Chapter 45
Aiden
The penthouse was dead silent when we got back.
Skye looked like she’d seen a ghost, her eyes faraway and her gaze looking through me any time I tried to get her attention. Rafe was exhausted, but Wyatt looked like he was ready to keel over.
“I’m…uh,” Skye blinked several times.
“Going to bed?” I finished for her.
She gave me a quick grin, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She walked down the hallway in a daze, and I anxiously debated whether or not I should follow.
“I’ll go,” Rafe said, looking back and forth between me and Wyatt. “You two should…yeah.”
I snorted.
It should’ve been weird trusting another man with managing Skye, but I didn’t feel anything except relief. The Prince was much better with his words than I was. I knew I had my good moments, but Rafe never seemed to have a bad moment. He was just good all the time.
I could’ve been jealous, but once again, I was only relieved. Skye deserved a man like Rafe, one who could easily comfort her when she needed it.
I stalked into the kitchen, sensing that my other Link-mate was following me.
Wyatt and I hadn’t been alone together since I tried to kill him in his office last term. I wasn’t sure if that was because he’d been steering clear of me on his own or if Skye had something to do with it.
I kind of didn’t care.
I pulled open the fridge, finding a fresh jug of apple juice, and I stared Wyatt down while I drank straight from the bottle. Wyatt barely held in his look of disgust.
He and Rafe were so grossed out by it, and it was hilarious. I was the only one who drank this juice. I never would’ve drank straight from the container if it were something me and Skye shared, but they didn’t know that.
“What’s up?” I asked after a long pull.
Wyatt prodded the inside of his cheek with his tongue, then cleared his throat.
“I feel like we should talk.”
“Oh?” I took another long slurp and Wyatt’s calm facade cracked slightly, but he held firm.
“I need to apologize to you, Aiden. Are you willing to hear me out or not?”
I put the juice away, then sighed. I rested my hands on the island, leaning forward to look at him on the other side.
He did look nervous. He kept messing with the sleeves of his jacket, clenching his fists, running his hand through his hair. All classic signs of anxiety for Wyatt.
“So you’re deciding it’s time I forgive you?” I asked, knowing it would push his buttons a little further. Wyatt tensed, and I went on. “You wronged me, and now you’re deciding that you’re over it, and things need to be fixed?”
Wyatt breathed out slowly. Whether he was aware I was messing with him or not was a mystery.
“No,” he said softly. “That’s not what this is. I feel ready to apologize, I just need to know if you’re ready to hear it.”
“I am,” I said, leaning back against the cabinet beside the fridge. “I have been for a while, now, I was just waiting on you.”
Wyatt nodded, clearing his throat again. “I’m sorry, Aiden. I…should I have told you who Skye was as soon as I knew?”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“You’re asking me what to apologize for?”
Wyatt groaned, scrubbing his hand down his face so harshly, his cheeks turned pink. “No, Aiden. I’m asking because I don’t know. I know I did things wrong, I just don’t know exactly which parts you’re most hurt over.”
“You fucked with her Link-testing,” I said.
He didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“I was scared,” he rushed out, like he’d been waiting for someone to really ask him. “My father is a piece of shit. He’s been waiting on my Key for years, and I was scared of Skye’s affinities. I’m terrified of Telepaths. I thought that’s all she was.”
I nodded slowly, because this was good. He was being honest, and I believed him.
“I was scared of what she could do to me,” Wyatt went on. “I…I know it’s not rational. But my father fucked with me, Aiden, and I know your mom fucked with you–”
“My mom tortured me for a second affinity,” I cut in, running my hands through my hair. “She tortured me for a second affinity that never revealed itself even to save me. I still don’t even know if it’s a true second affinity or just an extension of the fire.”
Wyatt nodded. “I’ve been doing some reading. I’m thinking it might be a little bit of both since it acts differently than the fire, but the implications of that would be…astounding.”
I nodded, blowing out a breath. “Anyway,” I muttered. I didn’t like discussing my affinities around Rafe and especially Wyatt, it made me feel inferior. They both understood their affinities so well, and I was like a kid trying to play catch up.
“Whatever it is, you’ll get a handle on it soon.” Wyatt went on, ignoring my discomfort. “I’ve never heard of anything like it. It’s exceptional.”
I blinked.
Then blinked again.
Because there was no way Wyatt was fucking complimenting me.
Wyatt cringed. “Is my complimenting you really that hard to believe?”
“Yes,” I replied, slightly horrified he could read my expression so well.
Wyatt groaned softly. “I’m sorry, Aiden. I wasn’t intentionally hurting you. I mean, it was malicious because I was only thinking of myself, but…”
I nodded, because that made sense.
“Skye and I are figuring ourselves out, and…” Wyatt’s cheeks turned pink and I snickered. “What?” he demanded.
“Nothing,” I said lightly. “She’s just told me all about your…figuring things out.” Wyatt’s cheeks turned even pinker, and I full on laughed. “You’re such an ass for making fun of my sex life when you like getting slapped around.”
Wyatt pinched the bridge of his nose. “I deserve that,” he said, his voice a little shaky.
“No, you don’t,” I said. “I won’t make anymore comments as long as you don’t either. I don’t hate you, Wyatt. Skye wants you around, so this has to work.”
“I know,” Wyatt said shakily. “I’ll work on it.”
“Good,” I replied. “She needs us right now. All that bullshit we just learned…it’s going to hit her hard. She can’t deal with us fighting on top of it.”
“Right,” he whispered, his eyes darting around the kitchen.
“Another thing,” I said, and he cringed slightly. “You’re the counselor. We need you to help us navigate this. I’m not about to see your ex-whatever–”
“Speaking of my ex-whatever,” Wyatt said, his tone hardening. “I need you to clear that up with Skye. I was not meeting up with her the way you made it seem.”
I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly. “I know,” I said carefully. “I thought it’d be funny, but it only ended up hurting her. I’ll fix it.”
Wyatt nodded. “I need to ask you not to bring Carissa up again, either. She and I have been done for a long time, she just won’t let go. That day in the Gulf, she looked up my location and found me. I’d forgotten to turn it off.”
I snorted, then chuckled, then started to laugh. That was so, so stupid. Wyatt’s cheeks turned pink again, and he chuckled nervously, then began to laugh along with me.
After several seconds of laughter, he came into the kitchen, then stared at me while messing with the sleeve of his sweatshirt.
“I am sorry, Aiden. I’m a jealous man, and I don’t think that’ll change.”
“I can’t blame you for that,” I replied, because I couldn’t. My allowing Skye to find happiness elsewhere was directly linked to how much I loved her. Jealousy was selfish. I only wanted her to be happy.
“I can find patience for you,” Wyatt went on. “If you can find patience for me, too, I think we can do this. We need to give each other grace.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Okay, I need to allow everyone else more grace.”
“Sounds good, Wy. Pack a bag and pick a room, Skye’s going to want you here, now.
” I said before stalking into our pantry that was the size of Skye’s bedroom back home.
I grimaced at her weird shrimp chips that never seemed to disappear even though she ate them constantly, and I shuffled around, looking for some crackers.
“Aiden,” Wyatt said. I glanced over my shoulder to find him looming in the doorway to the pantry. I raised my eyebrows. “Rafe just told me we need to make ourselves scarce, he’s going to cheer up Skye.”
“Sure,” I said, waving a hand.
“Aiden,” Wyatt said again. I glanced at him again, and he was chewing his lip while shifting from one foot to the other. “Can uh…can we play that video game again? The car one?”
I grinned, then swiped a bag of chips. “Hell yeah, we can.”