Chapter 25
Skye
I woke up early the next morning and heard noise from the living room. Holy shit, is Mom moving on her own? I jumped from the mattress, only then registering that it was empty. I pouted. I hadn’t even heard him leave.
Opening the small bag I’d brought, I dressed in a yellow skirt and a white shirt with spaghetti straps.
To my surprise, it wasn’t Mom who was moving through the living room but Rob. I grinned from ear to ear when we made eye contact. I knew we’d agreed he’d sneak out, but he hadn’t, and I was glad for that.
Wait a second …. I vividly remembered the suit he’d worn yesterday: dark navy shirt and gray pants. Now he was wearing jeans and a khaki shirt.
“You’re wearing different clothes.”
He winked. “I know. I woke up early and went home to change. I can say that I just came back this morning.”
“And it’s not even a lie. You’re a genius.”
I tiptoed toward him, spying avocado toast on the counter behind him.
“What are you doing?”
“Breakfast. But if you have other suggestions, I’m all ears.”
I grabbed a quick bite of bread to get rid of morning breath. Then I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a hell of a smooch.
“I’ll prepare breakfast every morning if this is what I get in return.”
“Yes, please.”
“Any other wishes?”
“Hmmm… I have a whole list, but are you sure I should voice them? You can’t unhear them.”
He threw his head back, laughing. “I’ll take my chances.”
I bit his Adam’s apple lightly, moving my hands down his chest. It didn’t even matter that the pesky shirt covered it. I knew exactly what was underneath.
“This was on your list?” he teased. “Great minds think alike. It’s on mine too.”
“I’m just so happy you’re here. I’ll go check on Mom, but if she hasn’t called me, I guess she’s still asleep.”
“Let her rest.”
“That’s the plan, but the whole gang arrives in about two hours, so she can’t sleep for much longer. You remember that there’s a big family gathering today, right?”
“Yeah, I do.”
And he didn’t even flinch. Still, I decided to double-check. “And you feel like taking on everyone at the same time? You’re probably going to be a hot topic.”
“Counting on it.”
“Okay.”
I tiptoed to Mom’s room, but she was sound asleep. Closing the door carefully, I returned to the living room. I took a moment to just watch him, feeling as at ease in the tiny nook as he was in the kitchen of his own house or the sleek and professional ones at his restaurants.
“I know you’re watching me,” he said playfully.
“Anything against it?”
“Not if you come closer.”
“Demanding this early in the morning already?” I teased, but the second he looked up, trapping my gaze in his, my legs carried me toward him almost on their own accord. When I was just two feet away from him, he reached for me. He drew the tip of his nose up my neck, biting me lightly.
“Wait until a girl’s had her coffee before unleashing all your charm, will ya?”
“Can’t do that, or you’ll be fully awake and worrying already.”
“Attacking me while I’m half asleep. Interesting strategy.”
He pinched my ass. I pinched him right back. “Here you go with the attacking again.”
“What else would you call this?”
“Seducing you with breakfast.”
Rob
Luckily, Skye’s family arrived in batches, but even so, remembering everyone’s names was challenging. Tess arrived first, followed by her brothers.
“Ryker,” Skye said. “My brother.”
“And I’m Cole. Also a brother.”
Cole shook my hand forcefully. I did the same in return.
“Cole, you can let go now,” Skye said. “No need to make this uncomfortable.”
Cole cocked a brow. “Just testing the strength of his grip. You know what they say.”
“No, I don’t,” Skye said sarcastically.
Cole let go, waving a hand at her. “Doesn’t matter. He passed the test.”
“My fiancée, Heather,” Ryker said, “and our daughter, Avery.”
“Nice to meet you, Heather. Avery.”
Skye immediately pulled Avery into a hug. This woman was just adorable.
Her cousin Hunter and his wife, Josie, joined us a while later.
There was still a group of three to arrive, but Amelia decreed we should eat already.
Surrounded by her family, she was visibly more relaxed than last night.
After talking to Amelia yesterday, it was clear Skye had inherited her empathy and steely strength from her.
“Okay, I think we should familiarize Rob with the gang a bit,” Cole said.
“I know a lot already from Skye,” I assured him.
“Such as?” Cole asked.
“Such as you two always being in competition over… everything,” Skye answered.
Cole pointed at her. “That is gross misinformation. I win at everything.”
“Yeah… especially at bragging,” Ryker said seriously. Everyone at the table burst out laughing.
“Don’t overwhelm him with stories from the first lunch,” the woman named Josie said. Turning to me, she added, “First time I met the gang, I couldn’t even remember their names. So I nicknamed everyone.”
“Smart.” I understood the impulse. “What were the nicknames?”
She pointed to Tess, Cole, and Ryker. “Hurricane, Charmer, Flirt. And Skye got Dragon, though that’s Ryker’s work, not mine.”
I turned to Skye.
“Dragon, huh?” I teased.
“You haven’t seen that in action yet?” Cole asked. “Yikes, poor guy doesn’t know what’s in store for him.”
I’d gotten a glimpse of that when she thought Anne and Lindsay were my wife and kid and when that scumbag of an ex asked her for money. Skye was calm and laid-back right until she went into fight mode.
A while later, another group of three arrived. We were done with lunch and spread out across the living room.
“My siblings,” Josie told me. “Isabelle, Ian, and Dylan.”
I greeted everyone, trying to remember who was who.
“You two, behave, okay?” Josie told her brothers.
Ian shook his head. “But Cole and Ryker are being more and more well-behaved. It’s up to us to balance things out.”
Josie pressed her chin to her chest. “You two are hopeless.”
Isabelle winked at Josie. “Between the two of us, we’ll manage to keep them in check. Is there any food left?”
“Of course. Come on, you must be starving,” Skye said.
As she led them to the table, Tess approached me.
“You’re holding up well,” she commented.
“This is a fun group.”
“We can also go stir-crazy from time to time. Don’t let that overwhelm you.”
I chuckled. “Don’t worry. I won’t.”
“By the way, I forgot to tell you. I’m the number-one informant when it comes to my sister. If there’s anything you want to know, you can ask me.” She said this with a straight face. I, on the other hand, could barely hold back laughter.
“Why not just surprise Skye?”
Tess waved her hand dismissively. “Surprises are overrated in my opinion. They can go so wrong if one doesn’t do their homework.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good. Now, excuse me, I’m going to catch up with the newly arrived,” Tess said.
I liked Tess very much, her vibrancy and zest for life. She was in a great mood, but then again, so was Skye. Being surrounded by family just made her happy. I liked her fierceness and strength, but at the same time, I wanted to keep her safe from everything too.
Skye captivated all my instincts and thoughts in ways I hadn’t allowed anyone to do before. I thought that would make me vulnerable, but I was changing my mind fast.
Skye
I absolutely loved having everyone here.
I hadn’t seen Ian, Dylan, and Isabelle in ages and wanted to catch up with them.
Theoretically, we could all keep in touch over social media, but there was nothing quite like gathering in person.
I couldn’t really tell a person’s mood through a screen, even if we spoke with the camera on, which I did with Isabelle. Things were different face-to-face.
Isabelle was bubbly as ever. She’d recently colored her hair a vibrant red. Ian and Dylan looked very similar to me—they took after their dad and had dirty-blond hair and green eyes.
Rob was taking everything in stride, and I was quite proud of him for that. Currently, he was with Mom, who appeared to be talking his ear off. I was torn between rescuing him and focusing on Cole, who wasn’t his usual vibrant and funny self.
“Cole, what’s up with you? By the way, we’re still waiting on an update,” I said, looking pointedly at him.
“Yeah, that’s right,” Tess added. “You didn’t say anything after our theater visit.”
Cole’s demeanor changed.
“Wait a second, you’re glaring,” Tess said.
I nodded in agreement. “That’s definitely a glare.”
“What are you talking about? What did I miss?” Ryker asked.
“Oh, shit,” Skye exclaimed. “We weren’t supposed to say anything in front of Ryker.”
“No, that’s not why he’s glaring.” Tess was looking at Cole intently. “At least… not the only reason.”
Cole shook his head, jutting his hands in his pocket. “She finally agreed to go out with me… and then I discovered she was dishonest about a lot of things.”
I winced. “Oh, you have shit luck, brother.”
Ryker looked stunned. “Wait a second… what do you mean, finally agreed to go out with you? You actually had to work to get a woman? Why didn’t I know about it?”
“Because I didn’t want you giving me shit.” Turning to Rob, Cole added, “My family has an uncanny memory for stuff that goes wrong but can somehow never remember my successes.”
“That’s not true,” Tess said. “It’s just easier to tease you with mishaps.”
“I’m a changed man now. In love with my woman, happy to tie the knot,” Ryker said slowly.
“Still doesn’t mean you won’t give me shit,” Cole said.
Ryker shrugged, but his serious expression had been a farce, because it morphed into a devilish grin. “True, but… I’ll give you a few days before I start.”
“How generous of you. Anyway, bachelor for life, right here.”
“Cole, you have one disappointment and you throw in the towel?” Tess asked.
“Yup. I choose my battles,” Cole said.
Tess sighed. “Well, I don’t. I just asked out a guy I really liked, and he turned me down. Said I’m not his type.”
“You didn’t tell me that. When?” I asked.
Tess shrugged. “Anyway, you don’t see me swearing off love.”
Cole rolled his eyes. “I think lightning striking twice is more likely than you swearing off love.”
Tess smiled coyly, but I knew she was just brushing everything off way too easily. Yes, she was always hopeful and optimistic, but she didn’t deal well with rejection. I mean, who did?
I couldn’t exactly drag her away from the group now though, but I planned to treat her to macarons and cappuccinos back at the store and get the details.
“By the way, are there any wedding changes we should know about?” Tess asked Ryker.
“No, I think my future wife is finally happy with our arrangements,” he answered. “And so is Avery.” He nodded at Avery, who was watching Moana on a tablet.
I smiled at the affection in my brother’s voice. I was beyond excited that he was so happy. Heather had been a single mom when he’d met her, and he loved both her and Avery to bits.
“We have great news. I’ve finalized the adoption process for Avery, so she’ll officially be mine in a few days.”
“Wow, congratulations brother. I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks. And by the way, I think Mom is giving the talk to Rob.”
Oh, shit. Mom definitely had her fierce principal face on.
“Yeah… looks like he needs to be rescued,” I said before heading their way. When I reached them, they abruptly stopped talking.
“What were you talking about?” I asked.
“That’s between Rob and me,” Mom replied.
I jerked my head back, then turned to Rob, who just nodded.
Well, well. I’d completely misread the situation. Rob wasn’t being cornered, he was just charming Mom some more, though I couldn’t figure out the fierce expression in this context. But since neither of them was going to share anything, I was going to let it slide… for now.