Page 50 of Desert Sky (RB MC #4)
SKYE
S omething was… off.
It had been off ever since JD rode out of the clubhouse like a warrior cloaked in leather and vengeance. Since that night, when he kissed me like it would be the last time, then left without a backward glance.
We weren’t under lockdown anymore, but life hadn’t gone back to normal either. In fact, everything felt like it was tiptoeing on the edge of something big. Unsaid.
JD hadn’t taken me on a date since our picnic in the canyon or the flamenco rooftop kiss.
Now, I got polite pecks on the forehead, logistical check-ins, and more security than the damn White House.
A new pledge had been assigned to follow me around—always within arm’s reach, always armed, always silent.
Jackson had a full-time bodyguard now, too.
A mountain of a man named Boz with a lazy grin and hawk eyes.
He drove him to school, waited outside, then drove him home to the ranch like we lived in a mob movie.
At first, Jackson thought it was cool. Now he just asked me if bad guys were after us again .
I couldn’t give him an answer. Not a real one.
JD said nothing. Just got quieter, sharper. Businesslike. Focused.
And busy.
He’d taken on a huge role managing the ranch’s finances with Cal. His phone never stopped buzzing. His laptop was always open. And our nights? They were filled with silence instead of sweat-slick skin and whispered promises.
I tried not to spiral.
But it was hard. Especially when I had a secret of my own.
I hadn’t gotten my period in two months.
Which, to be fair, wasn’t unheard of for me—I was irregular at best. But still. Something in my gut told me this wasn’t just stress. It was more. I hadn’t taken a test yet. Partly because I was scared. Partly because I didn’t want to make it real if JD wasn’t going to be here to share it.
Then he told me he was leaving for a “business trip” with the boys. No details. No explanations.
Just a gruff, “Gotta go,” and then he was gone.
I stood on the porch and watched that Lincoln town car disappear into the dust like he was vanishing from my life one slow mile at a time.
But then…
The car screeched to a stop halfway down the drive. JD got out, stalked back to me, grabbed my face like a man starved for air—and kissed me.
Hard. Deep. Desperate.
He didn’t say a word.
Just left again.
And that left me even more confused than before.
Now it’s a few days later, and I’m sitting in the kitchen with Regan, trying to sip coffee but mostly just stirring it like it holds the answers to my love life.
Regan was practically glowing. Too much glitter in her eye, too much pep in her step.
“You ready for your birthday party ?” she asked, voice full of knowing mischief.
I rolled my eyes. “You do remember I never told you my birthday, right?”
“Details,” she said, waving it off. “Besides, we needed an excuse for a big blowout at the ranch. Fairy lights, bonfires, everyone in one place—it’s gonna be magic. ”
“And what exactly am I supposed to wear to this mystery birthday that isn’t mine?”
“Oh, don’t worry, honey.” She grinned, pulling a garment bag out of the hall closet. “I got you something. Think sexy cowgirl with a splash of ‘watch me make your man lose his mind.’”
“Regan—”
“Nope. No arguments. Just trust me.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “You’ve been acting weird, too.”
“Define weird, ” she said, batting her lashes.
“Sneaky. Sly. And smug like a cat who stole the cream.”
She sipped her drink. “Skye… all you gotta do is show up, look hot, and trust the process. JD might be acting like a ghost, but believe me, he sees you. He’s just… working through stuff.”
“Like what? How to quietly ghost the mother of his child again ?”
She gave me a look that cut through my sarcasm. “He loves you. It’s all over him. But loving someone that deep doesn’t mean you don’t still bleed.”
I swallowed. “I just… I thought after everything. After th e canyon, the flamenco night… I thought we were finally okay. Now it’s like he’s halfway gone again.”
“Just trust me. Come to your party. Wear the damn dress. Dance a little. Smile a lot. And be ready. Sometimes love shows up when you least expect it.”
I pressed my hand to my stomach. Just the thought of being pregnant again—now, in this messy chaos of love and silence—made my head spin.
“I don’t know, Regan. What if I’m setting myself up for heartbreak?”
She stood and leaned across the table, eyes locking with mine.
“Then it’s gonna be the prettiest damn heartbreak this side of Santa Fe.”