Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Oh hell no.”
Skye tried to slam the door shut in Kayla’s face, but she threw out an arm to catch it.
Kayla said, “Please give me a chance.”
Skye didn’t try slamming the door again, which was a shock. Honestly, it was a shock she’d even opened it in the first place.
Skye took a step back and folded her arms over her chest with a scowl. “You have two minutes.”
It was more than Kayla had expected and definitely more than she deserved.
She didn’t want to push her luck by trying to step inside.
Instead, she forced herself to let her hands drop to her sides and tried not to fiddle with her skirt while she spoke.
“I know I have no right to show up here like this, but I wanted to apologize in person. My actions this morning were completely out of line, and I really am very sorry.”
Skye’s face softened a fraction, but not nearly enough. “It was super fucked up, Kayla.”
“It was, and I promise I’m not here to try to win you back.”
“Why are you here?”
Kayla cringed. She’d hoped this part would take a little longer to come out. “I, um, need your help.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
“You know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t really important.”
Skye’s neck flushed red like it did when she was really angry. That used to turn Kayla on so much, but right now it just made her worry she was losing her best shot. “Just because it’s important to you doesn’t mean it’s important to us.”
Kayla couldn’t help smiling. “You always talk about you and Amy as a unit. You never did that with us. She really is your person, isn’t she?”
“Yes, she is, no matter what you do or say.”
Before Kayla could defend herself, Amy appeared beside Skye, looking absolutely angelic in a light sun dress and bare feet.
“Stop being a jerk, Skye. You know how hard it must’ve been for her to come here.
” Amy turned a smile on Kayla and reached out for her hand. “Come inside. I’ll get you some water.”
Skye looked as confused as Kayla felt as she followed them inside.
Because they had paid extra for the large waterfront villa, there was far more room.
In fact, they had a living area with a bar and more seating than Kayla had in her apartment back home.
Had she thought about it ahead of time, she would have been deeply uncomfortable coming into Skye’s hotel room and having to sit on the edge of her bed.
Amy’s deep pockets saved her from that awkwardness.
Kayla perched on the very edge of an armchair, and Amy set a glass of ice water in front of her. She dropped onto the sofa and tucked her feet beneath her. Skye settled down beside her but kept her eyes on Kayla like she was a feral dog who might bite.
Amy’s eyebrows came together in concern. “How’s your knee? Have you been icing it?”
Kayla picked nervously at the edge of her elastic bandage. Did Amy know how she’d hurt herself? Did she know she’d kissed Skye? “It’s better. Yes, I’ve been icing it.”
“Is your stability okay? You don’t seem to be limping much.”
Kayla said, “The bandage helps.”
“If you want me to take a look, I can. I’m an orthopedist after all. I’m happy to help.”
The tiny, fragile string that had held Kayla together all morning snapped, and she burst into tears. How had she become this person? How could she have even considered breaking up a happy couple? “I’m so sorry. You’re so sweet, and I’m such a horrible person.”
Amy reached over and squeezed her thigh. “Don’t say that.”
“It’s true. If you knew why I was here, you’d never be this nice.”
Kayla buried her face in her hands so she didn’t have to see them, but Amy’s supportive hand never left her leg. It was that support more than anything that kept the sobs wracking her body. She was just a stranger to Amy, and yet she was the one trying to make her feel better.
After a long time, the tears tapered off, and she fought to get a hold of herself. Skye’s voice was softer, but still had a bitter edge when she said, “It is rather rich of you to ask for help after this morning.”
Kayla grabbed a fistful of tissues from the box that had appeared on the table in front of her.
Did Amy really have to be so kind? It made everything so much worse.
As she wiped her nose, she finally managed to look up.
Her gaze settled on Amy. “That’s not the worst of it.
What’s worse is why I’m even at this resort at all. ”
Skye asked, “What do you mean?”
She took a deep breath to launch into her confession, but Amy’s smooth, even voice got there before her. “She means that she’s been pretending to be engaged to Mack as a pretense to come here and stop our wedding.”
Because Skye was sitting across from her on the couch, Kayla was able to see her jaw drop open. She was pretty sure they looked close to identical since her own jaw had practically hit the floor. “You knew?”
Skye’s neck whipped around so fast it must’ve hurt. She turned her outraged look on Kayla, and her voice was at least an octave higher than usual. “Wait. Are you saying she’s right?”
Amy reached over and gave Skye’s knee a little squeeze. “It’s okay, sweetie.”
“How is any of this okay?”
Kayla ignored Skye because she was just so intrigued by Amy. She wasn’t the slightest bit annoyed or even ruffled. Kayla was woman enough to admit that it stung her ego a little. “How long have you known?”
“Since the day we arrived.” A charming flush crept across her cheeks as Amy shot an embarrassed look at Skye. “I snuck out our first night to call about a patient and overheard you and Mack talking about your seduction plan over dinner.”
Skye’s eyebrows came together. “Wait. How did you sneak out without me knowing so early in the evening?”
Amy’s blush deepened. “You were, um, napping.”
When Skye blushed, too, it became pretty clear why they hadn’t been around the resort that first day. It was their honeymoon, after all. Even the oblique insinuation of Skye having sex with someone else would have made Kayla ill even two days ago, but right now she couldn’t bring herself to care.
Kayla said, “We hung out all week, and you didn’t say a thing. Why didn’t you call me out on it?”
“I’m not as insecure about my relationship as you must think.
I know what Skye and I have is forever, and no one else could mess that up.
” Amy’s smile was so sweet and lacked any sort of bitterness that it took any possible insult out of her answer.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to hurt your feelings.
I know what you had with Skye was special, and I’m sure you’re very seductive, but I knew nothing would happen. ”
A pressure Kayla hadn’t even realized had been pressing on her lungs and shoulders suddenly lifted.
If she were honest, it had probably been there since the moment Skye called off their wedding.
From that moment, she had been determined to win Skye back, and she had put all her focus on it.
Her mental health recovery had been all about being well enough for Skye to love her again.
Her professional success had been about being able to build a comfortable home after their marriage.
Everything had been about reclaiming the future she had been destined for.
Now that that future was well and truly gone, she only felt relief. How very strange.
Skye was obviously moved by Amy’s confidence as well.
She scooted closer to her on the couch and took her hand.
Reaching up to cup her cheek, Skye pulled her into a gentle kiss.
Rather than the smoldering jealousy or the acidic burn of fear, seeing this expression of love between them left Kayla feeling nothing but warmth and affection.
It also sent a pang of loss through her that Mack wasn’t here to kiss her like that.
Skye pulled back from the kiss abruptly and looked over at Kayla. “Oh, um, sorry. I didn’t mean to rub it in.”
“You aren’t.” Skye looked confused again, and Kayla realized that might’ve sounded dismissive. “Sorry. It’s just that I realized a while ago that I don’t feel that way about you anymore.”
Looking annoyed by her reaction, Skye asked, “Then what was this morning all about?”
“Yeah, that was stupid. I’m not entirely sure what I was thinking, honestly. I had a plan, and I was just executing the plan, even though I knew I didn’t want you to say yes.”
To her surprise, Skye laughed at this. “That’s the thing about you, Kayla. You’ve always been decisive to a fault. Once you put your mind to something, nothing can deter you from it. It’s really easy to fall under your spell when you get like that.”
Something clicked into place, and Kayla’s stomach lurched. “That’s why you proposed, wasn’t it?”
Skye’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah, I think so. Don’t get me wrong. I loved you. I really did.”
“Just not the way you love Amy now.”
Skye nodded, still looking deeply ashamed, but Kayla wasn’t.
It helped to know that. She hadn’t failed.
There was nothing she could have done to keep Skye because they weren’t meant for each other.
She saw that in the way Skye and Amy loved each other.
But more than that, she felt it in the way she ached for Mack right now.
Amy cleared her throat gently. “So maybe you understand what Kayla did this morning a little better now?”
Skye laughed but raised an eyebrow at her fiancée. “You don’t have to rub it in, you know. I’ve always known you were the smarter, more insightful one.”
Kayla gave them a moment to share another tender kiss, but thinking about Mack made her anxious. She needed to process this old relationship, but the one she really wanted was slipping away. Her good knee started bouncing of its own accord, and that caught Amy’s eye.
Amy smiled at her. “I knew it.”
Skye asked, “Knew what?”
Amy’s smile positively covered her face. “I’ve read enough romance novels to spot a fake relationship when I see one. There’s only one way those stories end. You fell for her, didn’t you?”
Now Kayla was smiling. How could she help it? Just thinking about Mack made everything inside her light up. “Yeah. I did.”
Skye’s lip twisted. “For Mack? Gross.”
Amy patted her knee like she was calming a child. “Be quiet, honey.” Turning back to Kayla, she asked, “When did it happen? Was it that kiss on your balcony? That was really hot.”
Skye looked like she wanted to throw up or tear the paint off the walls or both, but she was smart enough to keep her mouth shut. Kayla’s stomach flipped pleasantly. “That was a start. It was actually our first kiss. But it wasn’t until our second that I realized I wanted more.”
“But you two were friends in high school. You didn’t ‘practice kissing’ back then?”
“No, we didn’t. Now I really wish we had. She’s amazing at it.”
Skye murmured, “I’m going to be sick.”
Amy ignored her and leaned toward Kayla. “Have you told her how you feel?”
“I didn’t really realize how I felt until this morning when she stormed off.” Kayla shot an apologetic look at Skye. “I’ve been in love before, but it was never like this.”
Skye softened visibly, and Amy asked, “Did she tell you how she feels?”
Kayla couldn’t stay seated anymore. She wanted to run out of this room and tear the resort apart looking for Mack, but she was also worried. She admitted, “I don’t know if she feels the same way. Maybe she still just wants to be friends.”
“Friends don’t get hurt like that when you kiss someone else,” Amy said.
So, she did know. She wasn’t trying to murder Kayla, though, so that was a good sign. More importantly, she really wanted to believe Amy’s words. “You really think so?”
Amy laughed. “Of course. She’s upset because she thinks you don’t love her back, and you’re upset because you think she doesn’t love you back. We just need to get you two idiots together so you can work it out.”
Kayla dropped back into her chair and ran clawed fingers through her hair. “I need to find her for that to happen.”
Amy said, “And you need a grand gesture.”
“Exactly.”
“I take it you have a plan?”
Kayla smiled. “I always do.”
Amy laughed like she could not think of a better way to spend her honeymoon. “Perfect. What can we do to help?”