Chapter Thirty-Eight
Aside from the tension of waiting for Grant or Drake or Danny—or all three together—to show themselves, it had been a blissful four days. Especially the nights spent with Tristan. Skye chuckled to herself as she slipped into his bed. Her vow to stay in the guest room next to Everly hadn’t lasted from the first night.
She did sneak downstairs at dawn each morning, giving the impression that was where she slept. If anyone asked Everly where Skye spent her nights, the girl would say in the room next to her, and that was all that mattered. But oh, those hours spent with Tristan’s arms around her, the way his body moved when inside her, the places his mouth found to pleasure her...how was she supposed to walk away from all that?
Maybe she didn’t have to. Other than his lawsuit, Mason wasn’t causing trouble. It still concerned her that if things didn’t work out with Tristan, the town would side with him. As for Tristan spreading lies about her if they did break up, that no longer worried her. She could enjoy her time with him as long as she didn’t fall in love with him.
“Miss Skylar!” Everly jumped onto the end of the bed. “Are you awake?”
Skye laughed. “I am now.” This had become a morning ritual, and she was going to miss starting her day with Everly’s enthusiasm. How could you not begin your day with a smile when this one was your alarm clock?
“Good. Let’s go sneak some pickles.” She jumped across the bed, flopping down next to Skye. “We have to do it before my daddy and Uncle Tris catches us.”
Who knew how much fun it would be sneaking pickles under the noses of the men in the house? “We have to be quiet, okay? Use our whisper voices.”
“Okay,” she whisper-yelled.
Holding hands, they giggled all the way to the kitchen. Everly pulled her to the refrigerator. “I want five.”
“Two.”
“Four.”
“Two.”
Everly sighed. “Okay, three.”
“Two and we’ll share one, so how many will that make?”
“Two and a half!”
“Shhh. Remember, whisper voices.” This routine was repeated every morning, much to Skye’s amusement.
“I forgot.”
“Because pickles make you excited?”
“Yes! Sooooo excited!”
As they ate their pickles, Everly talked, jumping from one subject to another. The new sneakers she was going to wear to school today, a boy in her class who picked his nose (“Gross!”), her teacher who sneezed a lot because she was allergic to cats, and her best friend, Brandy, who always had cat hair on her clothes.
Jellybean strolled in, making a loud and drawn-out yowl, which Skye had learned meant feed me now!
Everly scooped her cat up. “You can get Jellybean’s food, Miss Skylar.”
“Oh, I can, huh?” She wondered how much cat hair Everly took to school with her every day on her clothes. Poor teacher. After opening a can of cat food and putting it in Jellybean’s bowl, Skye started a pot of coffee, then put the pickle jar away, hiding the evidence.
When Jellybean finished her breakfast, Everly scooped her up again. “I have to wake my daddy up now. Don’t tell him we ate pickles, ’kay?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” She was pretty sure Parker wasn’t clueless about his daughter’s pickle thievery.
She leaned against the counter, waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. “I’m going to miss this,” she murmured. Her morning ritual with Everly, her nights in Tristan’s bed. She was going to miss Parker’s teasing and Andrew’s shy smiles and delicious dinners.
She’d called a Realtor and was supposed to look at a few houses this afternoon. Her good mood vanished, an ache in her heart taking its place. She’d found the home of her heart, and she couldn’t keep it.
Shaking off her sad, she filled two cups with coffee and carried them upstairs. Tristan was asleep on his stomach, one naked butt cheek and a leg outside the covers. He’d stopped sleeping in his pajama bottoms since they were now keeping the door locked, and she appreciated the view. After setting the coffees on the night table, she returned to the door and locked it.
She sat on the edge of the bed. “My, my, what a pretty sight.” He grumbled something, making her chuckle. “Did someone wear you out last night?”