Walk Off

Chapter 18

––––––––

Kyle

The gift didn’t work.

He’d thought for sure that she’d see that old music box and fall at his feet.

What a fucking idiot he’d been. Was he wrong? Did she really not want to be with him?

Maybe she really didn’t love him and the sex they’d had was just scratching an itch. Was it possible that all the looks and longing had been in his mind?

No. He knew her. She was scared. She loved her daughter and wouldn’t do anything to hurt Jasmine ever again. She wasn’t pushing him away because she didn’t love him. She was doing it to protect both her and Jasmine”s hearts.

She hadn’t lied about that.

She was being completely honest and he needed to do the same. Shawn was right. Plans went wrong. He had to stop beating around the bush and tell her what he wanted.

She needed to hear the words from him.

He loved her and Jasmine, and wanted to be in their lives, as a father to Jasmine and a husband to Celia.

Yes, he wanted to marry her. He wanted to be beside her every day, until the end of time.

There was only one problem, he refused to tell her he loved her over the phone. He needed to say it in person, and that couldn’t happen until he had a day off.

Sunday. He had a day off on Sunday, which was four days away.

He could wait four days.

Probably.

Luckily, he had baseball to keep him busy.

The next day, he got up for an early run, meeting up with Heath and Noah, since their teams held spring training in the same town.

“This is too early,” Noah complained.

“You fucking complain about everything,” Heath said, as they ran along a trail at a local college that Heath had apparently found a few years back. “On the way here, you were complaining about the coffee in the lobby not being strong enough.”

“It wasn’t,” Noah exclaimed.

“I see you two are at it as usual,” Kyle said, completely used to their bickering ways after spending time with them in Valley Falls.

“Noah’s just mad because last night at the bar, no women talked to him.” Heath smirked. “They all wanted a piece of me.”

“Maybe I didn’t want them to talk to me,” Noah said. “And if you were so popular, why the hell did you go home alone?”

“I’m selective,” Heath said.

Listening to them talk was a great way to keep his mind off Celia and his future. They chatted and argued for another thirty minutes before they ended their run at the start of the trail.

Breathing heavily and bent over at the waist, Heath said, “Jesus, I’m getting too old for this.”

Kyle patted him on the back. “Nah, you just have to get back in the swing of things.”

“Was that a baseball pun, Dulanay?” Heath glared at him.

“It sure was.” Kyle looked out over the trees to where the sun was rising, the colors bright and bold. “This really is a great place for a morning run. I might come here every day.”

“I’ll join you,” Noah said.

“Great,” Heath said. “I invited you two yahoos along and now you’re stealing my secret spot.”

“It”s a public place,” Kyle told him, shaking his head. “I don”t think you can claim it as your own.”

“Fuck off.”” There was no strength behind it since Heath was still breathing heavily.

“How’s it going with your kid?” Noah asked him, and just like that, Celia was back on his mind.

“She’s great.” He couldn’t help but smile at the mention of Jasmine. “Her mother is an entirely different story.”

“What’s happening there?” Heath asked.

“Nothing. Or, not so much nothing, as she is refusing to admit her feelings for me.”

“Are you sure she has them?” Noah asked.

Before Kyle could answer, Heath said, “Yes.”

Kyle gave him a questioning look. “How do you know that?”

“Because she’s my sister’s friend and Zara’s friend, and I just so happen to talk to both Hannah and Zara almost daily. Both of them talk about you and Celia constantly. As if I don’t have important things going on in my life.”

“What important things could you possibly have?” Noah asked.

“Wait, go back. What exactly do Zara and Hannah say about Celia’s feelings for me?” He felt like he was in high school, but he didn’t care. If Heath had any insight into Celia, he would take it. He needed all the help he could get.

“Just that she’s denying her feelings because she’s afraid to be hurt. And also something about her mom and being right about her not being good enough.” He shrugged like it was no big deal when in reality, it was the biggest deal.

At least to Kyle.

It confirmed what she’d told him. At least the part about being hurt. The other part, about her mom, was new, and something he desperately wanted to help her prove wrong. Granted, he didn’t know her mom, but he was one thousand percent sure she was nothing like her.

How did he know that?

Because in the last week and a half, he’d learned that he was nothing like his own shitty parents. Neither of them would have forgiven Celia for keeping a child from them. Ironically, they also wouldn’t have ever grown to love the child or want to care for her. They only cared about themself and no one else. They’d make a big stink, but in the end, they’d be absentee parents, just like they’d been with him.

He was nothing like them. He’d forgiven Celia relatively quickly, because he could see the love she had for Jasmine, in her eyes and in the way she talked about her. A love like that was not something you ignored. As for loving Jasmine, how could he not? She was sweet and funny and smart as could be. From their first meeting, he’d made room for her in his heart. That was something his own mom and dad had never done for him.

If he could be completely different from his own parents, then so could Celia. They each wanted to erase the past and make the future better.

That’s how he knew she’d never be like her mom.

She was better in every possible way, and worth more than anyone he’d ever met. She deserved to be happy. To have good things happen to her.

He stilled, remembering the words she’d said to him when he’d found out about Jasmine. They’d been almost exactly the same. She’d broken up with him and kept the baby from him because he’d deserved all the good things in life.

She’d done it for him, and now he was going to show her that she and Jasmine were the good things in his life. That she was worth more than she knew.

“I gotta go,” he shouted as he started running off towards his car. Inside the car, he dialed Zara.

She answered on a yawn. “This better be good, Dulanay. I was having the very best dream about a chiseled guy whose head was hidden because it was...”

He didn”t let her finish. “I love Celia.”

“Duh,” she said like it was common knowledge.

“This might be crazy, but I need you to work out a trade for me. Now.”

“What?” She sounded fully awake. “Why?”

“Because I need to be in Michigan. I need to show Celia that I’m not going anywhere.” The more he thought about it, the more he knew this was the way to go.

“Okay, settle down. I get what you want to do, but what happened to your other plan, the one where you sent her gifts to wear her down? I think it’ll work.”

“I don’t want to wear her down. I want her to know that I love her and that she comes first. Telling someone you love them is one thing, but showing them is more important.” His parents hadn”t done either, but her mom had. She’d claimed she’d loved Celia and Ruby, but her actions repeatedly showed otherwise.

He would not make the same mistake.

Not with Celia and not with Jasmine.

“I get what you’re saying, but you have a contract with Arizona and they love you. I didn’t want to get your hopes up, but I’ve been talking with the team about a contract extension, and I have to tell you, it’s a lot. They want to keep you for the long haul. That’s a lot of money, not to mention job security.”

“I don’t care. I love baseball, but I can play it anywhere. I need to be near my family.”

Zara sighed over the phone. “You need to slow your roll. Celia would never ask you to switch teams.”

“That’s just it. She deserves someone who does it without being asked. I can give her that.” He needed to give her that.

“I understand what you are saying, but I don’t agree. I know her, Kyle, and she would be devastated if you made a decision like this because you think it’s what she wants. Talk to her, tell her you love her, and then once you both get your heads out your asses, decide together what’s best for you as a couple and family.”

He absorbed what Zara was saying, wondering if she was right. Would Celia be upset at him for making such a big decision without asking her? “She’s never had anyone put her first.”

“I know that, but she’s also never had anyone consult her, making her part of the decision. Sometimes that’s just as important.”

Well shit. That was a good point, one he hadn’t thought of. He groaned into his phone. “What do I do?”

“Be honest with her. Without divulging any secrets or breaking any friendship rules, I can tell you that Celia is struggling with her feelings for you. It’s hard for her to put herself first, to believe that she is worthy of love. Show her she is and this will all work itself out.”

He hated that she thought she wasn”t worthy. He hated her mom for ever putting that thought in her head. Because of those words, Celia was afraid to trust him. But really, what had he done to earn that trust?

Nothing.

He might have said he wanted her, but he’d never told her that he loved her. Those were the words she needed to hear. And, if she let him, he’d tell her every day for the rest of their lives.

“I need a flight to Valley Falls tonight after practice, and then back before practice tomorrow afternoon.” He wasn’t going to waste any more time.

“That’s a tall order. I’m not sure I can do that commercially.”

“Then charter a fucking plane. I’m not waiting anymore.”

“I have an idea. Give me five minutes and I’ll call you back.”

Zara hung up, leaving Kyle to stare out the windshield of his car. His mind was a muddled mess. He wasn’t sure anymore what was right or wrong. All he knew was that he loved Celia and needed to tell her.

He’d always loved her, but this wasn’t the same kind of love. They were barely adults when they’d met and fallen head over heels in love. He’d loved her innocence and her sweet nature, the way she laughed at his dumb puns, and how she loved to hold his hand in public. In the last week, he’d learned a thousand more things he loved about her. He loved her giant heart and the way she loved their daughter. The way she smiled with her whole face when something made her happy. How she would do anything for anyone if it meant their life would be easier.

He especially loved how she moaned his name when he fucked her hard and fast.

She’d grown a lot in eight years, but so had he. They weren”t the same people anymore, but that didn’t mean the love had lessened.

If anything, it was bigger.

The phone in his hand rang and he answered it after barely half a ring.

“Zara?”

“You’re lucky as hell that the woman you love has a sister who works for Shane Bradley. His plane will be ready for you when your practice ends. I’ll send you the details of where to go. Then tomorrow, it will return you home before your practice.”

“You’re worth every penny I pay you.” Funny how hearing Zara call Arizona home made him cringe. Home was wherever Celia and Jasmine were.

He just hoped they felt the same way.