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“King, I didn’t want to wake Cameron. If it’s okay with you, I would like to leave him here for the night. I will be back in the morning to pack his things.”
“Skylar,” my brother barely said. “You don’t have to leave. This is your home.”
“No, it’s not. I thought it would be, but it’s not. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me and my brother.”
“You’re welcome, Skylar.”
“Mr. Montclair,” she firmly said, addressing me. “I quit!”
“Let’s go, darlin’,” Scribe said, as I clenched my beer tightly.
Motherfucker said that shit on purpose.
The second we all heard Scribe’s van pull away, King grabbed my shoulder, flinging me around to face him.
“What the fuck happened?!” he roared, as every brother in the club stood behind him, arms crossed over their chests, pissed.
Chapter Twenty-One
Skylar
After putting the last of my clothes away, I looked around the small studio apartment and sighed. While only temporary, it was a nice little place. There was a small kitchen-living room combo, with a bedroom and a full bath. It was perfect for a single person just starting out, but not for someone like me, who needed something a tad bigger with another room for my brother. But it would work until I could buy the house in town I was looking at.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Scribe asked, lounging on the comfortable sofa as I sat in the only chair in the apartment.
“Not really.”
“On a scale of one to do I get to take him out back and beat the hell out of him, how bad did he fuck this up?”
“Please don’t do that. I’m not worth it.”
“You’re worth it, Skylar. You are the only one who doesn’t believe that.”
“He doesn’t want me. Not like my dad wanted my mom, or like King and Gunner want Bailey and Sarah. Not like that, anyway.”
“Skylar, he does want you like that.”
“No, he doesn’t. Not like he wanted Ellie.”
“I’ve known Chase for a long time, since I got out of the military. I was there when he married Ellie. I saw how her death affected him. I thought when he started spending time with you, that he would move on.”
“You are partially right,” I sighed, raking my hands through my hair. “He spent time with me because he could feel again. His words, not mine. He’s not interested in a real relationship with me. Only how I make him feel.”
“And how does he feel when he’s with you?”
“That everything is alive. That he can see again. He talked about how vibrant the colors were. Look, Scribe, I’m tired. I don’t want to talk about this anymore. He’s made his decision and I’ve accepted that. It’s best if I just move on.”
Scribe sat up and looked at me. “Skylar, I think you misunderstood him. You know that for the last several weeks, Chase has been talking with me and King. What you don’t know is that he’s been opening up about the pain he’s kept bottled up. Ellie’s death rocked him to his core. He blames himself for her death.”
“I know that, Scribe, but he doesn’t love me. Not like he loved Ellie.”
“And he never will, sweetheart. What he felt for Ellie is different than what he feels for you. What he and Ellie had was special. He watched her grow into a beautiful woman. Ellie was a free spirit. She did what made her happy and Chase encouraged that. He never wanted to diminish the light inside her. When she died, the colors he talks about vanished. Then you arrive and the colors returned. It confused him at first, but when Hiller showed up and threatened you, Chase made a split decision that’s he’s been trying to come to terms with since.”
“What decision?”
“He claimed you, Skylar. Claimed you as his. His woman.”
“I don’t understand.”
