22. Tucker

Skylar shifts uncomfortably next to me; her brows furrow together and she squeezes her lips into a firm line.

“Stop overthinking, Sky. It’s just me.”

“What do you want to know?” She squeezes her eyes shut, letting out a small sigh.

“Do you want me?” I blurt out, surprising both of us. Skylar’s eyes snap to me, wide and full of emotion.

“What the hell did I say last night?”

“You said you kept doing this to yourself because you couldn’t have me,” I whisper, searching her face, trying to figure out where her head is in all of this.

My mind has been a mess since she came back. I feel myself falling back into old feelings, knowing how strong my love always was for her. It would be easy to love Skylar again, to let my world revolve around the woman sitting next to me.

“Tucker…”

“No… Is it true? Do you still want me? Do you want to be with me?”

She drops her head back to her knees and nods against them. I give her the space she needs, until I hear a soft whimper of a cry. There’s no way I”m letting my girl cry.

I slip my arms around her and lift her onto my lap. She instantly buries her head in the crook of my neck and wraps her arms around me. I hold onto her like I”m never letting go.

“Baby, why are you crying?”

“Because I can”t have you!”

“Why?”

“You don’t want me, Tuck. I”m a mess, I always have been and always will be.”

My heart breaks for her. She truly believes she’s an absolute mess, but that isn”t how I see her.

“Sky, I never stopped wanting you. I’ve been waiting for the chance to make you mine again. Was I hurt when you left? Of course. Did I understand you needed time and space? Yes. Am I happy you’re back? Abso-fucking-lutely. Do I want to claim you as mine? Hell yes, with every fiber of my being.”

“Really?” Her splotchy face peeks up at me and I fall a little harder.

“Yes, baby.”

“Holy crap, I forgot how sexy you sound when you call me baby.” She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip.

I cup her cheek, tilting her head back slightly. I can”t get enough of this woman and I’ve barely touched her in years.

“Riley wants me to date you,” I whisper, kissing her cheek, then her jaw.

“W-what? Really?”

“Yup. On the way home yesterday, she asked me if we ever dated, then said we should date again. She really likes you.”

“I really like her, she’s a great kid,” she says softly.

“She is.” I kiss the corner of her mouth. “Do you wanna?”

“Wanna what?” Her voice comes out breathless, her chest rises and falls a little faster.

“Date me.”

“A-are you a-asking me out?”

“Only if you’re gonna say yes. If the answer is no, then nah, it’s a joke.”

She chuckles, swatting at my chest but I grab her hands, placing them over my racing heart.

“Be my girlfriend, baby. Give us a second chance.”

She doesn’t give me an answer, instead she crashes her lips into mine. We kiss with all the built-up emotions between us. Our pain, want, need, and love are wordlessly spoken. She nips at my bottom lip as I run my hand up her thigh and under my t-shirt, her soft skin warming my skin. My fingers graze the bottom of her breast, bringing a moan from Skylar.

“Daddy?” Riley’s voice is full of uncertainty. The door is partly closed and Riley knows not to enter without asking.

Sky and I pull away from each other, she tries to move off my lap but I keep her there. I make sure her legs are covered up before I do anything else.

“Are you ok if we talk to her together?” I whisper and Sky nods. “Riley? Come climb up with us.”

She takes slow steps into the room, unsure of what to do. I expect it, she’s never seen me with anyone. I doubt she’s even seen me hug a woman before that wasn’t family.

Riley climbs onto the bottom of the bed, but I raise an eyebrow at her and she comes closer.

“Riles, we had a talk early this morning, remember?” I ask slowly. She nods, never taking her attention off of us. “Well, Skylar and I talked and we want to try dating again. Are you ok with me dating her and her being your principal?”

“Yeah, I like Sk-… Ms. Barren.” A smile lights up my face, she remembers I told her she needed to ask permission to use Skylar’s first name. “Ms. Barren… Can I maybe call you Skylar when we’re not at school?”

“Of course, sweetheart.” Skylar reaches out a hand, brushing hair away from Riley’s face.

“Do you have any questions for us? I want to make sure you’re comfortable, angel. I know this will be the first time I’ve dated.” I reiterate some of the same things I said this morning, hoping they’ll sink in a little more.

“Do I still get to do things with you, Daddy?”

“Oh, sweetie,” Skylar coos. “I”m not trying to replace you or ruin your time with your daddy! I want to spend time with both of you, maybe we can even spend some time together without Daddy.” She winks at Riley. They exchange big smiles and I swear my heart swells.

“That sounds fun! All the other girls have mommies to do things with, but I don’t.”

My brows scrunch together, it never occurred to me how Riley could be missing out on things. She has Ma, but maybe it’s different.

“Sometimes my friends and their moms go and get their hair and nails done, but I’m never invited because I don’t have a mommy.”

“I’d love to take you to get your hair and nails done, sweetie. Any time you want to go, we can.”

“You’re the best!” Riley throws herself into Skylar’s arms, they hold onto each other tightly. I wrap my arms around both of them, tugging them against my chest. They both giggle, but they come willingly. “Daddy? Can I go watch cartoons now?”

“Sure, angel. We’ll be out in a little bit.”

“Ok! Bye!”

She bounces out of the room as quickly as she came, a smile lighting up her face.

I nuzzle my head into the crook of Skylar’s neck, she giggles and melts into my body.

“You’re amazing with her. Thank you.”

“You have no reason to thank me. I told you, she’s a great kid and I like her a lot.”

“Sky, I didn’t know she was feeling left out because she doesn’t have a mom. She never told me she wanted to do those things. I would’ve done them with her or had Ma do them with her.”

“It’s different, Tuck. She loves you and your mom, but it’s just different. How about I take her for a spa day on Sunday?”

“You’re perfect.” I pepper her neck with kisses, enjoying her squirming in my arms. “I love you, Sky.”

“Tuck… we’ve been dating for like five whole minutes.”

“Yeah, but I never stopped loving you. You’ve always been my forever. Now, seeing you with my daughter, it just makes me love you even more. You’ve treated her with such love since before you even knew she was mine. You’ve stood up for her time and time again, never doubting her side of the story. You have no idea how much that means to me or Riley. You’re the type of mother I’ve always wanted for her.”

“Tuck, slow down. I’m not anyone’s mom. I just became the girlfriend, let me get used to that before we start discussing me being a mom to anyone.”

“You’re already a mom, darling. Our baby is waiting in heaven for us.”

I run my fingers over her flat stomach, as a lone tear slips down her cheek. I tug her closer, holding her tight.

“I know, Sky. It’s ok to break down, I”m here to catch you, I’ll always be here. You’ve never let yourself fully grieve our loss. I’ve fallen to pieces more times than I can count. Some days I still cry for the baby we lost and the life the three of us would have had.”

I’ll let her sob in my arms for as long as she needs. I expect her to break down every so often and I’ll always be there for her. I know what life without Skylar looks like and I don’t want to go back to it. After a while she pulls back, wiping the remaining moisture from beneath her eyes.

“I wanna tell Colt, I”m tired of hiding this. He’s like a brother to us, he deserves to know.”

“I agree, when do you want to tell him?”

“Today… Do you think Willow will watch Riley so we can do it together?”

“I”m sure she’d be happy to.”

I tug her back into me, enjoying the love of my life in my arms for a little longer.