My Skylar
PROLOGUE
MITCH
Skylar had no idea that I watched her. Once a week, I would sit in my car diagonally across
from her house on the quiet suburban street where she lived now—with him. It made me want to
vomit just thinking about her with another man, let alone having to witness it.
This spot was one of three where I parked that provided the perfect angle to see into her living
room. I would switch positions each week to be less conspicuous, and my car lights were always
turned off. A small pair of binoculars came in handy and except for the lack of a partner in crime, it was much like a stakeout you’d see in the movies.
I packed dinner in a brown bag; usually a peanut butter sandwich and a protein shake and
made a night of it until the lights shut off downstairs, signaling that she had gone to sleep. Then, I’d drive home to my empty bed and hope that I’d dream about her.
The name of her street was Bayberry Lane. It was the type of neighborhood she deserved: safe,
aligned with plush trees and perfectly manicured lawns, about two and a half hours outside of
New York City in Jersey. It was the next town over from where we grew up and the type of place
I’d always imagined we would end up together, happily ever after.
It had been five, long years since Skylar uttered a single word to me. Most of that time, she had
been living out of state. The word on the street was that she left to attend interior design school, but the truth was, she had been running away from me.
Because I broke her heart.
A few years after she left, she met a guy. Our mutual friend, Davey, would give me inside
information on her, and as much as I hated the idea of Skylar settling down with another man, if
she were truly happy, I knew I had to accept it. It was a whole lot easier when she was far away.
I’d assumed she would never come back here. That is, until one night when my world as I knew it
turned upside down during a simple run to Target for toothpaste.
I spotted her first. She was looking down at the back label of a bottle of mouthwash when I
entered the aisle, and she hadn’t noticed me standing a few feet away.
My heart started to pound while my chest constricted. Skylar was always a beautiful girl, but
nothing could have prepared me for the sight of her as a full-grown woman. I had always
imagined how it might be to see her again, but the intensity of my physical and emotional
reaction caught me off guard.
Her long, auburn hair was a bit darker now and tied into a low ponytail cascading down her
back. She was wearing a simple black and white plaid wool coat that had a thick belt wrapped
around her tiny waist. She seemed a lot taller, but when I looked down, I realized it was because
she was wearing high-heeled boots.
She still hadn’t turned to notice me, and with my chest tight and my throat closed, I just stared
at her, silently urging myself to say something before she walked away. The word was hardly
audible when it came out. “Skylar.”
When her eyes met mine, it felt as though my heart started beating again for the first time in
five years. It made me realize how dead inside I had been.
She took a small step back, and her chest rose up and down in shock. Not only had this been
the first time we’d laid eyes on each other since before she left town, but I looked a lot different.
A couple of years ago, at the height of a depression, I started taking my frustrations out on my
body and began a rigorous workout regimen that had now become a daily routine. So, I was bigger
and probably a little scarier than the college boy she left behind.
She didn’t know the half of how hardened I had become, more so on the inside. She, on the
other hand, looked delicate and sophisticated compared to my rugged appearance in worn jeans
and a soiled, beige construction jacket.
She stood there speechless, looking down at the tattooed letters on my knuckles. She never
knew me with tattoos.
Say something, Skylar…anything.
Then, I heard a male voice at the end of the aisle. “Come on, Sky. I don’t have all friggin’ day.”
Sky. No one called her Sky. She hated that nickname. And he was being short with her. I
didn’t like his choice of words or the look on his face that I spied before turning my head,
pretending to look at the toothpaste selection.
I was seething. Him. I didn’t even know him, and I wanted to destroy him. All I knew was that he had the only thing I’d ever wanted.
She turned around toward this guy who I could only assume was the boyfriend. “I…I’m sorry.
I’ll be right there.” She sounded nervous, discombobulated, nothing like the cool, self-assured
Skylar I once knew…and loved. I still loved her. She had been my best friend, the most important person in the world to me for so many years…before I fucked us up.
MITCH
Skylar had no idea that I watched her. Once a week, I would sit in my car diagonally across
from her house on the quiet suburban street where she lived now—with him. It made me want to
vomit just thinking about her with another man, let alone having to witness it.
This spot was one of three where I parked that provided the perfect angle to see into her living
room. I would switch positions each week to be less conspicuous, and my car lights were always
turned off. A small pair of binoculars came in handy and except for the lack of a partner in crime, it was much like a stakeout you’d see in the movies.
I packed dinner in a brown bag; usually a peanut butter sandwich and a protein shake and
made a night of it until the lights shut off downstairs, signaling that she had gone to sleep. Then, I’d drive home to my empty bed and hope that I’d dream about her.
The name of her street was Bayberry Lane. It was the type of neighborhood she deserved: safe,
aligned with plush trees and perfectly manicured lawns, about two and a half hours outside of
New York City in Jersey. It was the next town over from where we grew up and the type of place
I’d always imagined we would end up together, happily ever after.
It had been five, long years since Skylar uttered a single word to me. Most of that time, she had
been living out of state. The word on the street was that she left to attend interior design school, but the truth was, she had been running away from me.
Because I broke her heart.
A few years after she left, she met a guy. Our mutual friend, Davey, would give me inside
information on her, and as much as I hated the idea of Skylar settling down with another man, if
she were truly happy, I knew I had to accept it. It was a whole lot easier when she was far away.
I’d assumed she would never come back here. That is, until one night when my world as I knew it
turned upside down during a simple run to Target for toothpaste.
I spotted her first. She was looking down at the back label of a bottle of mouthwash when I
entered the aisle, and she hadn’t noticed me standing a few feet away.
My heart started to pound while my chest constricted. Skylar was always a beautiful girl, but
nothing could have prepared me for the sight of her as a full-grown woman. I had always
imagined how it might be to see her again, but the intensity of my physical and emotional
reaction caught me off guard.
Her long, auburn hair was a bit darker now and tied into a low ponytail cascading down her
back. She was wearing a simple black and white plaid wool coat that had a thick belt wrapped
around her tiny waist. She seemed a lot taller, but when I looked down, I realized it was because
she was wearing high-heeled boots.
She still hadn’t turned to notice me, and with my chest tight and my throat closed, I just stared
at her, silently urging myself to say something before she walked away. The word was hardly
audible when it came out. “Skylar.”
When her eyes met mine, it felt as though my heart started beating again for the first time in
five years. It made me realize how dead inside I had been.
She took a small step back, and her chest rose up and down in shock. Not only had this been
the first time we’d laid eyes on each other since before she left town, but I looked a lot different.
A couple of years ago, at the height of a depression, I started taking my frustrations out on my
body and began a rigorous workout regimen that had now become a daily routine. So, I was bigger
and probably a little scarier than the college boy she left behind.
She didn’t know the half of how hardened I had become, more so on the inside. She, on the
other hand, looked delicate and sophisticated compared to my rugged appearance in worn jeans
and a soiled, beige construction jacket.
She stood there speechless, looking down at the tattooed letters on my knuckles. She never
knew me with tattoos.
Say something, Skylar…anything.
Then, I heard a male voice at the end of the aisle. “Come on, Sky. I don’t have all friggin’ day.”
Sky. No one called her Sky. She hated that nickname. And he was being short with her. I
didn’t like his choice of words or the look on his face that I spied before turning my head,
pretending to look at the toothpaste selection.
I was seething. Him. I didn’t even know him, and I wanted to destroy him. All I knew was that he had the only thing I’d ever wanted.
She turned around toward this guy who I could only assume was the boyfriend. “I…I’m sorry.
I’ll be right there.” She sounded nervous, discombobulated, nothing like the cool, self-assured
Skylar I once knew…and loved. I still loved her. She had been my best friend, the most important person in the world to me for so many years…before I fucked us up.