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Skid looks so different from how he did this morning. Suddenly he looks tired and under pressure, I wish there was something I could do to calm him.
“I got that appointment,” I tell him with a smile, hoping it will ease him up a little.
“That was quick.” I notice some of the tension drop from his shoulders already.
“Dr. Blowit had a cancellation for tomorrow afternoon. I figured we could ask one of the girls to look after Charlie and go together.” I wipe the corners of my mouth with the paper towel he passes me.
“Blow it?” There’s a hint of a smile on his face now, and when I nod my head he chuckles with me.
“You can come, right?” I check.
“I wouldn’t miss it.” Skid takes my hips and pulls me closer, so he can kiss the top of my head.
“You ready to face what's out there again?” He asks.
“Yeah, I’m ready.” I smile up at him and let him lead me back out to the barroom.
‘You okay?” Jasmine is the first person we see and she looks worried. She took Charlie into the ladies' bar while I worked with Nyx and now that I can’t see him anywhere, I’m starting to feel anxious.
“Yeah, it was just a little overwhelming seeing him again. You’re real good at what you do.” I smile at Nyx.
“I better get back to the studio.” He nods his head sympathetically before he heads out the doors.
“Where’s Charlie?” I ask Jasmine, doing another quick scan of the room and still not seeing him.
“He’s with Lydia, still in the ladies’ bar. And he’s fine,” Jasmine assures me, placing her hand on my arm.
“Come on, I’ll get ya both home,” Skid whispers before he kisses my temple. “Jess, can you get that picture sent to Tripp? See if he’s seen him?” He calls across to Jessie.
“But I thought you were gonna—”
The firm head shake Skid gives him immediately shuts him up.
“Sure thing.” Jessie nods, looking almost as puzzled as I am.
* * *
“What happened?” I wait until we’re alone in Skid’s cabin and Charlie’s in his room before I question him. He’s keeping something from me and I want to know what it is.
“Nothin’ happened, I’m just wantin’ to get things dealt with.” He tugs me toward the kitchen so we’re away from Charlie’s bedroom door.
“He’s gonna be needin’ to get back to normal with school and now with the baby… I don’t want you to have anythin’ to worry about.”
He kisses my forehead before he goes to pull away but I quickly pull him back.
“Skid, if you kill him, you will make sure you're smart about it, won’t you? I can’t have you ending up in jail.” It’s crossed my mind more than a few times that this could all go wrong. Us being together and being happy all seems too good to be true after all we’ve suffered.
“That ain’t gonna happen.” Skid shakes his head at me.
“I’m taking that as a promise because we’re all gonna really need you.” My hand touches my stomach and I feel a smile lift my cheeks. I’m starting to come around to the idea of us having this baby together. It may not have been planned but it feels kind of perfect.
“I don’t want you to worry about a single thing. We’re gonna be okay,” he promises, placing his hand over mine and kissing me.
Skid doesn’t return to the garage, instead, he hangs out here with me and Charlie. It's nice to see him and Charlie building a relationship together. Charlie looks at Skid as if he’s some kind of superhero and Skid has this way of making it seem like he’s always been with us. They make each other laugh like old friends. Despite the afternoon we spend together being fun, I can still tell there's something on Skid’s mind. Something he’s not gonna tell me.
After dinner, I give Charlie a bath and sit in the armchair while Skid reads him a bedtime story on the couch. I think back to the conversation we had this morning about us staying here, and how today has confirmed that it’s what I really want. I was a little worried that spending time with Carly’s sister would be awkward, but it wasn’t at all.
Jasmine was really easy to get along with, she seemed excited about me being here with Skid. Though sitting here now and feeling so content does make me wonder how Carly would feel. Everyone tells me she was the nicest person they ever met, that she would want Skid to be happy, but looking around the walls of her home and seeing Skid cuddled up and laughing with my little boy while our baby grows inside me, makes me feel like I’m stealing something from her.
