing like the yelling, mischievous Skye I knew. Perhaps motherhood had changed her.
Within fifteen minutes of sitting down, I learned Jesse was Caleb’s son. Caleb and Skye had been dating for the past six months despite being friends for the last year which begged the question where was Griffin’s father? But I didn’t ask. She avoided talking to me and seemed content to converse with Brax who surprisingly didn’t mention Ryleigh or his marriage to her. Perhaps he figured Skye and I had an unresolved past we needed to discuss in private.
When the food arrived, she toyed with her shrimp salad, barely said a word other than to respond to the boys and an occasional comment to Brax or Caleb. I snagged the quick glances my way when she assumed I wasn’t paying attention. But fuck, how could I not. I’d ached for this woman, not just emotionally but that painful wrench on my heart every time someone mentioned her name in passing.
