Page 140 of A Sky Full Of Stars

“Katie Kelly, did you just try to cheat?” Thomas’s booming voice breaks me from my thoughts, and I laugh until her name registers, pulling me up short. KatieKelly?

“I didn’t cheat,” Katie responds with her hands on her hips, her head tilted to the side, oozing sass. “I tricked you; there’s a difference. And I need to go to the bathroom.”

She runs inside, while I watch her in confusion.

Thomas watches her leave before his gaze shifts my way, and he takes a step toward me. I lift the book higher, keeping up my ruse, but he jogs over, collapsing onto the lounge beside me, tucking his hands behind his head, his eyes scrunched to block out the sun.

“Good book?” he asks, angling his head to face me. From the corner of my eye, I notice the hem of his tee rise, and forcemyself not to sneak a peek at the sliver of skin I know will be showing.

“The book is riveting,” I lie. “Did you have fun with Katie?”

“I did. She’s always fun to be around. I’m glad I was here.”

“Lucy is Dylan’s sister, right?” I ask as though I’m genuinely curious, when in reality, I want to know why Katie shares his name.

“That’s right.”

“And you’re her uncle?” I question him, the words leaving my mouth before I’ve thought them through.

“Technically not.” Thomas smiles and there’s so much love in his eyes that an unwanted jealousy takes over me.

I nod, trying hard not to ask what I desperately need to know, but when his eyes soften, I don’t have to.

“She has my last name,” he says, his smile morphing into a soft grin.

“She does?” I feign ignorance, making Thomas laugh before he lets out a sigh.

“It’s been alongsix years,” he says, sitting up and reaching over to gently run his thumb between my eyes, smoothing out my furrowed brow, his genuine smile returning. “You look worried.”

“Oh? I’m not.” I sit up and force a smile. “Sorry. Go on.”

He huffs out a laugh but it cuts off quickly. “Lucy went through something when she was pregnant and was worried about giving Katie her last name. So I offered them mine.”

My chest tightens for Lucy, but I push for more information. “You offered them yours?”

“Yeah, she was hurting but stressed, and Summer was worried, and…it was an easy fix.”

“Did you get married?” My head says no, but my heart needs the answer.

“What?” He barks out a laugh. “No. She legally changed her name to Kelly. But I was willing to say I was Katie’s father if I needed to.”

Jesus. “You’re a good guy, Thomas. I can’t even imagine what Lucy was going through for it to come to that. It was risky for you, but you did an amazing thing.”

“How was it risky?” His genuine confusion stuns me, and I hate that I have to explain myself.

“I mean, if you had a girlfriend, she could have been jealous. Or the media could have discovered it and spread rumors about you having a wife and kid.”

“Ah yeah. True. Lucy brought up the media thing. She was reluctant at first, but I made it clear it was a nonissue. As for my girl, I knew before I even offered it, that once I explained it, it would be a nonissue for her too. And I was right; she accepted it for what it was.”

I swallow the lump in my throat as jealousy rears its ugly head again. Not for Lucy, but for his girl. Still, I force another smile. “That’s great. And now Lucy and Katie have Wes.”

“They do.” His smile widens, and his happiness for them shines brightly.

We sit in silence for a moment until Thomas chuckles to himself. “After all these years, you still have this way of making me talk.”

I smile though my heart aches.

“What’s wrong?” Thomas notices, his brows furrowing as he leans forward to brush a few loose strands of hair away from my eyes.

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