“Fine, get back here.”
****
Shades limped inside and into the middle of the living room. He looked up toward the bedroom loft. “Skylar, get down here.”
No response.
“Swear to Christ, you make me climb those fucking stairs—” he held his ribs. Not that he’d get any sympathy from her, but fuck he could barely stand up straight.
She appeared at the top of the stairs, and then she was coming down them.
Shades eyed the duffle bags at the foot of the stairs. Skylar pulled another one from her shoulder and set it down. She stood there, staring up at him.
“You’re leaving?” When she didn’t reply, he repeated himself. “What the fuck, babe, you’re leaving? That’s it? You’re just walking out on us?”
She finally found her voice. “There’s no ‘us’.”
“The hell there’s not.”
“There’s you and your club. That’s all that’s important to you. That’s all you care about.” He knew the words coming out of her mouth were all lies, but she threw them up as a defense, guarding her heart. Hurting him before he could hurt her.
“Bullshit! Didn’t I just walk through hell for you?”
“You did it to get your patch. Everything you did, coming for me, all of it…you did it all just to get VP, because you couldn’t let Undertaker down, isn’t that right?”
“No, it’s not fucking right.” Christ, she was clutching at straws now.
“You come back the conquering hero, and they make you their VP.”
“Yeah, the club is my life, always will be, but that isn’t all I care about. There’s a place for you in my life. And if you’re not in it, there’ll always be a big piece missing. An empty place that won’t ever be filled. I thought we worked all this shit out at the beach. Goddamn, Skylar. You’re enough to drive a man crazy.”
She made to move past him, but he stepped in front of her.
“Let me go.”
“Like hell I will. Running again, babe? That your solution to everything? Hurt somebody before they have a chance to hurt you.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She tried to brush past him, but he grabbed her by the arm and turned her to face him.
“You’re afraid this is going to end. You think I’m gonna leave, so you’re gonna beat me to the punch. Hurt me before I hurt you.” At least she had it in her to look ashamed, because she knew he was right. “Swear to God, babe, I’ll toss every suitcase in this place out in that fuckin’ lake, if that’s the kind of statement I gotta make to you.”
Her eyes lifted to his, giving him hope he was getting through to her.
“I’m not going anywhere, Sky.”
She searched his eyes. He hoped she could see the resolve in his.
“And you’re not going anywhere either. Not with your father and sure as hell not with Blood.” He growled the last part, hoping to Christ she knew how bad of a fuck up that move was. He huffed out a breath, trying to regain his temper. “Sky, you once told me you had no one. You want family? I’ll be your family. Now you have your dad, the club, and me, if you want.”
“Shades…” Her voice sounded shaky. Maybe she was starting to see.
“I’m here, Skylar. I’m standing right here in front of you.”
Her eyes moved to the wall of windows and the lake beyond. He had her thinking, at least. “I know what this shit is about, Sky, and it’s not about me choosing the club over you. It’s about you being scared. You’re scared, so you do what you do best. You run.”
“That’s not true,” she whispered, her eyes still on the lake.
“Yeah, it is, sweetheart. You’re afraid you can’t let someone else hold the reins in your life again after having no control for most of your life. You’re afraid to let me hold those reins.”