They sat for a while in companionable silence. There was intimacy in the comfort of those quiet moments and Kayla wanted Skye to feel it. To remember it. In fact, even she was surprised how comfortable it was. The charged tension had dissipated and she could just enjoy her surroundings.
A flash of movement from the window beside her caught Kayla’s attention. A breeze had ruffled some flowers and then moved on to set some palm leaves above them. Kayla let her gaze wander through the lush landscape out until it was swept away by the gentle swell of ocean waves. She couldn’t hear the birds in the trees or the sweep of water over sand, but she could feel it. A place this beautiful was so east to get lost in.
Kayla returned her attention to the room, only to find Skye watching her. Skye’s smile was easy and her gaze soft. She spokewithout thinking, just let the words come. “We chose a great spot to get married.”
Skye’s smile widened as she looked out through the window, but Kayla could see the moment when she remembered she wasn’t actually sitting here with her fiancée. The silence had clearly worked, but her discomfort was back.
Changing the subject, Skye asked, “Who’s watching the boys?”
“Tara.”
“Oh no.”
“Yeah, they’re going to come home five pounds heavier and too lazy to work, but they deserve a little spoiling now and then.”
Skye laughed. “Remember when we came back from that race in Baja?”
“How could I forget? Mr. Pebbles had gas for a week and wouldn’t stop begging for Doritos.”
Skye laughed again, slapping her knee as she bent over. “Finn wouldn’t even share the dog bed with him, poor guy.”
“Poor guy?” Kayla said. “How about poor us for having to clean up after that?”
“You wouldn’t even let him come to bed with us. He smelled so bad.”
“I wish I could say he learned his lesson, but he only ever listened to you anyway.”
Skye gave her a curious glance. “He doesn’t listen to McKensie?”
Kayla set her empty flute down and leaned in conspiratorially. “I think he knows she’s more of a cat person.”
Skye shook her head. “Of course she is. What do you see in her, anyway?”
Annoyance prickled across Kayla’s skin. “What do you mean? She’s my best friend. She has been since we were kids.”
“Yeah, well, she’s also an uptight ass. Nothing like your type.”
“Oh yeah? What’s my type?”
Skye opened her mouth, and Kayla was sure she was about to answer by saying “me”, but she stopped herself at the last minute. “You know how to have fun. She’s always had a stick up her ass the size of New Jersey.”
Kayla’s pulse thudded with anger. How dare she, of all people, pretend to know what Kayla needed? “Just because she hates you doesn’t mean she has a stick up her ass. She just doesn’t like some of the things that happened when we were together, that’s all. She’s protective of me.”
Skye’s jaw muscles jumped, and Kayla could tell she was chewing on the inside of her cheek to keep from saying too much. “Whatever. You deserve better.”
Battling instincts within Kayla had her wanting to scream, “I had better, but you left,” and “there is no one better than Mack,” at the same time. Confusion washed over her. Why were they even having this conversation? It was far too close to dangerous territory. If Kayla wasn’t careful, she’d end up saying something that made it obvious she and Mack weren’t together. She compromised by refilling their champagne flutes, even though Skye had barely touched hers.
“What about Amy?” Kayla had to force the words out, but she was pretty sure her act of nonchalance was convincing. “Is she the perfect partner you always wanted?”
Skye smiled, but her eyebrows drew together. “You were an amazing partner, Kayla. You know that, right?”
The champagne must be getting to her, because Kayla spoke without thinking. “Oh, sure. Amazing. Way too amazing for you to marry.”
Skye reached out, resting her hand on Kayla’s bare knee. The warmth and strength of her touch were overwhelming. She sucked in a breath, but it didn’t seem to fill her lungs. Her heart ached like nothing she had ever felt. How had she managed to survive the last eighteen months without this?
“There wasn’t anything wrong with you, K. There still isn’t. We just…didn’t work.”
Kayla forced her lips to smile. She forced her heart to beat and her lungs to fill and empty. Skye had said that to her before. The last time she’d said it, the words had shredded Kayla’s world. She hadn’t heard much more of what Skye had said that day. The future she had planned for the two of them had played out like a movie in her brain, blocking out the real world as the possibilities burst into flames.
