Sky was more than surprised to see Remington. Shocked was a better word. She blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “How is Charlie?”
“She’s getting better.”
“Then why are you here? Is she here? Does she need tests?” Sky was concerned. And, although she had made a mistake by omitting her concerns to Remington, she wasn’t going to let him get away with disrespecting her. “Look, you wanted to have a conversation, so can you at least turnaround. I’m not going to talk to your back.”
Slowly, Remington did as she asked. “No. Charlie is not here. We’ve rented a house in Chicago for a while. She asked that I come to this meeting because she wanted me to make sure that you were okay.” Seeing Sky in person was harder than he thought it would be. She still took his breath away. In truth, he wanted to make sure she was okay too.
Sky whispered. “Incredible that after everything that has happened she’s thinking of me. Can you tell Charlie that I miss her too? Please tell her that I think of her often and that I’m sorry I didn’t call her back.” Sky blew out a long breath. Speaking of I’m sorries. I hate that I ruined whatever possibility there was between us. She thought. Sky didn’t plan on apologizing again. She had sincerely done it enough. Once more wasn’t going to make Remington finally see the light and forgive her.
His voice was pained. “I trusted you.”
It hurt her to know that she hurt him. “I know. And I’m sure it doesn’t matter, but I wanted to tell you so many times. At the time, I honestly didn’t know what the right thing to do was.”
Remington couldn’t find words.
Sky waited, but when he didn’t say anything, she started to gather her things. “I should go.”
“Wait.” Remington walked slowly over to her. He was standing only inches. “I’m not only here on behalf of Charlie but I’m also here because I had some unfinished business, and I needed to see you.”
Sky searched his eyes for answers. “Why?”
Remington ran his hands through his hair. “As angry as I am, I can’t stop thinking about us. I can’t stop thinking about and wanting you.”
Sky couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “What? Is this some kind of cruel joke?”
“I would never joke about what’s in my heart.”
She erased the distance between them and stood on her tiptoes as she continued to look Remington in his eyes. Sky could only hope he could see the truth in hers. “I’ve never felt for anyone the way that I feel about you.”
He placed her hand over his heart. “You feel that?” It pumped hard and fast. “Just being near you throws it out of control and makes it hard to breathe. It’s a scary feeling. But, even after everything, you’re worth it and what we found is real. I can’t let my hang-ups from past dictate my future and cause me to miss out on something great.”
“Do you really mean that?”
“Yeah, I do.”
Before he could finish his sentence, Sky kissed him lightly on the lips.
Remington leaned in and deepened it as he pulled her into a tight embrace. After a moment, he broke the kiss.
Sky was basking in the euphoria of it especially after dreaming about kissing him for so many nights, she didn’t want it to end. Her eyes were still closed when she spoke. “The hospital is going to make things right with everything that happened here. I hope we can put this all behind us and move on.”
“I know and we will as long as we want to. I for one and ready to move on—with you.” Remington touched his forehead to hers.
Her eyes fluttered open and stared at him questioningly. “How did you know the hospital is going to make it right? Nia just negotiated the deal not ten minutes ago.”
Remington gave her his trade-mark lop-sided grin that made her knees go weak. “I wasn’t about to let this hospital destroy your career, so I bought it to make sure.”
“Are you kidding?” He couldn’t have been serious. “You bought the hospital?”
“I know how important your career and reputation is. No matter how angry I was, I knew you wouldn’t sleep with Kane. I knew you would never be behind a cover-up. I just hated you didn’t tell me the truth. We have to be honest with each other no matter how hard it is.”
Sky’s eyes started to water. “Okay.”
“At the end of the day, you saved my daughter’s life. And since I’m falling in love with you, buying the hospital was the least I could do. There would be no chance of starting over if your career was in tatters.”
Sky could barely form words. Did he just say he thought he was falling in love with me? “I’m falling in love with you too.”
Remington grinned. “That is good to hear since someone told me ‘Don’t mess this up.’ So, in my effort not to do just that, would you like to have dinner with Charlie and me tonight?”
Her unshed tears spilled over. “There is no place I would rather be.”
Epilogue
One year later
Remington was decked out in a black tuxedo and tie as he paced back and forth in the foyer. He was nervous. “C’mon, Charlie she’s going to be here any minute.”
“I’m coming, dad.” Slowly, Charlie rounded the corner in the new ranch-style mansion that her father had built specifically with her disability in mind. It boasted of wider than normal hallways and was equipped with ramps and more. Tonight the home sparkled with a different kind of energy that had nothing to do with the large chandelier that hung above them.
Charlie was dressed in a beautiful tea-length yellow gown. It brought out her silky golden curls that had been pulled back into a messy ponytail as she walked on her own two feet with just the assistance of a walker. “Is she here yet?”
Remington checked his watch. “Not yet, but she should be any minute. Wow. You look beautiful.”
Charlie blushed. “Thanks. Special night, special dress.”
Sophia and Yolanda came out of the shadows. “Is she here?”
“Not yet,” Remington answered.
“Well, everything is all set, Mr. Remington. The wine is chilling, and everything you’ve asked for is in place.”
“Thank you, Sophia.”
The doorbell rang.
“It’s her.” Charlie and Yolanda said in unison.
Remington took a deep breath and opened the door.
Sky stood on the other side. She wore a candy apple red form-fitting dress with a plunging neckline that hugged all of her generous curves. She didn’t wear any accessories. She didn’t need them not when her full, kissable bow-shaped lips were covered in a bold red lipstick. The color complimented her smooth caramel skin. Remington’s eyes smoldered as he visualized not just taking off the dress and lipstick, but how he planned to do it. Considering his daughter, her best friend and mother were standing right behind him, he needed to tamp down his illicit thoughts.
The heat in his eyes made Sky’s stomach flutter. Even after dating for over a year, Remington still made her heart race. As she stepped over the threshold, Sky had been unable to look away from his gaze. Remington had a way of shrinking the size of a room. He could make her feel nothing existed outside the two of them.
“Wow. You look amazing, Sky.” Charlie spoke in awe.
Her voice brought them back from whatever world they had absconded to.
“I second that. You look beautiful.” Remington leaned over and placed a lingering kiss on Sky’s cheek. Then whispered into her ear, “I know you look even better underneath that dress and I can’t wait to find out.”
His words put a saucy smile on her face. Sky’s response was for his ears only as she pulled back and gazed into those gray eyes. “Maybe we should skip the fundraiser and find out.”
“Hmm . . . Don’t tempt me.”
Sky looked around Remington to see several pairs of eyes staring at them. She cleared her throat and moved out of his embrace. “Thank you, everyone, for the compliment, but we all know the bell of the ball is Charlie Kneeland. You look fantastic.”
&nbs
p; “Is that the lip-gloss we bought the other day?”
“Yep. It sure is.”
Remington wasn’t about to get caught up in a bout of girl talk. He stopped it before they got started. “Before we leave, I have something I want to show you. Can you follow me into the study?”
“Aren’t we going to be late?”
“We’ve got a little time.”
Sky placed her hand in his and followed behind. As they entered Remington’s private study, her mouth dropped into a perfectly shaped . . . O. “Remington? What have you done?” Breathlessly, Sky turned around in a circle.
“I had it decorated based on what Charlie and I could glean from you. Do you like it? I figured this could be your office.”
Sky smirked and placed a hand on her hip. “Then why do you have a desk in here too?”
He lifted a shoulder. “Sometimes, I just don’t want to be away from you. If it were up to me you would never leave this house, but you and your rules.”
“My mother has been engaged six times. I’ve learned a thing or two from that. Her motto to me was always, ‘don’t be a wife until you are a wife.’ This is your home, and that’s fine.”
Remington chuckled. “Funny, I don’t remember you saying that to the architect.”
Sky looked sheepish. “I just wanted to make sure you and Charlie were comfortable.”
“Right. Of course.”
Sky turned her back to him as she continued to admire not only how Remington furnished and decorated the room, but also the lovely white roses placed all around. “No one has ever done anything this sweet for me.” It was a big gesture for a man who said he had never wanted to get married again or have any more children. For a moment, Sky’s heart was heavy because she wanted those things with Remington.
She sighed, wistfully.
Sky didn’t know what the future held, but she was willing to take the journey wherever it leads. “We should probably get moving, or we are really going to be late.”
When Sky turned to face Remington, he was on bended knee holding a little black velvet box.
Her breath caught, and her hands went to her throat. “Oh, my god! What are you doing?”
“I thought you were special the moment we met. I knew it after experiencing the tender loving care you showed Charlie and me during one of the most difficult times in our lives. I’ve been lucky to have an opportunity to get to really know you, and the time we have spent together has only confirmed that you are more incredible than I already thought. It drives me insane that I don’t get to wake up to you every morning and fall asleep with you every night. I plan to change that because . . .” Remington paused. “I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. I hope you feel the same. If so, then Sky Kirby Johnston will you marry me?”
Tears filled her eyes.
Remington opened the black box and inside was an emerald cut, flawless, seven-carat yellow diamond. He took it out and held it up to Sky, ready to place it on her finger.
His hands shook slightly. “Sky?”
“Yes?”
“Is that yes you’ll marry me, or yes that you hear me?”
“Both! Yes! Yes, yes, YES!”
He placed the ring on her finger.
Sky threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
The door burst open, and not only did Charlie, Sophia, and Yolanda enter the room but so did Sky’s mother and husband number four, Sam, Nia and her new boyfriend, her father, Franklin, and Remington’s dad, Michael Kneeland.
Sophia brought celebratory champagne into the room and sparkling apple juice for the girls so that they could join in on the toast.
Sky’s mother was the first to pull Sky into a tight embrace. She couldn’t contain her excitement as she pulled her away. “I knew there was something special about Remington. Congratulations, honey!”
Charlie stood at Omara’s elbow waiting her turn to congratulate Sky and her dad. She held another bouquet of yellow roses, and when it was her turn, she handed them to Sky. “Here. These are for you. They are not from dad. They are from me.” Her eyes were glassy.
“Thank you. They are beautiful.” Sky’s throat was thick. “Are you okay with this?”
The room quieted as everyone watched.
“Are you kidding me? I’m better than okay. I’m ecstatic! I even helped Daddy plan the proposal.” Her voice turned a little somber. “With my real mom thousands of miles away, I would love to have you here full-time.” Charlie wrapped her arms around Sky’s waist, and Sky returned the hug with equal fervor.
The happy tears Sky had been battling back, slid down her cheek. “I know I’m not your mom, and I’d never try to replace her, but I hope you know I’ve fallen in love with you just as much as I have your father. You could even say, if it weren’t for you, we might have never found one another.” Sky’s smile grew so big it spread across her entire face.
Remington didn’t want to spend one second thinking about Bella and Kane. He was happy that she had moved away and was shamefully doing a bit part on an un-popular soap-opera. The Great Bella Lord-Langston had fallen so far from grace, it wasn’t even funny. However, he had heard through Charlie that she was engaged to some millionaire hedge-fund manager. Remington had had him checked out only to find that unbeknownst to Bella, the man was millions of dollars in debt. Served her right. She had better be glad that Charlie pleaded on her behalf. That’s the only thing that kept her ass out of prison that and signing over full-custody. Kane, on the other hand, Remington didn’t give a shit about him and based on a few well-placed tips, he was currently serving one year of a five-year Federal prison term for tax-evasion.
There was no doubt in Remington’s mind that over the past year, he had made the right decisions. And, for the first time in a long time, he was looking forward to a future–one that included at least two more children. He smiled inwardly thinking about how Sky made sure this home had enough room for at least that many. His smile turned into a full-on grin thinking about it as he shook hands with Sky’s father and step-father.
Remington’s own father waited patiently to get his son’s full attention. When it was his turn, the older Mr. Kneeland pulled him into a bear hug. His voice was full of emotion. “Last week when you brought Sky to meet your mom, I still can’t believe she found her way back to us for just long enough to thank Sky for putting the twinkle back into your eyes. If I ever had any doubts, at that moment, they were squashed. I hope you thanked her for giving me just another few minutes with the love of my life.”
Remington wasn’t sure he could speak after his father’s comment.
Just a few feet away, Sky saw the emotion from the conversation with his father, all over his face.
She made her way through the well-wishes to him and grabbed hold of his hand as she kissed her soon-to-be father-in-law on the cheek. Remington felt the comforting pressure. Sky was the balm to his soul. It gave him the moment he needed to collect himself.
Remington pulled Sky into the crook of his arm and looked around to see all the people in the room. This was living. Surrounded by the people he loved the most and ready to start a new.
Remington had often wondered what would happen when an immovable object met an unstoppable force . . . He now knew the answer.
They fell in love.
Thank You
I hope you enjoyed Remington’s Sky. If so, Please leave a review.
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Other Books by LaShawn Vasser
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Davis Chatham is a ruthless billionaire who spends every waking moment building Chatham Industries. That is until he meets and marries the woman of his dreams, Anne Mathews. However, his workaholic lifestyle destroys their marriage. After trying and failing to win her back Davis was left divorced, broken and bitter. Nothing he tried could soothe his restless soul until he met Nicole DonLeavy on that fateful night of the plane crash.
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