Page 36 of Keeping Skylar (Fractured Hearts #1)

Skylar

“Wow, Sky! You look stunning,” Hannah calls out to me as I walk through the door of the restaurant. As soon as I approach our booth, I give Hannah and Nate a quick hug and kiss on the cheek.

I’ve chosen a strapless crimson dress tonight that flows to my ankles, with a high slit that reveals just a hint of side leg.

My hair is styled in a low, elegant bun, with a few loose strands softly framing my face, and my makeup is kept neutral, except for my lips, which are the same vibrant shade as my dress.

It’s the night of my birthday celebration, and Heath has organised dinner and drinks at his restaurant where he’ll be cooking up a special feast just for us.

I would have loved it more if he could join us, but the man works 24/7. At least I still get to see him tonight.

We’re seated in a private booth by the window, offering the best view of the ocean. Outside, metal citronella tiki torches line the deck, leading down to the beach, creating a scene that looks absolutely magical.

When Heath mentioned he had something special planned for me tonight, I was a little taken back. I remember him saying that he wanted to do something for my birthday, but I didn’t think he was actually serious. Yet, here we are, and I can’t help but nervously wonder what he has in store.

Since that night three weeks ago, when I sang for him in his room and he gave me the best orgasm of my life, Heath and I have grown even closer.

Some nights, we simply lie together in his bed, talking until we drift off to sleep.

We kiss, and he holds me close, but we never go any further.

Sleeping in Heath’s bed with him has become the one thing I look forward to most days.

He’s been unbelievably patient with me, always letting me take the lead and never once pushing me to do anything I’m not ready for.

We spend nearly all of our free time together—whether he’s trying to teach me how to surf and cook a five-star meal, or just lazing on the couch together watching movies.

Whatever we’re doing, it only feels right when we’re together.

I glance out the window, my eyes settling on the endless stretch of ocean. For the first time in months, a genuine sense of peace and happiness washes over me. I’ve forgotten just how comforting it feels—and it’s all because of Heath and the two wonderful souls sitting in front of me.

I turn to Hannah, and she meets my gaze with a broad smile on her face.

“Why are you smiling like that?” I ask, lifting an eyebrow.

“I’m sorry. I’m just so happy to be here celebrating your birthday with you.”

“Aww ... Well, thank you both for coming. And to Heath for organising all of this.” I say, as I glance around the room. “Where is he by the way?”

“In the kitchen, being the Master Chef he is,” Nate replies. “He said he’ll be out in a minute to greet us.”

I nod just as a waiter approaches our table. We place our drink orders, and a few minutes later, he returns with two classic mojitos for Hannah and me and a scotch on the rocks for Nate.

“I was going to wait for Heath before doing this, but I’m an impatient bitch—so what the hell,” Hannah says with a shrug, pulling a gorgeous envelope from her bag and holding it out to me.

I narrow my eyes at her suspiciously, before reaching out and taking the envelope.

“What is this?” I ask curiously.

“Open it and see for yourself.”

Eager to see what’s inside, I tear open the envelope and slide out the card. My eyes scan the elegant writing, carefully taking in each word. A soft gasp escapes me as I lift a hand to my mouth. “You’re inviting me to your wedding?”

Hannah nods, her face lighting up with a warm smile. I glance at Nate, who responds with a curt nod before taking a swig of his scotch.

“I know it’s short notice,” she says, her voice sounding a little nervous, “but ever since we met all those months ago, you’ve become one of my closest friends. It would mean the world to us if you could be there to celebrate our special day.”

Bobbing my head in excitement, I accept the invitation with a grin and slide out of my seat. Crossing to the other side of the booth, I wrap them both in a long, heartfelt embrace. When I return to my seat, I wipe away the happy tears pouring from my eyes.

“What the hell! Who made the birthday girl cry?” Heath cuts in, suddenly appearing out from nowhere.

He’s standing beside Nate, looking devilishly handsome, in an all-black, Chef’s long-sleeve jacket, fitted jeans, and leather boots.

His hair is tousled, probably from running his hands through it all night, and though his icy blue eyes look tired, they still spark with life as he glances around the table at us.

The sleeves of his jacket are pushed up, revealing those mouth-watering, sculpted forearms and the tattoos that snake along them.

He’s pure sex on legs, and he damn well knows it.

“Nobody made her cry, loser. She just received my wedding invitation,” Hannah retorts.

Heath shakes his head at her. “Couldn’t even wait for me, huh.”

She shrugs. “I didn’t know when you’d come out of your dungeon, so, I decided to start without you. But if you must know ... Skylar accepted my invitation.”

“Did she now?” He looks at me and winks. “Skylar! You look ... sensational.” A spark of desire flickers in his eyes as they slowly trail down my body. My skin prickles with sudden warmth.

Nate lets out a snort, making the three of us glance in his direction. “What? Heath looks like he’s seconds away from ripping Skylar’s dress off,” he quips, earning him a growl from Heath, and a playful slap on the arm from his fiancée.

“Can you blame my brother? I mean look at her.” Hannah gestures to me. “Skylar’s a complete knockout.”

I’m pretty sure my cheeks are matching the shade of my dress. When I glance up at Heath, his intense gaze locks onto mine, making me feel all sorts of sheepish, as though he’s stripped me bare and I’m completely exposed to him.

“So, what’s on the menu tonight, brother? I’m starving,” Nate whines.

Heath finally looks away, and turns to his future brother-in-law.

“Right. For your entrée, you will be served seared scallops with cauliflower puree, sprinkled with roasted walnuts and crispy prosciutto.” He looks over to Hannah.

“For the main course, you’ll be having creamy spicy lobster and king prawn linguine.

” Then, he looks at me, and grins. “And for dessert ... well ... that’s a surprise. ” He winks at me.

I shift in my chair, attempting to ease the dull ache between my legs. How is it that Heath talking about dessert is turning me on right now?

We all nod and smile in appreciation, genuinely impressed with our menu for this evening. As Heath disappears into the kitchen to begin preparing our three-course meal, Hannah, Nate, and I order another round of drinks.

The dinner was exceptional, and the service was truly worth the five stars. We devoured our meals in no time, as if we hadn’t eaten in forever.

Heath outdid himself with both the entrée and main courses.

By the time we finished, the three of us were leaning back, rubbing our bellies with huge, satisfied smiles across our faces.

We’re now waiting for the final course for the evening, the dessert, which I’m sure is set to satisfy our palates once more.

Hannah and Nate have been the perfect dinner companions, entertaining me with stories about how they met—and the trouble Heath gave Nate when he found out his best friend was sleeping with his sister. Let’s just say Nate was lucky to walk away with both testicles still intact.

We talked about our families, Nate’s job as a landscape engineer, and my life in Sydney, careful to avoid any mention of Kaden—and I appreciated Hannah for doing the same.

I’m just about to stand up to use the restroom after a few too many drinks when the lights in the room slowly begin to dim. That’s when I hear it—the distinguished sound of several voices singing Happy Birthday .

I glance around the room, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound, and that’s when I finally catch sight of him. Heath has changed into a fitted navy button-down shirt and is carrying a stunning white cake with three sparklers on top.

He’s heading straight towards me, and my eyes widen in disbelief while my mouth falls open. Hannah and Nate look just as shocked, but they quickly jump in, singing along with the rest.

A short moment later, Heath and his crew finally reach our booth, surrounding us as they finish the song. I raise my hands to my mouth, desperately trying to hide the goofy grin that’s slowly taking over my face.

As soon as the song ends, Heath sets the cake down on the table, and slides into the seat next to me. “Make a wish, duchess,” he whispers into my ear.

I take a moment to admire the cake—rich, decadent, and almost too pretty to eat.

As I close my eyes to wish for happiness, good health, and another year surrounded by the people I love, I feel Heath gently squeeze my knee, easing the flutter of nerves from being the centre of attention in a room full of people.

After making my wish, I open my eyes and try to blow out the sparklers, but those bloody things are impossible to extinguish.

Heath notices my struggle and, without missing a beat, plucks them out one by one, dropping them into Nate’s glass of water.

The sizzle is satisfying—Nate’s scowl, however, less so.

Just when I think nothing else could possibly surprise me tonight, Heath goes and does the unthinkable—he leans in and kisses me, right there in front of everyone. I hear Hannah let out a dramatic gasp, but we’re so caught up in each other, we barely register anyone else around us.

“Happy birthday, beautiful. I hope your wish comes true,” Heath murmurs into my mouth.

We break apart and Heath gently dismisses the staff with a nod and a ‘thank you’.

They quickly turn and walk away, going back to their usual work stations. A few minutes later, the lights return to normal and the room buzzes back to life. I still can’t believe that just happened.

“You did well, Heath,” Hannah praises, earning a playful wink from her brother. She lifts her phone and points it in our direction. “Here, let me get a photo of you two,” she says with a warm smile.

Not missing a beat, Heath wraps an arm around my shoulders and presses a soft kiss to my temple just as I smile at the camera.

Hannah flips her phone around to inspect the photo, her face lighting up with approval. “God, you two look ridiculously good together.” She spins the screen to show us, and I have to admit—we really do.

After Hannah sends the photo to my phone, Heath hands me the cake knife and gestures for me to do the honours. I take my time slicing into the spongey cake, traces of burnt white cream frosting, and coconut flakes clinging to the knife as I cut.

I serve Hannah and Nate their pieces, and they dive right in. Then, I cut a generous portion for Heath and myself. Just as I’m about to take a bite of my cake, Heath stops me with his hand on my wrist, and gently peels the fork from my fingers.

I frown at him, curious about what he’s up to now. He just smirks, his eyes twinkling as he slowly guides the fork towards my mouth, feeding me my first bite of cake.

Once the flavour fills my mouth, my eyes roll back in delight.

Oh my God! Heath made me Bienmesabe, a traditional Venezuelan coconut cream cake. I haven’t had this since I was eight, when my Abuela was still alive and would make it for my birthday. And now, here’s Heath, unknowingly carrying on her tradition.

Be still, my beating heart. Be still.

“How is it? Is it to your taste?” he asks.

I lick my lips and smile, utterly satisfied. “It’s the closest thing to my Abuela’s. And trust me, no one could ever make it quite like hers,” I state, my voice warm with nostalgia. Heath lets out a deep chuckle, clearly pleased. “Now, my turn.”

I take the fork from his hand, scoop up a decent-sized portion, and lift it to his mouth. But at the last second, I smear some of it across his lips.

Hannah and Nate burst into laughter, while Heath blinks at me—stunned and amused— cake clinging to his mouth. His tongue flicks out to lick the icing off, then he uses a finger to wipe the rest away.

A chuckle escapes me, unable to hold it in any longer. Then, without warning, he grabs the back of my neck and crashes his mouth against mine.

I immediately taste the sweet flavour of coconut on his lips and tongue—it tastes even better on him. He wraps his arms tightly around me, holding me in place as he playfully smears his mouth on mine and along my jaw. I laugh and squeal, trying my best to wriggle free, but he only pulls me closer.

“Skylar? Is that you?”

My spine stiffens instantly, and my grip on Heath tightens. That voice—I’d recognise it anywhere. But it can’t be. There’s no way he’s here ... not now, and definitely not in this place.

I slowly pull away from Heath, and glance over his shoulder.

Oh my God! This cannot be happening!

I must be imagining things, because there’s no way the last person I ever expected to see again is actually standing in front of me.

“My God, it really is you,” he says, his expression filled with disbelief.

That’s when it hits me—he’s real. He’s here. This isn’t a dream. This is actually happening.

The entire room seems to blur into the background, my focus narrowing on the man standing at the end of our table.

His eyes—those familiar chartreuse green eyes I’ve known for the last ten years—dart between Heath and me.

Eyes that belong to the only man who has ever caused me unbearable pain—my ex-husband, Kaden.

And right now, he’s glaring at me, with a gaze burning with pure fury.