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“Tanner Abernathy?”
“What?” I asked.
“Nadia said that you found Tanner passed out behind the bar and you got him into a rehab.”
“How does she know that?” How did anyone other than Mrs. B know that?
I sure as hell hadn’t said anything.
Skylar shrugged. “Thank you for doing what you did for Richie. I’ll pay you back for the—”
“No. You won’t. That was my decision. It had nothing to do with you.”
“It had a little to do with me,” she grinned.
It was nice to see her smiling even if it was just a little grin. “Maybe a little.”
“But that was before. Before I told you that we couldn’t—” she waved her hand between us.
“It wasn’t about that. I would do anything for you. You and Luna. Even if we can’t—” I copied the wave she’d done.
Skylar was quiet and I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. It was strange. Usually whatever she was feeling was broadcast in high def on her face, but not now. Since she’d shown up, there’d been no clues about what was going on in that pretty head of hers.
“I love you,” she said, taking me completely by surprise.
I stood there, in shock, sure that I’d misheard her when she said it again.
“I love you, Hank whatever your middle name is Comfort. I think I might have started falling in love with you before I even knew what you looked like. But over the past month, that falling changed to being. You are the best man I’ve ever known. I was being stupid. I know that you probably don’t believe me, but things like this, like you, don’t happen to people like me. My sister thinks that I was scared, because I don’t like relinquishing control. But on the walk over here I realized that wasn’t it. I would happily relinquish all of my control to you. I would even let you tie me up, but I’m not just talking about the bedroom.”
A picture of her naked, tied to my bed popped into the forefront of my thoughts, but I pushed it to the back for a later, more appropriate date and time.
Perhaps sensing things were going off track, she shook her head. “What I mean is, I trust you. Completely. I know you always have mine, Luna’s, and everyone’s best interest at heart. I wasn’t scared because I don’t trust you, I was scared because I don’t think that I deserve you. Why me? You could have anyone. You are literally a legend and women are lining up to find out if you can really throw down in bed.”
I doubted that.
“They are!” she responded to my silent thought. “But I realized something else as I walked over here. I don’t care if I don’t deserve you. I love you. I love you so much it’s hard for me to think, sleep, eat. All I do is think about you all the time. I can’t stop. And I have no idea if you still love me or if I’m too late but I had to tell you how I feel because—”
“Skylar.”
“What?”
“I love you.” I couldn’t wait a second more to tell her.
Her eyes shimmered with emotion. “You do?”
“Yes. But I don’t think you should take my word for it.”
“You don’t?” she asked as confusion filled her stare.
“No. I think I better show you how I feel.”
A wide smile spread across her face as I picked her up, one arm under her knees and the other behind her back like a groom carries his bride and took her upstairs. She nuzzled her nose into the crook of my neck and a groan ripped from my chest. I’d missed her so bad. I’d missed the way her body fit so perfectly in my arms. It was like the perfect puzzle piece that clicked into place.
We walked into the double doors of my new master suite. My crew had a week off between projects so I’d had them come over to work on my renovations. I’d called in favors with permits and my guys had worked for union scale. It was perfect timing because it had given me something to do so I didn’t obsess over not seeing Skylar, and I wasn’t sitting at home lookin’ like someone pissed in my cheerios, as Pops would’ve put it.
Instead of moving into the old master, I’d knocked down the walls between mine and Billy’s old room and expanded my existing bedroom. And I’d turned Jimmy’s room into the new master bath and walk-in closet.
When we walked inside her mouth dropped open. “Whoa! You’ve been busy. This is amazing!”
