Page 49 of Pyro

An honest to God, real date.

After a quick shower, I stood in front of my closet, with no idea what to wear. He said dinner, but not where.

I didn’t know if it was fancy or casual.

A knock at my door had me turning when Bailey, Beth and Sarah walked in, smiling.

“God, your brother is a pain in the ass,” Bailey huffed, plopping down on my bed. “The boys had to bribe him to behave tonight. Apparently, he really wanted ice cream. I’m never having children. Cameron cured me of that.”

I chuckled. “He is a handful.”

“You don’t want kids?” Sarah asked, rubbing her ever-growing belly as she sat in a comfortable, over-stuffed chair in the corner of my room. The miserable woman looked as if she was ready to pop. Even I was beginning to wonder how much bigger her belly could get.

“Maybe, much later. I like it being me and King right now. I didn’t have the best mother or grandmother. Besides, I’m waiting to see how you fare with those three. If you can handle three of them, then one won’t be so bad.”

“Gee thanks, Bails,” Sarah scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“Hey, don’t get mad at me. I’m not the one who got knocked up by the man whore of Rosewood. I tried to warn you.”

“You did not,” Sarah smirked. “You laughed and watched the merriment like everyone else did.”

“She’s right, Bailey,” Beth smirked. “And what a ride it was. For a hot minute, I didn’t think Gunner would survive it all. But he manned up and did right by my baby girl.”

“He poisoned her cervix with three of his spawns. You think Cameron is wild? Wait till those hellions get here. The town won’t survive the fallout. Shit, Beth, if the man whore of Rosewood could infect Sarah with three, what the hell will King’s sperm do to me? Four, five? Fuck that!”

After a lot of bickering, laughter, and Bailey insisting I dress biker chic, I was ready for a night out.

Heading downstairs, I found Chase standing by the door, talking to Scribe and King, who handed him something that Chase quickly put in his pocket before he turned, smiling brightly when he saw me. Chase turned to face me, his eyes roaming me up and down, as a slow smile appeared on his face.

“Damn,” Scribe cursed lowly, slapping Chase on his shoulder. “Man, I really hate being the good guy.”

Before I could ask what he meant by that, Scribe walked over to me, took both my hands in his and lightly kissed my cheek. “You look ravishing, Sky. And as much as it pains me to say this, it would never work out between us. I’m too needy and selfish. I hope you understand.”

“Huh?”

“Get away from her, you creep,” Chase chuckled, pushing him away from me. “You ready to go?”

I happily nodded.

Chapter Eighteen

Pyro

I’d never been more nervous in my life.

Not even when I married Ellie did I feel like this.

It was almost as if life had been preparing me for this one moment in time. I couldn’t explain it. Only that it felt right.

Seeing Skylar Rose walk down those stairs, dressed in a stunning black dress that hugged her curves beautifully, I lost the ability to speak. Her long blonde hair fell around her face in waves as she smiled at me. Her face glowed under the smoky eyes and cherry red lipstick. But it was the way she looked at me. As if I were the only man in the universe that had my heart damn near shooting out of my chest.

I wanted this night to be special for Skylar Rose. She needed a wonderful memory, one she would always cherish, and I planned on giving her that tonight.

Over the last several weeks, I slowly tore down my walls.

With help from Scribe and King, I finally released all the anger and resentment I felt for failing Ellie. It wasn’t easy and a part of me would always love Ellie, but I didn’t want to live in the past anymore.

I wanted a new future.

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