Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

As soon as the bell rang during her chemistry class, Skylar rushed out of the class, relieved that it was finally lunch time. Not that she would be joining the rest of her classmates in the cafeteria, after all, she didn't really have any friends...anymore.

She went out into the courtyard, which was practically empty due to the fact that it was a gloomy day and no one seemed to like those. So she sat down under a tree, resting her head on it. Some peace and quiet at last.

Skylar hated everyone at her school. She'd never done anything to them. Not really. She was just labeled an outcast because she wasn't into the latest trends, because she didn't know what the latest "cool" song was, but was able to sing every My Chemical Romance song from memory. That, and because her only friend had died in the middle of their freshman year.

And it was her fault. And everyone liked to remind her of that. Not that she needed any reminding, she relived the moment every night before she went to bed, and every morning when she woke up.

"Don't get too close to Grant, girls!" Tracy Carlisle had yelled during P.E. in the middle of a soccer game. "She might just kill you like she did with Ingrid!"

She'd tried her hardest not to scream and cry in front of everyone. But she was alone now. Or so she thought.

"Hey, you okay?" came the familiar voice of Gregg Peters, a senior guy at school that got along with everyone. And the only person at school that didn't torture her everyday.

"Just great," she said sarcastically. "May I help you?"

"It's kind of crowded in there," Gregg explained, pointing a thumb back at the school. "Mind if I join you?"

So she agreed because Gregg Peters was nice, and she wasn't about to reject company. She also didn't want to push away the only guy that ever bothered to try to talk to her.

Dinner with Ian had been great, he'd been the perfect gentleman. He'd been so sweet to her too, making her blush in return. He was charming and the nicest man she had ever met. It made her feel so happy to finally have confessed to him about her feelings. Having him feel the same way was just magnificent, really.

She'd forgotten all about Gregg that night, that was until she woke up the next morning in her room. She tried to push those ugly thoughts to the side, think about Ian. They were supposed to spend time today as well seeing as it was Sunday, no work, no school, no distractions.

So she hopped into the shower letting the hot water relax her muscles.

"Don't think about him," she chimed to herself. "Ian is nothing like him."

But Ian was really nice and cared about her. And hadn't Gregg been the same way at first?

When she was done with the shower, she stepped out and covered herself in a towel. But something caught her attention. Pale lines on her arms, almost invisible now, unless someone paid close attention.

Before she could feel sorry for herself, she thought about lyrics from one of her favorites bands: "How stubborn are the scars when they won't fade away? Or gentle reminders that now are better days."

Yes, now were better days. She was finally happy. She had friends. She was on her way to being a lawyer, the career she had always wanted for herself. She had Ian now. And Ian was an amazing man.

Pick you up at 12:00? Ian asked through a text.

She smiled and replied: Sure. I'll be ready by then.

So she took her sweet time picking out an outfit: black skinny jeans, a red sheer blouse, black oxfords, and a charcoal gray cardigan in case she got cold. She didn't do much to her hair, just brushed it and applied a thin layer of hairspray. She didn't know where they were going, but hopefully it wasn't some super fancy restaurant, as she was not dressed for that.

Ian arrived just in time, knocking on her apartment door. Skylar greeted him with a hug and a big smile. Although, she did want to kiss him. But maybe she would save that for later.

"Ready?" Ian asked.

"Yup," she said. "Where are we going?"

"Wanna go to the beach?" he asked. "I feel like I haven't given you a proper tour of San Francisco. You'll enjoy it."

"That sounds great," she said.

"And then you can come over to my house..." he suggested.

"Is Emily going to be there?" she asked.

"Yeah," Ian said. "Are you okay with that?"

"Of course. I've been wanting to see her for a while," she told him. "She's really a beautiful child."

Knowing that Skylar was okay with Emily put Ian at ease. He didn't think that a relationship between him and a woman could work out if they weren't okay with his daughter. They were a package deal. Good thing Skylar really liked Emily.

"She's asked about you," he let her know. "You're on her good side. When she doesn't like someone, she just won't even try."

Skylar laughed. "Well that's good to know. I'll make sure not to get on her bad side."

"You won't," he promised her.

And so they got into his car and they were soon on their way. Ian was okay with Skylar controlling the music. He enjoyed seeing her move her head slowly to the rhythm of the Arctic Monkeys' "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair", her lips moving silently to the lyrics.

Skylar really loved music, Ian was starting to notice. And that gave him an idea. Maybe she would like the idea of going to a concert with him. He had not been to one in ages, and he was bound to have a good time with Skylar there with him. He would have to find out what good band would be in town soon...

When they arrived to the beach, he parked the car, and then they walked hand in hand together to the shore. The Golden Gate Bridge was not too far away, and they had a perfect view of it. There was a cool breeze and Skylar was happy she'd thought of wearing a cardigan for their outing. There would be no swimming today.

"This is really beautiful," she told Ian, giving him a smile.

"I thought you might like it," he said.

They sat down on the sand and just watched the waves crash against the shore. Sometimes moments like that were needed. Just peacefulness and nature. The simpler, the better. And it felt great. Especially being together, just the two of them.

Skylar was happy that she would be seeing Emily after this, but she wondered what would happen? Was Ian going to tell her about them or would he just tell her later on? She hoped that Emily would take it well. But she didn't really know how things would turn out. Emily needed a mother figure in her life, was she fit for the role?

So she decided to ask him. "Are you going to tell Emily about...us?"

Truthfully, Ian had not really thought about it. He had just been thinking about his new relationship. Emily was his daughter, and she did have a big part in his life. He had never dated since Emily's birth. Surely this would be new to her. She would be okay with Skylar. Right?

"Yes," he said, wrapping an arm around her, bringing her body closer to his. "I'm not trying to make this a secret."

Skylar smiled. "What about at the firm?"

He chuckled. "Well, they all saw me go in with flowers yesterday. I'm pretty sure everyone figured out they were for you," he explained. "Honestly, Skylar, I don't care who knows. Better for me that everyone knows you're taken."

"Micah is going to rub it in my face that he'd been right," she pointed out.

"Micah can f.uck off," Ian said. "If he causes you any trouble, he's out of the firm. That simple."

And soon enough he claimed her lips, laying her back down on the sand, his body on top of his. His lips were hungry against hers. She slipped her hands under his shirt and traced the sides of his stomach causing him to shiver. When his lips went to her neck, she was glad that the spot of the beach they were on was empty. She couldn't control the moans that escaped her lips, she didn't care to be embarrassed by them. It wasn't until Skylar felt a certain part of Ian's anatomy poking her thigh that they pulled away.

They both laughed.

"Sorry, did I rush you?" Ian asked.

"You should be sorry that you pulled away," Skylar said, sitting up.

"I really wouldn't like to go to jail for making love to my woman in public," he said.

Skylar blushed. He'd called her his woman. And mentioned making love. She liked the sound of that, but she didn't really want to discuss s.ex at the moment. They were still at the beginning stages of their relationship, and those were usually the most awkward. She just wanted to get past that first.

"Do you like seafood?" he asked. "I know this great place that has a great view of the ocean and the food is absolutely exquisite."

"I'd like that," she said.

Skylar was really enjoying spending so much time with Ian. She had not thought her life would lead to this moment. Going on dates with the man that has saved her life, kissing him on the beach, sharing life experiences over lunch. It was great, really.

When they were on their way back to Ian's house, Skylar received a call from Kyle. With a happy smile, she answered the call. "Hey."

"How are you, Sky?" he asked. "Everything going well?"

"I'm great," she replied, sneaking a glance at Ian whom was focused on the road ahead of him.

"So are you going to tell me what happened between you and Ian?" he asked. "Or do I have to call him for the details?"

"Do we really have to talk about this now?" she asked, rolling her eyes a bit.

"You're with him aren't you?" Kyle guessed.

"Maybe," she said.

"Please tell me I didn't interrupt you two doing the dirty," he begged.

"You didn't," she promised him.

"Okay. Well, I'll leave you to him, I guess," he said. "But you need to call me when you get back to your apartment."

"Okay. I will."

When she ended the call Ian asked, "Who was that?"

"Your wonderful cousin," she told him.

Ian chuckled. "What did he want?"

"He wanted to know what was going on between you and I," she explained.

"I don't really think he likes the idea of me and you being together," Ian confessed.

"What?" Skylar asked, almost laughing. "Kyle just jokes around. He's happy for us, but he's always going to be that guy that teases us because I'm his best friend and you're his cousin. And Kyle will always be Kyle."

"I guess you're right," Ian agreed.

Skylar felt an inviting vibe as soon as she stepped into Ian's townhouse. The first thing she noticed was that the TV was on and there were two people sitting on the couch. Emily and her babysitter.

A petite girl with raven black hair and a cute face stood up. She must have in her mid-twenties or something. She was really pretty. "Mr. Rinaldi, you're back."

"Yes," Ian said. "Skylar, this is Amy, Emily's babysitter. Amy, this is Skylar, my, uh, girlfriend."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Amy said, offering Skylar a warm smile.

"Pleasure to meet you too," Skylar said, shaking her hand.

While Ian dismissed Amy and paid her for the day, Skylar walked over to the couch to see Emily curled up, eyes never leaving the TV where Tangled was playing. Well, that was until she noticed who the new visitor was.

"Skylar!" the little girl mused, jumping up on the couch, wrapping her arms around Skylar's waist.

"Hi, sweetie," she said. "Did you miss me?"

"Yes," Emily said, nodding her little head. "I kept asking Daddy when you would come. He said soon, but you never came. But you're here now!"

"I am," she said. "And I missed you too, sweetie."

"Do you wanna watch Tangled with me?" Emily asked. "Pretty please?"

"Sure, I would love that," Skylar told her. She sat down next to her on the couch, and Emily snuggled next to her. It was comforting.

A few minutes later Ian joined them, sitting next to Skylar. He took her hand in his and held it tight. The three of them watched the movie together, and it felt so natural. Like Skylar did that everyday.

Ian was happy. He had his daughter and the woman he was falling for next to him, like a real family. He knew that Emily craved a mother-figure, and Skylar might just be that person. The two of them got along just perfectly. Emily loved Skylar, she would surely take it well when he told her about him being in a relationship with Skylar. Or so he hoped.

Emily soon got hungry, so Ian went to the kitchen to prepare her a snack. Skylar followed him after a while, and found him making a sandwich. He looked adorable and very sexy at the same time.

"You make a really good dad," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"You think so?" Ian asked.

"Of course."

Ian turned around to face her and cupped her face in his hands. She was beautiful. And they had to stop acting like a teenage couple with all the awkwardness and slowness. He wanted her. And they were both grown as.s adults to know what they wanted and to take it.

So he kissed her for the second time that day, but this time more passionate, more demanding. His hands traveled from her face to her hips, giving them a squeeze that caused her to gasp, and he used that to slip his tongue into her mouth. He loved the taste of her, just as she loved the taste of him. She broke away from his lips, and went onto his temple, and the spot just beneath his ear that made him release a very attractive moan. So that was his sweet spot. With a smile, she slowly bit down on the skin, and his grip on her became tighter.

"Don't tease me, bella," he said in a husky voice.

"But I like hearing you moan," she whispered against his lips. "It really turns me on."

"You go, girl," Ingrid would have cheered her on.

At that moment, Ian wanted nothing more than to drag her to his bedroom and show her all the other things that could turn her on. Better yet, make her combust from all the pleasure he could inflict on her.

Instead he said, "You and I can continue this some other time. I have to feed my daughter."

Skylar laughed and watched as he walked away with the plate on his hand. Yeah, it really was better to just skip the awkwardness of the beginning stages of a relationship. There were better things to look forward to.