Page 30 of Just a Little Promise

She nodded, unable to forget such a touching idea and tribute to his deceased twin. “Yes. I believe you mentioned that this year will be the twentieth anniversary of her passing.”

“It is,” he said, and smiled. “The date is a few weeks away, on a Sunday. We always do a family get together on that day to celebrate Whitney’s life, along with dinner. I’d like you to be there, too.”

His invitation took her by surprise and was the last thing she expected when she wasn’t a part of his family. “That’s very personal for you, your parents, and your siblings.”

“I know.” He still held her hand, his green eyes locked on hers. “Let me rephrase what I just said. It’s a special day and Iwantyou there because you’re important to me.”

Oh, wow.Her throat tightened and his heartfelt words softened something inside of her. As much as she wasn’t sure she wanted to be involved in intimate family traditions considering she and Tripp weren’t a real couple, she was truly honored that he wanted to include her.

To her surprise, she couldn’t deny wanting to be there for him on such a momentous occasionas a friend. Because if nothing else, that’s what they were, weren’t they? That last thought made her stomach clench with regret, despite her being the one to set the parameters of this relationship.

Doing her best to ignore those unexpected feelings, she gave him a sincere smile. “Yes, of course, I’d love to be there.”

He looked relieved... and happy. “It’ll also give my family a chance to meet you and get to know you, which is important since we’ll be having a baby together. You’ll be part of the family, too, no matter how we choose to raise our child together.”

She swallowed hard, knowing she ought to be grateful that he wasn’t putting any pressure or expectations on her to be anything more than his baby mama, just as she’d insisted, but she couldn’t deny wishing they were more. That her past, her fears, and her need to be independent didn’t clash with old feelings for Tripp and the desire she’d always had to be part of a traditional family like the one she’d grown up in.

Their appetizers arrived, and once the server was gone she found herself asking the curious question buzzing around in her mind. “When was the last time you took someone home to meet your family?”

“About two years ago,” he replied, before taking a bite of the Wagyu beef tartar they were sharing.

Skye ate a piece of seared eggplant, dying to know who this mystery woman was. Clearly, she’d been someone he’d deemed important enough to introduce to his family, but they were no longer together. “Care to elaborate?” she asked, more casually than she felt.

He shrugged, as if the woman was inconsequential. Skye selfishly wanted to believe that, but the reality was that she and Tripp had been apart for over five years. Of course he’d dated other people and probably even had a long term relationship during that time. Considering she’d been married, she had no right to feel jealous.

“Her name was Julia,” he said, settling back in the booth beside her as he lifted his whisky to his lips for a drink. “She was a pharmaceutical rep I met at a conference. We dated for almost a year and a half.”

That bit of information felt like a stab to the heart, no matter what she’d just tried to tell herself and she quickly glanced away before he could catch the envy she was certain was written all over her expression.

He stretched an arm across the back of the booth, his fingers sliding beneath her hair and his warm hand cupping the back of her neck. His touch was gentle and intimate and soothed the chaotic sensation in her stomach.

“You have nothing to feel jealous about, Skye,” he murmured, clearly having glimpsed the painful emotions on her face. “She wasn’t you.”

She eased out a breath and met his sincere gaze, needing to know more. “A year and a half is a long time to be with someone. Why did you break up?”

He paused for a moment as if considering his words before speaking again. “Julia and I were compatible in a lot of ways. I wouldn’t have stayed with her that long if we weren’t. Things with her were... comfortable, and easy, and convenient. I honestly thought that maybe we’d get married and have a family, since I was finally in a position to make that kind of commitment to someone.”

He laughed and shook his head. “But when I brought up the idea of getting married, she and I weren’t even remotely on the same page. Her job and career were first and foremost to her, and she had no desire to tie herself to a husband and kids. So, she ended things.” A wry smile twisted his lips. “I guess she did to me what I realize now I did to you. Except I didn’t have strong feelings for her. At all.”

Skye’s eyes widened in shock, and because she didn’t know what to say, she uttered a quiet, “Wow.”

He lifted his shoulder. “She did the right thing by breaking things off, because the one thing I know now is that I would have been settling, because she wasn’t the woman I truly wanted.” He paused, then said, “You’ve always been the one, Skye, but I thought you were married and I’d lost my chance.”

He gently stroked the back of his hand along her cheek, and she shivered at the raw emotion in his eyes as they remained focused on hers.

You’ve always been the one, Skye.She could feel the locks around her heart cracking open, wanting what he was offering so badly. His words were everything she’d wanted to hear all those years ago, but so much had changed in that time. Mostly, her.

As much as she still deeply cared for him, she’d come to rely on her independence and autonomy. After everything she’d endured with Jack, the last thing she wanted was to depend on any man again. For anything.

She didn’t want to lose herself in Tripp, and that was her greatest fear. She’d worked so hard to carve out a new life for herself, one that, for the most part, made her happy and fulfilled. But those awful times with Jack had scarred her, the flashbacks always hovering, and while she was willing to let Tripp be a parental figure to their child, that vulnerable part of her wasn’t prepared to give up the new and safe life she’d built for herself.

“Skye?”

The harsh sound of someone saying her name jolted Skye out of her troubling thoughts, and she jerked her attention from Tripp to the man standing by their table. Not just any man, either, but her brother, Spencer, whose fierce, protective gaze was narrowed on Tripp in an almost comically feral way.

“Spencer!” she said, her tone high pitched thanks to her shock at seeing him in the same hotel. He was the last person she thought she’d run into over the weekend. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m waiting for my date, who is running late,” he said in a terse tone, his hands braced on his hips.

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