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He looks at me and waits. I love him for being so patient. This man who never pushes me and gives me the space I need, who puts me in control of every aspect of our relationship, not because he’s a follower and can’t make a decision but because he’s a leader and knows that sometimes, the best way to lead is to let someone else take charge.

He gave me the confidence to take charge, to make choices, and in doing so, he gave me control not over him or our relationship, but over myself. I’ve always leaned on others. First my parents, then my sister. I leaned on Blake and he pushed me when I wasn’t ready. Logan has never made feel like I didn’t have a choice. He gave me something I had no idea I needed. Myself.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The waitress bringsus coffee and leaves. Skye is sitting across the table from me. The high back on the fake red and white leather booth hides us from the rest of the diner. I purposely picked this spot. I have a feeling Skye won’t want anyone else to hear her. I wait.

She adds sugar to her mug and stirs it before taking a sip of her coffee. I drink mine black. I welcome the bitterness. A few more minutes go by, and the waitress brings our pancakes and a jar of syrup. As if sensing we want to be left alone, she drops the check on the table and tells us we can pay on the way out. She doesn’t ask if we want anything else, and I notice that when a group of people comes in, she steers them away from our section.

Skye picks up her fork and cuts through the stack of pancakes in front of her without adding any syrup to it. I add some of the sweet sticky stuff to my plate and hold the jar. She nods, and I pour some over hers as well.

“When River came to us and asked to talk, it was because she saw someone we know at the party. Someone I didn’t want to see again.”

I take a bite and wait for her to continue. Skye plays with her food but doesn’t eat.

“The person she saw is my ex, Blake. My high school boyfriend.”

“I guess it didn’t end well.”

She laughs without humor.

I point at her plate.

“Take a bite. They’re good.”

She eats, and I do the same.

“No, it didn’t end well at all.”

She sighs and puts her fork down.

“Blake was my first real boyfriend. I had a crush on him for a couple of years, but I was always very shy and he never even looked at me. I mean, why would he? Blake was the captain of the football team and had all the girls after him. He could have any of them, and he had them all, if the talk in the girls’ locker room was to be believed.”

“Why wouldn’t he notice you? You’re beautiful, Skye.”

She looks at me like she wants to believe the words I say but doesn’t know how.

“I was the awkward, super-skinny book nerd with braces until the summer before senior year. Believe me, no boys looked at me like that. Especially not when River was around. She always had a huge circle of friends and boys asking her out.”

“Did it bother you? That your sister got all the attention?”

“No, not really. I was glad. I wouldn’t know what to do with the attention. And River didn’t do it on purpose. People are just drawn to her. It’s always been like that. And if you tell her that, she’ll say you’re crazy. She doesn’t see it.”

“Go on.”

“So, senior year of high school, I finally shed the braces and grew some boobs.”

She blushes. I smile, my eyes dipping to her chest, but my large jersey does a great job of hiding her body.

“River dragged me to a Halloween party, which just so happens was at Blake’s house. And we had these same cheerleader outfits on.”

She gestures at herself.

“Let me guess. This Blake kid noticed you.”

Yeah, I call him a kid, because I already hate the guy and don’t want to make him more than he is.

“Yes, he did. I later found out that he wanted River, but she was dating one of his teammates then. That’s how she got into the party. Her boyfriend took her, and she took me. Blake didn’t really socialize with the non-popular kids. As popular as River was, they never shared a class together, and Blake didn’t notice her until that night. We only have one high school in our town, and it had well over a thousand students.”