Seb (23 page)

I glared at him. I would have called him out for that if I wasn’t a little stunned by his warning. Maybe he was right. Maybe I should have “the talk” with Skylar so we could figure out where our relationship was going.

“Fine, I’ll talk to her.”

Looking smug, Gabe tipped his beer back. “And I wanna be best man at the wedding.”

“I’ll let you be the flower girl, shithead.”

***

I was nervous as hell leading Charlie down to the parking lot of their apartment building. Skylar was on his other side, holding his arm while he assured her he was fine to walk on his own. I hadn’t told her about the car, though I was pretty sure she knew what I was up to since I’d told Charlie I wanted to show him something downstairs.

Once we were outside the building, Skylar spotted the car right away. Her green eyes filled with tears as she tried to hide her surprise. It took her uncle a little longer to catch on.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” he said, pointing a shaky finger at his car. “Will you look at that, Sky? That car looks just like mine.” He chuckled. “Well, that’s what mine should look like.” He glanced at me. “This your car, Seb?”

Damned if I wasn’t as emotional as I’d ever been delivering a car to a client. I’d been involved in some pretty epic surprises in my career, but none had ever meant so much to me. Charlie was a good man, and being able to give him something like this made all the hard work and countless hours holed up in my garage worth it.

“Uh, no, Charlie. It’s yours.” I handed him a set of keys as his jaw dropped.

“No.” After a beat of silence, he looked at me. “You restored my old car?”

“Yes, sir.”

Skylar reached for my hand, mouthing, “Thank you,” and I winked at her, smiling.

“I don’t believe this,” he whispered, walking slowly to the car. He braced his hand on the hood, peeking in the window as though he could scarcely believe his eyes. “You did this for me?”

I stood beside him and patted his back as he opened the door. I helped him into the driver’s seat, watching him lovingly stroke the leather steering wheel before caressing the new leather upholstery.

“I wouldn’t have known about this car if not for your niece,” I said, pulling Skylar into my side when she slipped her arm around my waist. “She convinced me it was a crime to let it sit in some parking lot. It deserved to be restored to its former glory.”

He looked choked up as he covered his mouth with one hand, shaking his head. “I just can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for me, son.”

Son.
Damn, it had been a long time since anyone had called me that, especially a man, and I really liked the way it sounded. “It’s been my pleasure. Every single hour I spent on her was a labor of love.” I grinned when Skylar rolled forward on her toes to kiss my cheek. “How ‘bout we take your uncle out for a spin, remind him what this baby can do?”

“You two go on. I’ve got some work to do, and it really can’t wait.”

“Okay. You game, Charlie?”

“Damn straight, I am.”

I laughed at his enthusiasm as Skylar tugged on my hand while promising her uncle I would be right back. I let her lead me back to the apartment building entrance, waiting for her to say something.

“My uncle was right,” she said finally. “There are no words to thank you for everything you’ve done for us.”

“I did it because I like him.” I kissed her softly. “And I like you too.”

The light dimmed in her eyes for a second, and I cursed myself for not being man enough to tell her how I really felt about her. I told myself the time wasn’t right, that I wanted it to be special, but her reaction told me she wouldn’t have cared if we were standing in the middle of a busy street. She just needed to hear the words.

“Well, I should be back to work tomorrow,” she said, squeezing my hands before releasing them. “So I can start repaying that massive debt.”

The hospital bills were steep, but I didn’t care if I never saw a dime of that money. I’d been able to give her a priceless gift—more time with her uncle. I pulled her close. “I do want you with me at work. Not because I care about some stupid debt, but because the day drags on when you’re not there.”

“Really?”

We needed to have a serious talk if she didn’t realize how much I missed her every second we were apart. “Really. Listen, if you can talk Mrs. R into hanging out with your uncle tonight, maybe you’d consider having dinner with me?”

Her eyes lit up. “Are you asking me out on a date, Seb?”

That was when it hit me. In spite of all the time we’d spent together, I’d never wined and dined her. No flowers, fancy restaurants, or limo rides. My brother was right. I was an idiot. “Yeah, if you’re up for it?”

“I’d love it,” she said after a quick kiss. “But what should I wear?”

“Something sexy,” I whispered in her ear before I kissed her neck. “As long as it’s not too hard to get off.” I needed her to know that I wanted her now more than I ever had.

“Really?” Her breath hitched. “Um, maybe I could ask Mrs. Ryan to spend the night with my uncle.”

I chuckled with my lips pressed against her throat. “You think she’d mind?”

“No,” she said, sounding breathless. “They’ve been getting really close. In fact, I think my uncle might be willing to admit he’s in love.”

The irony wasn’t lost on me. Skylar had two men in her life who had difficulty expressing their feelings, but she was one of the most demonstrative people I’d ever met. “Are you trying to play matchmaker, Miss West?”

“Maybe I just want everyone to be as happy as I am.”

I pulled back to look at her. She did look genuinely happy. I knew a lot of that had to do with her uncle’s response to the new treatment protocol, but I wanted to assume part of it was because I was back in her life.

I cradled her beautiful face. “I want to make you happy, baby. I know you’ve had a rough couple of years caring for your uncle, but I believe the worst is behind you.”

She took a deep breath. “I hope so.”

“I know so.” I kissed her. “Now, let me take your uncle out for a spin so I can go home and get ready for our date.”

She looked positively giddy at the prospect of a night out with me, and I realized I’d been remiss in not planning something like this sooner.

“Sounds good.”

Thinking about all the ways my life had changed since I met her, I watched her walk inside. After Amy, I wasn’t sure I’d ever find someone to love me the way Mac loved Ryker, but without even realizing it, Skylar had restored my faith in women.

Charlie was sitting in the passenger’s seat, waiting for me, when I returned to the car.

“You ready to do this?” I asked, climbing into the driver’s seat. “It won’t be long before you’re the one taking me for a spin, you know.”

“From your lips to God’s ears, son,” he said, looking out the window at the cloudless blue sky. “Never thought I’d be the type to believe in miracles, but given all that’s happened to me this past month, I don’t really think I have a choice anymore.”

I laughed as I backed out of the parking spot. “I guess even us cynics have to give it a rest once in a while, huh?”

“What made you so cynical?”

Charlie and I had had a lot of good talks while he was in the hospital. I often stayed to keep him company while Mrs. R and Skylar went home to take a break, so I already felt I knew him better than I’d ever known my own father.

“My mother was a damned good woman,” I said, itching to get out of the city traffic so I could gun it. “She was taken from us way too soon. I guess I was mad at the world for a long time after she died. I questioned everything, even the faith she’d tried to instill in us.”

Charlie shook his head. “That’s understandable. When you suffer a loss like that at an early age, you don’t have the tools to process it.”

“I can’t even imagine how hard it must have been for Skylar to lose both of her parents like that,” I said, gripping the steering wheel just a little tighter. I’d never considered life without my father much of a loss. In fact, we were all glad when our old man disappeared for the last time.

“She’s the strongest person I know, no question about it.” Charlie’s eyes sparkled with affection and pride. “What she went through would have destroyed most young girls, but not my Sky. She’s tougher than nails.” When I didn’t respond, he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. “You like her a lot, huh?”

“Yes, sir.” I wanted to say a million things, but they got stuck in my throat along with those three little words I should have said to Skylar earlier.

“You need to tell her.”

He was echoing my brother’s words, and like Gabe’s, I heard his warning loud and clear.

“I know,” I said.

“I’d bet anything she feels the same way about you. You’ve got nothing to be afraid of.”

Was it that obvious I was terrified of being rejected? Jesus, I’d driven cars at top speed, scaled mountains, and jumped from an airplane with my crazy brother, but nothing scared me more than saying those three words to a woman. Even when I felt them with every fiber of my being every damn time I looked at Skylar.

“Why haven’t you told Mrs. R how you feel about her?” I teased, trying to deflect. “Anyone can see you two are crazy about each other.”

He laughed, slapping his knee, and the simple sound stunned and thrilled me. It was the first time I’d heard him laugh without telltale coughing and wheezing. He really was getting better, and I’d played some small part in that. I couldn’t think of anything I’d ever done in my life that had been more gratifying.

“Imagine finding love at my age, when you’re knocking on death’s door. God sure does have a sense of humor, doesn’t he now?”

“None of us knows how long we have,” I reminded him. “Isn’t life about making the best of the time you have?”

“It is at that,” he said, shaking his head. “When I was lying in that hospital bed, believing I would never again enjoy another moment like this, it got me to thinking.”

“About?”

“All the things we take for granted.” We were finally on an open road with no traffic, and I opened it up a little, making Charlie smile.

“Such as?” I asked.

“Being able to breathe.”

I took a deep breath, just because I could, and it had never felt better. The breeze filtering through the open window had never smelled sweeter. This was living. Full throttle with the wind in my hair, the woman of my dreams waiting on me, and a friend bending my ear about life’s important lessons.

“Amen to that,” I said.

“You’re a good man, Seb.”

“Thank you. The feeling’s mutual.” I didn’t say that lightly. Outside of my family, it had been a long time since I’d met a man as genuinely kind-hearted as Charlie West.

“My niece has been holding out a long time, waiting for the right guy. She had no interest in settling, and I didn’t want that for her.”

“Some things are worth waiting for.” I knew now, without a doubt, Skylar sure as hell had been worth waiting for.

“They sure are.” He grinned, patting the dashboard. “You know, I bought this car over ten years ago. The plan was to work on it a little bit each summer, but other things always got in the way. I got to tell you, I never thought I’d see her look like this.”

“You can thank your niece for that. Never would’ve happened if she hadn’t marched into my shop and demanded my help.” I smiled at the memory of my sexy little spitfire bowling me over that very first time.

“She’s a tough one to say no to, ain’t she?”

I laughed. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never even tried.”

“Can I give you a piece of advice?” he asked, looking more somber.

“Sure.”

“Don’t waste too much time with Skylar. What you two have is special. Don’t take it for granted.”

“I’ll promise to man up if you’ll do the same,” I offered.

He laughed, crossing his arms. “You drive a hard bargain, son.”

“Does that mean you’ll have a talk with Mrs. R?”

“I’ve been keeping her at arm’s length for so long because I didn’t want her to lose someone else. She’s already lost one husband…” He shrugged. “Didn’t think it was fair to her.”

“And now?”

“Now I realize it’s not up to me to decide for her. If she wants to give it a go, I’d be a fool to say no, wouldn’t I?”

“You sure would.” Just like I’d be a fool not to tell Skylar the truth tonight—I was in love with her.

Skylar

The dinner conversation flowed effortlessly, reminding me how much we had in common. Even though on the surface Seb and I were different, fundamentally we were the same. We both believed in working hard, making an honest living, taking care of the people we loved, giving back, having fun, and taking a little time to appreciate our blessings.

Right now, I felt more blessed than I had in a long, long time. Uncle Charlie was not only on the road to recovery, but he seemed open to considering a future with Mrs. Ryan, which thrilled me. She was an amazing woman, and the fact that she’d stood by him even when he seemed determined to push her away proved how much she loved him. That was all I wanted for him—someone to love him unconditionally.

“Sorry, what did you say?” I asked, blushing when I realized I’d let my mind wander and missed Seb’s question.

“I asked if you felt like dessert.”

My blush only intensified when I remembered his unspoken promise to end the evening at his place. After the stressful few weeks I’d had, nothing would have felt better than getting lost in Seb’s strong arms for a few hours. “No, thanks, I’m good.”

His eyes skated over my body as his tongue glided slowly over his lips. “Then you’re ready to take this back to my place?”

I’ve been ready since you picked me up.
“Sure.”

I watched Seb beckon the waiter with quiet authority. Everywhere he went, people treated him with respect. Not because they recognized him from some TV show, but because he was the kind of man who treated people the way he expected to be treated. I loved that about him. I loved everything about him. I wanted to tell him that, but I sensed he wasn’t ready to hear it, so I bit my tongue and prayed the words wouldn’t come spilling out in the heat of a passionate moment.