Chapter Twenty-Five
Justice
I pace the room like a madman waiting for her to get here. Rodney laughs as he grabs a beer and passes it to me, no doubt trying to calm my nerves. I don’t know what I’m doing, and I don’t know if what I’m about to do is the right thing, but I have to try.
“You sure about this?” Rodney asks again. This isn’t the first time he's asked that question in the last ten minutes
“Yes, I’m sure. This is the only way I can see moving forward.”
“If you’re sure about this, I’m behind you one hundred percent,” he says. I smile and slap a hand on his shoulder.
“Thanks, Rodney. I appreciate you being here,” I tell him.
“I just want you to be happy, Justice. I don’t like seeing you like this, and I’ve known you a long ass time. This isn’t you. This feeling down and shit, it isn’t you,” he tells me. I know this isn’t me. I hadn’t been me in a very long time. Well, that was until she showed up. I wasn’t sure I was meant to be happy until Skylar came into my life. Now it’s all a fucking mess once again, and there’s only one way out of it.
The door opens as laughter erupts. My heart stops beating when Skylar walks in with Christy on her arm. Her smile is bright, and I can almost see that glimmer of hope inside her.
She stops walking when she sees me before a genuine smile crosses her face. Christy walks away from her making her way into Rodney’s waiting arms as I slowly move towards her.
“You look beautiful.” My eyes travel over her body in the tight black dress. Her curves stare me in the face as I take her in.
“So do you. Suit and tie, huh?” Bumping her shoulder against mine, she beams with beauty.
“You know I look my best when I’m dressed up.” Her giggle sends my heart into a fit.
“You look good in anything, J.” God, just hearing her call me J and not Justice, does something to my insides.
I really hope this night plays out the way I want it to. I can’t handle hurting her anymore.
“You seem happier. What’s going on?” I watch her eyes as they travel to Christy before snapping them back to mine.
“I have a great best friend who gave me amazing advice. I just hope it’s the right advice,” she says with the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen.
I lean into her and pull her close, brushing my lips over her cheek before kissing her softly. I hope this night plays out the way I’m hoping it will. If not, I don’t know how to deal with everything.
I glance over at Rodney once more, and he gives me a nod as he wraps his arms around Christy. I link my hand with Sky’s and lead her down the hall to the bedroom off-limits to anyone but me.
When we walk in, she gasps, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she takes in the room.
“What is all of this?” Skylar looks up at me as a tear slides down her cheek. God, I hope it’s one of happiness. Roses adorn the entire room, and petals are strewn over the floor. I made sure everything was perfect, with champagne sitting in a cooler next to the bed.
“Do you like it?”
“It’s beautiful, but what’s it for?” Sky asks as I grab the small controller and turn the music on. Soft music plays in the background, but all I can do is look at her and know I’m making the right choice. I know this is what I need to do.
“We have gone through some things together that even married couples don’t go through. I hate that your life was and still may be in danger because of me, but I’m not sorry for the time we got to spend together. There’s so much of a past between us that it’s hard to know where to begin,” I start as I swallow hard.
“I need to tell you something,” she blurts out. I shake my head and bring my fingers to her lips to silence her. I have to do this first.
“Let me finish before I lose the nerve,” I tell her. She looks lost, confused, and hell, so am I, but I need to do this now. I need to get this out and in the open, and then she can walk away from me if that’s what she chooses to do.
“When I lost my family, I thought my life was over. For a while, it was. I didn’t want to look at another woman like I did her. Then you showed up. And you took me by surprise. I wasn’t planning on finding anyone else in my lifetime. I wasn’t looking for it, but I found you. Or you found me.” I take a breath as I look at her, so fucking beautiful. I can’t let her go. I just can’t.
“I love her, Sky. I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving her, but I found something more. Something I didn’t know that I needed. And that’s you. I found you, and I love you. I don’t know when it happened, but I love you, and now I need to know something,” I tell her as tears run down her cheeks.
“What?”
“Will you marry me?” I did it. I said the words I’ve been feeling out loud for her, and now the ball is in her court. She has to decide if loving me is worth all the risks.