Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 61286 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61286 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
He paused for a moment as if considering his words before speaking again. “Julia and I were compatible in a lot of ways. I wouldn’t have stayed with her that long if we weren’t. Things with her were . . . comfortable, and easy, and convenient. I honestly thought that maybe we’d get married and have a family, since I was finally in a position to make that kind of commitment to someone.”
He laughed and shook his head. “But when I brought up the idea of getting married, she and I weren’t even remotely on the same page. Her job and career were first and foremost to her, and she had no desire to tie herself to a husband and kids. So, she ended things.” A wry smile twisted his lips. “I guess she did to me what I realize now I did to you. Except I didn’t have strong feelings for her. At all.”
Skye’s eyes widened in shock, and because she didn’t know what to say, she uttered a quiet, “Wow.”
He lifted his shoulder. “She did the right thing by breaking things off, because the one thing I know now is that I would have been settling, because she wasn’t the woman I truly wanted.” He paused, then said, “You’ve always been the one, Skye, but I thought you were married and I’d lost my chance.”
He gently stroked the back of his hand along her cheek, and she shivered at the raw emotion in his eyes as they remained focused on hers.
You’ve always been the one, Skye. She could feel the locks around her heart cracking open, wanting what he was offering so badly. His words were everything she’d wanted to hear all those years ago, but so much had changed in that time. Mostly, her.
As much as she still deeply cared for him, she’d come to rely on her independence and autonomy. After everything she’d endured with Jack, the last thing she wanted was to depend on any man again. For anything.
She didn’t want to lose herself in Tripp, and that was her greatest fear. She’d worked so hard to carve out a new life for herself, one that, for the most part, made her happy and fulfilled. But those awful times with Jack had scarred her, the flashbacks always hovering, and while she was willing to let Tripp be a parental figure to their child, that vulnerable part of her wasn’t prepared to give up the new and safe life she’d built for herself.
“Skye?”
The harsh sound of someone saying her name jolted Skye out of her troubling thoughts, and she jerked her attention from Tripp to the man standing by their table. Not just any man, either, but her brother, Spencer, whose fierce, protective gaze was narrowed on Tripp in an almost comically feral way.
“Spencer!” she said, her tone high pitched thanks to her shock at seeing him in the same hotel. He was the last person she thought she’d run into over the weekend. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m waiting for my date, who is running late,” he said in a terse tone, his hands braced on his hips.
Skye was certain if they were meeting at a swanky hotel then it had to be one of Spencer’s hookups.
“What are you doing here?” he volleyed back.
And who the fuck is the guy you’re with? She could read the harsh question in his eyes and knew that Spencer was in overprotective big brother mode—especially since she hadn’t dated anyone since Jack. So she gave him a pass on his brusque attitude.
“I’m on a date, as well,” she said calmly, then made the introductions. “This is Tripp Daniels. Tripp, this is my brother, Spencer.”
Tripp finally pulled away the hand that had been resting on her shoulder and turned toward her brother with an amicable smile. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said and extended his hand to shake.
Spencer clasped Tripp’s hand so tight that the veins in his forearms nearly stood out, but Tripp’s grip was equally firm.
“I’d say the same, but I have no idea who the hell you are,” her brother said, holding nothing back.
“Spencer!” While a part of Skye understood her brother’s extreme reaction, the other part was horrified at his disrespectful behavior.
Spencer released Tripp’s hand and shifted his gaze to her, an accusatory look in his eyes. “I just saw you a few days ago at the gym for kickboxing. You couldn’t at least have mentioned that you had a date with some stranger?”
She winced, because her brother was right. Out of everyone in her family, he’d been the one to take care of her after Jack’s abuse. He’d picked her up the day after that assault, he’d seen her at her absolute lowest, and she knew a part of him carried guilt for not stepping in sooner. He’d also spent the past two years helping to rebuild her self-esteem, and her physical strength.