Page 64 of Trick

I walk away, having heard enough. I knew we’d be judged, which is why I didn’t want our relationship to be public. I don’t know if the conversation I overheard makes me feel better or worse about this situation.

I head back into the kitchen, busying myself so I don’t have to go back into that room and face everyone. My stomach twists itself into knots as guilt eats at me. Am I a husband-stealing bitch? I didn’t mean to fall for Trick or to love him, but I can’t change that I do.

I feel someone step into the room, and when I turn, Skye is standing in the doorway. She’s the last person I want to see right now, but I don’t want to make any enemies here.

“Did you need something?” I ask, forcing a smile.

She’s not far off her due date, and her rounded stomach presses against the fabric of her dress. I don’t know how I feel about this woman now. I did have sympathy for her, knowing how scared she must have been when Trick attacked her and the things she overcame to get her and her baby to safety.

“I just… I wanted to thank you for coming. I know it can’t have been easy.”

That is not what I was expecting her to say. I straighten from packing the dishwasher, turning to face her fully. “Right. Thanks.”

She doesn’t move to leave, so I wait to see what she’s going to say. “I think… I think you and I have gotten off on the wrong foot.”

I can’t stop my eyes from flaring. “We don’t even know each other to get off on any foot,” I counter.

“I’ll admit, I’ve judged you based on things I’ve heard or seen, and that’s not who I want to be.”

Is this an apology? An olive branch? A moment of insanity?

“I judged you too, Skye. I thought you were your father’s daughter.”

“I am in many ways. I’m rash, I judge without knowing all the facts, and I’m very stubborn. I was blinded by my upset and anger at Trick for what happened.”

“Understandable, but he is a good man,” I tell her. “You just caught him at a bad time in his life. I promise you, he isn’t the monster you think he is, but what happened to him… it broke him in ways we can’t even imagine.”

She nods. “I see that. My father has a way of bringing out the worst in people.” There is sadness in her voice when she says this. “I have so many conflicting feelings. Part of me remembers the father who raised me, who never treated me badly. It’s hard to know who he really is.”

I wanted to hate her so much when she first came here. She was the enemy, the reason why my friend was dead, except… she wasn’t. Skye didn’t do a damn thing. Her only crime was being born into a family she had no choice about. When I look at her, I see the fear reflecting in her eyes.

Her father still wants her back and has a bounty on her head for her return. It’s only the vigilance of the club that has kept her safe. Until her father’s caught, she will never be able to live her life, and that is incredibly sad. “I think it’s normal to feel like that,” I tell her.

“I can’t imagine how hard it must be for you to hear people talking about killing your dad.”

Her brow wrinkles. “Surprisingly, that’s the part that is the least hard.”

“Skye, I know you don’t owe me anything, but I’m asking you to please, one day, forgive Trick.”

Her expression softens. “You love him.”

“I do, and somewhere in our twisted minds, we’ve found peace together. I know people are going to judge that, but I don’t care anymore. I’m not living my life to make other people comfortable.”

“You heard us talking.”

I’m surprised she admits this, but it makes me respect her a little more. “Yeah, but I’m not surprised. Everyone already thinks I’m trying to steal Sophia. Of course, I’m also stealing Trick.”

She leans against the counter behind her, tipping her head back to look at the ceiling. “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have heard that. It’s a terrible situation you’re both in, and no one should judge how you choose to handle it.”

“Yet everyone does. I’m not sure when my life became a democracy that everyone gets a vote on. I love Trick. When I was at my lowest, he helped me and supported me… and I’ve done the same for him. We’re both broken by our pasts, and I don’t want to give him up because everyone thinks we’re doing something bad. He told me I saved his life, and it wasn’t a dramatic statement, Skye. I truly believe he thinks I saved him because he saved me too, and I won’t apologise for loving him and making his world a little less dark.”

I slide the plate I’m holding onto the counter before heading for the door.

“I do forgive him,” Skye says before I leave. I twist to look over my shoulder at her. “How can I not when all his pain was caused by my father?”

I blow out a breath and step back towards her. “You’re not responsible for your father’s actions.”

“Trick said something similar to me.”

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