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But that didn’t stop me from shrugging off the blanket and walking down the steps to talk to him.
“Jack.”
He stilled at the sound of my voice. Slowly, he rose to his feet, his eyes immediately finding mine when he turned around. There wasn’t a trace of the man I met in Texas. He was stronger, clearer than I’d ever seen him before. And he was looking at me like he’d seen a ghost.
36
JACK
My eyes hadto be deceiving me. There was no way she could be here.
Not only here, but at the house next to mine.
I couldn’t speak. I just watched her, the way she stared at me nervously, wondering what I would do next. I’d dreamt about this woman for months, wishing I could turn back time and make things right with her. After all she did for me, I walked away without so much as a goodbye. I was too fucked up in the head to deal with anything else.
Yet, here she was, standing there looking at me with such warmth that I felt ashamed for being so harsh with her. It was what I needed at the time, but that didn’t mean she would ever forgive me.
She walked down the last few steps and quickly ate up the space between us. I still hadn’t opened my mouth when she flung her arms around my neck and squeezed me tight. I released a pained breath, slowly bringing my hands around her waist and pulling her closer to me. She was still here, still felt the same in my arms, though I didn’t have many memories of that.
I’d spent the past two months working past my issues, going to meetings for drug addiction. But I knew I wouldn’t get her back by justdoing that. I needed to fix what was wrong in my head—the idea that I was responsible for so many things that happened with not only my sister, but with Sky. I had to accept that there were other factors that contributed to Parker being taken, and by placing all the blame on my own shoulders, I was preventing myself from accepting my part in what happened.
I wasn’t there yet, but I wanted to be so badly.
When she stepped back, I felt the loss deep inside me, like a hole opened up and let in all these emotions that I didn’t know how to control. I wasn’t used to feeling things like this. For so long, I had shoved all that shit down, focusing on redeeming myself in some way. Now, everything was bubbling to the surface, reminding me of what I felt when I was with Sky.
I cleared my throat, unsure of what to say. There was so much to apologize for, but where to begin?
She took the first step, making it so much easier on me. “You look really good, Jack.”
“You do too,” I finally said.
They were not the first words I thought I’d say to Sky if I ever saw her again. I ran my hand across the short beard that graced my jawline, hoping to come up with something brilliant to say. “I didn’t know you were moving here.”
“I just got in yesterday.”
I nodded, unable to take my eyes off her. God, she was fucking beautiful. Those eyes…I dreamt about them at night. They pulled me back from the edge when I felt the cravings coming on. I fought for her, to make myself a better man to one day be worthy of her.
“You look great,” I said for the second time. “Where’s Parker?”
“Still sleeping. Since he doesn’t have to wake up early anymore, he likes to sleep in.”
“Lucky kid,” I said, feeling the first hint of a smile touch my lips. “Is he…”
“He’s fine. He had a few weeks of rough nights, but he’s doing so much better.”
“That’s good.” I hated the thought of what that kid went through.
“So…how are you?”
I huffed out a laugh, wishing I could sum it up easily. “You know…I have my good days.”
“And today?”
Today? Today was the best fucking day I’d had since I returned. Sky was here, standing next to me once again. It was the reminder I needed that life could be better.
“Today’s good,” I said, my voice cracking slightly. “Are you here to stay or…”
Please God, don’t tell me you’re leaving.
