Chapter 15
––––––––
Kyle
It was hell seeing Celia every night and not being able to touch her or kiss her. He even held in his flirting as she’d asked, even if it was the hardest thing he’d ever done.
Being with her was also the best part of his day.
He arrived right after school on the days Jasmine had school, and today, since it was Saturday, he’d shown up for breakfast, prepared to take them both out for a meal Celia didn’t have to cook. He wanted her to relax and not serve him for once.
Not that he hated having home-cooked meals each night. Just the opposite. It made him yearn for a future that could be theirs. One where they’d take turns cooking meals, cleaning up, and putting Jasmine to bed.
Not that she needed to be put to bed. She’d told him, in no uncertain terms, that she was too old to be tucked in.
But then she’d let him tuck her in anyway.
It was like she knew he needed those memories.
This was their last day together as a family. Yeah, he knew that technically they weren”t a family. Yet. But, it sure as hell felt like it when they spent hours together, eating, laughing, and talking. Celia had even let him stay around after Jasmine was in bed, telling him more stories of things Jasmine had done as a kid.
He relished every second of their time together, even if he had to keep his hands to himself.
“Are you sure you want to take us out?” Celia asked. “What if someone sees us?”
“I’m sure.” He’d thought this over many times and had even talked to Zara about it. If someone photographed them out together, he’d put out a statement saying he was Jasmine’s dad. He didn’t want to hide that he was a father. His only issue was hurting her or Celia. The longer he could keep them out of the press, the better. But that didn’t mean they should hide. The likelihood of anyone even taking their photo was slim to none.
Celia cringed. “I don’t know.”
“Celia, it’s going to be fine. I won’t let anything happen to Jasmine.” Or her, but he couldn”t say that. Not yet. She wasn’t ready and he wasn’t going to push her.
She sighed, finally giving in. “Ok, but at least let me drive. Jasmine still sits in a booster seat and it’s just easier for me to drive than to move it.”
“I have one in my rental.” By the look on her face, he’d shocked the hell out of her.
“What do you mean?”
“I asked Dallas what I needed. He told me so I went out and bought one.” He shrugged, hoping he came across as if it was no big deal. “I figure when I leave, you can have it as an extra.”
Before she could comment, Jasmine came running out of the apartment. “Can I get chocolate chip pancakes?”
“You can get whatever you want,” Kyle said. “In fact, maybe I’ll get chocolate chip pancakes too.”
“Mom, did you hear that? Dad said he might get the same thing as me.”
“I heard, sweetie.”
Kyle still wasn’t used to Jasmine calling him Dad, and he wasn’t sure if he ever would be. Each time she said it, any anger that still lingered for Celia floated away. He had a smart, sweet, fun, loving daughter thanks to her, and there was no room for hate in his heart.
On the way to the restaurant, Jasmine requested songs from her favorite television program, and because he had no clue what that was, he handed his phone to Celia.
She gave him a blank stare as he rattled off the code to open the phone.
“You’re just handing me your phone and telling me your code?”
“I trust you.”
She opened her mouth as if to say something else, but then quickly shut it.
If it took him months, he’d gain her love one small gesture at a time.
They were seated immediately at the local breakfast place he’d chosen after asking around about good choices. The place was busy, but thanks to a favor from Shane Bradley, the owner had held a table back for them.
He might be a baseball star, but he couldn”t compete with the business mogul who the town of Valley Falls seemed to love.
Lucky for him, Jasmine wanted her side of the booth all to herself so Celia ended up having to sit right next to him.
He was going to buy his daughter a freaking pony if that’s what she wanted.
While Jasmine colored with the crayons she”d been given, Celia asked, “Are you excited to get back to baseball?”
He’d been asking himself that same question for the last week. “Yes and no,” he answered. “I love baseball, and it’ll be good to see the guys and play again, but also, I’ll miss being here. Seeing Jasmine every day.” Seeing you. Only he couldn’t say that last part.
“You’ve been with the same team all this time. Is that normal?”
“Sometimes. I like the team and since I’ve done well, they’ve kept me. I”m sure they wouldn’t hesitate to trade me if I started playing badly.” In the past, that had scared him, but not so much anymore. Part of him would love to be traded. Maybe it could be to a team closer to her. Michigan had a team and even though it was two hours away by car, it was a hell of a lot closer than Arizona.
Her knee brushed his and he felt her still next to him. His hand lifted from the table before he could even think and he placed it on her leg. She stiffened under his touch.
“Celia,” he said, her name low so only she could hear him. He didn’t even know what he wanted to say to her. He just knew that his control was very close to breaking.
She shook her head, refusing to look at him. From the side, he could see the panic on her face, but also something else. Something that looked a lot like desire.
Instead of lifting his hand, he kept it on her leg, giving her a small, gentle squeeze.
She shivered, which would be fine if it was cold in the restaurant. But it wasn’t. In fact, it was so warm, that only moments before, she’d removed her sweater, commenting on the heat.
The shiver was because she wanted him.
Thank fucking God.
He’d been lying awake night after night, fucking his fist, wishing it was her. Wishing she wanted him the way he wanted her. The shiver, along with her look of desire, confirmed it, even if she was unwilling to make a move.
Knowing she felt something for him, even if it was slight, made his cock surge to life.
Not that he needed anything else to make his dick hard. If she was around, it was hard.
“Mom, I’ve got to go to the bathroom!” Jasmine shouted, breaking them both out of their lust.
As the two girls he loved slid out of the booth and walked away, a plan began to form in his mind. A plan to win Celia over while he was away. A plan to hopefully keep her in his life for good.
He was going to need a lot of help if he wanted to pull this off.
Before they came back to the table, he shot off a text to Zara.
Kyle:
Want to help me make Celia fall in love with me again?
Zara:
Is that even a question? I’m in, but if this doesn’t work, I was never involved.
Kyle:
It has to work. I can’t live without her. Not anymore.
Zara:
I like your confidence. Tell me what you need.
He told her what he was thinking and how she could help. Then he put his phone away and spent the rest of the day focusing on Jasmine and Celia. He wasn’t going to waste a single second of his time with them.
After breakfast, they took Jasmine to a park where she played with other kids, and he and Celia sat and watched. It felt almost like they were a family. After the park, they stopped by a store that Jasmine had been talking about for days where they custom-made a doll, especially for you.
“You don’t have to do this,” Celia said. “She already loves you. You don’t have to buy her love.”
“That’s not what I’m doing. I want her to have something that reminds her of me when I’m not here.” He kept one eye on Jasmine as she browsed the store, something he was going to have to get used to, as he talked to Celia. “You know my life, how I grew up. I don’t want that for Jasmine. It’s not about stuff either. It’s more about knowing I cared enough to buy the stuff. If that makes sense.”
Her eyes softened and she reached out, touching his forearm. “I can understand that. Ruby always tells me stories about how great our dad was and how much he loved us. I want that for Jasmine. I hate that my mom didn’t seem to care about us and only wanted us to anger my dad.” He’d learned that Celia’s dad had died when she’d been young, after a pretty nasty divorce from her mom. Both Celia and Ruby loved their dad and were used as pawns in the game their mom played to hurt him.
It was unfair to everyone involved.
That summer they’d been together, she’d told him about her mom and mentioned that her dad had died, but he hadn’t known how bad it had really been. Hearing the story made the last parts of anger he’d held onto disappear.
He wanted to show her that not all parents were bad. That not all love would fade. That forgiveness was possible when you loved someone enough.
“It’s going to be weird not seeing her every day,” he said randomly. He’d been thinking about it a lot the last twenty-four hours. How strange it would be not talking to her and laughing with her. They’d have FaceTime but it wasn’t the same as seeing her in person. In just a week, he’d come to love Jasmine more than he’d ever imagined possible.
“You can call anytime. I know she’ll be excited to talk to you.” Her voice told him she meant her words.
“I know and I will. It just won’t be the same.” He held her gaze for longer than he should have before Jasmine came rushing over.
“I picked one!” She held up a doll who was wearing what looked like a baseball uniform. “Her name’s Juniper and she likes baseball and pitches for her school team.”
Kyle’s heart stuttered in his chest before falling completely and hopelessly in love with his daughter. She’d picked a doll that played baseball like him. How was he supposed to hold out against that?
“It bet she’s the best pitcher on the team,” Celia said when she noticed him at a loss for words.
“Do you like her?” Jasmine looked up at him, worry in her eyes.
He knelt down in front of her. “I love it. She’s got to be the best doll in this place.”
Her face lit up. “I think so.”
He glanced up at Celia just in time to see her wipe a tear away. “Why don’t you go pick out a few more outfits for Juniper,” he told Jasmine. “She can’t play baseball all the time.”
After she ran away, he stood up, stepping a little closer to Celia. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head continually. “No, I’m absolutely not, but at the same time, I’m more okay than I ever thought I’d be.” She looked up at him with damp eyes. “She’s needed this. You. I kept her from having an amazing dad and somehow, neither one of you hates me. It doesn’t make any sense.”
He reached out, saying screw it to his plan of not touching her. He pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. Because sometimes you just needed a hug. “I could never hate you. Believe me, I’ve tried so many times.” He stroked her back, doing his best to tell her with his touch that it would all be okay.
“I’m so sorry.” She cried into his shoulder. She said the words over and over again as if she was trying to earn forgiveness from him. What she didn’t realize was that it was already done. He’d forgiven her already.
He loved her too much not to forgive her.
When he saw Jasmine heading toward him, he pulled back. “Jasmine’s coming.” He wanted her to have time to compass herself.
She used both hands to wipe her eyes. “Can you watch her? I’m going to the bathroom.”
He nodded. “Take your time.”
He was a jumbled mess inside. He knew she had feelings for him, but he also knew she was feeling guilty for what she’d done. Having her in his arms only solidified his need for her. He just wasn’t sure if he was pushing her too hard too fast.
While she was gone, he helped Jasmine pick out as many outfits as they could find, along with other items to go with the doll. By the time Celia joined them, he’d paid for everything and was carrying two large bags full of doll accessories while Jasmine carried Juniper.
“Are you ladies ready to get out of here?” he asked happily.
Celia took Jasmine”s hand in hers. “Lead the way.”
Those three words were much bigger than she knew. He planned to lead her back to him, and soon, the three of them would be a family. The way it always should have been.