“I am over her,” he said, reaching for my hand. “No doubt in my mind about that.”
I grasped his hand just a little tighter than I’d allowed myself to before, when I’d questioned whether he was sitting by my side as my boyfriend or just a good friend. “You’re sure? You didn’t feel anything when you saw her again?”
“I felt…” He seemed to be choosing his words carefully, as though he understood this might be one of the most important conversations we would ever have. “Relieved. I was actually glad to see her again, to hear her story. I’ve spent the past few years wondering what the hell happened to her. Not because I wanted her back, but because I wondered whether I’d done something to drive her away.”
“And it was a relief to know you hadn’t?” I understood the need for closure. When I’d broken up with Ethan, I forced myself to accept his last dinner invitation so we could talk it out like mature, rational adults. I wanted to figure out what had gone wrong so hopefully I wouldn’t make the same mistake in my next relationship.
“Yeah, I guess so.” He sighed, rolling his shoulders back. “I guess part of me has been wondering about Emma for a while. Seeing her again, finding out what happened, allowed me to put it behind me. Honestly, I haven’t even thought about her since she stopped by my office.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder as a sense of peace washed over me. “Good to know.”
“About what happened with Jarod…”
I knew we would eventually get around to talking about the other elephant between us. “Yeah?”
“I’m really sorry I didn’t believe you when you told me you were just friends.”
“I guess I can understand why you had your doubts given your track record with dishonest women.”
“It’s no excuse.” He brushed his lips over the top of my head. “You’re nothing like them. I know that now.”
“I’m glad.” All I’d ever wanted was for him to judge me based on my actions, not on the actions of every woman who’d ever wronged him.
“I know this isn’t the time or place to talk about the future, Skylar, but…”
Since my uncle’s condition was still serious, I appreciated the reprieve he was offering, but I understood his need to know where I thought our relationship was headed. “All I can think about is helping my uncle now.”
“I understand.” He kissed my temple. “Just know that no matter what happens, I’m here for you.”
“I appreciate that.” I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with fresh air for what felt like the first time in weeks. “More than you know. You’ve been a godsend, helping with his medical expenses and working on the car.” The car. I hadn’t had it towed away yet, and now I wasn’t sure what I should do with it.
“Speaking of the car, I had it towed to my shop.”
“You did?” I inched back on the bench so I could look at him. “But why? I thought your guys couldn’t fit it into their schedule? That’s why you were working on it, right?”
“Yeah, but I shifted some things around so they could make it a priority. I want Charlie to see it finished, even if it’s only from his hospital window.”
My tears of gratitude made it difficult to swallow, much less speak, as I hugged him. “Thank you.”
If I lost my uncle, I knew I would inherit the car. It was one of the few valuable possessions he still owned, and I knew now what I would do with it—give it to Seb. Not because he would expect me to, but because he would appreciate it as much as my uncle had.
“I swear I’ll find a way to pay you back for all this.” My tongue darted out to catch a tear before it landed on my lip. “I don’t care how long it takes.”
He kissed me tenderly, the first time he had since before we broke up. “The longer, the better. I’m kind of hoping it’ll take years.”
I knew he was telling me, in a roundabout way, that he saw a future with me. “Oh yeah?” I straightened the collar on his gray button-down shirt. “Why is that?”
“You know.” He grasped my hands, bringing one then the other to his lips as he closed his eyes. “You must know by now that I want you in my life, that I want a future with you.”
The future used to seem like a scary prospect, mainly because I was facing it alone, but it didn’t seem quite as daunting with Seb by my side.
It suddenly occurred to me that Seb wasn’t just taking a break from his shop—he must be taking a break from the show too. I whipped my head around just to be sure. “I don’t see any cameras around here. What’s going on with the show?”
“I told them we had a family emergency.”
We had a family emergency? Wow, that comment hit me harder than everything else he’d said combined because now I knew he saw us as a real team, a couple. “But didn’t the producers know we broke up?”
“I didn’t see any reason to tell them since I had every intention of getting you back.” His smile lit up my world in a way nothing else could.
“Pretty sure of yourself, huh?”
“Pretty sure of us.”
I kissed him, needing the contact now that he’d reignited that flame. “It’s amazing watching Mrs. Ryan with my uncle, isn’t it?”
She’d barely left his bedside since he was admitted except when I insisted she go home and get some rest. Had it not been for her, I would have lost hope by now. She was the one who’d told Seb about the gene therapy treatment, and he was the only one with the resources to make it happen. They’d been our saviors.
“It’s pretty obvious she loves him,” Seb said softly.
That word hovered in the air, as though we both wanted to latch onto it but were afraid of what it would mean if we did. “Yeah, I guess I saw the signs before.”
“They’re usually hard to miss.”
The way he was looking at me made me hold my breath and pray that I wasn’t setting myself up for disappointment when I pictured him saying those three little words to me.
“Yeah, I guess they are,” I said.
He stood, pulling me to my feet, and my heart sank a little. He hadn’t said it. Was it because he didn’t feel it? Was it too soon to expect those words, or was I deluding myself if I believed they would ever come?
Chapter Seventeen
Seb
“I still can’t believe you haven’t told her how you feel about her,” Gabe said, snapping me with the towel he’d used after his swim.
We were in my backyard, knocking back a few after shooting some pool in my basement. Skylar was going through her small storage unit today in preparation of selling some of the things she said she would no longer need, and she’d assured me she could handle it on her own. I wanted to insist on going with her, but we’d been together night and day for the past two weeks while her uncle was in the hospital. I suspected she was just too polite to tell me she needed a break, a little alone time to sort out her thoughts.
“I would have thought it was obvious,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I’ve only left her side to shower and sleep over the past couple of weeks. What more can I do to let her know I’m crazy about her?”
Gabe shot me a sidelong look. “Why the hell can’t you say it?”
“What?” I knew what he was talking about, but I didn’t want to hear it.
“Why can’t you say you’re in love with Skylar? Like you said, it’s obvious you are.”
I thought about one of the last conversations I’d had with my mom. She was bedridden and weak at the time, but she clutched my hand and whispered that there was nothing in the universe more powerful than love and I should never stop searching until I found it. I’d finally found it, but I didn’t know what to do about it.
“Skylar’s got a lot going on right now. Her uncle’s doing a lot better, but he’s not out of the woods yet. I figure I’ll let her focus on getting him well first.”
Gabe chuckled. “The two don’t have to be mutually exclusive. She can still take care of her uncle if she knows that you’re in love with her.”
He was right. Holding back didn’t make any sense, and I couldn’t say why I was. Maybe it was good old-fashioned fear of rejection that prevented me from saying those words. “I’ll tell her when the time is right.”
“You still planning to take the car over there later to show her and Charlie?”
“Yeah.”
All of my brothers had come to the hospital to meet Charlie when he was up to having visitors, and he couldn’t have been more grateful for the company. We all thought Charlie was a pretty special man and someone we would be happy to have in our lives, assuming Skylar was willing to share him with us.
The car was parked in my garage now, looking more incredible than even I could have imagined. My guys finished it a few days ago, but I wanted to make sure Charlie was strong enough to take a ride in it before I showed it to him. If the new treatment continued to work as well as it had been, he might even be able to drive it himself someday soon. Nothing would have made me happier.
“Have you told Skylar it’s done?” Gabe asked.
“No, I wanted to surprise her.”
“She’ll be surprised all right.” He laughed. “That is one hot car now. I’d be careful about letting her drive it though.”
“Why?”
“A woman like Skylar in a car like that? She’d have to beat the guys off with a stick.”
I knew he was telling me that if I didn’t make my move soon, someone else would eventually beat me to it. “You saying I need to think about making some kind of commitment to the girl?”
“Well, duh.”
“It’s too soon.” I filtered through the possibilities in my mind. Calling her my girlfriend made me feel as if we were back in middle school. She’d never agree to move in with me as long as Charlie still needed her. And there was no way I had the courage to break out a ring just yet.
“You’re an idiot.”
I could always count on my brothers for a harsh dose of reality, but this time, I had to disagree. I thought playing it safe and taking my time before pressing Skylar for a commitment was smart. Ignoring his jibe, I said, “She should be able to come back to work soon. That means we’ll have more time together.”
“Having more time together isn’t your problem. It’s what you do with the time you have with her that matters.”
“If you’re talking about sex, there’s no way I can go there with her uncle in the hospital, man.” Not that I hadn’t thought about it a time or two when she was stretched out on the couch in the waiting room, her head in my lap.
“He’s not in the hospital anymore.”
“So you think I’m taking it too slow?” I’d never been accused of that before. If anything, my brothers were usually worried that I rushed into relationships without thinking things through.
Gabe shook his head. “Look, I’m no expert, but a girl needs to know that you’re into her. You guys have already slept together. If it seems like you’re not interested anymore, she might think you’re with her just because you feel sorry for her and want to help out with her uncle.”
“That’s stupid, no way would she think that.” Would she?
“Put yourself in her position. You haven’t told her you’re in love with her. You’re not interested in labeling your relationship or having a more formal commitment, and you haven’t even tried to nail her in weeks.”
I glared at him. I would have called him out for that if I wasn’t a little stunned by his warning. Maybe he was right. Maybe I should have “the talk” with Skylar so we could figure out where our relationship was going.
“Fine, I’ll talk to her.”
Looking smug, Gabe tipped his beer back. “And I wanna be best man at the wedding.”
“I’ll let you be the flower girl, shithead.”
***
I was nervous as hell leading Charlie down to the parking lot of their apartment building. Skylar was on his other side, holding his arm while he assured her he was fine to walk on his own. I hadn’t told her about the car, though I was pretty sure she knew what I was up to since I’d told Charlie I wanted to show him something downstairs.
Once we were outside the building, Skylar spotted the car right away. Her green eyes filled with tears as she tried to hide her surprise. It took her uncle a little longer to catch on.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” he said, pointing a shaky finger at his car. “Will you look at that, Sky? That car looks just like mine.” He chuckled. “Well, that’s what mine should look like.” He glanced at me. “This your car, Seb?”
Damned if I wasn’t as emotional as I’d ever been delivering a car to a client. I’d been involved in some pretty epic surprises in my career, but none had ever meant so much to me. Charlie was a good man, and being able to give him something like this made all the hard work and countless hours holed up in my garage worth it.
“Uh, no, Charlie. It’s yours.” I handed him a set of keys as his jaw dropped.
“No.” After a beat of silence, he looked at me. “You restored my old car?”
“Yes, sir.”
Skylar reached for my hand, mouthing, “Thank you,” and I winked at her, smiling.
“I don’t believe this,” he whispered, walking slowly to the car. He braced his hand on the hood, peeking in the window as though he could scarcely believe his eyes. “You did this for me?”
I stood beside him and patted his back as he opened the door. I helped him into the driver’s seat, watching him lovingly stroke the leather steering wheel before caressing the new leather upholstery.
“I wouldn’t have known about this car if not for your niece,” I said, pulling Skylar into my side when she slipped her arm around my waist. “She convinced me it was a crime to let it sit in some parking lot. It deserved to be restored to its former glory.”
He looked choked up as he covered his mouth with one hand, shaking his head. “I just can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for me, son.”
Son. Damn, it had been a long time since anyone had called me that, especially a man, and I really liked the way it sounded. “It’s been my pleasure. Every single hour I spent on her was a labor of love.” I grinned when Skylar rolled forward on her toes to kiss my cheek. “How ‘bout we take your uncle out for a spin, remind him what this baby can do?”
“You two go on. I’ve got some work to do, and it really can’t wait.”
“Okay. You game, Charlie?”
“Damn straight, I am.”
I laughed at his enthusiasm as Skylar tugged on my hand while promising her uncle I would be right back. I let her lead me back to the apartment building entrance, waiting for her to say something.
“My uncle was right,” she said finally. “There are no words to thank you for everything you’ve done for us.”
“I did it because I like him.” I kissed her softly. “And I like you too.”
The light dimmed in her eyes for a second, and I cursed myself for not being man enough to tell her how I really felt about her. I told myself the time wasn’t right, that I wanted it to be special, but her reaction told me she wouldn’t have cared if we were standing in the middle of a busy street. She just needed to hear the words.
“Well, I should be back to work tomorrow,” she said, squeezing my hands before releasing them. “So I can start repaying that massive debt.”
The hospital bills were steep, but I didn’t care if I never saw a dime of that money. I’d been able to give her a priceless gift—more time with her uncle. I pulled her close. “I do want you with me at work. Not because I care about some stupid debt, but because the day drags on when you’re not there.”
“Really?”
We needed to have a serious talk if she didn’t realize how much I missed her every second we were apart. “Really. Listen, if you can talk Mrs. R into hanging out with your uncle tonight, maybe you’d consider having dinner with me?”
Her eyes lit up. “Are you asking me out on a date, Seb?”
That was when it hit me. In spite of all the ti
me we’d spent together, I’d never wined and dined her. No flowers, fancy restaurants, or limo rides. My brother was right. I was an idiot. “Yeah, if you’re up for it?”
“I’d love it,” she said after a quick kiss. “But what should I wear?”
“Something sexy,” I whispered in her ear before I kissed her neck. “As long as it’s not too hard to get off.” I needed her to know that I wanted her now more than I ever had.
“Really?” Her breath hitched. “Um, maybe I could ask Mrs. Ryan to spend the night with my uncle.”
I chuckled with my lips pressed against her throat. “You think she’d mind?”
“No,” she said, sounding breathless. “They’ve been getting really close. In fact, I think my uncle might be willing to admit he’s in love.”
The irony wasn’t lost on me. Skylar had two men in her life who had difficulty expressing their feelings, but she was one of the most demonstrative people I’d ever met. “Are you trying to play matchmaker, Miss West?”
“Maybe I just want everyone to be as happy as I am.”
I pulled back to look at her. She did look genuinely happy. I knew a lot of that had to do with her uncle’s response to the new treatment protocol, but I wanted to assume part of it was because I was back in her life.
I cradled her beautiful face. “I want to make you happy, baby. I know you’ve had a rough couple of years caring for your uncle, but I believe the worst is behind you.”
She took a deep breath. “I hope so.”
“I know so.” I kissed her. “Now, let me take your uncle out for a spin so I can go home and get ready for our date.”
She looked positively giddy at the prospect of a night out with me, and I realized I’d been remiss in not planning something like this sooner.
“Sounds good.”
Thinking about all the ways my life had changed since I met her, I watched her walk inside. After Amy, I wasn’t sure I’d ever find someone to love me the way Mac loved Ryker, but without even realizing it, Skylar had restored my faith in women.
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