Page 65 of Keeping Skylar
After Hannah sends the photo to my phone, Heath hands me the cake knife and gestures for me to do the honours. I take my time slicing into the spongey cake, traces of burnt white cream frosting, and coconut flakes clinging to the knife as I cut.
I serve Hannah and Nate their pieces, and they dive right in. Then, I cut a generous portion for Heath and myself. Just as I’m about to take a bite of my cake, Heath stops me with his hand on my wrist, and gently peels the fork from my fingers.
I frown at him, curious about what he’s up to now. He just smirks, his eyes twinkling as he slowly guides the fork towards my mouth, feeding me my first bite of cake.
Once the flavour fills my mouth, my eyes roll back in delight.
Oh my God!Heath made me Bienmesabe, a traditional Venezuelan coconut cream cake. I haven’t had this since I was eight, when my Abuela was still alive and would make it for my birthday. And now, here’s Heath, unknowingly carrying on her tradition.
Be still, my beating heart. Be still.
“How is it? Is it to your taste?” he asks.
I lick my lips and smile, utterly satisfied. “It’s the closest thing to my Abuela’s. And trust me, no one could ever make it quite like hers,” I state, my voice warm with nostalgia. Heath lets out a deep chuckle, clearly pleased. “Now, my turn.”
I take the fork from his hand, scoop up a decent-sized portion, and lift it to his mouth. But at the last second, I smear some of it across his lips.
Hannah and Nate burst into laughter, while Heath blinks at me—stunned and amused— cake clinging to his mouth. His tongue flicks out to lick the icing off, then he uses a finger to wipe the rest away.
A chuckle escapes me, unable to hold it in any longer. Then, without warning, he grabs the back of my neck and crashes his mouth against mine.
I immediately taste the sweet flavour of coconut on his lips and tongue—it tastes even better on him. He wraps his arms tightly around me, holding me in place as he playfully smears his mouth on mine and along my jaw. I laugh and squeal, trying my best to wriggle free, but he only pulls me closer.
“Skylar? Is that you?”
My spine stiffens instantly, and my grip on Heath tightens. That voice—I’d recognise it anywhere. But it can’t be. There’s no way he’s here...not now, and definitely not in this place.
I slowly pull away from Heath, and glance over his shoulder.
Oh my God! This cannot be happening!
I must be imagining things, because there’s no way the last person I ever expected to see again is actually standing in front of me.
“My God, it really is you,” he says, his expression filled with disbelief.
That’s when it hits me—he’s real. He’s here. This isn’t a dream. This is actually happening.
The entire room seems to blur into the background, my focus narrowing on the man standing at the end of our table. His eyes—those familiar chartreuse green eyes I’ve known for the last ten years—dart between Heath and me. Eyes that belong to the only man who has ever caused me unbearable pain—my ex-husband,Kaden. And right now, he’s glaring at me, with a gaze burning with pure fury.
CHAPTER 28
Kaden
What the flying fuck!
It’s like I’m staring at a ghost—only this one is very much alive. And not just alive, but somehow happier and healthier than I’ve ever seen her. It’s been nearly six months since I last saw or heard from my wife. And now, here she is, sitting in front of me, living in a different city, with a whole new life, new friends ... and another man’s arm around her.Hell no!
Judging by the look on her face, she’s anything but thrilled to see me. Can’t say I blame her—not after showing up unannounced to her birthday dinner and interrupting a pretty heated make-out session with some punk who’s clearly been keeping her warm.Oh, my dear Sky, you’ve got some serious explaining to do!
When I agreed to meet some of my new colleagues at a restaurant for some casual team bonding, I never could’ve imagined—not in a million years—that I’d run into my estranged wife.
It was Scott, our new Operations Manager, who suggested this place for dinner.
Apparently, it’s the talk of the town, and now I understand why. Every dish I ordered was incredible. I was so impressed; I had every intention of personally thanking the chef before I left.
But there are more pressing matters to deal with—starting with why Sky ghosted me without giving me a chance to explain my side of things. Or why she left everything behind to starta new life here in Melbourne, diving headfirst into a new relationship before the ink on our divorce papers has even dried.
It was sheer coincidence that I decided to grab another drink at the bar after the staff finished singingHappy Birthday. On my way there, a familiar laugh I hadn’t heard in a long time stopped me in my tracks. Curious, I rounded the corner, half-expecting my ears to be playing tricks on me—but what I saw, left me completely floored.
