One Night Stand, Eight Surprises: Pampered by My CEO Husband --- - Chapter 168: Chapter 168

It was supposed to be a lighthearted night.
Damien had declared a “no-devices game night,” much to the groans and sarcastic applause of the teens. The living room was strewn with blankets, pillows, popcorn bowls, and a fire crackled gently in the hearth. They’d rotated through charades, Pictionary, even a chaotic round of Uno.
Then Julian, mischievous and too clever for his own good, grinned. “Truth or dare.”
Groans turned to reluctant curiosity.
“Fine,” Amara sighed, flopping onto the couch. “Let’s play.”
The early rounds were tame.
“Truth: Who was your first kiss?”
“Dare: Text your crush a cat emoji.”
“Truth: Have you ever cheated on a test?”
Laughter bubbled. Embarrassments were shared. The atmosphere softened, loosened.
Then Julian turned to Skylar.
Skylar—quiet, thoughtful, the child most like Arielle in soul and Damien in depth. Sixteen, with a poet’s heart and eyes that always seemed to see too much.
“Truth or dare?” Julian asked.
Skylar hesitated.
“Truth.”
Julian grinned. “Have you ever had a crush… on someone no one would expect?”
Everyone chuckled.
Except Skylar.
Silence spread.
Skylar looked down at their hands, fingers tightening into fists.
“Yes,” they said. “On someone… not a girl.”
The air shifted.
A beat. Then two.
No one laughed.
Micah blinked. “You mean—?”
Skylar nodded slowly. “I don’t… know what label fits. I just know I’ve felt it. For someone I wasn’t supposed to. And it’s scary.”
Amara reached across the cushions, grabbing Skylar’s hand without a word.
Leila leaned forward. “You’re not broken. You’re just you.”
Damien, for once, said nothing. His jaw worked. His breath slow.
Arielle’s voice broke through the hush. “Thank you for saying it out loud.”
Skylar’s eyes welled. “What if I don’t figure it out?”
“Then we love you while you’re figuring it out,” Arielle said gently. “No timeline. No pressure.”
“Always,” Julian added, softer now. “Even when I’m being a jerk.”
Later that night, as the others drifted to bed, Skylar sat on the porch steps.
Damien joined them.
He didn’t speak right away. Just passed over a blanket and sat beside his child.
“I’ve always seen you,” he said finally. “In ways you probably didn’t know. I don’t care who you love. I care that you feel safe doing it.”
Skylar sniffed. “I didn’t think you’d understand.”
Damien nodded slowly. “I don’t understand everything. But I’m learning. And if you’ll let me—I want to learn from you.”
Skylar exhaled a breath they hadn’t realized they were holding.
“I’d like that.”
In the days that followed, the shift was subtle, but powerful.
Skylar walked with shoulders less hunched. Spoke more often. Wore colors they used to avoid.
And one night, curled up on the floor in a family heap watching an old movie, Skylar leaned against Arielle’s shoulder and whispered, “Thank you.”
Arielle didn’t ask why.
She just kissed the crown of their head and whispered back, “Always.”