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Nothing But A Lie

Chapter 18

The day had been ridiculously busy. He probably should have guessed it would be, what with it being the Friday before a long weekend and all, but he didn't quite anticipate to be constantly dealing with one issue after another all day long.

Sky realized early on in the day that he'd never be able to get all the work done on time without complete focus, and there was just no way he could keep his earpiece in. Listening to Christine would be much too distracting, and if he tried to do it all at once he would probably be working late, and be late in picking her up from campus as well. He'd texted Pearson that morning and told him to watch her even more closely than usual, that he wouldn't be able to have her mic on, and to send him updates throughout the day.

He wasn't too worried. His sweet girl seemed to be pretty much completely trained by now. She knew better than to try anything stupid with him anymore, unless she wanted to deal with the consequences.

The busy work wasn't all bad. In a way, he was thankful for it to keep him distracted, as it made the day fly by in a blur of meetings and phone calls and signatures. He got it all done just in time, and he looked forward to seeing what the weekend would bring.

He couldn't believe he was going to see Peyton for the first time in—had it been two years now? That fact hurt. The baby girl's mother was cruel to keep her away, and it infuriated him that he had no control over the situation. But what could he do? He knew if he took it to court she would just spread lies to make it all worse for him. It just wasn't fair.

Peyton might be the only human in the world that really, truly loved him. The bond they'd had was incomparable, something he'd never known he wanted or needed until it happened to him… and then one day it was all just ripped from his hands faster than he could imagine possible.

Yes, he wasn't perfect, but no matter what he'd done he did not deserve that. No one did.

He could never erase the horrible memory of coming home from that short, overnight business trip to an empty house and nothing but a brief note left on the refrigerator, where all of his baby's drawings used to hang.

Don't try to come after us. If you do, I will tell your family and the police everything. I made sure to collect all the proof I needed on camera before leaving. So please, for your own good, just let us go. I have to do what's best for Peyton and me. She shouldn't be around this anymore. And I can't take it either. We deserve better.

-M

P.S. Get some therapy.

His fists clenched on the steering wheel, the words engraved into his brain and just as infuriating now as they were then. The ungrateful little bitch. He had done everything for her. And it didn't seem like too much to ask for her obedience when he had been the best father and provider for their family he could have possibly been at the time. How could she not see how much he had loved and cared about her, and of course would get upset when she would take advantage of that?

Well, there wasn't much he could do now except try to make amends. Sky was truly moved on from her, his love for Christine unlike anything else he'd ever experienced, and maybe she would see that. Maybe if she did, she'd allow him to be in Peyton's life again, at least. That's all he could ask for.

The rain began to pick up as soon as he pulled onto campus, and he could see Christine making her way to him hastily.

She was wary as she speed walked to the car, wondering how he felt about her and Erik's conversation. He didn't get out to open the door for her, but that might just be because of the rain. It was difficult to see him through the tinted, rain spattered windows, and so she just held her breath as she entered the car.

"Hey, baby," he greeted her warmly, his hand immediately resting on her leg. She stiffened, though was relieved that he was obviously not angry. "Good day?"

She nodded. "My last class got cancelled, so I got to sit outside for a while."

He already knew this, only because of Pearson's updates. Still, he wanted to make her believe he'd been listening. "I heard. Sorry for not being here sooner. Work was insane today."

"It's okay. I didn't mind waiting."

Sky smiled. "You're a good girl."

She ignored that, crossing her arms over her stomach, her cramps having intensified as he drove. Ugh.

He noticed. "What's the matter?"

Her stomach rolled with nausea with what she was about to say, and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Sky, do you mind stopping at the store? I need to get some...things."

"Things? Are you sick?"

"No…I just need some...f-feminine- things," she eventually choked out, mortified. "Sorry, I would have gotten them earlier, but I didn't have enough money for the campus store."

It took him a second, but Sky eventually understood what she was getting at. "Oh!" he laughed. "Of course, sweetheart. I'm sorry. I figured this would come at some point, it just slipped my mind."

Her cheeks turned bright red, refusing to look at him.

He grinned cheekily. "You don't have to be so coy. You could have just told me you were having your period."

"Sky, please!" she complained, furrowing her brows.

"What? It's completely natural. 'Feminine things'," he scoffed. "You amaze me, baby girl."

Her only response was an uncomfortable whine, and Sky laughed as he turned into a CVS pharmacy.

He gave her a twenty-dollar bill and let her go in by herself, encouraging her to spend all of it on whatever she wanted. She got everything she needed for her period and some treats as well, and she thanked Sky profusely when she got back to the car, despite his awful teasing from earlier that had left her extremely annoyed and uncomfortable.

Thankfully, he was especially sweet to her the rest of the evening, ensuring she had enough painkillers and a stomach full of dinner and dessert. Christine couldn't help but feel grateful. She had been afraid he would be angry or grossed out with her or something, especially considering he wouldn't be able to…touch her for a week. But he seemed fine with it, and so her mind was eased in that aspect of things.

As the night wore on, however, she began to feel uneasy. As Sky made sure she was packed for the weekend, he paced the room restlessly.

"We'll be leaving around ten in the morning. Now, you know to be on your best behavior, right?" he asked in warning as Christine stuffed a couple days worth of clothes into her backpack.

"Of course, Sky."

"Good. It's just...my family is a little hard to please," he confessed tightly, avoiding her eyes. "They'll love you of course, just need to dazzle them with that pretty smile. Oh, and if they ask about your age, say you're twenty-one. I don't need them judging me about your real age…"

Christine stared as he rambled on, though he couldn't see, distracted as he was pacing back and forth. She'd never seen Sky like this. He was actually...nervous. Besides when he got extremely angry with her, he always had a calm, easy demeanor about him. But he was obviously stressing over tomorrow, and it made her feel nervous. Was there something about this visit he wasn't telling her?

She felt that there was, but was too afraid to pry with how tense he seemed. He would probably snap at her. So she just let him go on for as long as he needed, listening politely and assuring him over and over whenever he demanded her for good behavior.

It was going to be a long weekend.

Christine could feel her stomach churn when Sky finally turned into a rather luxurious looking neighborhood, his posture straightening as he made the turn. She knew it meant they had to be close, and the sight of all the huge, fancy houses were unexpected, filling her with a sense of foreboding. If they lived in this neighborhood, they had to be extremely wealthy, and from what she'd experienced in her life, rich people never seemed to be as nice or kind hearted as poor or average people.

Sky had seemed to get progressively more tense since the night before, and his usual easy smirk was a tight line, dark eyes especially alert, tense knuckles flexed over the steering wheel. He'd even fussed over her outfit that morning, having her change from her comfortable pink sundress into white capris and a blue blouse that he'd purchased for her, claiming it made her look more mature. It all set her on edge.

She did not have a good feeling about this.

His heart pounded obnoxiously in his chest, and that annoyed him to no end. Would he always be such a pussy when it came to his family? Of course, some of it was anticipation, but there was a lot of insecurity and nerves too. What snotty comments would he have to deal with this time? Who would bring up old embarrassing stories in front of Christine? Would his dad criticize him for not being successful enough? Would his sisters brag about how perfect their lives were and parade their husbands and children around like trophies?

And most importantly…would Peyton's mother insist on leaving the second she saw him there?

He really hoped that wouldn't be the case. She had to at least give him a chance to talk things through, right?

A vibration in his side pocket distracted him, and since he was only going twenty miles per hour through the neighborhood, he didn't see any harm in answering the call. It was his father. He ignored Christine's questioning gaze and hit the green button, putting the phone to his ear.

"Hey, I'm about to pull in. What's up?"

"Good news," the older man said, not bothering with a greeting. "Lacey and Serena somehow convinced her to go shopping. I guess she trusts us enough, because she left Peyton here with your mother and the other monsters."

"That is great news," Sky enthused. "And perfect timing. I'm pulling up as we speak. See you in a minute."

Sky hung up his phone, ending the brief conversation that made no sense to Christine, and she gulped at the size of the house as they drove slowly down the long, smooth driveway.

Even in the neighborhood they were in, this house stood out, with tall palm trees framing the three stories picturesquely, the framing off-white rather than the beige or brown colors of most of the other desert houses. There were a few cars parked on the curb by the driveway: two large, fancy SUV type vehicles and one nondescript, white sedan. One of the two four-car garage doors was open, a sleek black sedan—even much nicer than Sky's—inside next to an empty space, and a golf cart parked to the far side.

Instead of taking that space or parking on the curb with the other cars, Sky pulled around to what Christine could only guess was a smaller guesthouse, parking in that smaller driveway instead, now hidden from the front of the house. She could see the backyard from here, surrounded by a light tan gate, the crystal blue water of the huge swimming pool sparkling under the hot sun, and the giant patio area beyond, the previous day's monsoon completely forgotten.

Her mouth went dry at the luxury of it all, her stomach whirling. She could almost understand Sky's nerves now; just looking at this place was extremely intimidating. She couldn't imagine how the people who lived here were. And apparently she would be meeting a lot more people than just his parents.

Sky helped a dazed looking Christine out of the car, laughing a little at her expression, and then popped open the trunk for their light luggage. "Nice, isn't it?" he asked, not waiting for her answer. "We'll be staying here in the guesthouse. Not that there isn't plenty of room up in the main house, but I'd rather have some privacy. Especially with all my nieces and nephews here."

Kids? That peaked her interest. She'd always connected well with children, considering she herself was still a kid in some ways. Maybe it wouldn't be so terrible if there were kids around. People had to be nice with kids around…right?

Christine couldn't tell if Sky was still nervous or if he was actually in a hurry as he quickly unlocked the front door of the guesthouse and led them in, throwing their bags down on the light wooden floors. She only got a glance at the bright, prettily furnished place before Sky was already pulling her back outside.

"We don't…get to settle in for a minute?" she asked in a tone she hoped didn't sound like she was complaining, struggling to keep up as he walked swiftly through the gravel towards the front of the main house.

"Not now," he snapped, seeming alert as he looked around. "I just...don't want them to think we're being rude by not coming to meet them right away."

"O...kay," she murmured, not really understanding. He sounded unsure himself; like it was just some excuse he was trying out, her heart beginning to pound harder. There was something about this he wasn't telling her, and she was suddenly very afraid to find out what it was. With Sky, it couldn't be good, and she was tempted to take off running.

Of course, she knew just how well that would work out if she tried. There was no use in making everything worse.

Stepping up to the fancy, glass paneled double front doors brought back a ton of memories for Sky, most of them unpleasant. He had to take a second before opening them, taking a deep breath and tightening his hold on Christine, comforted that she was with him and compliant. And then he remembered that he would see Peyton any minute now, which made it much easier to open the doors and step inside.

Christine held back a gasp at the pristine valley home, which was basically a larger version of what she'd seen in the guesthouse. The pale wooden floors reminded her of sand on a beach, and the cream and grey furnishings and delicate decorations were obviously professionally styled. She'd never been in a place this nice, and to think that this place was someone's home was crazy to her.

"Hello?" Sky called out, his voice echoing in the open space. "We're here."

The man from the family photo and who she'd assumed was Sky's father strode in a couple of seconds later from one of the few visible hallways, her stomach sinking as he approached with a condescending smile that she knew all too well. He was basically a much older, much handsomer, silver-haired version of Sky, and impeccably dressed in what she'd expect to see a rich man in a magazine with a cookout theme would wear. When his dark, hungry eyes—Sky's eyes—focused in on her, she got a terrible feeling in her gut.

"Hey, kid. You made it," Sky's father welcomed them casually, not taking his eyes off Christine, stopping a couple of feet away.

Sky's teeth clenched, his dad already pissing him off. Not only was he staring at Christine like she was something to eat, but Sky could also see the man's obvious confusion at the sight of her being with him.

"So you're the girlfriend, huh?" The cocky man extended his hand eagerly. "Ben Payne."

Christine shook his hand with reluctance that she hoped wasn't too obvious, trying to hide her discomfort with a tight smile. "Christine. Nice to meet you."

He held the handshake longer than Sky would have preferred, and he cleared his throat impatiently. "Where are the kids, Dad?"

Ben took the hint and dropped Christine's hand, eyes turning shrewdly to Sky. "Up in the playroom. You're mother is getting the pool ready for them, and the son-in-laws and me are about to head out to the golf course."

There was no invite for Sky, not that he expected one. Still, he nodded once and said shortly, "Have fun."

"Oh, we will. It was great to meet you, sweetie. Sorry to take off so soon." Ben smirked down at Christine with a wink before disappearing back down the hallway from whence he came, and she tried not to cringe.

Sky's grip on Christine tightened and he began to pull her down a separate hallway toward the staircase. She winced. "Ouch."

He loosened his grip, guiding her up the stairs. "Sorry," he muttered quietly. "My dad really…he just-gets under my skin sometimes. That's all. I don't want to talk about it." Sky knew that if he explained to Christine that he didn't like the way his father was looking at her, she would get scared and have a harder time playing her part. Luckily for him, she didn't further question him, just said a quiet "okay" and continued to follow him. God, he was so insanely lucky to have such a perfect girl. He couldn't wait for Peyton to meet her.

Before they made it all the way up the stairs, Sky paused, and Christine glanced up at him in question. Without warning he crushed his lips down on hers, and she inhaled sharply, clutching onto his arms for support. He groaned quietly, kissing her hard for a moment and then breaking away just as quickly.

"What was-" she tried to ask in a whisper, but he cut her off.

"I had to, baby girl," he murmured huskily, brushing a stray hair behind her ear. "I doubt we'll have much time for that for a while. Now first things first, let's meet the kids. I'll give you a tour of the house later."

Unsettled by his kiss, Christine tried to breathe deeply as they climbed the rest of the stairs to the third story, and she perked up when she began to hear the sounds of children's voices. At least she wouldn't have to be alone with Sky for a while, and she was pretty excited about the prospect of kids around. Kids were usually entertaining.

Sky's heart pounded, his stomach twisting in excitement. He could hear her voice now, as they approached the door to the playroom at the very end of the long hallway, still very high pitched and squeaky, just like how he remembered it to be despite how long it had been. He hoped she'd never lose that. It was too adorable. What would her reaction be when she saw him? Would she even remember him? She just had to...children could remember things from age two…couldn't they? If she didn't remember him, he would be devastated.

There was only one way to find out, and he couldn't wait any longer.

Sky puffed out a breath and opened the door, finding his three nieces, two nephews, and his now almost five-year-old daughter—he could barely believe that the beautiful little girl who was not a toddler at all anymore was the same child; she had grown so much—playing together with various toys. They were so absorbed in their games that they didn't even notice the two entering, and Sky had to call out her name.

"Peyton!" he shouted, and all pairs of eyes in the room turned to him, but all he cared about were the sparkly brown ones of his daughter finding his and going from confusion to recognition. Her lips formed an "O" with the sharp gasp she inhaled, and he couldn't help the hysterical bubble of laughter that came, tears threatening to form in his eyes.

"Daddy!" the little black haired girl screamed, and Christine stared in horror and disbelief as the darling child sprinted straight into Sky's open arms.