37. Walker
Chapter 37
Walker
I ’ve been pacing this damn barn for the past thirty minutes, kicking up dust and wrestling with my own damn thoughts.
I told Mack to ask Violet to meet me here. At noon.
It’s noon. She's not here. Maybe she's not coming.
I honestly couldn’t blame her. I was a jerk, and I should have handled this all better.
My chest feels tight, my heart racing in that restless way it does when I know the words that I say could change everything. God, her performance was amazing. I watched her perform from a distance, not wanting to interfere. I didn’t feel like I had that right. I’ve really messed things up with how I handled things. But then when she was so upset at the end, I could barely handle it. I felt like I was going to lose it.
I don’t know why I’m so nervous. Maybe because I know how bad I screwed up. Maybe because I’ve spent the past few days trying to figure out how to fix it, and nothing I come up with feels big enough. Because how the hell do you make up for breaking the trust of the woman you love? For making her feel like she wasn’t worth believing in ?
I lean against the stall,exhaling hard, hands shoved into my pockets. The horses shift around me, sensing my tension. Or maybe they’re just judging me.
And then I hear a vehicle pull up and a car door shut.
I look up, and there she is.
My Red.
She stops just inside the barn doors, the sunlight casting a golden glow around her like something straight out of a dream.
But she doesn’t look like a dream. She looks wrecked. Like she’s been carrying something heavy for too damn long. Guilt pulses through me because I know I put that weight there.
I swallow hard, forcing myself to stay still, even though every damn cell in my body screams at me to go to her. But I don’t feel like I’ve earned that right, yet.
I’ve missed her so bad it feels like my heart is heavy. I’ve spent days pretending like I needed space like I needed time to process, but the truth is, I just needed her. And now she’s standing right in front of me, and I don’t even know if I get to have her anymore.
She crosses her arms. “Hey, Walker.”
Her voice is too careful, too steady, and I hate that. I also hate that she didn't call me Asher. She's the only person that I don't mind calling me by my name. To everyone else, I'm just Walker. And now with her, I'm back to Walker, and that feels like we're not close anymore.
I hate that I did that to us. I swallow, nervously. “Hey, Red.”
Silence stretches between us. Heavy and loaded.
I should start. I know I should. I asked her here, after all.But my mouth doesn’t seem to want to work. The words are caught in my throat. I'm afraid to mess this up even more.
How do I even begin to explain what she means to me? That I wake up thinking about her, go to sleep thinking about her, and every single moment in between feels lost without her in it? That she’s in every song I write, every melody that’s ever meant something to me? That I love her so much it scares the hell out of me?
Finally, she sighs. “Well? You gonna say something, or did you just bring me here for a staring contest?”
My lips twitch, just barely, but then I see the way she grips her arms like she’s bracing for more hurt, and it damn near shreds me.
I exhale, stepping forward. “I screwed up.”
Her jaw tightens.
“I should’ve believed you and trusted you.” I run a hand down my face. “I was a damn idiot, Violet.”
She crosses her arms tighter. “You were.”
I nod, taking the hit. I deserve it. “I watched the video.”
She stiffens.
“The one of us at The Black Dog.” My throat closes up just thinking about it. “I saw how you looked at me. How I looked at you.”
Her breath catches, but she stays quiet. So, I keep going.
“And then I saw you at the fundraiser. And it—” I break off, shaking my headbecause I can’t even put it into words. It gutted me seeing her so wrecked singing our song.
Because seeing her up there, singing alone, knowing I should’ve been beside her? It devastated me. It was like watching the best part of my life slip away, and I was too damn stupid to grab it before it was gone.
“I should’ve been there with you. Instead, I was losing my damn mind over you.”
Her lips part, her breath hitches, and I know I’m getting through to her.
I step closer, carefully, watching her expression. “I don’t just love you, Violet.”
She blinks, holding her breath .
I take another step, so close I can see the freckles dusting her nose, the way her lashes flutter just slightly when I move in.
I speak softly, letting the emotion carry the weight of my words. “I love you like my heart always knew you were the one. Like my soul didn’t settle until it found yours.” I shake my head, my voice thick with meaning. “I love you like you’re the song I’ve been humming my whole life without knowing the words.”
She inhales sharply, her hand lifting like she wants to touch me but isn’t sure if she should.
I give her that moment, that choice,because if she’s not ready, I won’t push.
Because I shift closer, we both move at the same time.
And our foreheads slam together so hard I actually see stars.
“SHIT—”
Violet yelps, staggering back, clutching her face and huffs. “Are you kidding me? That was supposed to be our sexy moment.”
I stumble too, rubbing my forehead. “What the hell was that? Did we just…give each other concussions?”
She glares through watery eyes. “Unreal. The first time we kiss again and we headbutt like two wild goats.”
I bite back a laugh, even though my damn skull is throbbing. “You did jump me.”
She smacks my chest. “Because you were taking too long with your swoony monologue!”
But then she reaches out and grabs my shirt, yanking me down, and kissing me like she’s trying to make up for lost time.
And hell, I kiss her back like I’m trying to do the same.
Kissing her again feels like finally coming up for air. Like I’ve been drowning without her and didn’t even realize how bad it was until now. I tilt my head, deepening the kiss, my hands gripping her waist, pulling her flush against me because I need to be closer. Need to feel her against me and to make up for every single second I spent pushing her away. I've missed her so much.
I chuckle, grinning down at her, and something shifts in her expression.
She tries to stay mad. But she fails spectacularly. Instead, she exhales, shaking her head, and laughs.
Softly at first. Then full-on belly laughs roll out of heruntil she leans into me, shaking her head against my chest.
I press my lips against her hair, still grinning.
“Guess I’ve got a lot to make up for, huh?” I murmur.
She tilts her head up, smiling, eyes still glassy. “Yeah, but you’re getting there, Asher.”
And just like that. Everything is going to be okay. I know it's not going to be easy, but nothing easy is worth it. I'm going to fight for us. Nothing will ever come between us ever again. It's Violet and me against the world.
I’ve played in front of thousands of people. I’ve faced music executives and the sheer terror of raising a teenage daughter. That last one has been the hardest by far.
But none of that prepares me for what Violet tells me right before her parents pull up to my house to meet me for the first time. And I'm already nervous.
She stands in my kitchen, arms crossed, looking nervous as well. And that's not helping any.She looks at me nervously, “So, uh… I should probably warn you about something.”
I frown. “About what?”
She exhales. “My parents are… like really huge fans of yours. Huge. ”
I blink. “What?”
She winces. “Like… massive. Like ‘Mom had a poster of you in her laundry room, and Dad considers you part of his hernia surgery recovery story’ kind of huge fans.”
I stare at her. “Stop messing with me, Red.”
“Oh, how I wish I was.”
Before I can respond, the sound of a car pulling into my driveway makes my stomach drop. What have I gotten myself into?
She grabs my wrist, eyes deadly serious. “Just…please be ready for what's coming.”
“What do you mean? I don't understand.”
“You will,” she mutters, right as there’s a sharp knock at my front door, three fast, no-nonsense raps like I owe someone money.
“Jesus,” I mutter. “Am I meeting your parents or the FBI?”
Violet mutters something under her breath, but I can’t hear it over the sound of my pulse as I open the door. The second I do, all hell breaks loose.
“HOLY SHIT!”
Violet’s dad staggers backward, his hand flying to his chest like he’s having a full-body crisis.
Her mom lets out a high-pitched gasp and smacks his arm. “Language, Eli!”
But Eli isn’t listening. His wide, disbelieving eyes are locked on me. “It’s—you’re—Asher Wyatt?!”
Violet groans. “Dad, please don’t?—”
“Do you have any idea what this man means to me?!” Eli practically yells, spinning on her like she’s committed an unforgivable betrayal. “Your mother and I slow-danced to ‘Whiskey Sunrise’ on our honeymoon! This man’s voice carried me through my hernia surgery!”
I blink. “Uh. Wow. That’s?— ”
“My hernia surgery, Asher!” he repeats, as if that somehow solidifies our bond for eternity.
Violet’s mom still hasn’t blinked, staring at me like I might dissolve into thin air at any second. “I used to keep a poster of you in my laundry room.”
Violet whimpers. “Oh my God. Mom...”
Her dad steps inside without an invitation, turning in a slow circle like he’s on a VIP tour of Graceland. “I cannot believe my daughter is dating the Asher Wyatt.”
I clear my throat. “Technically, I just go by Walker now.”
“Oh, hell no,” he scoffs, waving me off. “You’ll always be Asher Wyatt to me.”
Violet grabs her mom’s face in both hands. “Can we please stop acting like I just brought home a damn rock star? He’s a man, guys. A regular man. He runs a bar. He fixes things. He’s got a daughter. He?—”
“He wrote the best damn love songs of our generation!” her dad interrupts.
Violet’s mom, Caroline, clutches her chest like she’s about to faint, eyes locked on me in sheer disbelief. “I just—I can’t process this. Asher Wyatt. Dating my daughter.”
Her dad, Eli, lets out a slow, stunned breath. “It’s like finding out Bigfoot is real and he’s been living in your guest room this whole time.”
Caroline nods rapidly. “It’s like discovering the Mona Lisa has been sitting in the lost-and-found at a gas station.”
I rub a hand down my face. “I, uh… really just live a quiet life now.”
Eli scoffs. “A guy who wrote ‘Whiskey Sunrise’?” He shakes his head, muttering. “I proposed to Caroline to that song.”
Caroline gasps dramatically. “Eli! That is not true!”
Eli crosses his arms. “You said yes before I even got down on one knee because it was playing on the radio. ”
Violet groans. “Oh my God, I regret everything.”
Caroline fans herself. “I need to sit down. I need a moment.”
Violet pinches the bridge of her nose. “Mom. You’re acting crazy.”
Eli narrows his eyes at me. “Yeah? Well, this man made my wife cry in the frozen foods aisle at the Kroger in 2013.”
Violet whimpers. “Dad.”
I clear my throat. “Uh. Sorry?”
Caroline sighs wistfully. “It’s just surreal. You were the voice of our road trips. The reason Eli started wearing cowboy boots.”
“Hey!” Eli protests. "I’m a real cowboy."
But Caroline isn’t done. “The reason I bought a guitar at forty-three.”
“Mom!” Violet yells, looking like she’s ready to throw herself out the nearest window.
Eli shakes his head, still staring at me in disbelief. “I just… never thought I’d have to look a man in the eye and say, ‘Hey, don’t break my daughter’s heart’ when that man is Asher Freakin’ Wyatt.”
I nod solemnly. “I get that a lot.”
Violet throws up her hands. “Oh my God, please let the ground open up and swallow me whole.”
Eli sighs, finally stepping forward and shaking my hand. “Welcome to the family, son. Hope you like unsolicited song requests at Thanksgiving.”
Violet glances at me. “Still time to run?”
I grin at her. “Not a chance, Red."
Violet throws her hands up. “Can we please talk about us now? Maybe about how Walker and I are happy and just want to live a normal life?”
Silence .
Her mom tilts her head. “Right. Yes. That’s why we’re here.”
But Eli is still staring at me, arms crossed, stillprocessing all of this.
I sigh, rubbing the back of my neck. “Would you like a drink, sir?”
He lets out a long, heavy sigh. “Yeah. But only if you sing me a song first.”
Violet lets out a horrified groan. “DAD.”
But the man just grins at me. “Worth a shot. Come on, kid."
The grill sizzles as I flip the steaks, the smell of charred seasoning and firewood filling the air. Eli stands next to me, beer in hand, looking out over my backyard like he’s been here a hundred times before.
“This is a hell of a setup,” he says, nodding in approval. “Big yard, a nice grill, a fire pit. You ever think about getting some chickens?”
I glance at him. “Chickens?”
Eli shrugs. “You got the space.”
“I run a bar and raise a teenager. You really think I need chickens on top of that?”
He takes a sip of his beer. “Could be fun. I mean, you already have like a million goats.”
I shake my head. “You and Mack would get along with your love of farm animals.”
Eli smirks. “Oh, I know we will.”
Maggie’s laughter rings out from the porch, where she and Caroline are parked in their chairs, drinking iced tea and swapping old stories.
“Walker, you should’ve seen her back in the day,” Maggie calls out, jerking a thumb toward her sister. “Caroline was the golden child, always had her life together, always followed the rules.”
Caroline scoffs, crossing her arms. “That’s not true.”
Eli smirks. “Caroline, honey, you packed emergency snacks for our wedding day.”
Caroline waves a hand. “And were you hungry that day? No. You’re welcome.”
Maggie sips her tea, eyes twinkling as she gazes at me. “Underneath all that brooding and guitar playing, you’ve always been a family man.”
Caroline hums in agreement. “She’s right, you know.”
I shake my head, but there’s warmth in my chest because, damn it, they’re not wrong.
A while later I look around for Mack and finally find her. Inside the house, she and Caroline stand around, laughing in the kitchen, their voices getting louder.
“What the hell are they up to?” Eli mutters, craning his neck.
I poke my head inside just in time to see Mack holding up a wooden spoon like it’s a microphone, grinning wildly at Caroline.
Caroline claps her hands. “Alright, you have to answer without thinking. Would You Rather: Fight one horse-sized duck or ten duck-sized horses?”
Mack gasps. “Oh, ten duck-sized horses for sure. I could take ‘em out one by one.”
Caroline doubles over laughing. “You’re so right. Great plan.”
Mack’s face lights up at that, and I feel something in my chest pull tight—because she doesn’t have many people who say things like that. People who see her and instantly just… claim her as family .
Violet nudges me, slipping her hand into mine. “You okay?” she murmurs.
I squeeze her fingers, letting out a slow breath. “Yeah.” I glance back inside, where Mack and Caroline are now attempting to juggle lemons and failing miserably. “Yeah, I really am.”
She leans into me, her head resting briefly against my shoulder.
I’ve spent years avoiding this kind of thing. The big family gatherings, the loud dinners, the easy laughter that stretches long after the plates have been cleared.
But now, standing here with Eli flipping steaks, Maggie giving me hell, Mack bonding with Violet’s mom, and Violet right next to me where she belongs…
Damn.
This house has never felt more like home.
Eli slaps a steak onto a plate and nods approvingly. “Alright, Walker. You officially passed the ‘meet the parents’ test.” He claps me on the back. “Welcome to the family, son.”
I glance at Violet, who’s watching the whole thing with soft, happy eyes.
Maggie laughs. "He's already been a part of this family for a long time."
This all feels like something I never thought I’d have. It’s not the big things. Not the grand, life-changing moments. It’s the small ones.
It’s Eli standing next to me at the grill, arguing about the best way to cook a steak like we’ve been doing this for years. It’s Mack laughing in the kitchen with Caroline, completely at ease in a way she doesn’t let herself be with just anyone. It’s Maggie giving me hell while secretly watching over me like she always has .
And it’s Violet, her hand in mine, like she’s always belonged here.
For so long, it was just me, Maggie, and Mack. And that was enough. We had our routines, our way of moving through life—just the three of us, making it work. But this?
I always thought I was meant to keep people at arm’s length. That opening my home—my heart—to more than just Mack would end in loss, the way it always had before.
But tonight, I don’t feel like an outsider. I don’t feel like a man trying to find his place.
I feel like I already belong.
I glance over at Violet, watching as she playfully bumps Maggie’s shoulder while setting the table. She catches me looking and just smiles.
And right then, I know—I’ve already got everything I’ll ever need.