He glares at me and leans around me to say to Sky, “You could have called so I wouldn’t worry.”
“I didn’t think you’d be home yet.” She glances at her watch. “I didn’t mean to worry you, Seth,” she says. She’s sincere. And knows she worried him needlessly. “I’m sorry about that,” she says quietly.
I give Seth a look, and he heaves a sigh. He walks to her and wraps her up in a weird hug like ones I’ve seen him give his mom a hundred times. He picks her up off the ground a little. “I was worried about you, too,” he explains.
She smiles, and it’s beautiful. “Thanks,” she says. “My phone is dead, too. I’ll be sure to keep a charger in my car from now on. I’m not used to having to check in.” She starts to put bags down. “I took the girls shopping for some new clothes,” she says. She looks up at Seth. “I hope that’s okay.”
He looks a little chagrined. “That teacher of theirs has been harping about their clothes for a week.”
“Girls,” she calls. “Come and show Seth what you got while I go unload the rest.”
Seth looks up at me and then down at the many bags that are scattered all over the place. “There’s more?” he asks.
I grin and swipe a hand down my face. I saw all the shit that was in the back of her car. “Lots more,” I say. Sky walks toward the door so I jerk a thumb in her direction. “I’m going to help your aunt,” I say.
He grins at me. “Helping? Is that what they’re calling it now?”
Sky is already out the door, and I really want to go with her. “She has a boyfriend,” I say.
He shakes his head. “Not anymore. He dumped her yesterday. It wasn’t pretty.”
So she doesn’t have a boyfriend? My heart leaps. Hot damn. “Did she cry a lot?”
He shakes his head. “But there was a weird discussion about orgasms, his junk, and him being selfish in bed.” He shudders. “Way more than I wanted to hear.”
“Way more than you should be repeating, too,” I warn.
He grips my shoulder. “You need all the help you can get, man,” he says, giving me a squeeze. He grins.
I flip him the bird in a way that Joey and Mellie can’t see and follow Sky into the hallway. She’s still waiting at the elevator, so I jog up to her and stop, a little breathless. I’m not sure if my lack of air is because I’m so f**king relieved she’s unattached or the quick jog, but my bet is it’s the former. And I’m okay with that.
Skylar
Goodness gracious, he’s handsome. Matt’s wearing a gray T-shirt and jeans, and his hair is pulled back with a rubber band. He’s so tall that I have to tip my head to look up at him. He grins down at me. He’s breathing a little hard, and I have to admit I am, too.
“How was your day?” he asks. The elevator dings beside us, and we step inside. He hitches his hip against the rail and crosses his arms in front of his chest.
I ran out of the apartment because I was a little overwhelmed with emotion. It’s pitiful that a kid can make me lose my tight grip on reality just by being nice to me. But when Seth grabbed me and told me he was worried about me being late, I realized that I’m part of a family, and like the Grinch who stole Christmas, my heart swelled to twice its size. Then it cracked and my eyes filled up with tears and I had to get out of there before I lost my shit.
I swipe my fingertips beneath my eyes and smile a watery smile at Matt. I wish he had given me a few minutes to myself, but it’s too late now. I get to look like an idiot in front of an attractive man.
Who am I kidding? He’s hot as hell. And I’m about to start sobbing. Why is it that I get all teary every time this man is around?
“Sky?” he asks quietly. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I croak. I clear my throat because there’s a lump the size of Texas in it.
He walks toward me and touches my chin with gentle fingers, tipping my face up to his. “Then why are you crying?”
“Because I’m a girl,” I squeak out, like that’s an excuse.
“Liar,” he says. He cups my face with his palm, his fingertips tickling the skin in front of my ear, brushing back and forth.
“You’ll think it’s stupid,” I say.
“Try me,” he tosses back.
“No.” I sniffle. I square my shoulders. “I’m fine, really. It’s nothing.”
The doors open on the lower level, and we step out, but instead of walking toward the front doors, he takes my hand and tugs me with a quick jerk into the stairwell. He closes the door and sits down on the lowest step. He pats the spot beside him. “Take a break for a second.”
I gingerly sit down next to him. He scoots closer until his hip touches mine. I scoot away from him, but he scoots even closer. I look up, and I can’t keep from grinning at him. “You’re in my space,” I warn.
“I like being in your space. I kind of want to be all up in your space,” he says, his voice teasing and playful. But then he pats his shoulder. “God didn’t give me broad shoulders just hold up my T-shirts.” He uses his hand to push my head onto his shoulder. He’s quiet for a moment, but then he says, “Let me take some of your burden, Sky. Tell me what’s wrong.”
He sits quietly and just breathes. He doesn’t say anything more. I sit there and take in the scent of him. It’s woodsy and manly and clean. It’s Matt, and I like it. I don’t want to cry anymore. I want to climb into his lap and kiss him. “Oh God,” I moan.