Contents
Chapter 26
Overview
After Skylar wins West at the auction, West hunts for her, brushing off Bree and getting a pointed warning from Doris not to push Skylar away. He finds Skylar at his house, where anger and vulnerability spill over. West rejects the “friends” label, insists on commitment, and they initiate a heated sexual encounter, cementing their relationship’s shift.
Summary
West leaves the stage after Skylar’s surprise $10,000 bid and charges through the crowd to find her. Bree intercepts him, but West firmly reiterates his boundaries and pushes past. Inside, Doris, pleased with the fundraiser’s success, warns West not to be the reason Skylar runs and points him toward the woods.
West searches the grounds in rising panic, imagining worst-case scenarios and regretting that Skylar has no phone because he threw hers in the lake. Failing to find her, he decides she might have gone to what feels like “home” and drives to his house.
He finds Skylar on the tree swing. When she continues to ignore him, frustration boils over. Skylar admits she’s overwhelmed and ashamed of her perceived public missteps, including buying him at the auction. West counters, praising her strength and insisting he’ll get her a new phone after the scare of not finding her.
West then rejects the “friends” label, stating his commitment and desire with blunt clarity. The confrontation turns into charged intimacy as Skylar demands he stop treating her like something fragile, and they mutually escalate physical affection on the hood of his truck, signaling a clear shift from denial to action.
The chapter ends with West and Skylar initiating sex, sealing their emotional admissions with physical connection and marking a definitive move beyond friendship.
Who Appears
- WestDetermined to find Skylar; rebuffs Bree; heeds Doris’s warning; declares he wants more than friendship; initiates intimacy at his house.
- SkylarOverwhelmed after bidding on West; confronts her insecurities; challenges West; accepts they’re more than friends; engages in a sexual encounter.
- DorisFundraiser organizer who directs West to the woods and warns him not to be the reason Skylar runs.
- BreeAttempts to stop West after the auction; he firmly shuts her down, reinforcing boundaries.