Page 29 of Choosing Skyler

I try to back away before I’m busted, but I’m too late. Devon comes back out and winks at me before passing me in the hallway to head back to the dining room. Brady comes out, rubbing his eyes. He stops when he sees me waiting for him.

“You should have woken me up to help,” he says.

I just shake my head. “You needed the rest. You can help me finish dinner later. I hate peeling potatoes.” I grin up at him.

He smiles at me. “Is that so? Well, consider me your personal potato peeler, at your service, ma’am,” he says with a bow.

I giggle. “Deal. Now, let’s go eat before Devon devours it all.”

Devon raves about my omelets even though they are barely warm by the time we sit down to eat. Brady gives Devon a rundown of everything he learned on the call with Ms. Simmons earlier. Devon listens and tells Brady that we’ve got his back no matter what. Brady nods and gets up to clear our plates from the table. When I start to help, he holds his hand up, stopping me.

“You cooked; I’ll clean up,” he says, taking my plate from me and heading to the kitchen.

I’m a little confused by his dismissal. I look at Devon and he just smiles sadly.

“He’ll be okay, Sky. Don’t baby him. It’ll just piss him off. He’s been on his own, taking care of everything for a long time. He’s not used to having constant support anymore. All we can do is let him know we’re here and be here if he needs us,” Devon explains.

I nod, knowing he’s right. I hug Devon. “Thank you,” I tell him.

“Anytime. You know that,” he says, kissing the top of my head. “I’ve got to get back to work. We’re eating here tonight, right?”

“Yeah, Brady and I are cooking pot roast,” I tell him, still a little dejected about Brady’s mood swing.

“Okay, that sounds amazing,” he tells me before peeking into the kitchen. “I’m out, man. See you after work,” he tells Brady.

After Devon leaves, I decide to leave Brady alone to clean up the kitchen since he insisted. I head to the tech room to work on debugging the program that’s been giving me such a hassle all summer. I really want to have it ready before senior year starts so I can focus on other assignments when they start coming in.

Brady

I wave at Devon when he sticks his head in the kitchen to tell me that he’s headed back to work. I expect Skyler to come into the kitchen after he leaves, but she doesn’t. I didn’t mean to snap at her. I just needed to feel useful after everything she’s done for me today. Instead, I practically snatched her dishes before stomping into the kitchen to clean up. Now, I’m afraid she’s avoiding me. Not that I blame her. I finish loading the dishwasher and start it before wiping down the counters. Then, I head out to the living room to apologize.

When I see that Skyler isn’t in the living room, I head to her bedroom and find it empty too. The bathroom door is open, and she isn’t in there, either.Did she leave?I’m really in the shit, here. I heard Devon tell her not to baby me. Maybe she thought I needed to be alone. Then, I hear a bang from what I’m guessing is the “tech room” at the end of the hallway.

“You stupid piece of shit!” I hear Skyler yell.

I run into the room, the door banging against the wall when I throw it open. Skyler jumps up and spins around, her eyes wide. Her hand goes to her chest, and she heaves out a breath.

“You scared the hell out of me, Brady,” she gasps.

I run to her, my eyes taking stock to make sure she’s not hurt after the bang I heard. “I heard a bang and your shout. I thought you were hurt. I’m sorry, Beautiful.”

Her eyes soften and she smiles. “The bang was my fist on the desk. The shout was directed at this stupid bug I can’t find in my programming.” She huffs, waving her hand at the computer screen.

I let out a relieved breath and wrap my arms around her. “I’m sorry I startled you,” I tell her before stepping back to look her in the face. “And I’m even more sorry for snapping at you earlier. It was uncalled for, especially after everything you’ve done for me. I just don’t want to be a burden to you or Devon. I’m a mess and I know it, but that doesn’t mean I have to make your lives messy, too.”

She looks up at me, her eyes shining with tears. “Brady, I’m the biggest mess on the planet and I haven’t been through half of what you have. I get it. I just want to be there for you however you need me to. I didn’t mean to overstep. I’m sorry,” she chokes out, losing the battle with the tears in her eyes.

I reach up to hold her face between my hands and wipe her tears away with my thumbs.

“I’m such a shit for making you feel this way, Skyler. Please, don’t cry. You didn’t do anything wrong. This is on me and my shit. I’ll do better, I promise,” I say earnestly.

She throws herself at me, wrapping her arms around my waist and sobbing into my chest.

Then, she lifts her face. “Please don’t hide your feelings from me. No matter what they are. I’m glad you see me, but I need to see you too. All of you. Even the mess.” She goes up to her toes to kiss me gently and her lips are so soft.

I grab the back of her neck and kiss her back, tasting the salt from her tears. I know they are for me and that just breaks my damn heart. I deepen the kiss and groan when she holds me tighter.

I step back before getting too carried away and nod at the computer screen on the desk with her programming code still up.

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