Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

Christina would be landing at 8:30 PM. Ian was going to go pick her up because he felt like he had to face her sooner rather than later. Might as well just get over it. Plus, he wouldn't be alone. Skylar would be accompanying him, supporting him. Emily, on the other hand, was not going. She would be staying at his parents house another day, and then he would see exactly what he was going to do about her meeting Christina.

On the ride to the airport, Skylar was feeling nervous. She was about to meet Christina. Emily's mother. The woman whom had had a child with Ian. Yeah. She was preparing herself for an awkward first meeting. What would Christina's reaction be towards Skylar? Well, it was not like Christina could do anything about her relationship with Ian. She knew Ian disliked her way too much.

Honestly, she wasn't really looking forward to meeting Christina. She could have easily stayed back at her apartment, made herself a nice cup of coffee and watch old seasons of Parks and Recreation. But because she wanted to be a supportive girlfriend, she accompanied Ian, knowing very well that he was dreading seeing Christina again.

Skylar knew that Ian was trying to hide his feelings behind his seriousness. As he drove, he said nothing. His jaw was clenched tightly, and his knuckles were white from holding the steering wheel so tightly. She didn't want to see him like that.

"Ian," she said slowly, "you don't have to hide your true feelings. You can talk to me."

Ian glanced at her, his eyes softening. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm just trying not to let my negative feelings take control of me. Apparently, I'm not doing such a good job."

"I'm here," Skylar promised him.

They were already at the airport, sitting down, and just waiting. Christina would land any second now, and their meeting would occur soon enough. Ian held her hand the whole time, looking at her lovingly.

"I'm driving her to a hotel, and that's that for Christina tonight," he explained. "Then it's me and you again, dolcezza."

Skylar leaned into him and pressed her lips to his. She had nothing to be worried about, she had to keep reminding herself. Christina was just a one-night-stand.

Yeah, a one-night-stand that had a child with him, her subconscious reminded her.

And then they saw her. Christina, that is. She knew because Ian's features changed and his grip on her hand became tighter.

She was beautiful, Skylar had to admit. Blonde hair that just passed her shoulders, symmetrical features, and a Victoria's Secret Angel-like body. She walked gracefully in sky-high heels, clad in tight jeans, and a blue blouse with a lot of visible cleavage. As she got closer, Skylar noticed blue-gray eyes and perfect lips. She could see why Ian had gone for her in the first place.

"Ian!" she mused. Even her freaking voice was nice!

Christina was obviously going for a hug, but Ian offered his hand instead.

"Hello, Christina," he said.

"You have not changed one bit." She looked him over unashamed and smiled. "Still one of the handsomest men I have ever met." Finally, she noticed Skylar. "And you are his, uh, girlfriend, right?"

Skylar nodded. "I'm Skylar."

Christina gave her a smile and went in for a hug with her. Skylar accepted it. Christina hugged her tight, and Skylar awkwardly hugged her back, engulfed in the smell of Chanel perfume.

Ian was annoyed. He did not like the idea of Christina getting so close to Skykar. He knew that it was all an act, no matter what Christina claimed. She was all sobered up and wanted to see her daughter, but how long until she decided she still wasn't ready and went back to her old ways? He knew that if he was patient, she would soon enough leave on her own.

"You're so pretty!" Christina said, squeezing Skylar's arms. "Such a doll!"

"Uh...thanks?" Skylar was unsure.

There was an awkward silence for a moment. Skylar stood awkwardly, looking back and forth between Ian and Christina. His features were stony and cold. Christina was the only one that had a smile on her face, which was slowly disappearing was she realized something.

"Uh, didn't you bring Emily?" she asked.

"No," Ian responded. "You'll get to see her tomorrow."

"But, Ian-"

"Tomorrow."

Christina knew well enough that she couldn't fight Ian on this. She would have to settle for seeing Emily the next day. She could do that. Just less than twenty-four hours and she would be able to see her daughter. That wasn't too much to ask of her.

Skylar wished that Ian was easier to read, then maybe she could at least have a hint of what he was thinking. His face gave nothing away and it bothered her. She wanted to hug him and kiss him and tell him that he had nothing to worry about. Christina was harmless.

On the way to the hotel, Christina sat in the back, and Ian held one of her hands the entire time. He had to make it known that he was with Skylar now, she had to respect that. He wanted Christina to see that he loved Skylar so much and her arrival didn't change any of that. Plus, he also wanted to reassure Skylar. She had nothing to worry about.

"So, Skylar, where are you from originally?" Christina asked. It was obvious she didn't like awkward silences.

"Chicago," Skylar said. "And you?"

"Born and raised in Beverly Hills," she said. "How did you and Ian meet?"

Skylar didn't know how to respond to that question. Should she say they met in Chicago when she was sixteen, or...

"We met in Chicago," Ian stated.

"Ah. So when did you start dating?"

"We started dating a while after I first started classes at Stanford," Skylar explained.

"Well, you two seem really good for each other."

Neither of them had expected those words to come from her mouth. What surprised Ian, was the sincerity behind her words. Maybe rehab had helped her...

When they reached their destination, Ian helped Christina with her bags. She hugged Skylar tightly and kissed her cheek.

"Oh, you really are so sweet," she said. "You and I should hang out someday. We should go to the spa and grab some lunch. What do you say?"

"Uh, yeah, I'd like that," Skylar said.

"Great!" They hugged again. "It was really nice meeting you, Skylar."

"You, too," Skylar said.

As soon as they arrived at Ian's home, he went for the liquor cabinet and served himself some whiskey. He was stressed, that was understandable, but he shouldn't be drinking alcohol to get away from his problems.

When he downed his first glass and started going for the second, Skylar took the bottle from him.

"Don't do this," she pleaded.

"I don't want her to see Emily," he said, running his fingers though his hair, obviously frustrated. "She doesn't deserve to see her. Skylar, she abandoned Emily and ran off to go party! How do you think I feel about that?"

"I get that." She understood. "But Emily was going to see her mother sooner or later. You knew that. Might as well get over it. And from what she's been showing, she's changed. She wanted to get better for Emily."

"What if Emily gets her hopes up after meeting Christina? What if she decides she can't do it and runs away again?" He sighed. "I don't want my daughter to get hurt."

"I understand that, but-"

"No, you don't, Skylar!" Ian snapped. "You don't understand because you don't have any children of your own. You don't know what it's like to be a parent, so stop trying to act like you know better!"

He regretted the words as soon as they came out, but the damage was done.

Ian was right. She didn't know. He did. Why was she trying to help him out when she really knew nothing. It just went to show just how inexperienced of an adult she was.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "You're right, I don't know. I'm sorry for trying to help you." She started to walk towards the door.

"Skylar," Ian called out. "Don't go."

She stopped and turned back to him. "I should. You need time to figure things out, I don't want to distract you."

"At least let me drive you back," he said.

She shook her head. "It's fine. I'll get an Uber to pick me up."

"Skylar..."

But she was already out the door before he could say anything else.

There was a Starbucks a couple blocks away from his house, she knew that much. So she made her there on foot, the cool breeze felt good on her skin. Around this time, it was starting to get pretty cold in Chicago, but it didn't get as cold in San Francisco which was a nice change.

Once she reached her destination, she bought a cup of coffee and sat down at one of the tables. There weren't that many people in there, and the ones that were just minded their own business, too interested in their laptops and phones to give much of a care for her.

She was hurt. Ian had never spoken to her like that before. Yeah, he was frustrated and all, but she had only been trying to help. She wanted to show to him that she was supportive of him, and that she cared for him. Apparently she couldn't even do that right. What a great girlfriend she was.

But really, how was she supposed to help others when she couldn't even help herself? Ian had helped her out so much, been strong enough to drag her out of her misery, he was strong enough to help himself out. He didn't need her. Why was she acting like she knew more than she did?

When she got home, she was in a pretty depressing mood. She knew that she should just forget about it and go to sleep, but she couldn't. Having problems with Ian didn't feel so good. She loved the man so god.damn much! All she wanted to do was be next to him and show him just how much she loved him. But, no. None of that was happening.

She wanted to talk to someone, but she realized she didn't have anyone that she could talk to her. None of her new friends were people that she could say she was close to. Calling Kyle would just be awkward. He was Ian's cousin, she didn't really feel comfortable talking about their relationship problems with him. So she was alone with her thoughts.

Ian felt like an as.shole. His words had been uncalled for. There was only one person to blame in his opinion. That person was Christina. It was her arrival that was making him act like that, that was stressing him out. And now Skylar was being affected by it.

He thought he could control himself, he thought that maybe he would be okay once Christina arrived. He'd been wrong. Seeing the woman in person had made him change his mind. He wasn't sure if he wanted Emily to meet her. Yeah, Christina was her mom, but he was her dad - the parent that had stayed and raised her.

He had to apologize to Skylar. Letting her go had been a mistake. It had been a stressful day for both of them. To think it was just this morning that Skylar had finally opened up about her past. It had been a rollercoaster of a day. It had also not really ended well.

The day should have ended with him kissing Skylar goodnight, telling her how much he loves her, and promising her that they'd figure things out. Instead he'd acted like a d.ick when she was trying to help him. Why was he so selfish? He had a wonderful woman that cared about him, then he had to go throwing it all back in her face.

Ian quickly picked up his phone and called her. He wouldn't be able to go to sleep until he spoke to her.

"Hello?" she answered, her voice croaking slightly.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Ian, you don't have to be sorry," she said. "You were right. Who am I to give you advice in something I know nothing about? If anything, I'm sorry. I don't know what you're feeling. I have no say in what happens with Emily, but you do, because you're her parent. I'm not."

"Skylar, don't say that," he pleaded. "I was being a jerk because I'm stressed out."

"I get that." Of course she knew that he was stressed out. "But I know that you are smart enough to make your own decisions. Whatever you decide to do, just know that I'll support you."

He sighed. She was still hurt, it was evident in her voice. "Don't be mad at me."

"I'm not."

"Yeah, you are." Why wouldn't she be?

"I'm not mad, Ian," she promised. "Hurt? Just a little bit, but I understand why you said that."

Her voice was so calm and it bothered him. She was hurt. She should be mad. Why wasn't she yelling at him? He really wanted her to let her frustration out. She wasn't cooperating.

"You don't have to conceal your frustration," he let her know. "You can yell at me if you want. I won't get mad."

That caused her to laugh a bit, but it didn't sound genuine. "I'm not going to yell at you, Ian. I'm just tired, and I want to go to sleep. Goodnight.

"Skylar-"

"Goodnight, Ian." And she hung up.