Page 5 of Just a Little Promise

Six months, actually—far longer than he’d ever intended to let things go on with Skye. At the time, he’d been all about casual hook-ups and one night stands because of his intense work and school schedule, but one taste of Skye and he’d been addicted to everything about her.

“And you let a beautiful girl like her slip through your fingers?” Hudson shook his head in a disappointed manner. “That’s a damn shame.”

Tripp couldn’t disagree. “When we met, I was in the middle of my residency training in pediatric surgery and my schedule was insane,” he said, remembering the long days and even longer nights of studying, rotations, and grabbing sleep at the hospital whenever he could. “There was no room in my life for a committed relationship with any woman. And because I knew Skye wanted to get married and have kids, ending things with her was the right thing to do because I couldn’t make that promise.” It had also been one of the most painful things, because despite his no-strings-attached rule, he’d fallen in love with her.

Hudson nodded in understanding. “Been there, done that.”

“A few months after breaking things off, I saw on social media that she met a guy named Jack and within a year they were married,” he said, absently wiping away the condensation on his bourbon glass with his fingers, while trying not to remember the spear of jealousy he’d experienced at the time. “I’m sure that kids followed soon after.”

“You unfriended her?” he asked, sounding surprised that he didn’t know for sure.

“No. I probably should have,” he said with a small laugh, because he’d been way too obsessive about following a woman he’d broken up with. “She deactivated all her social media accounts right after she got married.” Which had been odd to him, knowing Skye was social and enjoyed her friends.

It had been hell for him, no longer having any contact or awareness about Skye and her activities, but also a relief. He no longer had to watch her life play out with another man.

Hudson sat back in his seat. “Look, why don’t you at least go over there and say hi. There’s nothing wrong with saying hello to an old friend. And maybe there’s a reason why she’s not wearing a ring.”

His friend had a point. If he discovered Skye was happy, he’d say hi and walk away. No way would he want to interfere with her life, even if his gut churned at the thought of finding out she was still married. However, if that ringless finger indicated that she was single again, well, as far as he was concerned, all bets were off.

“Better decide quick,” Hudson said, nodding toward the bar. “She and her friend are paying their tab and getting ready to leave. Who knows if you’ll run into her again.”

Without any more hesitation, Tripp stood and headed toward the bar, his heart hammering wildly in his chest, from the sheer anticipation of being in Skye’s space again. He caught up to her just as she slid off her stool and turned, promptly bumping into him. She sucked in a startled breath, and when she faltered on her heels, he reached out and grabbed her arms to steady her.

He registered two things immediately. The way her entire body tensed when he touched her, and the fact that she stared at his chest, as though she feared making eye contact with whoever she’d walked into.

“I’m so sorry,” she blurted out in a rush, still staring straight ahead. “I wasn’t paying attention—”

“Skye,” he said, the word a subtle order for her tolookup. Saying her name meant he knew her and was meant to shake her out of wherever her mind had gone.

It worked. Even in heels, she’d always been petite, and she finally tipped her head back, her cornflower blue eyes meeting his... and Jesus, she was still so damn beautiful she took his breath away.

He smiled at the shock playing across her face as she recognized him, and he gently brushed his thumbs against her bare arms, as much to ease the tension from her body as it was to feel her soft, silky skin beneath his fingers.

She shivered in response and relaxed slightly, and he didn’t miss the awareness—and something else he couldn’t quite define—that flickered in her gaze as she tried to regain her equilibrium.

Seemingly flustered, she greeted him with a nervous, and shrill, “Hi!”

He chuckled, seeing a small glimpse of the adorably awkward Skye she’d been when they’d first met, even if there was something more reserved about her now.

“Hi yourself,” he replied, and now that she was steady on her feet, he reluctantly released her arms. “It’s good to see you.”

She cleared her throat, as if making sure that the squeak in her voice was gone. “You, too,” she replied, more composed now, even if she was staring at him in wide-eyed awe.

He slid his gaze past Skye for a moment to address her friend, Lauren, who he recognized from the massive Dare/Kingston circle of family and friends they were both a part of since his brother, Beck, had married Chloe Kingston. Hell, this bar, The Back Door, was owned and operated by Zach Dare.

Yeah, figuring out the whole family and friends dynamic, and how they were connected to either the Dares or the Kingstons or both, could make a person’s head spin. Case in point, Lauren hanging out with Skye as if they were old friends. How did they even know one another?

It didn’t escape his notice that Lauren was watching the interaction between himself and Skye with undisguised interest. “Hi, Lauren,” he greeted her. “Nice to see you.”

She adjusted the strap of her purse over her shoulder and smiled. “Same. You know Skye?”

He nodded. “We met in Boston while I was in med school,” he said, keeping the explanation short and simple.

“Wow, small world,” Lauren said with a laugh. “By the way, I just saw that you’re one of the bachelors up for auction at next week’s Future Fast Track charity event.”

He grimaced at the reminder. “Yeah. Chloe managed to twist my arm, and Drew’s,” he said of his other single brother, then returned his attention back to Skye, the only woman in the bar he wanted to focus on. “I have to say I’m shocked to see you in New York City. Are you here with your husband?”

Yeah, he went there. Might as well address his biggest question and get it out in the open, because her answer would decide what he did next.

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