Page 139 of A Sky Full Of Stars

“Nanny and therapist… I love it. Don’t ever leave me.” Her smile widens before she giggles again and thenmyguilt takes over. With Thomas moving to San Francisco soon, I’m not sure staying close to his family is a good idea, and I hate lying to Summer. But I also don’t want to leave her in the lurch.

“Anyway,” Summer says, reaching for my arm. “You were about to have a break.”

“I’m in no rush.”

“Thank you. But you can actually have some extra time. Dylan’s sister asked if I could watch her daughter for a couple of hours. So, I’ll take a break and—”

“I can do it.”

“No.” Summer shakes her head. “She’s five going on sixteen. I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“You didn’t ask me. I’ll keep her entertained until Josh wakes, and then she can help me with his afternoon snack.”

Summer’s smile turns thankful, and her eyes fill with relief. “Are you sure?”

“Of course. What time is she coming? It’s Katie, right?” Summer gave me a rundown of their extended family when I first started. It’s really only Lucy, Katie, and Thomas that are legitimately related to Summer and Dylan, but she talks as though they all are.

“Yes, Katie. Thank you. And she’ll be here in twenty minutes.”

“No problem. I’ll be out back.”

“Thank you, Lainey. You are a godsend.”

I smile, trying hard to keep it genuine when inside I’m not feeling it. She wouldn’t think I was a godsend if she knew I’d been keeping a secret from her for the past six years…Oh shit.I’m just as bad as Luke and Thomas are.

Cue more guilt…and nerves. I have to tell them. But first, I have to talk to Thomas.

Her eyes slam shut as he drops to his knees, his fingers curling into the waistband of her pants. “Look at me,” he demands, his husky voice lighting her on fire.

“I’m going to win!” an unfamiliar voice calls out as the back door slams open, making me jump. My cheeks heat as a little girl around five runs into the yard.Has it been twenty minutes already?I should have put my book down before getting into that scene.I stand to say hello, but Thomas races after her, a relaxed smile on his face, his eyes alight with happiness.

“No chance, Katie Bug. You’re going down.”

Katie reaches for the football just as Thomas lifts her into the air, throwing her over his shoulder while she erupts in fits of giggles.

“I got it. I won,” she cheers, eliciting a full belly laugh from Thomas as he lowers her to the ground.

“Alright, Princess. You’re on offense and I’m on defense. Come on, let’s do this.”

Katie flips her hair away from her eyes and pops her hip, making me stifle my own laugh, but I’m not quiet enough because Thomas’s eyes flash my way, and his expression instantly changes. Instead of the wide, goofy-looking grin he was bestowing on Katie, his lips pull into the same breathtaking smile he’s always reserved for me, and my heart beats erratically as I return it.

“Hi, Thomas,” I say softly before turning to Katie. “And you must be Katie,” I say louder. “I’m Lainey.”

Katie beams back at me before her eyes flash to Thomas’s. “She has pink hair,” she whispers loudly, making me grin. While I let it grow out during my volunteering, when I got back to the US, I dyed it pink again, so I’m used to the stares and comments. But the awe in Katie’s voice has my chest heating.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Thomas says, acknowledging her tone.

“Do you think Mom would let me have pink hair?”

I laugh at the same time as Thomas, drawing his attention. “Maybe when you’re older.” He winks my way, and my traitorous pulse spikes.

“I’ll ask,” Katie says with a shrug before turning back to Thomas. “Can we play now?”

I’m about to tell him I can take over, but Katie doesn’t let him answer before she takes off running again, calling out a random play. When Thomas waves and runs after her, I try to get back to my book, but reading a sex scene while Thomas and Katie race around in front of me isn’t my idea of relaxing. So I fake it. And as I steal glances at the two of them laughing and teasing, it’s difficult to reconcile this man with the man I saw last night.

Happiness is practically shining out of him, and yet, in the shadows, he’s still the same shattered man he was when I left. A thought hits me, and my stomach tenses in concern as my gaze follows him around.Does anyone even know that he’s hurting?

A million thoughts run through my head as I picture his life in the spotlight. By all accounts, he’s got it all, but on the inside—

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