Chapter One

This chapter is not edited.

Chapter One

Ian stared at the screen of his computer, trying to concentrate. He had to accompany his client to court tomorrow, he had to finish up the paperwork. But there was something that just wouldn't let him do his work. Ever since Kyle, his cousin in Chicago, called him to give him the news that he'd be visiting, but that he had to drop off a friend at her college. And that friend just happened to be her.

Five years it had been since that night at his uncle's apartment. The night when he'd witnessed just how far a beautiful girl would go to get rid of her demons. He hadn't seen her since that night, but he sure did think about her. He wondered how the broken 16-year old he'd stopped from jumping off a balcony was doing. Had she gotten better? Had she tried to take her life again? Did she seek professional help? Was she happy now? And did she ever think of him?

From what Kyle had said, he learned that she had just finished undergraduate study at Northwestern University but was transferring to Stanford for law school. She was very smart and had a bright future ahead of her.

It brought him a sort of joy to know that she would be so close to him. He would get to see her again, get to know how she was doing. See her all grown up. She wasn't the same 16-year old he'd left behind in Chicago. No. Now she was a 20-year old woman studying in a prestigious law school, taking up the same career he'd chosen for himself.

Was it wrong of him to be thinking about the young girl he'd met five years ago? She had been underage at the time, barely 16 while he had been 24. That was why he didn't try anything. Everyone had thought he would choose one of her older sisters that were much closer to his age, but he didn't. He wanted her, he just couldn't have her. But maybe it wasn't wrong anymore. She was an adult now, all grown up. But...oh, hell, she probably didn't even remember him. Maybe she had a boyfriend. And anyway, it wasn't like he could do anything about it. He had Emily to think about, his sweet 4-year old daughter that had been conceived not long after leaving Chicago after a drunken night with an air-headed woman. Christina may not have meant anything to him, but his daughter was his world.

As soon as Skylar and Kyle landed in San Francisco, she was overcome by joy. She was in California, on her own! Well, almost on her own. Her close friend Kyle had tagged along, promising to show her around so she would get used to her new home. Sure, she wasn't going to live in San Francisco as she had to go to Stanford, but she would like to get to know the city that she would one day be calling her home, hopefully working for a prestigious law firm.

"You seem overly excited," Kyle pointed out as they got into the cab.

"I'm so excited!" she enthused. Sure, she was used to the college life. Northwestern had been great, but going to Stanford was just a dream come true. Sure, it wasn't Harvard or Yale, but it just appealed to her more than those schools.

"Just wait until you actually have to start doing all the work law students get," he pointed out. "Ian was always buried in work. Plus he had that internship, and it just added to his work."

Ian.

The name ran through her mind and she couldn't help but smile. Ian Rinaldi, the sweet man that had pulled her off the ledge of the balcony, consoling her, promising her that everything was going to be okay, that she was strong. She had cried on his shoulder as he held her tight, and for once she had felt like someone cared about her. It was because of him that she was still on this Earth, and she would never forget that.

After that night she had tried her best to fight her demons, see the bright side of things. It had been a struggle, and to this day she was still struggling, but she was better. And that was thanks to him. She'd seeked help, gotten on meds, started going out more, made new friends.

She would get to see him again, and boy was she happy. Skylar wanted to hug him and thank him for saving her life, for believing in her. She was also quite curious as to how his life had turned out. From what she'd heard, he had opened a law firm called Rinaldi & Associates, which had turned into the #1 privately owned law firm in San Francisco, if not the entire States.

"Are you sure he won't mind that I'm joining you two?" she asked. Skylar knew that Ian was happy to have his cousin join him in his home, but he didn't know that Skylar was tagging along. It was a last minute decision, as moving-in day wasn't until the next day.

"Of course he'll be okay with it," Kyle assured her. "The poor bastard must get lonely in that house of his, with it just being him and his daughter..."

Daughter? So he had started a family. Even had kids. That was great. Such a kind soul like Ian deserved it. But then she realized Kyle had said it was only him and his daughter.

"What happened to the mother?" she asked.

"Oh she went off to Europe after having Emily," Kyle explained. "Said she wasn't ready for such a big responsibility, that she was young and wanted to live her life to the fullest. So she left Emily to him, and he was still in law school at the time."

She felt sadness. How could someone leave him and a newly born? He must have struggled so much having to take care of his daughter and finish up law school. And then he opened up his own law firm. That must have been hard to handle all at once. Sure, she knew he had money, he came from a wealthy family, but that didn't mean it would make it less of a burden on him.

"Daddy, why did you pick me up so early?" Emily asked lazily as her father walked her out of her school. Apparently he'd picked her up in the middle of nap time.

"Because your uncle Kyle is coming over to our house, princess," he explained.

"Uncle Kyle?" the little girl asked, her green eyes brightening up. The eyes she'd inherited from Ian, but the blonde hair from her mother as well as the nose and lips. No matter how similar she was too the wretched woman, Ian still loved her with all his might.

"Yes, princess," he said, settling her into the car.

On the way to the nice townhouse he lived in, he kept thinking about all the paperwork he still hadn't finished and the girl that kept invading his thoughts. It had been five years, damn it! Why was she being in the state making him feel so flustered? It wasn't like he would see her, at least not now anyway.

When he reached his house, he picked up Emily, and they both entered the house. It was a nice place, clean as he had a housekeeper come take care of things every couple of days. Should he make something? No, he would just go to a restaurant or something. Emily would like that as well.

Ian sat down on the leather couch as Emily went off to do her own thing in the playroom. Every time he looked at his gorgeous daughter his eyes filled with adoration. Sure, she had been unplanned, and part of a drunken night, but that mistake he'd made had turned into something so beautiful.

A few minutes later the doorbell rang and he stood up to answer it. It had been a few months since he'd seen his cousin. He and Kyle were more like brothers if anything. Growing up as an only child, he'd bonded  a lot with him, even though Kyle was younger than him by a few years.

When he opened the door he froze as he took in the sight in front of him. Kyle was there, obviously. But the girl in the flowery dress with Oxford shoes and wavy brown hair, he had not been expecting. And all he could do was take in her beauty. She had not changed all that much in the past few years. Her hair was a bit shorter, her clothing a bit more colorful unlike the dark clothes he'd gotten used to seeing her in, her breasts fuller...He internally groaned. Really? He was noticing that?

"Skylar," he said.

She smiled happily. "Ian, hi! I'm so happy to see you again!"

He was taken by surprise when she wrapped her arms around him. All he could do was hug her back instinctively, remembering the last time they'd been in that position. It felt good to have her there,

"You look...you look all grown up," he said when they pulled away. He wanted to slap himself.

But she didn't seem to find his words weird. "Well, I'm not a teenager anymore," she pointed out.

No, you are not, he agreed mentally. She was now a 20-year old woman, legal of age and still as beautiful as ever.

"Well, it's great to see you again," he said curtly.

Skylar didn't know what to think as she sat across from Ian in the restaurant, Kyle next to her, the little girl next to her father. Ian was polite, but she didn't know if he had truly been happy to see her. She hadn't been expecting a party or anything, but she thought that maybe he would show more excitement. Well, people change. And maybe he hadn't really thought about her at all. He had a daughter to keep him busy.

"What's that?" Emily asked curiously, pointing to Skylar's face.

"What's what, sweetie?" she asked the cute little girl.

"The hole on your face," Emily said. "When you talk or smile there is a small hole on your face."

Skylar and Kyle laughed. Ian didn't know how to feel about Skylar laughing so carefree, so happily. It made him feel happiness to see the broken girl smile. She was also so kind to his daughter.

"That's called a dimple, princess," Ian explained. "Some people have that."

"Ooh," Emily said. "I think she looks very pretty with dimple, right, daddy?"

Ian gulped and said, "Yes, very pretty." The truth was that he thought it was very adorable and he just wanted to poke it for some strange reason. And he did not think she was pretty, because she was devastatingly beautiful, but he couldn't say that.

"Awe, your daughter is adorable," Skylar said. "How old is she?"

"Four," Ian replied, giving his daughter a kiss on her head. "My little princess is four."

Watching Ian and Emily, Skylar's heart warmed up. He was so sweet, and he obviously loved his daughter so much. She enjoyed watching them, the strong bond they held evident. She'd never been that way with her own father, he'd always been busy with work and taking care of her other siblings. But she did not resent him for that.

"Do you want me to take you shopping later, Em?" Kyle asked,  a huge grin on his face. "Take some time away from your old man and spend some time with Uncle Kyle?"

Emily smiled widely. "Yes! I want toys!"

"Of course, sweetheart," Kyle promised.

Ian rolled his eyes at his cousin. "I am not old, Kyle. And what makes you think I'm going to let you take my daughter?"

Kyle feigned an offended look. "Because I'm a responsible adult, that's why," he said. "And you are old. You're almost 30, Ian."

"Please, Daddy!" Emily begged. "I want to go with Uncle Kyle!"

Ian could not say no to his little girl, especially not while she was looking at him with those big eyes. So he gave in, promising her that he would let her go with Kyle.

Kyle took Ian's car as soon as they arrived home. Emily happily went with her uncle, jumping and singing to a made up song. So that meant that he would be alone in his home with Skylar.

Skylar whom was innocently sitting on his couch, twirling a lock of hair around her index finger.

He hadn't given her the warmest welcome, and he felt bad for that. He did not want her to think that she wasn't welcome in his home. Because she was, oh, she was! It was just the fact that he thought about her everyday for the past five years that was the problem. Ian shouldn't be thinking about Skylar in that way. She was so much younger than him, still in college, had her whole life ahead of her.

"Would you like a drink?" he asked, serving himself some whiskey.

"Uh, sure," she said quietly, almost shyly.

Truth was that Skylar was feeling uncomfortable. Being alone with Ian was making her feel some type of way. He'd changed a bit in the past five years. There was more of a matureness to his features, he'd obviously worked out more from the outline of his muscles. He was still as handsome as ever, of course. But maybe he didn't want her in his home. She felt like an intruder.

Ian handed her a glass of whiskey and she nodded thankfully. Skylar stiffened a little bit when he sat down next to her.

"So Stanford, huh?" he asked, trying to make small talk.

"Yes," she said. "I'm going there for law school."

"What type of law are you specializing in?"

"Corporate and family," she responded. Well, this was progress.

"That's what my firm specializes in," he said. "Of course we handle other things, but it's mostly just corporate and family...You know, if you need an internship, all you need to do is ask and you've got one."

Why was he offering her an internship at his law firm? Ian didn't know, but she seemed smart and responsible enough to handle it.

Her eyes brightened up. "Well, thank you," she said. "Your firm is amazing and it would be an honor to intern there."

Ian nodded. Why was he feeling so tense? Why couldn't he just be laid back around her and maybe start a friendship with her?

He knew why. Because he wanted to kiss those soft, pink lips of hers but he couldn't.

"How've you been?" he asked.

She looked down at her legs. "If you're referring to that night, I can tell you that I've gotten better."

That was good news to him. He would hate to see her in such a terrible state again.

"Of course it's not a 100% better, but it's not like it used to be," she assured him. "That's because of you, you know."

Ian shook his head. "No, it's not me. It's you. You were strong enough to pull through."

Skylar clasped one of his hands in hers. "No, Ian. It's because of you. You saved me from myself, and if you hadn't, I wouldn't be here today. So thank you, Ian. Really. You are such an amazing person."

Ian did not know what to say. But what was he supposed to say to that? Skylar believed that he had saved her, but in reality, he'd only given her a little nudge to get better. It was nice, though, to have Skylar look up at him with admiration in her eyes. For her to see him as her hero.

It was taking a lot of restraint to not lean into her and kiss those lips of hers. Why did she have to be so perfect? She was so strong, beautiful, sweet, and smart. He could see just how amazing she was from the first time he laid eyes on her. The beautiful, broken girl was so amazing. It was just a shame that she didn't think the same of herself.

He smiled at her. Like, actually gave her a warm smile. Skylar felt happier when she saw that smile. That was a good sign.

"You are an amazing woman, Miss Grant," he said. "You don't cease to amaze me."

"Well, thanks," she said. "But I wouldn't be the way I am now if it wasn't because of you.