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Frowning, I blink. “Make what easier?”
“Making this work.”
I still.
Knuckles trail down my cheek, and I find myself meeting his soft, green gaze.
“I can’t leave McKinley.”
I shake my head, and turn my body fully toward him, his hand sliding around to cup the back of my head. “Of course not,” I say. “Abby’s here. Your business and home are here. I’d never ask you to leave.”
His mouth thins, half-disappearing under his thick brown scruff. His throat works with a hard swallow, and then he says, “I’m still an alcoholic.”
I frown. “I know that.”
He huffs a short laugh, and removes his hand from my head to rub the back of his. He glances down, wetting his lips.
Shit. Did I not ask him how he was doing?
He didn’t drink last night, and he got his daughter back, so I just assumed…
“Sorry,” I blurt. “I’m really bad at this sometimes.”
He peeks up at me. “Bad at what?”
I cringe. “Talking. Or, rather…” I gesture between us. “The whole give and take thing. I tend to get stuck on one subject, and forget other things exist.”
His features soften with a small, gentle smile. His shoulders drop. “I see.”
My cheeks heat and I quickly shake my head. “It doesn’t mean I don’t care. Sometimes I just need a…prompt, you know?” I say, remembering what Dr. Maddock once told me.
“You can ask for help, Skyler. It’s okay to need help, even if that help doesn’t look like everybody else’s.”
“A prompt?”
“Yeah, to, like, change the channel,” I say with a short, awkward laugh. “There’s just…so many rules. Peopling is hard. Not always, but sometimes.”
He stifles a smile. “Right.”
“So…” I prod.
He blows out a breath. “So, I’m still in recovery. I’ve been sober for three and a half years.”
I smile. “Really?”
“Really, really.”
“I’m so proud of you.”
Emotion sears his eyes red and he nods. “Thank you.”
I chew the inside of my cheek, considering my next words. “Is it…hard? Not drinking? I never really asked you on the island.” I wince. “I mean, I’m sure it is. Hard. Sor—“
He squeezes my hand. “I have my good days and bad days. But it’s definitely…better this time around. It’s true what they say—a support system is everything.”
I nod.It definitely is.
“And I’ve found healthier ways to fill the void.”
