Page 87 of Broken Heart

“Never. Good luck this weekend, Marco.”

“Thanks, Coop. See you on Monday.”

Unwilling to waste another minute, I hopped in my truck and took off. I had never been the kind of guy who liked wasting time, and I recognized that only became more pronounced now that I was with Skye. These last few weeks had proven what I’d believed would be the case.

I was still just as focused and determined to complete the necessary tasks at work as I’d always been, and now, I found I was like that outside of work whenever I wasn’t around Skye.

The goal now was about doing whatever I needed to do as quickly and efficiently as I could, so I’d be able to go to Skye and enjoy the time I had with her. Only when I was with her did I find myself letting go of everything pressing in my life. It was shocking that I wanted to slow down whenever she was around, so I could soak up every bit of her I could get. Skye always made it worth it, too.

Marco had been right to tell me not to forget just how lucky I was to have found Skye. She’d changed my life in ways I’d never anticipated, in ways I hadn’t realized I even wanted. From the moment I met her, I’d enjoyed every second I had with her, but things got even better after Skye decided I was someone worth taking a chance on. These last several weeks with her had been the best of my life. She’d turned out to be everything I could have hoped for, and I was looking forward to having this uninterrupted weekend with her.

As quickly as I could manage it, I’d gotten myself home and showered before heading back out the door to grab dessert on the way to Skye’s place. We’d planned to stay in tonight, which was more than fine with me.

I had been in such a good mood thinking about everything I intended to do with her tonight that I was caught off guard completely when I pulled up outside her house and found her outside.

Though I wouldn’t have been upset to see her waiting there to greet me, that wasn’t what was happening at all.

Skye was outside, visibly upset, and her ex-boyfriend was standing there with her. It didn’t take a genius to know what this was about, and I was livid.

Leaving everything in my truck, I made my way in their direction. If I thought the walk there would have helped me calm my anger, I’d have been a fool. If anything, it only fueled my rage.

“I just really need you to reconsider what you’re doing to her,” Simon said to Skye.

I didn’t have to know what was said before I’d arrived. I’d already heard enough. This was stopping now, so I didn’t hesitate to jump in. “What the fuck is going on here?”

I could feel Skye lift her gaze to me, but my murderous eyes were on Simon, who spun around and seemed surprised to see me there. He didn’t respond.

Growing impatient, I seethed, “I asked you a question.”

“I’m here to talk to Skye,” he finally answered.

I turned my attention to her, noting the distress on her face. “Do you want him here?”

She shook her head. “I’ve asked him to leave several times already.”

Pinning my stare on Simon, I noted, “She’s already asked you to leave. What are you still doing here?”

“She and I need to talk,” he said.

“And I think Skye has made it clear to you that she’s not interested in whatever you have to say to her,” I countered.

His lips formed a thin line. He didn’t like where this was going. “Respectfully, this has nothing to do with you.”

My hands balled into fists. “You’re kidding yourself if you believe that’s the case.”

“It’s none of your business, man. Skye needs to rethink what she’s doing. Maria is her best friend, and the stress of their strained relationship isn’t good for the baby,” he argued.

The fact that this guy didn’t see any problem with coming to the home of the woman he cheated on to attempt to convince her to reconcile a friendship that he and Maria had destroyed all on their own was unbelievable. Then again, it shouldn’t have surprised me.

Skye was a gift. Everything about her was something to be cherished. And considering Simon trashed what he had with her, it was clear he wasn’t that smart.

“I’m sorry to hear that there could be any issues with the baby. I don’t wish that on an innocent kid, but it’s not Skye’s responsibility to make the woman who betrayed her feel better about anything. You took on that responsibility when you decided that woman was going to be the one who became more important to you.”

“Why the hell do you think I’m here now?” he questioned me. “I’m doing what I’ve got to do to fix this for Maria.”

“And I’m telling you that you need to find another way. Skye owes you nothing. She owes Maria nothing. Skye is mine now. And as the man in her life, it’s my responsibility to protect her. So, you’re going to leave. You’re not going to come back here ever again unless Skye invites you herself. And if I find out that you or Maria have taken steps to contact Skye against her wishes, whether here, on the phone, or at her store again, you won’t like the outcome,” I warned him.

Simon jerked back, a look of disgust washing over him. “Are you threatening me?”