Page 76 of Skylar

Wilder batted his eyes at his wife. “She loves me. Just like I love her.”

“Do you really, Lexi?” Skylar asked.

A smile lit up Lexi’s face as she gazed at Wilder. “More every day.”

At her words, envy shot through Aiden. He hoped that some day he’d have the chance to experience that.

About a year ago, his mom had started to more aggressively hint that it was time for him to open himself up to the possibility of dating once again. He’d put it on the back burner following his dad and Bethany’s death.

He couldn’t deny that finding out about Shiloh and having Skylar back in his life had brought it to the forefront for him. The only problem was, with what was going on with Shiloh currently, he didn’t feel like he wanted to add one more thing to his life.

As he listened to Wilder tease Layla and Amelia about what boys they were interested in, Aiden felt old. It felt so long ago that he’d been that young, even though it really wasn’t.

Oh, the things he’d tell his younger self if he could go back in time. But would he have listened to himself? Back then, he’d thought he’d known everything.

The truth that had become apparent over the years was that the only thing he’d really known was how to mess up. Because he’d done that spectacularly.

“Hi, Amelia.”

Aiden looked up to see the teen who’d arrived late standing in front of the bleachers where Layla and Amelia sat. Amelia’s cheeks were pink as she returned the young man’s greeting.

“How are you doing?” The teen came across as very polite and respectful as he interacted with Amelia.

Aiden glanced at the woman who’d come with him. She was still seated a short distance away, but she was watching the interaction without expression.

Aiden was sure there were going to be questions for Amelia later. And possibly Layla too, as another older teen approached them and greeted her.

“I want to go for ice cream,” Cole announced as he came to stand beside Aiden. “You up for that?”

Aiden shrugged. “Sure.”

“You okay with that, Sky?”

She seemed to consider it for a moment before she nodded. “Anyone else coming?”

“Can we come?” Layla asked. “And Dawson and Benjamin?”

“Of course,” Cole said. “The more the merrier.”

The teen who’d been talking to Amelia stepped over to where the woman he’d arrived with sat. “Can we go with them to get ice cream?”

The woman’s gaze travelled over them, then she nodded. “I’ll just have to let them know.”

The boy grinned, revealing a mouthful of braces. “Thanks, Annie.”

After confirming where exactly they were going, Aiden changed his shoes, then put them into the duffle bag he’d brought. He took a long drink from his water bottle before returning it to the bag as well.

Thankfully, it hadn’t been an intense workout, so he wasn’t too sweaty. Previously, they would have showered and changed after a game, but the games that day hadn’t made him sweat too much.

“That was fun,” Cole said as they walked out to the car. “Been awhile since I’ve just played for the heck of it.”

“I keep forgetting you’re famous,” Skylar told him. “Until people go a little crazy around you.”

Cole chuckled as they got in the car. “They weren’t too bad. I’ve had some real crazy encounters.”

It was only a short drive to the ice cream parlor. It looked the same on the outside, but the inside had changed a bit. The place had always had an old-timey feel to it, but they’d redone it to really lean into that aesthetic.

“Wow,” Skylar said, coming to a stop just inside the door. “This is amazing.”

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