The Sweet Escape

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

As soon as he sent the text, Ian instantly regretted it. What had he been thinking? Just asking Skylar out for lunch like that. And right after he had rejected Katherine George, stating that he needed to spend more time with his daughter. Maybe it had been the conversation he'd had with Kyle before he left for Chicago that still haunted him.

"You need to go back out there," Kyle had said.

"What for? I need to focus on Emily, that's what is important."

Kyle had brushed off his comment. "And I'm not saying that you need to forget about Emily, but you need someone else in your life. You're a man, you have needs. And you made it pretty obvious that  you're not one for one-night-stands. You should go back out into the dating scene."

Ian was against one-night-stands. After what happened between him and Emily's mother, he didn't want another surprise. He promised himself that if he ever got with a woman again, it would be because they had something good going. After Emily being born, he had never had time for meeting other women. And he felt slightly ashamed that he had not had sex in four years, but it was for a good cause.

"It's not that easy, Kyle," he had said.

"It is easy," Kyle said. "You need to find a woman that fits all the great qualities you want and go for it. It doesn't matter who she is, but if you like her, you need to get her."

Ian knew that his cousin had been right, but that didn't mean he should go after Skylar just like that. The girl was still in school, her studies were important if she wanted a good future for herself. Plus, it wasn't like she would want to go for him anyway. She needed someone closer to her age. Someone that didn't have other duties and could focus solely on her. Why would Skylar want to date a guy whom had a daughter already? She would want her own family.

But he had still sent her the text. Not necessarily asking her out on a date, he just wanted to see her. Spend time with her. And yes, he did see her in her Civil Procedure class, but he never really got to talk to her much. A simple 'hello' was all. And soon he wouldn't even be able to do that. He didn't really like the idea of not being able to see her anymore. That was why he wanted to give her the internship, and he hoped that she would take it. But she was a stubborn one.

He was scared that she thought he was weird. She was probably only interested in hanging out with her friends, other people her age. What if she saw him as just an old man?

But soon her reply came and all his fears vanished.

Sure. Just text me the time you're picking me up and I'll be ready.

A grin formed on his face. She'd accepted his invitation. That was good, he guessed. So she  didn't find going out to lunch with him that weird. Ian knew that he shouldn't have been feeling so happy, but he couldn't help it. The thought of getting to spend time with Skylar excited him. That woman had a really big effect on him, it was scary.

"You look really happy, Daddy," Emily muttered as she crawled onto his lap, resting her on his chest.

"That's because I am, princess," he said, running his fingers through his daughter's hair.

"Why?" Emily asked innocently.

"I'm going to go see a friend tomorrow," he explained. "And why are you up? I thought I put you to bed earlier."

"I couldn't sleep," Emily said. "Can I watch TV for a little bit? Please."

The next day, Skylar awoke in a bright mood. Sarah had gone for her morning jog, leaving Skylar to do as she pleased. She put on Linkin Park's In The End while she got ready for the morning. Usually, Sarah would complain about her music, saying that it was for rebellious teenagers that gave no craps about school. That little comment had offended her slightly, but she let is slide seeing as how it was Sarah, and Sarah would be Sarah.