Chapter Seven
LIAM
T he police arrived quickly, and since a dead body was involved, Fiona, as a detective, showed up too.
Skye hadn’t let go of my hand, and I didn’t plan to leave her side.
I hated seeing her as rattled as she was, and I was thankful that the person questioning her was my sister.
I knew Fio would have a gentle touch, and I was grateful it wasn’t some dickish rookie brushing Skye off or not handling her kindly or telling me to take a hike so he could grill her at her most vulnerable.
A sad smile curved Fio’s lips. “Thanks, Skye. That’s all I need. You’re free to go home, but maybe have someone drive you?”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Coach Becket said from behind us.
Skye still didn’t release her death grip on my hand, and I braced myself for what Coach would say, as he’d obviously seen. “Coach.”
“Cartwright.” Coach slapped me on the back, his expression grim. “I have to notify the president and the dean.” He notched his head in the direction of where Jackson had been found. “Do me a favor and take Skye home.”
“Of course.” I wouldn’t leave her alone, not after the trauma she’d just suffered with finding Jackson.
Coach wrapped Skye in an awkward hug, and she maintained her grip on my hand, returning to my side as soon as he released her.
“Take care of my niece, son.” Coach held my gaze before seeing whatever he needed from me and turning to talk with some of the other coaches and police.
We walked to my truck in silence, her trembling too noticeable for me to ignore, and I pulled her against me, slinging my arm around her shoulder. She went willingly, and that told me everything I needed to know about her mental state.
“I’m sorry you had to see Jackson like that.” I cringed at the visual of my teammate’s unresponsive body, shocked to the core that he was gone.
“It was… awful. And he’s done so well this season.
It’s… I don’t know. Do you think he could’ve been taking something that caused his death?
The detective said there weren’t any signs of a struggle.
I mean, he warmed the bench last year, then bam, he’s making plays and getting mentioned on ESPN for his explosive talent. It’s like it came out of nowhere.”
“I’m not sure. We’ll hear more after the autopsy.”
Skye shuddered.
I got it. No one wanted to think about—experience—someone our age dying or having an autopsy. “The detective, Fiona, she’s my sister.”
“Oh.” Her eyes widened. “I had no idea. Well, I should have seen the resemblance. I was just…”
“I understand. It’s hard to take everything in when your mind is reeling from such an awful discovery. Life is… it can be brutal and ugly.”
Her brows furrowed, and I kicked myself for going so deep. I should’ve kept things on the surface as much as possible. But it was Skye, and she was my kryptonite. Always had been.
“Why do you say that? You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”
I pressed my lips together, not wanting to let her in more than I’d already done.
“I see the walls coming up, Liam.” Her hand rested on my arm. “Please don’t shut me out. Not tonight.”
“My parents’ relationship was toxic. They drank too much, fought all the time, then toward the end, when Mom got into drugs, she went to rehab and never came back.
My sister and I survived together, but her leaving…
It messed with all of us, including Dad.
He’s still a drunk. But my mom? She turned her life around once she left.
She has a new family now, and she’s never looked back. ”
We paused in front of my ancient truck, and I was more than glad for the distraction.
I opened the passenger door for her and waited until she was seated before shutting it and rounding to my side.
Once in, I started the car and turned the radio down to a low background noise. Streetlights cut through the darkness.
Coach’s house wasn’t far, but I wanted to do what I could to get her out of her head on the way. “So, have you seen the new Marvel movie?”
“What?” she turned to me, eyes slightly dazed. “Oh, Marvel. Yeah, no”—she snorted—“I don’t get to watch anything that isn’t Barbie , Disney princess movies, or a handful of truly mind-numbing cartoons on TV.”
“Don’t knock Disney movies.” I put the turn signal on for her street.
“I was forced to watch every one of them when my sister and I were young. I pretended to hate it half the time, but truthfully, they’re entertaining.
And don’t get me started on Ariel. I think I had a crush on her from nine to ten years old. ”
She shifted and watched me instead of the street. “I would pay money to see you sit through an afternoon of princess movies.”
“Challenge accepted.”
The truck rolled to a stop in front of her house, but I didn’t shut off the engine right away. Skye stared out the window, her hands resting in her lap, her knuckles white where she gripped the strap of her bag.
“Want to tell me what’s going on in that head of yours?” I kept my tone light, though the vibe in the air was anything but.
She let out a soft, humorless laugh. “You don’t want to know.”
“Try me.”
Her eyes flicked to mine, dark and stormy, before darting away again. “It’s just… Jackson. Everything about tonight. Then you showing up and being… this.” She waved a hand toward me, frustration bleeding into her voice. “It’s confusing.”
I leaned back, gripping the steering wheel. “Confusing how?”
She turned fully toward me then, her gaze sharp. “This. You. Acting like you care. After everything?—”
“I do care,” I cut in, my voice firmer than I intended. “I never stopped.”
Her breath hitched, and she blinked rapidly as if trying to ward off tears. “You pushed me away, Liam. You made your choice.”
I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to stay calm. “I didn’t push you away because I wanted to. I did it because I thought that’s what I needed.”
“Well, you got what you wanted,” she snapped, her voice breaking.
The pain in her voice slammed into me, and I exhaled sharply. “I was scared, Skye. Scared of screwing up my life, something I was pretty good at doing.”
She shook her head, her laugh bitter. “Well, congratulations. It looks like you’re doing quite well for yourself.”
“Does it?” I shot back, leaning closer. “Because all I’ve done since then is regret it.”
Her lips parted, but no words came out. The air between us was charged, every unsaid word, every unhealed wound crackling like static.
I reached out, my hand brushing against hers where it rested on her knee. “You’re the only thing I’ve ever been sure of, Skye,” I said quietly. “And I was an idiot for not fighting for you when I should have.”
Her breath came in uneven bursts, and her eyes searched mine like she was trying to find the truth in my words. Slowly, almost hesitantly, her hand turned under mine, her fingers curling slightly.
“Liam…” Her voice was soft, barely a whisper, but it was enough to pull me in.
I leaned closer, my forehead almost brushing hers. “Tell me to stop,” I murmured, giving her the chance to pull away.
She didn’t.
Our lips met, and the years melted away, leaving only the two of us and the connection that had never disappeared. The kiss was soft at first, tentative, but it deepened quickly, a slow burn igniting into something neither of us could ignore.
When she pulled back, her breathing was ragged, her eyes wide and glassy. “I… I need to go.”
Her words cut deep, but I nodded, my hand falling away. “Okay,” I said softly, though it felt like a lie. The ghost of her kiss lingered on my lips, and I let out a shaky breath. Tonight had changed everything, and somehow, nothing at all.
She fumbled for the door handle, her shoulders tensing as the door to the house opened. Her aunt stood there with Lily in her arms, light spilling around them from the living room.
Skye’s focus shifted to her waiting family. “Thanks for the ride.”
The click of her seat belt unfastening was enough to spring me into action.
I wasn’t leaving her alone. Not yet. Not after our unexpected connection.
I wanted to stay close to her, even knowing it might end in heartbreak.
I got out of the car and hurried to her side as she opened her door.
Her mouth formed an o as she let me grasp her hand to help her get out of the truck.
It was probably over the top, but I craved the feel of her hand in mine—any touch from her—and I needed to assure myself that she was okay. Relief flooded me.
Her hand trembled before she got it under control, and she pasted a fake smile on her face as we reached the door. “What are you still doing up, Lils?”
“She just woke,” Coach’s wife said. “I was about to read her a story and get her back to sleep.”
Something melted inside me as Skye’s adorable daughter pulled her thumb from her mouth with an audible pop. Her dark curls framed her sleepy green eyes as she watched us in her Little Mermaid pajamas. “I wants story. Aunt Leen said so.”
“Okay, baby girl.” Skye moved close and reached for her daughter, who launched herself at her mom.
“Hi, I’m Eileen,” Coach’s wife said.
I nodded, extending my hand. “It’s nice to?—”
“Oh”—she whirled at the sound of a phone ringing—“excuse me. It’s probably Tom.”
I shifted from extending my hand to Coach’s wife to pressing it against the small of Skye’s back. “Come on, let’s get this little princess her story.”
“What?” Skye’s head whipped around to me. “No, you don’t have to stay.” Some color returned to her face, pink staining her high cheekbones. “I appreciate the ride home, but you can go.”
“Story.” Lily’s innocent eyes locked on mine in a surprisingly demanding glare.
“I’ll read you one, butterfly.” I bopped her nose, and she giggled, her arms extending to me.
I caught her and swung her into my arms. She was light and small, but something about holding Skye’s daughter felt right.
A gentle nudge to Skye’s back, and she closed the door behind us, shutting out the chilly air.
“I don’t feel right about this.” Skye worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “You should probably go.”
“No, Mama. Story.” Her little arms tightened around my neck.
“You heard the princess.” That earned me another giggle from the little angel who seemed entirely on my side and a ticket into getting closer to her mom. “Lead the way to her books.”
Skye’s gaze was wary, but she shook her head and decided to give in.
Her face said it was probably due to the strain and exhaustion more than anything else.
I followed her up the stairs and down the hallway to a room decorated for a princess.
The walls were a pastel pink. And while the full-sized bed had a simple cover, the toddler bed had a bedspread washed in pink, purple, blue, and yellow with silver stars.
A white canopy stretched above the bed, and the translucent fabric was pulled back toward the little headboard.
A large picture on the wall closest to her bed featured all the Disney princesses.
A small bookcase stood directly beneath it.
Lily squirmed, and I set her down. As soon as her tiny feet touched the cream-colored carpeting, she raced to the bookcase, pulled out a Beauty and the Beast book, and thrust it high toward me.
“Did you brush your teeth, Lils?” Skye wrung her hands as her gaze darted from me to her daughter.
“Yep, I dids.” Lily nodded with a seriousness that was too cute.
“Okay, well”—Skye glanced at me nervously again—“get under the covers so Liam can read you a story.”
“Two.” Her eyes narrowed, tiny shoulders tensing as she prepared to battle with her mom.
“I have time for two, but get under the covers like your mom said, butterfly.”
Skye helped Lily settle under the comforter of her toddler bed then curled up on the her full-sized one. I wanted to tuck Skye in just like she’d done with her daughter, but I wouldn’t push my luck. It was just short of a miracle that she’d let me this close.
I settled on the floor beside Lily’s bed, a little too far from where Skye lay for my liking, and cracked the book. Three pages in, a feather-soft touch traced the scar on my cheek. I held still as Lily explored the mark, waiting to see what she would say.
“You have an owie?” Intense concentration shone in her tired eyes.
“It happened a long time ago. It doesn’t hurt anymore.” Kids were brutally honest and unapologetically curious. Plus, I didn’t mind. “Just left a mark.”
“’Kay.” She snuggled back under the covers, the topic forgotten as quickly as it had popped into her head.
I finished the book then moved on to the next one she’d picked as her eyes drifted shut.
When she was fast asleep, I kept reading for another few seconds to be sure then let my gaze wander to where Skye lay nearby.
Her face was softer as she slept, having passed out midway through the first story.
She hadn’t heard her daughter question my scar or seen her touch my face.
I wondered what she would have thought if she’d witnessed the exchange.
After returning the books to their shelf, I lifted a blanket at the bottom of Skye’s bed and carefully covered her. Then, I shut off the light, leaving the door cracked open as I moved into the hallway. At the bottom of the stairs, I ran into her aunt.
“The girls are asleep,” I said, feeling like I was intruding.
Eileen studied me, her gaze flicking between my face and the stairs, lingering just long enough to make me uncomfortable. She had dark-blond hair and wise brown eyes that looked at me a little too closely. I felt like I was under a microscope as her gaze traced my features.
“Is everything okay?”
“You just look very familiar,” she said.
My pulse quickened. “You’ve probably seen me at the games.”
I flashed her a grin, and her eyes widened.
As I stepped outside, the weight of her scrutiny followed me.
I didn’t know what else to say. It was weird talking with Coach’s wife when he wasn’t around.
On that note, I shouldn’t be there, but leaving Skye alone after what she’d discovered wasn’t an option either.
Rattled, I said goodbye and headed out. What the hell was that about? Does she know about my relationship with Skye from a few years ago? If so, I was screwed because if Coach found out, I would be in serious trouble.