27. Tucker

“I really love Skylar, Daddy.” Riley snuggles under the cover, gripping Snowflake, her stuffed dog, in her arms.

“I know you do, sweetie. I really love her too.” I smooth the hair away from her face.

“I know you just started dating… but one day… Could you maybe get married? I had a lot of fun doing girl stuff with her today.”

“I’ll try my hardest, but I think it’s going to be a while.”

“I’d really like a little brother or sister too.” A devilish smirk spreads across her face.

My stomach rolls and my chest aches. I”m not sure if Skylar would even be open to having a baby… another baby with me. I wouldn’t be surprised if she doesn’t want to, terrified history will repeat itself.

The second Malory found out she was pregnant, I started worrying. I was constantly on the edge of my seat, waiting for something to go wrong. At every doctor’s appointment, I held my breath until the whooshing sound of Riley’s heartbeat filled the air. If Malory didn’t feel well, I forced her to go see the doctor, terrified something was wrong with Riley.

“Let’s wait until after I get married to talk about any more babies, deal?”

“Fine,” she groans, tugging her blanket a little higher. “I love you, Daddy. Tell Skylar I love her too.”

“I love you, sweetheart,” Skylar says from the doorway. She’s leaning against the threshold, her arms wrapped around her stomach. She’s trying to hide her trembling bottom lip, but I see it, just like I see the tears filling her eyes.

I need to get her out of this room and fast. If Riley sees her crying, she’s going to ask a million questions. Questions I”m not ready to answer quite yet.

“Alright, you get some sleep and try to stay in bed. I”m going to sleep in my bed with Skylar, ok?”

“Ok. I hope you both have a great night!” Riley blows us both kisses before she rolls on her side and faces the wall. She’s been sleeping like that every night since she was a baby.

I rush to Skylar’s side, ushering her out the door and shut it softly behind us. We barely make it to my room before a strangled sob breaks free from her. Wasting no time, I wrap her in my arms and hold her like my life depends on it.

“I’ve got you, baby. It’s ok to let go, cry as much as you want. I’ve got you now and forever.” I press kiss after kiss to her head, trying my hardest to make her feel loved and cherished.

It takes a few minutes before Skylar can compose herself. She’s never been big on crying or showing emotion, she doesn’t like people to see her vulnerable.

“I love her, Tuck. And every time I stare into those blue eyes, I wonder if that’s what our baby would look like. I wonder if we were going to have a boy or girl. My chest aches at the life that was stolen from us.”

“It was stolen from us back then, but we can get it back. We can get married and have more kids, Sky. It’s not over, we have plenty of time.”

Eliminating the distance between us, I press my lips softly against her. She melts into me instantly. It’s something I’ve always loved about Skylar; she doesn’t hide from me. She lets me have all of her. She lets me see every part, even the broken ones.

I walk her backwards, never severing our connection. In fact, I deepen the kiss, tilting her head to the side so I can taste her. Our tongues war, wanting more of each other. When the back of her legs hit the bed, a small gasp fans over my face.

“I don’t want to stop. I missed this, missed you,” I mutter between kisses.

“Shut up and kiss me. Make me forget all the bad, replace it with only the good.”

I lower her to the bed, crawling up the mattress after her. Settling between her legs, I stare down at the woman who’s held my heart in the palm of her hands for as long as I can remember. No one else ever stood a chance with me, no one could ever compare.

Skylar slips her fingers under the hem of my shirt. She slides them up my sides, making me squirm with how ticklish I am.

“I see you never figured out how to turn off your ticklishness.” A wicked smile spreads over her lips.

She lifts her hands higher and higher until she’s pushing the fabric over my head and tossing it on the floor. She nips and sucks on my neck, moving down to my chest. When her fingers trail down, stopping at the buttons on my pants, I freeze.

This is everything I’ve wanted since the day she left. It’s what I’ve dreamed of for years, but I refuse to take this next step unless she’s positive.

“Are you sure about this?” I run a hand through my hair, keeping my gaze locked on her.

“I”m positive. Stop being nervous, Tuck. It’s just me, this clearly isn’t our first time together.”

“No… but it’s our first time in what feels like a lifetime.”

Skylar drags her shirt over her head, her gaze locked on me the entire time. She tosses it on the ground and her bra goes with it a second later.

My attention drifts down her body, taking in every detail. I skim a hand down her neck, down the side of her perfect breasts, making her nipples tighten. I keep going, gliding over her soft, smooth skin, tracing her hour-glass figure.

Skylar’s always been beautiful, but now, she’s perfect. Curves are in places she never had them before, giving her a gorgeous figure.

I kiss up and down her stomach, nipping and sucking at her skin, a soft moan leaves her lips. I forgot how responsive she is to me. How well I know her body. It’s been ten years, but it doesn’t feel like that. Nothing important has changed about Skylar in the time she’s been gone.

Pulling back, I reach for my phone, making Skylar groan in frustration. She’s always been needy when it comes to me, always wanting more. I press play on the first playlist that pops up, wanting some background noise to drown out the sounds that will fall from Skylar’s lips.

“You’ve always been loud, I can”t have you waking up Riley,” I explain, moving back towards her.

She wraps her arms around my neck, her legs around my waist, and just hugs me. When I try to pull away, she doesn’t let me.

“I love you, Tucker,” she whispers against my skin.

“I love you too, Skylar.”

It takes a few minutes before she finally allows me to get up, but I”m not complaining. I’d happily stay wrapped in this woman’s arms for the rest of my life. But right now, we both need to get cleaned up.