by Liz Isaacson
“What’s up?” Jeremiah asked.
“I think I need….” Skyler blew out his breath, unsure of how to admit this out loud.
“You need what?”
“Nothing, I—”
“Oh, it’s something,” Jeremiah said, and though there was activity on the other end of the line, Skyler felt like he had Jeremiah’s full attention.
Skyler stared out the windshield, trying to find the strength he needed.
“Sky?”
“Help,” he said. “I need help.”
“What kind of help?”
“Like, someone to talk to. Or…I don’t know.”
“Ah, got it.” Jeremiah fell silent for several seconds, and then he said, “I’ve got a great counselor. I’ll forward you her number.”
Ultimate relief and gratitude moved through Skyler. Jeremiah hadn’t asked any questions. He didn’t think Skyler was weak.
“Sent,” he said. “Listen, can I call you back in ten minutes? I’ve got a goat problem that is really annoying me right now.”
“Yeah, sure,” Skyler said, and this time he ended the call and continued on his way home.
Home.
He wondered if Mal would ever feel like her place with him felt like home. He sure hoped so. He didn’t know how to make that happen, but he sure hoped so.
He also hoped he never had to use the words “goat problem,” and he chuckled the rest of the way to Amarillo.
Chapter Five
Mal stood in front of the mirror mounted to the wall in her bedroom. This was easily the nicest apartment she’d ever lived in, with a bedroom that actually took several steps to cross. The shower never ran out of hot water, even when she got in right after Skyler got out. A proper heater worked all the time, and she couldn’t even imagine what the summer months would bring—AC that always kept things cool?
What a dream.
She thought of the man moving around in the kitchen just down the hall, and she’d definitely fallen into a great dream.
But the dress she wore wasn’t part of that dream. She’d gone to the mall yesterday morning while Skyler was off in Three Rivers, breakfasting with his brothers. He’d given her a credit card with a metal name she hadn’t even known existed, but she didn’t want to use it unless she absolutely had to.
That day was coming, she knew. She wasn’t working anymore, and she wouldn’t be able to keep buying her own groceries for much longer. He’d fixed her car. He paid the rent. They hadn’t talked about any of it.
“Unhealthy,” she murmured to herself, and she looked into her own eyes. “This isn’t what you want.”
She did want to stay in the country. She didn’t want to have a marriage that was a complete sham, with the only guy she felt like she could ask to do this huge favor for her.
She needed to talk to Skyler, about real things. She’d always dreamt of her wedding day, and it wasn’t while she wore jeans and a tank top, standing in front of a stranger who had the power to make her union legal.
Tears filled her eyes. A knock sounded on the door, and she jumped as if she’d been shocked.
“Mal?” Skyler said through the door. “We’re going to be late.”
“Coming,” she said, swiping quickly at her eyes. She’d spent all morning in the bathroom, showering, shaving, primping, fluffing, straightening, and brushing on the exact right amount of makeup.
She drew in a deep breath and went to the door. Skyler had already started to retreat back down the short hall that led into the main living area. He turned back, nearly stumbling before he came to a stop.
“Wow,” he said.
But Mal didn’t believe him. There was nothing wow about the dress she wore. Number one, the color was all wrong for her complexion. Number two, it also didn’t fit quite right. She was a little more petite than the standard size, and the waist of most dresses never actually fell at her waist.
Should’ve gone with a skirt and blouse, she thought as she walked toward him.
He wore something in his eyes she hadn’t seen in him before. When she realized it was desire, Mal’s throat turned dry.
“When did you get that?” he asked, reaching for the sleeve and pinching the fabric between two fingers.
“Who says it’s new?” she asked.
“It has a tag on it, Mal.” He grinned at her and plucked the tag from the sleeve.
Horror filled Mal, because then he’d see just how inexpensive the dress was. His smile didn’t slip though. He simply fisted the tag and brushed the other end of the small plastic piece to the floor.
“Yesterday,” she said, her voice creaking. “While you were in Three Rivers. I don’t, uh, actually own a lot of dresses.”
“Well, this one looks great. The green is nice.” He turned and continued into the kitchen, and such warmth filled Mal that she had the fleeting thought that she’d been wrong for the past thirty-six years of her life, that she did look good in green.
She gave herself a little shake before following him. No, she did not look good in green. It made her olive skin actually look greener, like she was about to throw up. Which was about how she felt in this moment.
“Hey,” she said. “So I wanted to have a little family meeting with you after church.”
His eyebrows lifted as he reached for his keys. “Family meeting?”
“Isn’t that what you and your brothers call them?”
“Yes, but—” His voice muted as surprise filled his expression. Color instantly appeared in his cheeks, and Mal found a blushing Skyler to be even more handsome than usual.
“What?” she asked.
“Are we a family?”
“We’re married,” she said, some of her Latina fire shooting to the top of her head. She folded her arms and settled her weight on her back foot. “So yes. Family meeting after church.” She turned and walked toward the front door, glad when Skyler followed.
Awkwardness also accompanied them into the elevator down the hall, and it wasn’t until she dared to glance at him that the tension broke.
“Sorry,” he said.
“For what?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Whatever you’re mad about.”
“I’m adding that to our agenda,” she said.
“Adding what?”
She turned fully toward him, wishing they didn’t have to go to church before their meeting. “You just apologized for something, and you don’t even know what. What’s with that?”
His eyes took on a fiery quality, but Mal simply glared right back.
“I had this girlfriend once,” he said. The elevator dinged and another couple got on, both of them dressed for church too. Skyler put a smile on his face, and just like that, Mal watched the real Skyler Walker disappear.
He edged closer to her in the elevator and took her hand in his. She squeezed it, but it wasn’t a casual or romantic squeeze. More like a you’ll finish this conversation as soon as we’re alone squeeze.
Skyler got the message. In the two years they’d been friends, they’d always had a special way of communicating with each other. That was one of the reasons Mal liked him so much. He was easy to talk to. Fun to laugh with.
She relaxed as they flowed out of the elevator and into his truck. He’d picked a church that was just a short drive away, and difficult conversations about ex-girlfriends couldn’t happen in only five minutes.
Mal tugged at her dress once she got out of the truck, and she didn’t feel like she could walk into the church. Then Skyler came to her side, and together, they faced the thick, wooden double doors that stood open, welcoming everyone to come and worship there.
“All right,” Skyler said, exhaling heavily through his nose. “I don’t know if this pastor is good or not. I just asked around to find this place.”
“Who did you ask?”
“Jerome,” he said.
“Jerome?” The incredulity in Mal’s voice shot into the atmosphere. Skyler looked at her, and in the next moment they bo
th burst out laughing.
“Okay,” he said among the chuckles. “Maybe that wasn’t the wisest choice.”
“Yeah, because Jerome has never opened a Bible in his life,” Mal said as they started up the steps.
Skyler secured his hand in hers, and Mal settled a little bit. It still took effort for her to take that final step to enter the church, but she let the music playing from the organ wash over her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to find the deep part of herself that had used to enjoy going to church.
She did like singing, and she decided that even if that was all she enjoyed that day, this would be worth it. Her legs got her out of the small foyer and into the huge chapel. The ceiling stretched at least two stories tall, with huge stained glass windows along both sides.
The benches ran perpendicular to the windows, and up at the front, the dais rose to a pulpit and the choir seats, where the organist sat.
She let out her breath, not having realized that she’d been holding it.
“You okay?” Skyler asked, his voice barely loud enough to be heard.
“Yeah.” She glanced at him. “You?”
“I’m good,” he said, not going very far toward the front of the congregation. He stepped out of the aisle only a couple of rows from the back and sat down, leaving room for Mal on the end of the pew. She looked around, as if she’d see someone she knew there. She didn’t, and she gave a little jolt when Skyler lifted his arm and put it around her.
She looked at him, their gazes locking. How she’d ever fought the magnetic force drawing her to him, she wasn’t sure. He smiled, but it wasn’t the same false one she’d seen from him in the elevator.
“Thanks for coming with me,” Skyler said, pressing a kiss to her temple.
Mal leaned into the touch, a sense of comfort threading through her. This was good. This was the right place to be. With him.
And if they could have a real talk during their family meeting, Mal thought that maybe, just maybe, they’d be able to make a real relationship work.
If Skyler can be real, she thought. Before her thought patterns could zig and zag, the pastor stood up and walked over to the pulpit. The organist didn’t stop playing, though, and Mal startled mightily when the choir suddenly burst into song.
“Oh, wow,” she said right out loud. She hadn’t bothered anyone though, because the choir was so loud. They stood from the first several rows at the front of the chapel, clapping and swaying as they turned around and faced the church-goers.
Joy filled the air from the smiles on their faces and the sounds coming from their mouths. Skyler pulled his arm away and started clapping along with them, albeit a half-hearted effort.
Mal just sat and stared. This wasn’t like any church she’d ever been to before. And she couldn’t say she hated it.
By the end of the joyful song, she wore a smile. And when the pastor said, “You are in the right place this morning, my brothers and sisters in the Lord. If you were worried about that, I implore you to stop. This is where you should be. The Lord wants you here. The Lord loves you.”
And Mal believed him. She sat enthralled through the whole sermon, her soul warming and warming until she realized how starved her spirit had been. Before she knew it, the pastor invited everyone to stand to sing the closing song. Mal and Skyler did, though neither of them knew the words.
As she left the church, Mal felt lighter than she had in a long, long time. “That was great,” she said as she stepped outside into the sunshine.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” she said, looking at Skyler. “Did you like it?”
“Yeah,” he said slowly. “It was all right.”
“You didn’t like it?”
“I—do you really think the Lord even cares where we are right now? What we’re doing?”
Mal blinked and focused on the steps leading back to the sidewalk. When she reached the bottom, she said, “Yes, Skyler. I believe that.”
He nodded but stayed quiet all the way back to the apartment. He loosened his tie in the elevator, and Mal wanted to watch him perform such a sexy move many more times in her life. With her heart racing, she walked down the hall to their apartment and waited for Skyler to unlock the door.
Acting cool and calm, she asked, “How about I make chimichangas for lunch?”
“Ah, trying to soften me up.” Skyler chuckled and took Mal into his arms. The moment sobered between them, and Mal’s pulse pounced through her body. Skyler ducked his head and pressed his cheek to hers. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I want to talk about money,” Mal said before she could tell herself to stop. “I want us to be united on things. I want an open, honest marriage, where we can talk about how we feel, and what we want out of life.”
Skyler pulled away from her, keeping his head turned to the side. “All right.”
Mal stood helplessly by the door as he started through the living room toward his bedroom. “That’s it?”
“I’m going to get my computer,” he said. “And change my clothes.” He paused before entering the hall that led to his bedroom. Mal had only ever peeked down it, the first day she’d come to live with him when he’d given her a tour of the massive apartment. That whole wing of the apartment held his bedroom and bathroom, along with fancy artwork and a thick rug on the floor.
“You wanna start on those chimichangas?” His teasing smile made all of Mal’s insecurities dry up.
“Oh, jeez,” Mal said, giggling. She went into her room and changed into a comfortable pair of yoga pants and an oversized T-shirt. In the kitchen, she pulled some containers out of the fridge that held the pulled pork she’d made for dinner on Friday night.
She could make her own refried beans, but she was just as happy with canned ones when she was really hungry. If she wanted authentic Mexican food, it required more than a few minutes for a menu she’d thought of ten minutes ago.
She poured oil in a pan and set it on the stove and started filling flour tortillas before Skyler returned, his laptop under one arm. He sat at the counter and opened the laptop. “All right. Do you want to come look at this?”
Mal wiped her hands on a kitchen towel, suddenly nervous again. “Yes.” She left the oil to heat and rounded the counter to sit beside him.
He typed and clicked, and a few seconds later, his bank account came up. He turned the laptop toward her. “I have a lot of money.” He cleared his throat and shifted on the stool. “My daddy was a huge tech mogul in Austin. He sold his company and all seven of us sons became billionaires overnight.”
Mal swallowed as she finally realized how many numbers she was looking at on the screen. Skyler had half a dozen accounts, and they all had nine figures in them. She blinked, thinking the information on the screen had started to blur and that was why there were so many numbers.
Not so.
“I know you’re not working right now,” Skyler said. “I have no problem helping you out.”
“Sky, this is more than helping me out,” she said, her voice made mostly of air.
“I know that,” he said. “And Mal, I know I haven’t graduated from college or anything, but I’m not stupid. I’ve thought a lot about this, and us, and I know this is the right thing to do.” He gazed at her with such intensity that Mal had no choice but to believe him.
She had no idea what to say, and tears filled her eyes. The scent of hot oil started to tickle her nose, and she should get up and roll up the meat and cheese she’d spooned over the tortillas and get them frying.
She couldn’t look away from Skyler.
“You’re on the account,” Skyler said. “There’s plenty to share. I don’t want you to think of it as my money or your money. We’re married, like you said. It’s our money.”
Mal shook her head, a tear splashing her cheek. She reached to wipe it, but Skyler beat her to it. He leaned toward her, his fingers so warm against her skin. His breath drifted across her cheek, and then his lips touched hers.
Mal kissed him, a completely new experience as he moved slowly, kissed sweetly, and didn’t hold a single thing back.
Chapter Six
Skyler wanted what he’d said to be true. He wanted to share what he had with Mal, but it was more than that. He wanted to build a life with her. He knew he had more to tell her, and she had plenty to tell him too. They didn’t know each other as well as most people who were married probably did.
Once they went to the hearing, they’d have time.
He had time now.
He finally pulled away from her and pressed his lips together. He sure did like kissing her, and they’d shared a different kind of kiss every time. He sure did like that, as it told him Mal had many sides and a lot of layers. And he’d never wanted a simple woman.
“So if you need a new dress, Mal, that costs more than fifteen dollars, go get it.”
Her cheeks colored, and she nearly toppled the stool she stood up so fast. She kept her head down as she got back to work on the chimichangas, and Skyler wished he’d thought before he’d spoken.
“Sorry,” he said.
“For what?” she asked again.
“For being a jerk,” he said. “I shouldn’t have said that. You can buy whatever kind of dress you want.”
She eased the first chimichanga into the hot oil, and the sizzling and spitting was quite satisfying to Skyler. He was also starving, and had he known Mal would start feeding him delicious Mexican food most days of the week, he might have asked her out for real, months ago.
The image of Shayla’s face floated through his mind, and he knew he wouldn’t have.
“Is money the only thing?” he asked.
Mal didn’t answer immediately. She babysat the chimichangas for another moment, and then she turned back to him. “How many brothers and sisters do I have?”
“Four,” he said.
“One older brother. One younger. Two younger sisters.”
“What are their names?”
Skyler wondered if he was taking a test. “Jorge is the oldest. Then you. Then Julia, Marcus and Raquel.” He folded his arms on the counter in front of him. “Can you name my brothers in order?”