I wanted to pull back from Sky.
I wanted to cancel the rest of our dates. I wanted to delete his number out of my phone and move on with my life. Hell, I wanted to go to Neon City and forget he ever existed as I danced the night away with Briar and Laurel.
But I knew that I couldn’t do that to him. Because I loved him.
And because Sky wasn’t my ex, no matter how much my brain was telling me to run away and never look back. It wasn’t fair to him for me to treat him like he’d already betrayed me, and it wasn’t fair to me to miss out on a wonderful relationship because I was still holding onto the past.
And so, I decided to go in the opposite direction, doubling down on giving my all to Sky.
It was awkward at first as I tried to deal with my instincts telling me to avoid him at all costs, while my heart only wanted to get even closer to him. But eventually, I found my rhythm with Sky again, and I was hoping that he hadn’t noticed my hot and cold behavior.
Sky and I were lying beside each other in his bed, my head resting against his chest. We’d just finished having sex, which was always amazing, even when I was conflicted.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked, eager to know what was on his mind.
Maybe I shouldn’t have asked that. For all I knew, he was working up the courage to end things with me, right before he walked down the aisle with Irene tomorrow--
No.
I needed to shut thoughts like that down before I fell too far down the rabbit hole.
“I want you to meet my father.”
“What?” I couldn’t hide the surprise in my voice. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“I think he just needs to meet you,” he said, his tone a little distant. “And I think once he sees how incredible you are, he’s going to change his mind.”
“I don’t know about that,” I commented. “Honestly, Sky, if he wants you to be with Irene, then he wants you to be with Irene. Besides, didn’t you say that this was about merging the businesses, too?”
“It is.”
“Right, so why would he ever want you to be with me?” I asked. “It’s not like I come from money or anything. Being with me won’t do anything for your business--”
“Being with you would make me happy.” He smiled. “Shouldn’t that count for something?”
“It should.” I sighed before smiling up at him. “Fine. I’ll meet your dad. But I swear to God, if he says anything homophobic, I’m walking out. But first, I’ll throw whatever I’m drinking in his face.”
“Understood.” He lightly chuckled, gliding his fingertips along my shoulders.
* * *
Sky’s father looked just like him.
It was like staring in a funhouse mirror, except the reflection was mostly the same, just noticeably older with gray hair and a slightly wrinkled expression.
Edward, Sky, and I were at a steak place on Main Street, and even though Sky and I had just arrived a few minutes ago, I couldn’t wait to leave. Edward was mostly quiet, staring over at me as his son carried the bulk of the conversation.
“Anyway, that’s why I wanted you to meet Raven,” Sky went on. “I thought that if you two got to know each other, you’d realize that everyone here is on the same team.”
“I come in peace,” I joked.
Edward just furrowed his brow, as if I was speaking in an alien language.
“Did you want something to drink, Raven?” Sky asked as he handed me the drink menu, complete with various selections of expensive wines.
“I think I’ll pass,” I replied as I waved off the menu.
“You don’t drink?” Edward finally spoke to me.
“Oh no, I drink. Just not when I’m meeting someone new for the first time.”
“Why not?” His eyes were on me, his stare unmoving. “Are you afraid you’ll let people know how you really feel? Do you have to live your life in hiding, keeping everything that you want to say far, far away from your mouth?”
“I wouldn’t say that I’m hiding anything--”
“Did you know who my son was? When you first met? Is that why you took such an interest in him?”
“Dad.” Sky’s tone was a warning.
“I’m sorry, son. I didn’t mean to interrogate,” Edward said. “I just wanted to make sure that your friend is on the up and up. There are people out there who would take advantage of someone like you, Sky, and try to use them up for all the money in their wallets.”
“I actually own my own business,” I chimed in. “And I do pretty well for myself, too.”
Edward let out a harsh noise which sounded like it might’ve been his attempt at laughter. “You do pretty well for yourself, do you? Would I recognize your name from the latest Fortune 500 list of CEOs?”
Ouch.
“Dad. Stop,” Sky warned again. “Raven didn’t know who I was, not until I told him.”
“Fine. I’ll yield, I’ll yield.” Edward held up his hands before setting them back down on the table. “And I’m sure you’re right, son. I’m sure… Raven… is as good a person as any other.”
Even though he had just paid me a very general compliment, it still sounded like he thought I’d crawled out of a swamp somewhere with the sole intention of sinking my claws into his son.
And as the night went on, I had a feeling that he was never going to change his opinion about me, despite having met me.