Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Gregg," she whispered.

That was all it took for Ian to become defensive. His eyes scanned the room full of people and finally landed on him, Skylar and him were staring at each other. Skylar was horrified and worried, whereas he was smiling and nodding casually. But Ian knew that there was nothing casual about that guy, and he wasn't about to let him affect Skylar like that.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Her eyes turned back to him. "Yes."

"He's not going to do anything," Ian promised her. "I won't let him."

Skylar grabbed his hand tightly and said, "I don't want to be here anymore."

Ian nodded. "Okay, baby, we'll leave." He hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head. "But go say bye to your sister, okay?"

She agreed and made her way to her family avoiding making any more eye contact with Gregg. Nope. No, no, no. She was not going to let him make her feel so desperate and disgusting. He was a vile man that didn't deserve a second of her attention.

Skylar approached Heather and Grace whom were sipping on champagne.

"Hey, come here!" Heather exclaimed, motioning for her to join them. "Have a drink with us."

She shook her head. "No, I'd better not. I just came to say goodbye."

"Why?" Grace asked.

"I'm not feeling well." And really, she wasn't, not while Gregg was in the same premises as her.

"Oh." Heather pouted. "Okay. Well, I hope you feel better."

"Call me before you go back to California so we can hang out," Grace added.

"I will," Skylar promised. After giving both of them hugs, she asked, "Who's the guy Leandra was talking to?"

Grace scowled. "An as.shole. Leandra brought him as her plus one, he's such a d.ick to her. Says he has commitment issues but that he still loves her, like, okay I'm gonna believe that!" She rolled her eyes.

While Skylar said goodbye to her family Ian came to a decision. It was the only right thing to do, and even then, it didn't seem enough. But he still went with it because it was the most he could do at a wedding.

Ian made his way to where Gregg was sitting and tried to hide his anger, which was kind of hard to do. That guy had humiliated Skylar because of something so stupid. He'd been a part of the group that blamed her for the death of her friend. He'd taken something so precious from her and then broken her heart. He'd been one of the reasons she had tried to take her life that night. Ian hated him and wished the worst possible for that as.shole.

Gregg acted confused when Ian approached him. "Uh, can I help you?" But he knew already that Ian was with Skylar because he'd seen them embrace.

"Could I speak to you in private?" Ian asked as politely as he could possibly manage.

Gregg snickered. "I guess." He stood up. "I'll be back, babe," he said to Leandra who nodded.

Ian led him to a hallway where the bathrooms were located, no one was there, giving them enough privacy.

"What do you want, man?" Gregg asked impatiently.

"I think you know," Ian replied bitterly.

"Is it about Skylar?" Gregg asked. "You're with her, right?"

Ian hated the way Gregg said her name. It disgusted him. "Yes, I am. And I know that you and her used to date."

Gregg laughed. "Yeah, back in high school when she was a sophomore and I was a senior. Good times."

"Good times?" Ian spat. "You f.ucking humiliated her and broke her heart. You hurt her so much. You used her just so that everyone in school could look at you as some type of sick hero. That's what you call a good time?" His fists were clenched and his anger boiling hot.

"Dude, it's in the past," Gregg explained. "We dated, we f.ucked, and things ended badly. You can't really blame me for something I did when I was a teenager. Plus, it's not that a big a deal. Girls get exposed all the time!"

That's when Ian did it. He punched Gregg with all his might and knocked the sucker on the ground.

"What the f.cuk!" Gregg exclaimed, covering his face. "Dude, you f.ucking broke my nose! What the f.uck, man?"

He didn't bother spending more time with that piece of scum. Skylar was probably already waiting for him by the elevators and he didn't want to worry her. So he walked away and went to look for her.

Skylar was exactly where he thought she would be. She greeted him with a smile and pressed the button for the elevator.

When they stepped inside Skylar asked, "Where were you?"

"Taking care of something," he explained. He wondered how Gregg would make it out of there without anyone noticing his injury. Or maybe the idiot would just tell everyone Ian had punched him. Either way, Ian didn't really care, the as.shole had deserved it.

They didn't end up going back to the hotel, instead they went to Millennium Park where Skylar wanted to spend time with Ian. It was getting darker and it wasn't as packed as it would have been earlier, but it was better for them. It was chilly considering it was November in Chicago, but Ian gave her his jacket to keep her warm. It was still cold with it, and she ended up feeling dumb that she hadn't decided to carry a coat. Oh well.

Skylar led Ian up some steps and headed towards the Bean, or also known as Cloud Gate, a silver reflective structure in the park, one of Chicago's landmarks, and big tourist spots. The Bean reflected the building and the sky, and when they stepped under it, they could see themselves. It was a perfect so-called selfie destination and Skylar took full advantage of it.

She had grown up in Chicago, she'd visited all of it's well-known places, and knew a lot of the city's hidden treasures, but experiencing them with Ian was amazing.

As Ian watched Skylar upload the picture of them onto her Instagram, he realized that that was the first picture they had ever taken together since that night when he'd made the mistake of photographing her. She was starting to feel more comfortable and that made him feel so relieved. It was a good start.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" he asked. "It's getting pretty cold and I don't want you getting sick."

She nodded. "Lets go get something to eat." They hadn't really had a chance to eat at the wedding considering the presence of Gregg. It wasn't that Skylar was afraid of him, but she just didn't want to ruin the good time she was having with Ian because of something so vile. It was better to ignore and move on. He was in her past, and that was that.

"What do you have in mind?" Ian asked as they walked away from the Bean.

"Pizza?" she suggested. She loved deep dish and only Chicago served the most amazing deep dish pizza in the world. Might as well take full advantage of her short stay in Chicago.

The pizzeria she had in mind was only a few blocks away from the park so they just walked it there. Of course she was freezing the entire time, and she debating whether or not they should just go back to their hotel and order room service. But the thought of some greasy and cheesy pizza was too compelling. And Gino's East offered exactly what she wanted.

The pizzeria was almost full when they arrived but they managed to find a booth for both of them. They were a bit too fancy for a pizza restaurant, but no one seemed to care and neither did they.

When their pizza was ready, Skylar dug right in not caring what Ian thought. She'd waited long enough for some good deep-dish and she wasn't about to hold back. It was amazing, mouth-watering. And Ian seemed to really be enjoying it as well.

"You know this is my first time trying deep-dish," he said.

Skylar gasped. "Are you serious?"

Ian nodded. "It's almost as good as L.A. style pizza," he said approvingly.

Skylar wasn't having it. "Almost as good?" she questioned. "You mean better?"

Ian laughed. "Are we going to fight over which style pizza is better?"

Skylar shrugged. "I don't know. You tell me." But she wasn't actually mad, she was just teasing. But she was right, though. Chicago-style pizza beat L.A. There was no point in arguing about that.

Ian smiled. "I know you're internally judging me right now."

She shook her head. "To each their own." Ian just laughed more.

They were finally back at the hotel. Ian was in the shower and Skylar was flipping through the channels on her TV. She had changed into a pair of shorts and loose muscle top. Her hair was up in a messy bun. Not the most attractive look, she was aware of that, but it had been a long day and she just wanted to be comfortable.

She was watching an old episode of Supernatural when her phone buzzed. The called ID said it was Grace. "Hello?" she answered.

"Oh my God, Skylar, did Ian tell you what he did?" She laughed.

Skylar was confused. "What did he do?" She glanced at the bathroom door that was cracked open.

"He broke Gregg's nose," Grace explained. "After you left, Gregg came out telling everyone what Ian had done. He was acting like such a little weakling."

She had not been aware of that. After they'd left the wedding Ian had acted so natural. She'd thought everything was okay and normal. Had he really broken Gregg's nose? That was...unexpected to say the least. But she wasn't mad. Not at all. It just made her want to join him in the shower and show him just how much she appreciated that. "Did Gregg say why?"

"No," Grace said. "He just left with Leandra to the hospital. It was hilarious."

Skylar was still pretty shocked. "Wow. He didn't tell me anything."

"I wonder what Gregg did that got him so mad," Grace added on. "And don't think anyone judged Ian at the wedding. A lot of people found Gregg to be quite the as.shole. If anything, Ian did us all a favor. I just hate that Leandra still left with him, though."

"Oh, wow," Skylar said. "I'll call you tomorrow. I...I have to go talk to Ian."

Grace giggled. "Mmhmm. Talk." She totally knew what Skylar wanted. "Have fun!" And then she hung up.

Skylar was already taking off her clothes as she walked into the bathroom. There was steam from his shower, and she could make out his figure through the glass.

"Skylar?" His voice sounded even sexier at the moment. "You okay?"

As soon as all her clothes were off she slid the glass door open and stepped inside. Ian was surprised but he didn't seem to mind as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Ian in all his naked glory was an amazing sight, and Skylar was full of desire at the moment.

"This is a nice surprise," he said in a husky voice. "Very nice." His hands started to slide down to her butt.

"You didn't tell me you broke Gregg's nose," she said.

"Who told you?"

"Grace. He told everyone."

"You're not mad about that, are you?" He really hoped not.

"Of course not!" she exclaimed. Then she blushed. "I find that to be pretty hot." Just the thought of seeing him full of rage and protectiveness towards her warmed her heart.

Ian grinned. "Is that so?"

She bit her lip and nodded, and that was all the invitation Ian needed to claim her mouth. His kissed her with such fierceness and she more than happily responded with the same intensity. She could feel his desire pressed against her, and it didn't take long for her to take him in her hand and start pumping, receiving several approving sounds from him.

"Yes, baby," he groaned. "Just like that." Then his lips went back to hers.

A moment later he had her pressed against the wall, her legs wrapped around him as he entered her, making her gasp. It was hot in there, from their bodies being pressed against each other, and the steam from the hot shower, but she didn't care. Not while every single one of his thrusts threatened to push her over the edge.

"Yes, Ian," she breathed out, tangling her fingers in his hair as his mouth roamed around neck, his teeth nibbling on her skin. It felt so good. And she never wanted to stop. Ever.

When he was about to go back to kissing her lips he paused and just looked into her eyes. She was enchanted by those green eyes. When she looked at him, she saw the love in his eyes, and the passion. It was overwhelming how much she loved him. It scared her because he had so much power over her. This man that was currently making passionate love to her could so easily destroy her.

"I love you," she said, still not breaking their eye contact.

"And I love you," he replied before claiming her lips once again.

He kept thrusting into her, increasing his speed as both got closer and closer. Skylar achieved her release exclaiming his name, and Ian followed. They were both breathing hard. She stayed in Ian's arms because she didn't think she could stand, at least not yet.

"You are such an amazing woman, Skylar Grant," Ian said, placing a kiss on her forehead.

Skylar was snuggled up against Ian as they watched late-night TV. They both felt more relaxed after their session of love-making. It was just the two of them, and nothing could ruin the perfect bliss they were in at the moment. She never wanted to go back to California. She just wanted to stay frozen in time, in his arms, just her and Ian.

But the peacefulness was gone when Ian realized that his phone had been off since the wedding ceremony. When it turned on he saw several missed calls from Christina and text messages. He didn't waste any time in calling her back, worry setting in.

"Ian!" Christina answered. "I've been calling you all day!"

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly. "Where's Emily?"

"Oh, Ian!" she cried. "Emily," she sniffled, "she's hurt. I'm in the hospital with her."

His heart stopped. "What happened?" he demanded already getting up from the bed.

"She fell off from one of the swings at the park. She hit her head really bad. The doctor said she has a concussion, but they don't know how bad her condition is because she hasn't woken up. She's in a coma, Ian." She cried more.

His little girl was hurt. And he wasn't there to be by her side.

"What's wrong?" Skylar asked, noticing his pain.

"Stay by her side," he said. "I'm taking the first flight out of here."

"Okay," Christina said. "I'll be here."

He ended the call and started changing his clothing as fast as he could. "Skylar, do me a favor and book me the first flight out of here while I get my things ready."

"What happened?" she asked.

"Emily is in the hospital," he explained. "Book the flight, Skylar!"

She would have snapped back at him but she understood what he must be going through at the moment. Hell, she was sick with worry just thinking about Emily being hospitalized. She was so young and so innocent. She quickly booked two tickets for a flight to San Francisco. The earliest flight left in two hours and luckily there were enough seats left.

"You don't have to come with me," Ian said as she started changing too.

"I'm not leaving you alone in a moment like this," she said.

He nodded and resumed packing all of his belongings.

They'd been in perfect bliss just a few minutes ago and now they were worried sick about Emily's well-being. Especially Ian. His daughter was his entire world and she was in a coma. He should have never left her in the first place.

"She's going to be okay," Skylar assured him, trying to convince herself as well.

Ian nodded. "She has to." He squeezed her hand. "Now we just have to wait and see."