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I pour myself into it. Into him. Us.
In his arms, everything feels better.
That was before I got to know his heart. His mind. He’s so much more than meets the eye.
I fall. I fall in love.
I’ve got the kids in the back and Skylar at my side as we drive home from soccer. We’re all wearing Sparkly Turquoise Unicorn hats. Skylar is laughing at one of Emmy’s dramatic game recaps, and I can see Oliver staring down at his book with a soft smile on his face through the rearview mirror. And my life has never felt more complete.
“Would be a shame. I was kind of looking forward to taking you as my date.” Her cheek twitches. “No. I will take you as my date. My ten-thousand-dollar date.”
“Hey, Uncle Ford,” Emmy calls out and runs to him for a hug. He crouches a little to hug her back before offering Ollie a fist bump on his way past.
I kiss Skylar’s cheek and whisper, “I love you,” into her ear before ushering my kids inside.
“I…I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.” Her feet shift frantically beneath her. “Sky, you can. I know you can. Sky, baby, I’m gonna need you to take a long, slow breath in.”
The man whose inclination has been to protect me from the beginning can’t protect me from this.
He reaches for me, drags me into his lap, and holds me close. “Skylar, don’t say that. You didn’t share them on the internet.” “If I’d been thinking straight, I’d have considered the possibility that this could happen. Things like this happen to people like me.” “Doesn’t make it your fault.”
A little peek of heavy emotion that’s pushed its way through. Then he holds me tighter. “I’m so fucking sorry someone did this to you.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you don’t have to? You don’t have to keep doing this job if it doesn’t bring you joy.”
“You are allowed to quit.” I suck in a breath. “I know you don’t need my permission. But it’s okay to turn over a new leaf. It’s okay to sing. Hell, it’s okay to record and release songs for absolutely no one but yourself. So what if they don’t top charts? You don’t have to feed the machine for the rest of your life. Especially not when it’s clearly killing you. You could be here and healthy.”
When she turns into the kitchen, she draws up short. Her eyes go wide, and then, “Ollie.” She pushes past me where I’m leaning against the stove, rounding the island to get to him. She reaches for him and her gentle fingers trail over the blue swelling on his cheek and the cut on his lip. “What happened?”
They both want to protect her, and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t killing me.
From the side, I watch Skylar’s face fall. “Oh, buddy.” Her voice breaks as she leans over and wraps her arms around him. He hugs her back. Hard. And without hesitation. “Oh, buddy. Oh, buddy. I’m so sorry.” My eyes sting and my throat aches. I blink furiously as I turn my head away. “I’m not. He got what he deserved.”
“I love you, Ollie. I hope you know that. And, Emmy? I love you too. Never change. Either of you. You have both made my time here better than I could ever have imagined. I’m the luckiest girl in the world to have gotten to know you.”
Quiet little Ollie throwing fists to defend a woman’s honor. Maybe he’s got some of you in him after all.”
“She makes you happy, huh? I can tell. And I know the kids love her.”
“Good. You deserve that. Give her a hug for me, okay? Once I finish up at the school, I’d be happy to kill whoever did this to her too.”
“Yeah, Mia, you’re gonna have to get in line for that one.”
“I love you, West. I love you enough not to ruin what you’ve built here.
“I love you enough to want you to do what’s best for yourself.”
“Please take it. And please, no matter how angry you are with me, promise you’ll only tell them good things about my time here.”
“Can you please remember only the good things too? I don’t know if I can stand the idea of you hating me.”
“Don’t you get it? I could never hate you. Only miss you terribly.”
Then I kiss her. In the soft morning light, we cling to each other and share the most agonizing kiss. It’s soft and desperate and fucking tragic.
I pull her closer as though I can kiss her hard enough to make her change her mind or will that town car out of existence. Maybe I could be enough to keep her here.
Plus, my dad has never felt like a parent—I know that now that I’ve seen a great one in action—so my expectations for him are low.
I know he’s about to reference me freezing up, so I cut him off. “Am I horrified that you’d invite me here, then ask me to explain myself on national television as though I’ve done something wrong? I am not a scandal. I’m a victim of a despicable breach of my privacy. I’ve been violated, and you want me to explain myself?”
“This”—I point between them—“this is what the media does, to women especially. It’s not my job to take accountability for someone else’s shitty behavior. I don’t owe anyone an explanation. I don’t owe anyone insight into my private life or consensual love life—least of all vultures like you. Asking about it? Searching for it? You’re just as guilty as whoever leaked those photos for perpetuating it.”
I feel like Cherry that day she flew between West and me. It’s impossible to forget how flying feels.
“You can quote this. Go. Fuck. Yourselves.”
with, “Fuck yeah, Skylar,” and I instantly know he was watching the show. Ford has never told me what to do, only empowered me to do it. I’m not sure how I’ll ever thank him for taking a chance on me.
Before long, a sense of optimism creeps in. It reminds me of West.
“It’s got…nice hair?” “Her coat? You like her coat?” I ask with a chuckle that feels unfamiliar in my throat.
“Yeah, sure. Whatever. I’m trying to be nice and normal and shit.”
“Ford, we’ve been friends for over twenty years. Why are you trying to be something you’re not?” He swallows and pins me with his green eyes. “Because I’ve never seen you like this, and I don’t know what to do.”
You’re always so busy fighting for everyone else. Your kids, your sister, —hell, even me. But how about yourself?” I blink. “You’re really leaning into that whole dick character trait right now, huh?”
“Best friends don’t sit by and watch each other fuck up their lives. Consider this your intervention. You know I’m a private person. And that’s what keeps me from ever asking too many questions about your personal life. So I don’t know a lot about your relationship with Skylar, but I know what it’s like to spend years pining after someone. I know what it’s like to watch them leave and start a new life. And it’s fucking miserable.”
that you actually want to be in, but let me tell you something I know for sure: You don’t love someone only when it’s convenient or easy. You love them when it’s fucking awful and the world is falling apart around you.”
“Skylar has spent her entire life expecting people to let her down. She’s so used to it that she’s not even offended by it. But I am. She deserves better. And, West? So. Do. You.”
Skylar is my person. My life could never be better without her in it.
“I know you. And you are the hardest working, toughest motherfucker I know. So quit moping and start acting like it. Go fight for her.”
“Oh, by the way, her dad and agent hacked her email and distributed the photos. She burned the world down on morning television today. Fired everyone. She’s trending on every social media outlet. I’m pretty sure she’s going to win that award this weekend too.”
“Why didn’t you lead with that?” “Wanted to be a dick first.” My mind spins. I want to kill her dad. I want to give her the biggest high five. I want to watch her win that award. I want her.
“Can I borrow your private jet?” And I can only imagine the smug smirk of on his dickish face as he responds, “It’s fueled up and ready when you are.”
BREAKING NEWS: Skylar Stone is going to win tonight. I already know it.
It centers me, but I start when a hand lands on my back. I turn, expecting it to be Ford. “Oh, there you—” I stop short when my gaze lands on baby blues I’d know anywhere. “West,” I breathe as I soak in the sight of him as though he might be some sort of cruel mirage. He’s here.
