Page 75 of Choosing Skyler

Devon laughs at my stiff posture when the girls disappear into the fitting room.

“She’s okay, Bulldog Brady. You know she needed this. I’m glad y’all came with us,” he tells me.

I try to relax. “I know. I just worry about something triggering her and setting her back,” I tell him.

He sighs and I feel a lecture coming on before he speaks. “I know, man. But you’ve got to chill. She’s going to feed off of your energy. What’s it going to do to her ifyouare a nervous mess?”

I sigh and run a hand through my hair. “You’re right. She needs this. She’s doing so good since she’s been home. Getting out of that damn hospital has been the best treatment for her. I mean, I know that’s not true, but did you see howaliveshe was yesterday?”

He chuckles. “Yep. She was pretty bright eyed, and bushy tailed this morning too. What happened last night? Dish, man,” he says, bumping my shoulder.

I shake my head. “Nope. No way. I’m not telling you shit about that.”

He scoffs. “You know I’ll get the deets one way or another. The girls are in there telling all their secrets right now. If you or Sky won’t give it up, I’ll get it from Tracey.” He laughs.

“I doubt that’s what’s going on. Skyler…” I start, but he cuts me off.

“Skyler feels like shit because of what our secret did to Tracey. She won’t hold back anything else, man. You’re crazy as hell if you think Tracey’s not walking back out here knowing all your dirty deeds.” He laughs.

I start to reply when we hear a shout from the room the girls are in and I’m running down the hall with Devon hot on my heals. I bang on the door. Skyler lets me in and assures me she’s fine. When she tells me it’s just “girl-talk,” I know that Devon was right.They’re telling secrets.

“They’re fine,” I tell Devon when I reach him.

“I figured they were. That wasn’t an ‘oh my God, something’s wrong’. It was more like an ‘oh my God, I can’t believe you did that’,” he mocks, his voice going high, imitating a girly cadence.

I laugh. “Yeah, you were right. They’re in there telling all, man.”

His smile falls. “You meanSkyleris in there telling all. Not Tracey. Right?”

“Well, Skyler definitely did. It was all over her face when I walked in, and Tracey was a giggling mess,” I tell him, smirking at the thought of her telling her friend about our night.

I put a hand on Devon’s shoulder to stop him from leaving the entrance to the hallway.

“How about we just block the hallway until they come out?” I ask him.

He nods and we both stand wide, trying to look official to stop any other customers from trying to use the fitting rooms. It’s a dick move but I feel better knowing she’s safe.

Devon bumps my shoulder. “You know you can’t stand guard all the time, right? You don’t want to smother her, man.”

“I’m not. She’ll tell me if I need to back off. If I was trying tosmotherher, I’d be in that room right now and Tracey would be standing here with you,” I tell him. Then, lower, under my breath, “Especially after seeing her in those damn jeans.”

Devon whistles. “Damn it, man. Come on. Give mesomething.”

“Nope. Not until Skyler tells me it’s okay. I don’t know if she’d be okay with me talking about it,” I tell him, honestly. “You want to tell me why you’re so worried about what Tracey’s telling Skyler right now?” I joke.

“Nope,” he replies. “Tracey’s not saying shit.”

I laugh. “You really believe that, man? I don’t know Tracey like you do, but I know she’s a better friend than that. Especially after everything that’s happened. IknowSkyler was telling stories. It only makes sense that Tracey was too. Face it, man. Whatever secret you’re trying so hard to hold on to… Skyler knows.”

Before he can reply, Skyler and Tracey come out of the fitting room, giggling, and bumping each other’s shoulders as they walk toward us. I smile at Skyler as Devon goes stiff beside me. I don’t know why he’s so tight lipped about what’s going on, but clearly, Tracey didn’t mind sharing it with Skyler.

I take Skyler’s clothes to carry them to the register for her. She chews on her lip when she notices the tension in Devon’s shoulders. He still wrapped his arm around Tracey’s shoulder as soon as she walked up to him, but his usual carefree posture is nowhere to be seen.

Skyler looks up at me. “Is Tracey in trouble for telling me about last night? Did Devon tellyouabout last night? Wait. Did you tell Devon aboutus?”

I chuckle and pull her under my free arm. “That’s a lot of questions, Beautiful. Devon and I both refused to talk about it. Though, to be clear, I don’t care who knows aboutus. I just wouldn’t ‘kiss and tell’ without you being okay with him knowing. I think in Devon’s case, it must be different. He doesn’t wantanyoneto know and clearly, you do. So, yeah. Tracey might be in the shit a little bit.”

Skyler stops walking. “Damn it. I keep fucking this up for them. She only told me because I told her… Some stuff. And I wouldn’t have, but she saw the bruise on my leg. You’re not upset with me for talking about it, are you?” She drops her face and chews on her lip.

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