The Sweet Escape

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Gregg," she whispered.

That was all it took for Ian to become defensive. His eyes scanned the room full of people and finally landed on him, Skylar and him were staring at each other. Skylar was horrified and worried, whereas he was smiling and nodding casually. But Ian knew that there was nothing casual about that guy, and he wasn't about to let him affect Skylar like that.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Her eyes turned back to him. "Yes."

"He's not going to do anything," Ian promised her. "I won't let him."

Skylar grabbed his hand tightly and said, "I don't want to be here anymore."

Ian nodded. "Okay, baby, we'll leave." He hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head. "But go say bye to your sister, okay?"

She agreed and made her way to her family avoiding making any more eye contact with Gregg. Nope. No, no, no. She was not going to let him make her feel so desperate and disgusting. He was a vile man that didn't deserve a second of her attention.

Skylar approached Heather and Grace whom were sipping on champagne.

"Hey, come here!" Heather exclaimed, motioning for her to join them. "Have a drink with us."

She shook her head. "No, I'd better not. I just came to say goodbye."

"Why?" Grace asked.

"I'm not feeling well." And really, she wasn't, not while Gregg was in the same premises as her.

"Oh." Heather pouted. "Okay. Well, I hope you feel better."

"Call me before you go back to California so we can hang out," Grace added.

"I will," Skylar promised. After giving both of them hugs, she asked, "Who's the guy Leandra was talking to?"

Grace scowled. "An as.shole. Leandra brought him as her plus one, he's such a d.ick to her. Says he has commitment issues but that he still loves her, like, okay I'm gonna believe that!" She rolled her eyes.

While Skylar said goodbye to her family Ian came to a decision. It was the only right thing to do, and even then, it didn't seem enough. But he still went with it because it was the most he could do at a wedding.

Ian made his way to where Gregg was sitting and tried to hide his anger, which was kind of hard to do. That guy had humiliated Skylar because of something so stupid. He'd been a part of the group that blamed her for the death of her friend. He'd taken something so precious from her and then broken her heart. He'd been one of the reasons she had tried to take her life that night. Ian hated him and wished the worst possible for that as.shole.

Gregg acted confused when Ian approached him. "Uh, can I help you?" But he knew already that Ian was with Skylar because he'd seen them embrace.

"Could I speak to you in private?" Ian asked as politely as he could possibly manage.

Gregg snickered. "I guess." He stood up. "I'll be back, babe," he said to Leandra who nodded.

Ian led him to a hallway where the bathrooms were located, no one was there, giving them enough privacy.

"What do you want, man?" Gregg asked impatiently.

"I think you know," Ian replied bitterly.

"Is it about Skylar?" Gregg asked. "You're with her, right?"

Ian hated the way Gregg said her name. It disgusted him. "Yes, I am. And I know that you and her used to date."

Gregg laughed. "Yeah, back in high school when she was a sophomore and I was a senior. Good times."