Page 52 of Agony of Our Regret

“He said he was ready to be here and even get a job. How did that switch happen so fast?” Luca asked.

“You’ll have to ask him. It happened somewhere over the Pacific. When we left Hong Kong, he was still bummed and not talking, but by the time we landed in Los Angeles, he mentioned a team his dad told him about and how ready he was to start this next chapter.” Sky smirked. “I slept most of the flight, but apparently, he was having some life-changing conversations with himself.”

“Maybe the job was something he knew about before,” Gavin pointed out.

“Maybe,” Sky said. “He wasn’t ready to talk to me about it. I guess admitting it out loud was too much, but he knew he wanted to come home, too.”

I still needed to hear Noah’s side of things, but it felt good that he might have wanted to return before he was forced.

“Ave, Sweets.” Sky smiled, “I’m so sorry I was gone for so long.” He sat his bowl on the coffee table before kneeling in front of me. He took my hands in his and stared at them. “I never wanted to hurt you or make you feel like I didn’t care. I wanted to be there for Noah and make sure he came back to us.”

I lifted our hands and kissed the back of his. “I know.”

His eyes met mine. “I love you so much. I hate that I did anything to make you doubt that.”

It might have been the hormones or a fear of facing life without him. Maybe I was just being stupid because I missed him, or I wanted him around to punish him.

Whatever the reasons, I wanted the walls between us gone.

“I love you, Skyler.”

He finally smiled, his eyes lighting up. “I love you, too. So damn much.”

He rose and dropped a brief a kiss on my forehead before turning to the guys. “I’m sorry. I’m in. All in. I want this family just as much, if not more, than I did when we were sixteen.”

Gavin didn’t miss a beat. “Yeah, I know.”

“I forgive you. If anything, I’m jealous you got that time with Noah. I’ve missed both of you,” Luca admitted.

Sky moved back to the chair. “It’s felt like my heart’s been beating out of my body for years. Being here, it’s starting to heal.”

I smiled. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say something so serious.”

He blushed, another first. “I am capable.”

We stared at each other, and I felt something in my chest shift. A piece of my heart clicking back into place.

“I missed you,” I whispered, my voice huskier than a moment ago.

He leaned toward me. “I’ve miss you.”

Gavin cleared his throat. “Luca, remember that noise the car was making?”

Luca narrowed his eyes. “What?”

“The one I couldn’t find. Will you go down with me? We can take it for a drive and see if you hear it.”

Luca hesitated, but reversed course and agreed quickly. “Right, yeah.”

I swiveled my gaze around the room. “Where are you going? We’re eating.”

Gavin and Luca stood, and Gavin waved at me.

“We’ll be back in a little while. Let me know if you want us to stop and get anything on the way home.”

“Toothpaste.” Luca snapped his fingers. “We’re out, and I forgot to get some.”

“Right.” Gavin pointed at him.

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